E3 2007: Super Mario Galaxy Impressions
The very first thing I did when I walked into the Barker Hangar was spot the Mario Galaxy booth. I rushed over quickly, and found it open! No lines! Was this a dream? Was this some sort of sleep-deprived delusion? No, it was true. I got to play, and what I played was wonderful. I've been completely annoyed with the Wii recently, very annoyed at Nintendo insistence in making me waggle my Wii remote to do anything in a game. Super Mario Galaxy really does feel like the true successor to Super Mario 64, just like they are saying. The level I played plops you down on a very Little Prince style planet, where you can run around the sphere, essentially turning upside down. It seems like this play mechanic would be disorienting, but you get used to it very quickly. The controls are tight but trying to jump on a goomba is a bit sketchy. It's hard to aim where you are jumping when you are running around upside down, but I can see getting fairly good at it. The only waggle I had to suffer through in the demo was used to perform a spin attack. The demo had me zipping from planet to planet trying to find stars (in true Mario fashion). The feeling of gravity, and zooming through space was very satisfying. So far I am pretty happy with the game, I am going to return to the hangar today to check out the bee suit level. That's right, MARIO HAS A BEE SUIT. Super Mario Galaxy is coming out in November, and from what I have played it's definitely a must-buy.
