Mario Galaxy 2

SPOILER ALERT. Alright so here it is, my official Mario Galaxy 2 for the Wii review. Now, I know other sites have already reviewed the game but they are just a business not the Average Joe. Fry’s Electronics had a $10 discount on the game and I decided to go buy a copy. First of, Mario video games have always demeaned women and this one is no exception. I mean seriously, the game portrays a beautiful woman, Princess Toadstool, who is helpless and powerless against a tyrannical reptile. She has to let a man save her while she just sits there and does absolutely nothing. Why not have the game be about an evil villain who is set out to destroy the Mushroom Kingdom without having to kidnap Princess Toadstool? Furthermore, what’s the deal with portraying non-human Toads as little people who are incompetent of taking care of their own princess and kingdom always seeking the help of a human taller than they are? Additionally, Mario Galaxy 2 is full of sexual innuendos starting with the opening scene of the game in which Bowser has Princess Toadstool in his hand promising that she will be baking for him…baking is work, work=job and the fact Bowser has her in her hand…well you get the picture. In fact, in that scene you can blatantly see how the game sees women as belonging in the kitchen baking and cooking. Also, what’s the deal with the penis shape of the Toads? Mario’s spaceship is also in the shape of himself. Talk about being conceited and being seen as acceptable. 
After getting past all of the “wonderful” things Mario has to offer, we get to the game mechanics and gameplay.
PLOT: Always the same as past titles. Bowser kidnaps Toadstool and Mario has to rescue her by collecting Power Coins that will propel his Mario-shaped ship to her and face Bowser in an “epic” showdown.
MUSIC: The music is great because it blends the new with the old. Fans of the series will be thrilled to hear the tunes of the classic Nintendo era Mario. The music definitely succeeds in getting the player to immerse him/herself in the game.
GRAPHICS: Graphics are pretty much the same as Mario Galaxy, the Wii’s first title. However, they do look like they have been enhanced for HD televisions when using the component cable for the Wii.
GAMEPLAY: The controls are exactly the same as Mario Galaxy. Nothing new offered here. However, all of the new power-ups and the ability to ride Yoshi and sling his tongue out to eat, interact, and destroy enemies is a really nice aspect to this game, and fun to do. The downside is that you cannot carry Yoshi over to the Galaxies you visit only on those Galaxies where he is found. After playing with Yoshi for the first time, you then have access to him on your spaceship after every mission. There’s not much you can do with him except have him eat apples to spawn a 1-UP Life Mushroom. In fact, something cool about the game is the fact that as with any conqueror, you bring back to your spaceship “trophies” and other characters you encounter on your travels. Playing through the levels of Mario Galaxy 2 is not terribly hard but it does require the player to use their brain and think before they act to have a chance at survival. Additionally, the game does include many 2-D levels, which would remind old-time fans of the Mario series of those classic Mario games. These levels are very enjoyable to play through. The game’s camera can sometimes get a bit annoying when you’re under the gun to complete tasks such as the Prankster Comet levels, but for the most part the camera does its job well allowing you to have better control of the action. 
BOSS FIGHTS: Boss fights are impressive especially when fighting the planet-sized Bowser. There’s no manual provided to tell you how to defeat the bosses, but when using your brain, it’s not hard to figure out what you have to do. Because the player is required to do a bit of detective work to figure out how to defeat the Bosses, defeating them just makes it all more gratifying.
All in all, Mario Galaxy 2 gets an 8 out of 10 in my book. Although getting Life Mushrooms is a lot easier in this game than in Mario Galaxy, once you save and quit the game to go have a life outside of your bedroom or living room, those Life Mushrooms accumulated disappear. It’s not terribly bad considering other titles in the Mario series do the same, but it does get annoying. Once the game is saved via mid-point save flags or after passing the level, even if you run out of lives and is game over, you will come back to life and just restart the level from the beginning. However, if you manage to find the hidden planets in certain levels, those will be unlocked even if you die and start from the beginning of the level. Less stress, less work. The game does offer a 2-player mode, but just like in Mario Galaxy, this mode is cheap although some modifications went into it making it just a little better. Mario Galaxy 2 is indeed a very enjoyable Mario game to play.