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Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a Wii video game by Nintendo. It is a sequel to Super Mario Galaxy and contains new elements and features such as the helpful Yoshi, new powerups, and new enemies.
Plot
Princess Peach invites Mario for some cake, at a time when Star Bits was raining down from the skies over the Mushroom Kingdom. On his way, Mario finds a Luma, who immediately befriends him and grants him the ability to spin. Shortly there after, Mario's archnemesis, a planet-sized Bowser invades and attacks the Mushroom Kingdom.
Bowser takes Peach escapes into outer space to create his empire at the center of the universe again. After launching into outer space, Mario is given control of Starship Mario, a mobile planetoid in the shape of his head, made by a crafty Luma mechanic named Lubba, powered by Power Stars, and piloted by other Lumas; his mission is to fly across the universe in pursuit of Bowser and the Princess and to help Lubba find the lost Lumas that were part of Bowser's plot.
Along the way Mario meets new Lumas, and joins up with his companion Yoshi and many other aliens too. Upon collecting enough Power Stars, Starship Mario reaches Bowser's main fortification, draining energy from what appears to be a comet. Mario infiltrates the castle and defeats Bowser, but is forced to retreat when Bowser reappears; Mario then ultimately defeats him and lands on a small flower-covered planetoid before Princess Peach, riding the Grand Star, comes down and thanks him. Together, they return to Starship Mario, where everyone is looking at the comet that Bowser was siphoning energy from.
Gameplay
The game's hub world is a planetoid in the shape of Mario's face (the characters jokingly call it a faceship) called Starship Mario. The starship is used to gain access to the different galaxies and worlds. There are seven worlds in all, each one containing a certain amount of galaxies. New galaxies are made available upon completing missions and collecting stars. There are blockades placed in the various worlds that prevent further progression until the player can accumulate a set amount of stars. A blockade is always placed directly before the final galaxy of a world.
In each galaxy there are stars that the player must collect. The stars can be found by defeating bosses, finding silver stars, going through a challenging obstacle course like stage, or completing some other type of objective. Early on, each galaxy contains very few stars in comparison to previous Mario games. After the first 120 stars are collected, the amount of stars that are available in each galaxy doubles. The latter 120 stars are green and can be found in tough to reach places. After collecting 240 stars, the final galaxy, titled the Grandmaster Galaxy, becomes available. It is an extremely challenging stage that contains two stars. The second star, and the final star in the entire game, can only be accessed after collecting the Comet Medal in the galaxy, and having 9,999 Star Bits in the bank. in Super Mario Run, You Have Direct
Mario and Yoshi
Mario is controlled by using the joystick on the Nunchuk controller. He can jump by pressing the A button, long jump by pressing the Z button and subsequently the A button, and can triple jump by jumping three consecutive times. After finding a golden Luma in the beginning of the game, Mario can perform a spin attack. The spin attack is used to activate launch stars, defeat enemies, flip switches and more. By pressing the Z button, Mario will crouch. The controls are very similar to the original Galaxy.
As in the previous game there are many items that Mario can acquire. One of the new items is a top-like drill. The drill is used on planets that are composed of dirt. With a flick of the Wii Remote, players will send Mario drilling through the entire planet and popping up at the other side. This is used to access new areas and to defeat certain enemies that have the unfortunate luck of being placed at the opposite end of the planet, including bosses. In later stages the drill is used in very complicated ways involving swift gravity alterations. While not technically a suit, the drill grants Mario new powers like a suit would. When Mario uses a launch star with a drill in hand, he'll drop the drill before being shot to a new planet.
The rock suit grants Mario the ability to roll up in a ball and smash through enemies, rock spires, boulders, fences and creations made of snow. When activated in a snow like stage, Mario will gradually pick up enough snow to resemble a snow ball (though it serves no purpose). The suit is used in a variety of stages to knock down walls, defeat a large amount of enemies (including ones that resemble bowling pins), and go through an intense obstacle course. A second new suit is the Cloud Suit, which grants Mario the ability to generate clouds strong enough to support him by spinning the Wii Remote. Each time Mario touches a Cloud Flower (the item that gives him the power), Mario will be given three clouds. After those three clouds have been used, Mario will still have the suit on (allowing him to still walk on clouds), but will have to find another item in order to once again generate clouds.
Suits returning from the original game include the Bee Suit, the Fire Suit (officially called Fire Mario), the Spring Suit, the Boo Suit, and the Starman/Invincibility Suit. The Bee Suit grants Mario the power of a bee, allowing him to fly in the air. The Fire Suit and Starman Suit each last for a short time and allow Mario to throw fireballs and become invincible, respectively. The Spring Suit will cause Mario to jump extremely high in the air when the A button is pressed at the right time. Finally, the Boo Suit turns Mario into a ghost and allows him to pass through objects and float in the air.
Yoshi, new to the Galaxy series, is found in a variety of stages including Starship Mario. After a stage is completed with Yoshi, he is left behind, meaning the player is not able to bring him in to other stages. This is the fourth Mario platformer (not including Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island) that includes Yoshi as a secondary playable character, the others being Super Mario World, Super Mario Sunshine, and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. He was also a playable character in the Nintendo DS remake of Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS. In Super Mario Galaxy 2, Yoshi can easily run over rough terrain, can eat numerous enemies, can gobble up weapons and use them against foes, can flutter jump and can grapple onto flowers. Instead of a spin attack Yoshi will perform a head shake when the player flicks the Wii Remote. Yoshi can shoot his tongue out at some objects and pull back when the player pushes the joystick in the opposite direction. This is used to uproot fruit, Piranha Plants and certain blocks stuck in the wall.
Special types of fruit that litter some stages give Yoshi special powers. The Blimp Fruit turns Yoshi light blue and inflates him like a balloon, sending him and Mario upwards until he runs out of air. The spicy Dash Pepper turns Yoshi bright orange and sends him running at an extremely fast speed, allowing him to run on walls and over water. Finally, the Bulb Berry turns Yoshi yellow and makes the surrounding invisible objects visible. When the effect wears off, the invisible objects will disappear and, even if they're there or not, Yoshi and Mario will plummet to their death unless they find solid ground that doesn't require the light.
Bosses
Here are the minor bosses (excluding Bowser and Bowser Jr.) that are encountered and fought during the game:
- Peewee Piranha
- Giga Lakitu
- Digga-Legs
- Gobblegut
- Rollodillo
- Sorbetti
- Glamdozer
- Bugaboom
- Megahammer
- Prince Pikante
- Squizzard
- Fiery Gobblegut
- Boomsday Machine
- Whomp King
- Dino Piranha
- King Kaliente
- Major Burrows
- Bouldergeist
- Fiery Dino Piranha
List of Stars
| World 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sky Station Galaxy | Yoshi Star Galaxy | ||
 Peewee Piranha's Temper Tantrum
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Storming the Sky Fleet
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Saddle Up with Yoshi
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Spiny Control
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 Peewee Piranha's Speed Run
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 Green Star 1
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Spiny Rainbow Romp
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Spin-Dig Galaxy | Fluffy Bluff Galaxy | ||
| Digga-Leg's Planet
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Silver Stars Down Deep
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Search for the Toad Brigade Captain
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The Chimp's Stomp Challenge
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| Digga-Leg's Daredevil Run
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Green Star 1
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Every Planet Has Its Price
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
|
Green Star 3
|
| Flip-Swap Galaxy | Rightside Down Galaxy | ||
| Think Before You Shake
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Purple Coin Flip 'n' Sprint
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Breaking the Laws of Gravity
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The Great Creat Incinerator
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser Jr.'s Fiery Flotilla | |||
 Gobblegut's Aching Belly
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Fiery Flotilla Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World 2 | |||
| Puzzle Plank Galaxy | Hightail Falls Galaxy | ||
| The Puzzling Picture Block
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Purple Coin Shadow Vault
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Hot-Stepping Dash Pepper
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Hightail Falls Speed Run
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| Bugaboom's Back
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Green Star 1
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Silver Stars in Hightail Falls
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Boulder Bowl Galaxy | Cosmic Cove Galaxy | ||
| Rock and Rollodillo
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Rolling Crabber Romp
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Twin Falls Hideaway
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Exploring the Cosmic Cavern
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| C'mere, Goomba
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Green Star 1
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Catch That Star Bunny
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Wild Glide Galaxy | Honeybloom Galaxy | ||
| Fluzzard's First Flight
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Jungle Fluzzard Race
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Bumble Beginnings
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The Secret Wall Jump
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser's Lava Lair | |||
| Bowser's Big Lava Power Party
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Lava Lair Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World 3 | |||
| Tall Trunk Galaxy | Cloudy Court Galaxy | ||
| The Flotacious Blimp Fruit
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Tall Trunk's Big Slide
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Head in the Clouds
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The Shadow Lining
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| Tall Trunk's Purple Coin Slide
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Green Star 1
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Silver Stars in the Purple Pond
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Haunty Halls Galaxy | Freezy Flake Galaxy | ||
| A Glimmer of Bulb Berry
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Sneaking Down the Creepy Corridor
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Bowser on Ice
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Sorbetti's Chilly Reception
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| Spooky Cosmic Clone Chase
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Green Star 1
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The Chimp's Skating Challenge
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Rolling Masterpiece Galaxy | Beat Block Galaxy | ||
| Silver Chomp Grudge Match
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Masterpiece Speed Run
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Step to the Beep
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Silver Stars in Double Time
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser Jr.'s Fearsome Fleet | |||
| Bowser Jr's Mighty Megahammer
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Megahammer's Daredevil Bash
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World 4 (Super Mario Galaxy 2) | |||
| Supermassive Galaxy | Flipsville Galaxy | ||
| Huge Trouble with Big Wigglers
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Big Wigglers Speed Run
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Flip-Flopping in Flipsville
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Flipsville's New Digs
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| In Full Bloom
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Green Star 1
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Purple Coin Spin Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Starshine Beach Galaxy | Chompworks Galaxy | ||
| Surf, Sand, and Silver Stars
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Climbing the Cloudy Tower
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Where the Chomps Are Made of Gold
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Spring into the Chompworks
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| Purple Coin Speed Dash
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Green Star 1
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Cosmic Clones in the Chompworks
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Sweet Mystery Galaxy | Honeyhop Galaxy | ||
| Bulb Berry's Mysterious Glow
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Bulb Berry's Purple Coin Glow
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The Sweetest Silver Stars
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The Chimp's Score Challenge
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser's Gravity Gauntlet | |||
| Breaking into Bowser's Castle
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Gravity Star Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World 5 | |||
| Space Storm Galaxy | Slipsand Galaxy | ||
| Follow Me, Bob-omb
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To the Top of Topman's Tower
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Squizzard's Sandy Sinkhole
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Sailing the Sandy Seas
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| C'mere, Topman
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Green Star 1
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Squizzard's Daredevil Run
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Shiverburn Galaxy | Boo Moon Galaxy | ||
| Prince Pikante's Peppery Mood
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Octo-Army Icy Rainbow Romp
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Silver Stars Pop-Up
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Haunting the Howling Tower
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| Chimp's Ultimate Skating Challenge
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Green Star 1
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The Star in the Sinking Swamp
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Upside Dizzy Galaxy | Fleet Glide Galaxy | ||
| A Walk on the Weird Side
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Burning Upside Dizzy
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Fluzzard's Wild Battlefield Glide
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Fastest Feathers in the Galaxy
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser Jr.'s Boom Bunker | |||
| Bowser Jr's Boomsday Machine
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Boomsday Machine Daredevil Run
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World 6 | |||
| Melty Monster Galaxy | Clockwork Ruins Galaxy | ||
| The Magnificent Magma Sea
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A Stroll Down Rolling Lane
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Time for Adventure
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The Adventure of the Purple Coins
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| The Chimp's Bowling Challenge
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Green Star 1
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The Ledge Hammer Trap
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
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| Throwback Galaxy | Battle Belt Galaxy | ||
| Return of the Whomp King
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Silver Stars in the Whomp Fortress
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Mini-Planet Mega-Run
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Mini-Planet Daredevil Run
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| Whomp Silver Star Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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Snacktime for Gobblegut
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Green Star 1
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| Green Star 2
|
Green Star 3
|
Green Star 2
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Green Star 3
|
| Flash Black Galaxy | Slimy Spring Galaxy | ||
| Jumping Around in the Dark
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Dark Octo-Army Romp
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The Deep Shell Well
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The Chimp's Coin Challenge
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
|
Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Bowser's Galaxy Generator | |||
| Bowser's Fortified Fortress
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Bowser's Big Bad Speed Run
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| World S | |||
| Mario Squared Galaxy | Rolling Coaster Galaxy | ||
| Make Mario a Star
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Luigi's Purple Coin Chaos
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The Rainbow Road Roll
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Purple Coins on the Rainbow Road
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
|
| Twisty Trials Galaxy | Stone Cyclone Galaxy | ||
| Spinning and Spinning and Spinning
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Turning Turning Double Time
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Silver Stars on the Cyclone
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Tox Box Speed Run
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Boss Blitz Galaxy | Flip-Out Galaxy | ||
| Throwback Throwdown
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Throwback Throwdown Speed Run
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Wicked Wall Jumps
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Cosmic Clone Wall Jumpers
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| Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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Green Star 1
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Green Star 2
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| Grandmaster Galaxy | |||
| The Ultimate Test
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The Perfect Run
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Bosses
- Peewee Piranha
- Giga Lakitu
- Digga-Leg
- Gobblegut
- Bugaboom
- Rollodillo
- Bowser (first time)
- Sorbetti
- Megahammer
- Glamdozer
- Bowser (second time)
- Squizzard
- Prince Pikante
- Boomsday Machine
- Whomp King
- Fiery Gobblegut
- Bowser (third time)
- Dino Piranha
- King Kaliente
- Major Burrows
- Bouldergeist
- Fiery Dino Piranha
Development
Super Mario Galaxy 2 was revealed during Nintendo's E3 2009 press conference. During the event, Cammie Dunaway of Nintendo of America had already revealed New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, but then revealed that Nintendo had yet another surprise to show its fans, and subsequently showed the trailer for Super Mario Galaxy 2. The game, produced by Yoshiaki Koizumi (director of the previous game) and Shigeru Miyamoto is being developed by the team in Tokyo.
Confusion
During a round table event at E3 2009, Miyamoto explained that the game contained at least 95% new content (some sources say 90%). Fans quickly came to assume that he was referring to the stages in the game, thinking he meant that up to 5% of the galaxies would be returning from the first Super Mario Galaxy game. This quickly led to many questions during interviews, in which he was able to clarify what he meant. Instead of there being old galaxies, he meant that some of the suits such as the Bee Suit would make a return, but would be exploited in different ways.
When asked if there would be any returning galaxies from the first title in an issue of Official Nintendo Magazine, he explained that there wouldn't and even questioned why they thought it was a possibility. Another source of confusion was when fans descovered that the kingdom once again held the star festival, which was only supposed to happen every one hundred years. The only logical explanation is that since the universe was recreated at the end of the first game, this would technically be the planet's first star festival.
Reception
Edge, a British magazine widely known for being strict, was the first to publish a review of the game, rewarding it with their highest score, 10. In the history of the magazine, very few video games have been scored such. The Mario series has notably been rewarded more tens than any other video game series, with Super Mario 64 and the original Super Mario Galaxy also having this grade. The American publication Game Informer gave the game an impressive 9.25, though it should be noted that the original was given a higher 9.75. Some of the criticisms that the magazine had was that several of the stars were too challenging to obtain. One in particular allegedly took the reviewer four hours to get. GI also claimed that in some portions of the game, motion controls were poorly implemented, not working as effectively as they would have liked.
IGN and GameSpot, the two largest video game websites, both rewarded Super Mario Galaxy 2 with a ten, higher than what they rewarded the original. 1Up gave the game an A, saying that "Galaxy 2 strikes a rare balance: the additions (Yoshi, Cloud Mario, Rock Mario) expand the devious obstacles you must overcome to collect level-unlocking stars, but the underlying design is just as solid as anything from Super Mario World or Super Mario 64."
Prior to IGN's review of the game, Nintendo editor Craig Harris explained his progression on Twitter, saying such things as "I'm struggling to find something wrong with it. Super Mario Galaxy 2, why do you have to be so damn good?", and "Mario Galaxy 2 continues to wow me with some seriously creative level designs". One of his Twitter posts said "I can officially confirm that no characters unlock after 120 stars in SMG2. But it's after 120 stars the game unlocks...[TWITTER OVER LIMIT]".
This was the first title to be released in a series of Wii games released on the Wii U eShop.
Trivia
- Shortly after the Nintendo Media Summit in February of 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 became one of the "Top Trends" on Yahoo.com
- The Throwback Galaxy is based on Whomp's Fortress from Super Mario 64, while Twisty Trials Galaxy is based on an area in Super Mario Sunshine and various other levels are based on the original Super Mario Galaxy.