# Super Mario Galaxy is my favorite game of this generation, by far **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 22, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291 "2009-08-22T06:05:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/41 "2009-09-04T17:55:39Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I have Galaxy, and I have had a hard time getting into it. I probably haven’t played it in 4-5 months. I remember getting stuck on one particular board I must have played 20 times (I had to throw bombs at garbage?) that I just couldn’t master. Was that a particularly troublesome bottleneck for people, or am I just terrible at this game? Anything I should aim to do to really fall in love here? That part is really difficult–took me quite a few tries. There’s a good strategy here for that mission: > **[Game Guides, Cheats, Walkthroughs, FAQs - IGN](https://www.ign.com/wikis)** > > Get expert game help for video games: cheats, detailed guides, step-by-step walkthroughs, FAQs and more. Contribute yourself as well! Though do keep in mind that you don’t have to collect every star in the game, so if get stuck, you may want to skip it and move on to another level. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/42 "2009-09-16T02:09:46Z")
Mario Galaxy is an awesome game, but it has its flaws. Like the Ray racing. Or the mind numbing beach levels. Or the swimming controls. Or the stars that are 99% the same as the one you just got except you turn left instead of right at the end, although I suppose Mario 64 had that as well. Then there was a lot of repetition. Here’s a boss you already fought, except he’s a little harder! And the Comets were…ugh. Getting 100% in this game is a maddening chore. You should be able to just select the damned thing, not have to pay some dude in the lobby and then go all over the place to where the Comets are. Then it’s like OK, time to speed run! Well, alright, but I’m not bad at the game so I just play it the same and…whatever. But yeah, the art, music, level design – off the charts. And Nintendo finally decided to make the Bowser fights epic! The last one was too easy but they’re fun as hell. Best Mario is still 3 though. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/43 "2009-09-16T02:30:01Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Mario Galaxy is an awesome game, but it has its flaws. Or the mind numbing beach levels. Or the swimming controls. Huh, I really loved the beach levels. I liked how the atmosphere contrasted pretty much all the other galaxies, and in particular, I liked talking to the other penguins. And yes, the swimming controls were pretty bad, but the shell-surfing more than makes up for that, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/44 "2009-09-16T03:14:35Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I bought a Gamecube controller, extension cord ('cause the stock cord is like 7 inches), and a memory card, all to go with the copy of Metroid Prime I bought, 'cause I’ve heard such great things about it. I came home and started playing, and explored and figured things out on my own for about 2 or 3 hours (no guide or anything, just having fun and absorbing the experience); I was getting pretty well into it. It was a little dark for my taste, but fun. Then I got to the first big boss, died, and it kicked me all the way back to the beginning. I was so pissed that I haven’t even looked at the case since then. That was over a year ago. Keep at it. Metroid Prime is still the only console game I’ve ever been physically unable to stop playing (the only other game I couldn’t stop playing was _Fallout_). I slept on a couch at my fraternity house and skipped a week of classes because I _had to finish it_. There’s a save station right before the first boss, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/45 "2009-09-16T07:19:17Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > Mario Galaxy is an awesome game, but it has its flaws. Like the Ray racing. Or the mind numbing beach levels. Or the swimming controls. Or the stars that are 99% the same as the one you just got except you turn left instead of right at the end, although I suppose Mario 64 had that as well. Then there was a lot of repetition. Here’s a boss you already fought, except he’s a little harder! And the Comets were…ugh. Getting 100% in this game is a maddening chore. You should be able to just select the damned thing, not have to pay some dude in the lobby and then go all over the place to where the Comets are. Then it’s like OK, time to speed run! Well, alright, but I’m not bad at the game so I just play it the same and…whatever. Bah, I thought the Ray Racing was a nice change of pace, swimming controls were fantastic (especially compared to most games), and even the beach level were fun (I especially like the dark, mysterious one, that took place inside the statue of the large fish). I do agree somewhat with the comets–they were a bit overdone, particularly in the last 10% of the game. But here’s how I look at it: the game can be beaten at 60 stars. Up to that point–and even significantly beyond–it’s practically all original content. Everything beyond that point is just gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/46 "2009-09-16T07:22:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Keep at it. Metroid Prime is still the only console game I’ve ever been physically unable to stop playing (the only other game I couldn’t stop playing was _Fallout_). > > I slept on a couch at my fraternity house and skipped a week of classes because I _had to finish it_. > > There’s a save station right before the first boss, by the way. I second all this. I first started playing Metroid Prime when it originally came out, but never quite finished it. Now that they’ve rereleased it (and its two sequels) with Metroid Prime Trilogy, I was motivated to go back and play the original GCN version just last week, and I beat it this time. My verdict: god damn, that’s a good game. Yeah, it sucks you have to start over, but it’s not _that_ far in the game, especially since you should know what you’re doing now. One word of advice though: Save often. If you think or feel a boss battle’s coming up, it’s worth the effort to track down a save station (I try to do so whenever I find an upgrade as well). ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/47 "2009-09-16T07:25:07Z")
Oh god ray racing, I hated that one. Not nearly as bad were the minigolf and swinging mario through spaaaaaaaaaaace by grabbing the darn blue stars. And the bubble blowing. The platforming, though, was straight up YUM. I remember one particular stage near the end, the one with the dissappearing blocks. All though that level, I was thinking “this is what Sonic should have been, but faster”. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/48 "2009-09-16T12:54:51Z")
For those that love the platforming aspect of Galaxy, have you played Little Big Planet? I know not most here have a PS3. I’m not offering it up as “Best Game Evah!”, but it’s one of the most charming games I’ve played in years. A bit short (and I’m a bit bummed about not getting the extra content they put into the Game of the Year edition…), but extremely well done. I haven’t even gone very far into the user-created content either. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/49 "2009-09-16T14:48:53Z")
I loved the ray racing. It’s one of the levels I often show friends when I’m introducing them to the game. I agree that the comets are a little annoying, but they were a nice challenge that provided a huge sense of accomplishment, and I was going to say the same thing as Red Barchetta: you don’t _have_ to do those. I don’t think you need a single comet star to beat the game. They’re there to challenge you. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/50 "2009-09-16T19:17:41Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > For those that love the platforming aspect of Galaxy, have you played Little Big Planet? I know not most here have a PS3. I’m not offering it up as “Best Game Evah!”, but it’s one of the most charming games I’ve played in years. It is charming, I can’t deny that. I also dug the idea conceptually. But the execution was somewhat lacking. The controls just didn’t feel right for a platformer–too floaty and imprecise. And the multi-plain idea was just a bad idea that unnecssilarly convolutes the gameplay. I did like the overall art style though (except the creepy-as-hell humanoid characters) and the music was fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/51 "2009-09-16T19:27:23Z")
Just more love. Sort of nostalgia for old Mario games mixed with entertainment and amazement (how I imagine young comic book fans must feel seeing great movie adaptations as adults). Second in line is _Bully_. What an incredibly thorough gaming experience (I am the kind of gamer who hates not being able to go in almost every door and explore the entire virtual world). Just outstanding and, like SMG, the perfect mix of difficult bosses and easy peasy parts. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/52 "2009-09-16T20:48:09Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > Just more love. Sort of nostalgia for old Mario games mixed with entertainment and amazement (how I imagine young comic book fans must feel seeing great movie adaptations as adults). > > Second in line is _Bully_. What an incredibly thorough gaming experience (I am the kind of gamer who hates not being able to go in almost every door and explore the entire virtual world). Just outstanding and, like SMG, the perfect mix of difficult bosses and easy peasy parts. If Cafe Society is to be believed, most comic book nerds bitch up a storm about movie adaptations, or at least nitpick it to oblivion. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/53 "2009-09-16T20:56:07Z")
Nobody bitched about the original (animated) _Transformers: The Movie_, although in truth it was just a 2-hour version of the cartoons anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/54 "2009-09-16T21:37:53Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > For those that love the platforming aspect of Galaxy, have you played Little Big Planet? I know not most here have a PS3. I’m not offering it up as “Best Game Evah!”, but it’s one of the most charming games I’ve played in years. A bit short (and I’m a bit bummed about not getting the extra content they put into the Game of the Year edition…), but extremely well done. I haven’t even gone very far into the user-created content either. I thought it looked awesome when I saw the trailers, but I don’t have a PS3. There’s a Wiiware game coming out called Furry Legends that looks similar. I’m sure it won’t be as fully-realized, but it’ll probably be no more than $15 and I won’t have to buy a new system for it. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/55 "2009-09-17T03:25:22Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I agree that the comets are a little annoying, but they were a nice challenge that provided a huge sense of accomplishment, and I was going to say the same thing as Red Barchetta: you don’t _have_ to do those. I don’t think you need a single comet star to beat the game. They’re there to challenge you. I’m not saying they’re hard. The stars themselves were fine, minus the repetition in some cases. I was moaning about the way you select them. Or rather, don’t. I feel sorry for whoever ends up doing a 100% speed run. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/56 "2009-09-17T05:39:33Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > I’m not saying they’re hard. The stars themselves were fine, minus the repetition in some cases. I was moaning about the way you select them. Or rather, don’t. I feel sorry for whoever ends up doing a 100% speed run. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I never had to pay anybody to play the comets, and I don’t know what a 100% speed run is. We’re talking about Super Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii, right? ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/57 "2009-09-17T13:42:40Z")
Sometimes you have to pay star bits to one of the Lumas to move the comets if there is a certain one you’re trying to get in a certain level. You can always wait for one to come around on it’s own but sometimes that can take a while. ---
**Author:** ![Spectralist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Spectralist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectralist)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/58 "2009-09-17T14:31:37Z")
I found Galaxy pretty dull. I only played it a few hours but it already seemed pretty repetitive. Do a task then pop over to a new little sphere do the exact same task again three or four times per level. Then go to a new level. The opening story sequence was way too long for my taste as well. But that’s true of nearly every modern game. It seemed to take everything I didn’t like from Mario64 like bad controls and an uncooperative camera(only made even worse by the whole running around a sphere thing) and dropped the things I did like such as the exploration. Maybe it got better later, I’ve always meant to come back to it and give it another shot, but I haven’t gotten around to it. > [@Cisco](#): > > I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I never had to pay anybody to play the comets, and I don’t know what a 100% speed run is. We’re talking about Super Mario Galaxy on the Nintendo Wii, right? A 100% speed run is playing through a game as quickly as possible while doing everything in the game. Often recorded and posted online. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/59 "2009-09-24T13:43:14Z")
Just played through a few more levels last night - I think I’m getting back into it. Bypassing that damn garbage stage was a good idea - youtube makes it look easy, but the comments on there seem to suggest it’s the hardest level in the game. The joystick is just too imprecise for such a task. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/60 "2009-09-24T14:07:42Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > the comments on there seem to suggest it’s the hardest level in the game. You might find yourself disappointed later if you believe that. It’s hard, but a few purple comets and daredevil comets are a lot harder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291.md?page=4)