Publisher: Nintendo Developer: Nintendo of Japan Platforms: Wii ESRB Rated: E for Everyone Super Mario Galaxy 2 Shines on the Nintendo Wii Nintendo outdoes itself again with yet another Mario masterpiece on the Wii!

Let’s be perfectly honest, the only one that Nintendo is competing with on the Wii when it comes to its Mario adventures is itself. New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS started the Mario resurgence and that was followed up with New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Wii. Both games redefined Mario and made him front page news again.

With Super Mario Galaxy 2, just like when you go into your favorite restaurant only to find out that the menu has changed. I didn’t know what to expect from Super Mario Galaxy 2. The game was getting a lot of hype, but I am not sure it was going to thrill me the way that the New Super Mario Bros. did. While I enjoyed the first Super Mario Galaxy, the camera angles were off at times and the game play was a bit hard to follow.

Circa May 2010 and the launch of Super Mario Galaxy’s 2, Nintendo has gone back to its Mario roots and included all of the characters and game play that Mario lovers have come to enjoy over the last two decades. The camera issues have been fixed and like a fine wine, or in the case of most of you reading this review, fruit juice cocktail, the Mario franchise has aged perfectly and this game is a must play for anyone who is old enough to pick up a controller.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 oozes creativity and it looks as though, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto had a hand in this game somewhere along the line. The game play is intuitive this time around and the hub system is easy to follow no matter what level of gamer you happen to be. Many of the levels that you will play in Super Mario Galaxy 2 were inspired or introduced in the original Super Mario Galaxy title. You can once again fling yourself into orbit off of a tiny planet and let the planets gravity pull you into orbit. Of course there are levels that have reverse gravity and instead of being on the floor you are on the ceiling.

The levels are challenging and fun, because this time around the game offers hints on how to get past a challenge by prepping the area with clues, some subtle, others obvious but all necessary. The addition of Yoshi to Super Mario Galaxy 2 isn’t a surprise and he is a welcome addition to the game. Yoshi levels are restricted to specific galaxies, but they are a lot of fun to experience as a few new Yoshi game play techniques have been added.

There are a few new powers and my favorite is the “Cloud Suit”. This suit allows you to create as many as three safe zones and all you have to do is shake the Wii remote to take advantage of this new power.

This game will keep us busy until the next Mario adventure is released. If you’re a fun of Mario this game is a “MUST PLAY”. If you buy one Wii game in 2010, make sure its Super Mario Galaxy 2.