# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**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 25, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/61 "2009-09-25T12:55:24Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > 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. Ah. I haven’t gotten into the comets yet. ---
**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 25, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/62 "2009-09-25T14:01:55Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > 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. What’s really obnoxious, though, is that there are 2 garbage levels…and one of them is harder than the other. Fortunately, you don’t have to do either to beat the game. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/63 "2009-09-25T15:09:29Z")
While I can appreciate the improved graphics and the inventive 3-D upside-down environments I still found Galaxy to be lacking in the atmospheric qualities that made 64 such an immersive experience. Especially considering 64 being a good decade older. Look at the “home base” level you start in to which all the other worlds branch off of. 64 had this awesome castle complete with a draining moat, backyard, basement, secret pathways, etc. Like a giant funhouse to explore. And the portals into the worlds were just awesome. Diving through paintings, shrunken down into a ghost cage, jumping into pools of liquid. Who didn’t love doing a crouching backflip swan dive into a pool of quicksilver? What does Galaxy have? Some sort of princess barbie floating space station. Get to your chosen world by floating up to the blue star in the center of the room. And while the Galaxy levels have themes to them they don’t have much individual mood, feeling, or emotion to them. They all kind of feel the same. Whereas in 64 the desert level felt like a desert, the lava level felt hot, the ghost level had an eerie atmosphere, swimming felt like a mystical undersea experience, snow felt like snow. It actually took you places. Gameplay is important and all but throw in some good moody atmospheres and it becomes an experience. I didn’t get a whole lot of atmosphere in Galaxy. ---
**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 25, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/64 "2009-09-25T15:15:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > While I can appreciate the improved graphics and the inventive 3-D upside-down environments I still found Galaxy to be lacking in the atmospheric qualities that made 64 such an immersive experience. Especially considering 64 being a good decade older. > Look at the “home base” level you start in to which all the other worlds branch off of. 64 had this awesome castle complete with a draining moat, backyard, basement, secret pathways, etc. Like a giant funhouse to explore. And the portals into the worlds were just awesome. Diving through paintings, shrunken down into a ghost cage, jumping into pools of liquid. Who didn’t love doing a crouching backflip swan dive into a pool of quicksilver? > What does Galaxy have? Some sort of princess barbie floating space station. > Get to your chosen world by floating up to the blue star in the center of the room. > > And while the Galaxy levels have themes to them they don’t have much individual mood, feeling, or emotion to them. They all kind of feel the same. > Whereas in 64 the desert level felt like a desert, the lava level felt hot, the ghost level had an eerie atmosphere, swimming felt like a mystical undersea experience, snow felt like snow. It actually took you places. > > Gameplay is important and all but throw in some good moody atmospheres and it becomes an experience. I didn’t get a whole lot of atmosphere in Galaxy. What about Freezeflame Galaxy (Ice)? You didn’t feel like you were on a godforsaken iceberg? Also, Beach Bowl Galaxy. That one had the perfect atmosphere of a vacation tropical island. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/65 "2009-09-25T15:20:58Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > What about Freezeflame Galaxy (Ice)? You didn’t feel like you were on a godforsaken iceberg? Is that the one where the lava part was in the middle of a freaking planet that had been split in two? Man, that was crazy. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/66 "2009-09-25T17:16:32Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > What does Galaxy have? Some sort of princess barbie floating space station. That’s an interesting complaint to have considering the exact same thing could be said of the Barbie Dream Castle. I think the starship is one of the coolest environments in any game ever. > [@Hampshire](#): > > I still found Galaxy to be lacking in the atmospheric qualities that made 64 such an immersive experience. > > And while the Galaxy levels have themes to them they don’t have much individual mood, feeling, or emotion to them. They all kind of feel the same. > Whereas in 64 the desert level felt like a desert, the lava level felt hot, the ghost level had an eerie atmosphere, swimming felt like a mystical undersea experience, snow felt like snow. It actually took you places. > > Gameplay is important and all but throw in some good moody atmospheres and it becomes an experience. I didn’t get a whole lot of atmosphere in Galaxy. That is honestly a totally bizarre claim. Galaxy is probably the most atmospheric game I’ve ever played. The Good Egg Galaxy makes you feel like you’re in space. Dreadnought puts you on a spaceship. Toy Time puts you, tiny-sized, into a kid’s play room. And did you even go into Gusty Garden Galaxy? The place is phenomenal-looking and has some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a video game. You’re either viewing 64 through double-Coke-bottle nostalgia glasses, or you have some weird need to hate Galaxy. It’s incredibly atmospheric. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/67 "2009-10-04T14:27:19Z")
I _loved_ **Galaxy**. I think that atmosphere rivals that of **Mario 64**. In **Mario 64** , you could tread through the same area on multiple tasks. \*\*Galaxy \*\*branches out more, showing you something new most of the time, even if you’re on the same level. The times you DO have to tread back through an entire level are often not immediately requested just as you finished your first play through. It not only my favorite game this generation, it’s my favorite game. I don’t say that lightly either. It has to contend with all the other brilliant Mario games out there, along with some other pretty cool franchises, (think **Zelda OOT** and **MM** , **Donkey Kong '94** for GameBoy, **Resident Evil 4** , **MegaMan 2** and **3** ; list goes on, but it’s a wide range). Even given the huge head-start the rest of \*traditional \*Mario games have gotten, as long as I’m alive and playing video games, I’ll probably give \*\*Galaxy \*\*more play time than any of them, as I still often play it, (it biggest contender’s are probably \*\*Super Mario Bros \*\*and **Yoshi’s Island** ). I do agree with \*\*Hampshire \*\*about the hub world being lame. I hope they work that out for **Galaxy 2**. BTW, I CAN’T WAIT FOR **MARIO GALAXY 2**! ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/68 "2009-10-05T12:39:52Z")
Okay - when I was complaining about not getting into this game (back on page 1), I had about 20 stars. I’m now rocking 90 stars - woot! But could someone direct me to the person who designed the second “blow up the garbage” level so that I can kill them? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MyFootsZZZ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/myfootszzz/32/12580_2.png) [@MyFootsZZZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MyFootsZZZ)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/69 "2009-10-05T14:50:19Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Okay - when I was complaining about not getting into this game (back on page 1), I had about 20 stars. I’m now rocking 90 stars - woot! But could someone direct me to the person who designed the second “blow up the garbage” level so that I can kill them? Thanks. There are some hard levels if you’re going for all the stars. What drove me to keep comeing back to the to the challenges was the fact that I \*\*\*knew \*\*\*I could do it. If things got bad, I would put down the controller and take a break, but a nagging part of me just wanted to get the star that’s just out of reach. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/70 "2009-10-05T19:14:53Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Okay - when I was complaining about not getting into this game (back on page 1), I had about 20 stars. I’m now rocking 90 stars - woot! But could someone direct me to the person who designed the second “blow up the garbage” level so that I can kill them? Thanks. Did you know that if you’re holding a bomb, and run over another bomb, the second bomb will start its 10 second fuse as well? You still have to pick it up and throw it, but it will blow up and give you a new bomb sooner. Works for as many bombs as you run over. I found that made it much simpler,especially when I was down to a pattern that worked, but ran out of time staring at 1 or 2 bombs that were in the right place but hadn’t blown up yet. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2009, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291/71 "2009-10-05T19:47:34Z")
I, in fact, did not know that. I did know that bombs in proximity will all blow up together, releasing new bombs - which is the main strategy for the first one. I’ll have to give that a go… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/super-mario-galaxy-is-my-favorite-game-of-this-generation-by-far/507291.md?page=3)