Final Thoughts on Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy 2 has been completed! This was a great game and I really enjoyed it, even through the most frustrating challenges. The game was well designed overall.

Here's what I liked:

• The music- More excellent music performed by the Super Mario Galaxy Orchestra. Personal favorites include Beat Block, Slipsand, Fleet Glide, Starshine Beach, and Freezy Flake


• Different beginning and ending than Galaxy- I was hoping that the beginning and ending would not be too similar to Galaxy, which was the case


• Same number of missions- This made sure that the game took about the same amount of time


• Green Star Challenge- Unexpected, but better challenge than replaying the game over again with Luigi again


• Interactive credits- I like credits I can interact with better than ones I just have to sit through


• Same controls- This made it very easy to pick up, because I already know how to play from playing Galaxy


• Super Guide/ Cosmic Rosalina- Although I didn't use this feature, it was nice to know that I wouldn't have to give up the game if I couldn't get through a mission


• Yoshi's many appearances


• Completely original galaxies- Beat Block, Flip-Swap, and Boulder Bowl

Pros, Cons, and Improvements over Galaxy:

Pros

• New galaxies


• New music


• New powerups


• Improved Co-Star Mode- Co-Stars can do more and feel more involved with their own character


• Improved Prankster Comet dynamics- Time stops ticking down after you complete the mission


• You can play as Luigi earlier in the game
• Improved boss dynamics- in Galaxy, to beat all but a few bosses, shaking the Wiimote is key. Bosses from King Kaliente to Bowser can be defeated by shaking the Wiimote. In Galaxy 2, there is more variety in the ways to defeat bosses, adding to the challenge

Cons

• Same swimming controls- the swimming controls in the 3D Mario games are not very intuitive and are very frustrating, causing players to swim in circles and get lost
• Same long jump/backflip/ground pound controls- these three moves all involve pressing the (Z) and (A) buttons. If they are not pressed in the correct order, the wrong move will execute, which could cause Mario or Luigi to die, like if they accidently ground pound through a cloud instead of long-jumping


• The Ice Flower and Red Star are not available


• Some planets/ galaxies were taken directly from other games with minimum alteration- Stone Cyclone, Twisty Trials, and Throwback
• Cosmic Clones- About equally annoying as Cosmic Mario / Cosmic Luigi, but more difficult to handle due to the many copies and the potential for damage. It's like watching yourself on tape delay multiple times, versus racing a ghost
• Too many remixes of the trailer theme- I like the song a lot, but it was remixed several times, which became annoying after a while. This is possibly because I watched the trailers/ transmissions a lot and just heard it too much
• Too many remixes of other Mario music- I was hoping for more original music, but there were many remixes, and some music was lifted completely from Galaxy

Was Super Mario Galaxy 2 harder than Super Mario Galaxy?

Game designers said they wanted Super Mario Galaxy 2 to be harder than its prequel. From playing both games, and taking the final two galaxies out of consideration, I found the games to be approximately equally difficult. I did not keep track of how many tries I used in Galaxy, but I remember having particular difficulty with 5 or 6 Stars, which took several tries, possibly into the hundreds. In this respect, I believe that they are equal. But some things made Galaxy 2 easier: the trailers and transmissions. Although they include depictions 0f new and previous features of gameplay. they also provide weak points and strategies to defeat many of the bosses, including Gobblegut, Digga-Leg, and Megahammer. What made the game somewhat harder are the galaxies that regulate your actions and use of the controls, such as Beat Block, and Flip-Swap. Flip-Swap, in particular, controls your ability to spin to save yourself. An ill-timed shake will send you to your doom.

Considering the games in their entirety, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is harder than Super Mario Galaxy. From my experience, this is solely due to the final galaxies. Grand Finale Galaxy is nothing like Grandmaster Galaxy. In Grand Finale, the game designers seem to say "Thanks for playing the game all the way through. As a reward, we're giving you a simple Purple Coin mission as a cool-down and wrap-up to the game." The mission is incredibly simple- they only hide one coin from you (which isn't difficult to find) and everything else is laid out clearly. There are no enemies and you couldn't die if you tried. In Grandmaster, the designers seem to say, "We want you to die. We want you to die a lot." They seem to be channeling The Chimp, in that they want to enjoy your frustrationg more.

Overall, this was an enjoyable game and I highly recommend it. What game will I play next? Just wait and see!

Grandmaster Galaxy - The Perfect Run

The master computer is monitoring all elements of the launch. Roll that beautiful footage! Luma multiplayer go! - Transmission 5
Welcome Back to the Galaxy!

This is it! The last Star! It is also my worst performance. It's a Daredevil Run of The Ultimate Test. Personally, I would have preferred a Green Star, Purple Coin, or Cosmic Clone mission over a Daredevil mission. There are a few changes from The Ultimate Test:

• Goombas in the first planet are now green birds, so you can't touch them.
• No midgates.
• There is one 1-up where the Comet Medal was.
• There is Galaxy music playing throughout- Gusty Garden in areas 1-3, 4-5 has Good Egg, and the 6 has Bowser's Galaxy Reactor

I died 332 times during the mission. The worst part is that you have to start the level all over again. Cosmic Rosalina does not show up. Trust me, I played this level over 100 times in one session and she didn't show up once. After about 150 tries, I had to ignore my pride, and take on a Co-Star. After seeing what a Co-Star can do, I realized I should have taken one on earlier to make my life easier. They don't make this mission extremely easy, because I kept dying over 100 more times. I used about 8 Co-Stars, coopting Archive staff members Doug and Joe, as well as other visitors to the Archive who were waiting to play videogames. I ultimately got the Star with John as my Co-Star. With his help, I got it in 10 tries. Thanks to everyone who helped me.

Co-Stars are invaluable in the 6th area, because they can knock down the Hammer and Boomerang Bros. If the enemies are near the edge, they can knock them off the platforms and you don't have to deal with them. After taking out the Boomerang Bros., the Star does not appear, but a Launch Star does. When you launch you launch to the connection the Gate planet from Galaxy. The Observatory music plays. Rosalina stands on the planet, and near her, the Star hovers. You can't go into the house. After all I went through to get this Star, I didn't want to risk falling and dying by checking the underside of the planet. Rosalina says "Mario... So you were the one who collected all of the scattered stars... I want to thank you... Your deeds will live on in the memory of the cosmos... May the stars shine down on you..." I jumped to get the last Star.

Star Get #242, Galaxy Complete!, 953 Star Bits, 11 Lives

A message has been sent to the Wii Message Board.

Interlude

Mario lands back on the deck of the S.S. Mario.

Lubba- "Chee?" Well, I'll be... All your hard work has brought the lady of the shooting stars right to our own little ship! "Chee?" Feels like forever since we've seen each other. But she hasn't changed!

Lubba draws our attention to Rosalina standing next to him on the green patch on the deck.

Rosalina- "Oh!" I want to give you my thanks.

That's it. She doesn't give you anything but her thanks. This is another violation of the reward principle. Oh, well. It's over! It's finally over! Thanks to everyone who helped me. After defeating the Boomerang Bros. I shook John's hand vigorously and he says I nearly broke it, which is untrue. I was extremely happy that I beat this game. What shall I play next?

Grandmaster Galaxy - The Ultimate Test

Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
The map icon for this galaxy is a trophy that chimes when S.S. Mario is nearby. With a title like "The Ultimate Test", you know you're in for a challenge. Make no mistake: this is not Grand Finale Galaxy from Galaxy. This is no cakewalk. We have to go through six planets to the Star.
The first planet is a 2D area with Swing Flowers, Paragoombas, Bullet Bills, and bombs. Yoshi Star music plays. Green Toad is there when we land, saying "YOSHIIIIII!" Next to him, is a Yoshi egg, so break open the shell and swing to the other side. There are only three platforms to stand on. Timing is important and it is a bad idea in some areas to swing backwards, because you'll swing into a bomb or a Goomba. At the end, there is a Launch Star above a flagpole. You can either ditch Yoshi or hover up to the Launch Star, but I didn't figure that out until the last Star.
The next planet is a 5x5 flipswitch planet with lasers taking up 4 of the squares. The background is an 8-bit Mario/ Fire Luigi/ block background. I went around the square, then cleared the five in the middle, which should be done with care because all four lasers will fire at you. After clearing all of the flipswitches, a Launch Star appears, back where you landed.
The next planet is another 2D area. This area has a midgate. The music changes to Sky Station music. Blue Toad says "Move along now. Nothing to see here. I'm on CLOUD control! Haha! Get it? Instead of "crowd", I said... Aww, never mind. Wow, tough galaxy..." Yes, it is a tough galaxy. Nearby is a Cloud Flower and fans, as well as an electric fence maze. Once you get used to it, you can do some pretty awesome acrobatics in this level. There are no enemies here to worry about. There are several Cloud Flowers so you can recharge. Hitting an electric fence is instant death, so be careful. If you time your jumps carefully, you can launch with 3 clouds for the next area.
This is where things became really challenging for me. There is another midgate here. We find Yellow and Red Toad sleeping nearby. Red Toad says "Zzz.. exploration... zzz.." and Yellow Toad says "Zzz... Star Bits... zzz..." Past them, are some disappearing green platforms to Flip-Swap platforms and spiked lasers that make laser rings. There are also Octopi that make coconuts/ fire rocks aimed for you. Past four lasers is the Launch Star.
The next area has moving electric fences. Some are over giant blocks that are your platforms. Pink Toad is there, who says "I get to see Mario/ Luigi at work! Whoa..."After the blocks, we have to use the Pull Star the rest of the way, dealing with moving electric fences and Paragoombas. Towards the end, there is a stationary electric fence, and a Pull Star near by. Just sling past the Paragoomba and sling back over to the platform near the Launch Star, using the Pull Star over the platform.
The next area, the last area, is where the nightmare truly begins. The music switches over to Bowser's Galaxy Generator. It's crawling with Hammer Bros. and 3 Boomerang Bros. There are also flipping platforms. Towards the end, off the right edge of one of the platforms, is the last Comet Medal. After fighting and dodging my way through, I was surprised to find that after taking out all of the Boomerang Bros., the Star appeared. Phew! (You don't have to beat any of the Hammer Bros.)
This is undeniably a difficult level. You may want to consider getting a Co-Star to make your life easier. I didn't use a Co-Star, so I died 68 times. On the next Take, I got the Medal, beat all of the Boomerang Bros., and the Star appeared.
Star Get #241, 49 Comet Medals, 9561 Star Bits, 2732 Coins, 19 Lives
After getting this Star, nothing happens. If you talk to Lubba after this Star, he'll say "I wonder what happens when you get 9,999 Star Bits? Something nice, I bet!"
As you can see, I've been keeping track of how many Star Bits. Due to depositing some Star Bits much earlier in the game, I have more than enough to max out my account. I put in the amount needed to reach 9999 and Banktoad gives us a 1-up and says "Unbelievable! So many (Star Bits)! I can't even hold onto any more for you... What to do..." And nothing happens. Until you step on the launch pad, that is. Then we see the Prankster Comet icon over Grand Master Galaxy. It's time to get the very last Star!

Flip-Out Galaxy - Green Star 2

Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
This is the last Green Star! Unfortunately, I had a hard time with it. This Green Star is special: it is the only one out of 120 that takes place in a Prankster Comet mission. (None of them take place in hidden Star missions.) This Star is very close to the Power Star, between 2 of the ledges. This took me a long time to get, partly due to the fact that it took me a while to figure out where to jump from to get the Star. Also complicating matters are the Cosmic Clones. I died 98 times, from being knocked off the level, by Clones, spikes, bad jumps, and spiders. Sometimes, I made it up to the Power Star and tried to fall on the Star from up there, but I missed every time I tried. On Take 99, I got the Star by lining Luigi up with the Star while wall-jumping up the ledges and just wall-jumped and spun. Beware of Clones coming after you, because they will knock you off if they touch you. If I had known this earlier, it probably wouldn't have taken me so many tries. This is a Star of all Types.
Green Star Get #120!
Star Get #240, Galaxy Complete!, 9545 Star Bits, 23 Lives
The Green Star Challenge is complete! That was an interesting trip and twist. It's time to finish the last two Stars! After getting Green Star #120, the faceship can now advance to the final Galaxy! The final challenge awaits! Let's finish this!

Stone Cyclone Galaxy - Green Star 1

Welcome Back to the Galaxy!
This was a difficult Star for me to get and it was one of my worst performances, but the worst is still yet to come, and there are only three other Stars after this. I died several times, notably by either falling off the planet or being crushed by a Tox Box. To make an extremely long post short, I died 110 times trying to get this Star. This Star can't be reach by long-jumping or backflipping, so I tried to slow down time and jump off of a Tox Box to get it. I was ultimately successful after many tries. I got a 1-up and walked up the Tox Box when time slowed down. I jumped to get the Star while time was still slowed down. There may be an easier way to do this. This is a Star of all Types.
Green Star Get #119!
Star Get #239, Galaxy Complete!, 9525 Star Bits, 15 Lives

Shiverburn Galaxy - Green Star 3

Welcome Back to the Galaxy!

This Star is on the third planet. You can't reach it with regular jumps, because it is high above a cloud. This means that you have to keep a Cloud Suit on through the first 2 planets with a couple of clouds left. The only place to get a Cloud Suit/ more clouds is on the first planet, so you can't take any damage or use up your entire cloud supply. This is like a Daredevil run. This took me 20 Takes. During some of the takes, I returned to the map after losing my Cloud Suit. On Take 20, I reached the cloud, took the 1-up, and backflipped, used a cloud, backflipped again, and spun to get the Star. This is a Type 1, Type 3.
Green Star Get #118!
Star Get #238, Galaxy Complete!, 8526 Star Bits, 2727 Coins, 25 Lives

Chompworks Galaxy - Green Star 1

Welcome Back to the Galaxy!

This Star caused me a great deal of grief. It's just off the planet you land on, but you have to deal with the Chomp assembly line. To make a long story short, I died a lot of times from being knocked off by Chomps, jumping off accidently, or taking too many hits from Chomps. All told, I died 59 times. On Take 51, I came up with a new strategy to jump around the Chomps instead of over them. I jumped back (towards the camera) and spun to land back on the assembly line to dodge the Chomps. This worked well on Take 60, where I also hung onto the edge of the assembly line and climbed back up when the Chomp passed. I spun twice to dodge each Chomp, got on the assembly line, quickly lined up Luigi for the jump, then long-jumped and spun to the Star. This is a Star of all Types.
Green Star Get #117!
Star Get #237, Galaxy Complete!, 8448 Star Bits, 10 Lives