THIS week I'd like to start off by apologising to all you poor frustrated gamers out there who can't get their hands on Nintendo's hottest property, the Wii. This review is not meant to hurt you or cause you distress in any way. However, I've been playing Super Mario Galaxy (£39.99, *****) and it truly is the best thing since sliced bread.
I haven't seen Mario strutting his stuff like this since Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube. In fact, that game being not quite what it should have been, this is the best Mario game since Super Mario 64 or its remake on the DS.
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ture, Mario is exploring space on lots of spherical worlds that break the boundaries of gravity. Once again you're on the hunt for stars, and as usual Bowser steals Princess Peach, but this time he also takes over the castle and flies off into space with it. What this means for you is a fantastic new adventure filled with fun, new ideas and plenty of varied gameplay which never gets tiring. There's the usual jumping on heads, jumping down pipes and collecting coins, but also the ability to spin into enemies with a flick of the wrist with either the Wii nunchuck or the remote.
At first I was a bit worried when I saw Mario running around on planets. I worried about how the controls would handle, but the good news is it feels as natural as breathing and a lot more fun.
When it comes to special abilities, Mario can turn into a bee. This allows him to buzz around the levels and climb over honeycombs, let fireballs fly off course with his flower power and zoom round space by jumping into stars that he can launch on with a shake of the remote. You will also need to point the remote to sweep up star bits which appear when you bash enemies or run through objects such as flowers.
Collecting these extras can be addictive, and holding onto them has its rewards as you can access stars, which open up new locations. There are also other ways that Mario can move about according to the level you're on: sometimes you can be riding on the back of a stingray or walking on top of a ball using the Wii remote to roll it round a maze without falling off. There are always new ways to get hold of these precious stars and you will have to use your brain as well as your reactions to do so.
This is also one of the best-looking games so far on the Wii. It's bright, colourful and the world you enter is breathtaking. It's also nice to see Bowser back to his traditional nasty ways.
The game moves along at a great pace and it's one you're not going to want to put down even when you've completed it, as there will still be more stars to collect.
If you own a Wii you must invest in this game. As soon as you put down that Wii remote, you'll be itching to get back to it.
The full article contains 527 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
