Super Mario Brothers enter the next galaxy

SEAN BACHER tries Nintendo’s Super Mario Brother Galaxy World 2 for Wii and is absolutely astonished with the ease of play, great sounds and superb graphics.

Most people that grew up in the 80’s and 90’s and were into television games and the like at one point or another came into contact with the old brothers, Mario and Luigi.

These iconic brothers could be argued as one of Nintendo’s claim to fame.

In fact, I remember my game first console, it came out before Game Boy and before Sega. It was a simple console, the games being made up of a bunch of chips and circuit boards encased in a plastic shell and being slotted in into the console when you wanted to play the game. It was on this game console that I first experienced the Mario Brothers.

The sound was very basic, so too were the graphics. However, the playability of Mario Brother was in a league of its own. In my opinion, it was one of the best games, keeping me entertained for hours on end.

Well, since then a lot has happened. Nintendo and many other game manufacturers have upped the game ante and the games now are in no way comparable to the games of over a decade ago. The graphics are a 100 times better, the sounds are of CD quality and the playability in many of these games has improved tremendously. This is especially true with Nintendo’s latest Mario Brothers offering for its Wii ‚ Super Mario Brothers Galaxy 2.

When I first loaded the game and saw Mario appear on the screen I was immediately taken back to the first time I saw him on my TV screen ‚ albeit this time in a lot more detail, making him more life like than ever before. Good memories were further awoken when I started the game, and saw the coins, mushrooms and the princess I had to save. My only problem however was that I was a bit sceptical of the 3D world that you enter and the Wii remotes ‚ after all, I was used to using a four-way joystick with two buttons, not two remotse with dozens of motion options.

My fear was quickly put to rest though, as when you first start out, Nintendo kind of slaps some training wheels, making the first few worlds or stages rather easy and with very few 3D aspects in them. However, once you start progressing through the game, more and more 3D scenarios are presented to you, and before you know it the entire stage will have you running left and right and as well as backwards and forwards ‚ ultimately allowing you to explore every nook and cranny of the world at your own pace.

Many Wii games I have played don’t really use the Wii remotes well, meaning they are not that easy to operate and end up frustrating you more than anything, however, one thing that stood out about Super Mario Brothers Galaxy World 2 was its intuitive use of both the Miimote and Nunchuck. Both remotes are used simultaneously and although it may sound a little daunting at first ‚ it really isn’t at all. The easiest way to explain the ease of the controls is that after the first few minutes of using them, you will be guiding Mario around the screen like you have been doing so for the past several years.

Furthermore, the 3D worlds also bothered me a little. I have noticed on many games, that the camera angles are not always spot on when navigating certain areas, often making it difficult to see where you are going. However, Nintendo’s Galaxy World 2 makes child play of this, letting you adjust the camera whenever you want and always offering you the best view for your current situation.

Overall, I was exceptionally impressed with the game. I loved the new characters, worlds and stages all combined with some of the old aspects of the original game. I especially loved Nintendo’s unique take on the games playability. Whether you are a gaming fanatic looking for a bit of nostalgia or a new gamer, looking for something to keep you entertained for hours, Super Mario Brothers Galaxy World 2 will suit you both.