Pros:
- All of what made "Super Mario Galaxy" great is here in spades.
- Excellent level design, as you'd expect from the "Super Mario" series.
- Some great new power-ups that offer a solid amount of variation.
- Controls feel as smooth as ever, which is crucial for a Wii "Mario" game.
- Loads of content that'll keep you coming back for more.
- There's definitely some challenge here...the Grandmaster Galaxy specifically...grr...but it's a fair challenge!
- Some nice little throwbacks help make for a great combination of old and new.
- The visuals are an absolute marvel; the underpowered Wii does nothing to harm them.
- Music has always been a strong suit in "Mario," and it's fantastic again here.
Cons:
- At times, it can feel a bit like "Super Mario Galaxy More," especially with some of the bosses.
- Does have some padding; if you didn't like the Blue Coins in "Sunshine," you won't like the Green Stars much.
Consensus: "Super Mario Galaxy 2" is a game that will forever hold some kind of importance for me: it was the last game I beat to complete a video game backlog I had been working on for eight years. I didn't think I'd get through it, but I did, and I couldn't be happier about it. It might be my greatest accomplishment, honestly, just for the sheer willpower to stick with it. And speaking of achievement, this game is quite an achievement. Yes, there are points where it kinda just feels like "Super Mario Galaxy More" (which, in theory, I suppose it is), but Nintendo still finds ways to keep this clever and fun in spite of that. Their singular knack for making incredible, fun, and memorable gameplay is on full display here, and it manages to carve an identity just as the first one did. While I would probably still prefer the first game, "Super Mario Galaxy 2" is a marvelous title well worth your time. And trust me, with how much is in this game, you're gonna spend a LOT of time out of it. But it'll be worth it; feels awesome to end off my backlog with a game as great as this.
Final rating: 9 out of 10 "Awesome"