Super Mario Galaxy 2 Catch-All

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I searched and searched and searched...I hope I didn't miss one of these already. Anyway, this is probably the only game I'll pre-order this year, so I'm rather excited. I got all 242 stars multiple times on the original, I'm somewhat ashamed to say. Here's hoping that this one has even more replayability, and that Miyamoto wasn't joking about a heightened difficulty.

Fun facts:

Release Dates:

North America — May 23
Japan — May 27
Australia — June 10
EU — June 11

Tidbits:

  • It is supposed to include the same guide system as was in NSMB Wii, although with a somewhat altered implementation.
  • It will focus less on plot, making gameplay even more central.
  • It appears that they're going old-school and ditching the Hub World.
  • Yoshi!
  • Evidence so far is that the music will unfortunately be all-Midi, It will be fully orchestrated like the first game! Huzzah! (Thanks to hbi2k).

Videos:

The E3 debut trailer from '09 is here.
The Nintendo Media Summit trailer from Feb. of this year is here.
And here's the "New Features" trailer from March 31st.
Nintendo's official site
Here is a link to the Youtube page containing all 9 "transmissions" that Nintendo is running as trailers up to launch. Some good stuff in there, about 15 minutes total so far and sure to grow.

Pre-order at Amazon and get a $20 gift card for future video game purchase! Knocks the price down to $30.
Same deal at Wal-Mart, except their gift card is good for anything in the store.

Minarchist wrote:

Pre-order at Amazon and get a $20 gift card for future video game purchase! Knocks the price down to $30.

Done weeks ago!

Minarchist wrote:

I got all 242 stars multiple times on the original, I'm somewhat ashamed to say. Here's hoping that this one has even more replayability, and that Miyamoto wasn't joking about a heightened difficulty.

I did full 120(1) stars runs with Mario and Luigi also. Fantastic game. And adding Yoshi is all they had to do to make me want the 2nd even more.

I already have a copy pre-ordered. I never could beat the Luigi purple coin level, but the original is one of my favorite games. I couldn't pass on the sequel.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I already have a copy pre-ordered. I never could beat the Luigi purple coin level, but the original is one of my favorite games. I couldn't pass on the sequel.

That was probably the hardest level in the game for me, but for some reason it felt similar to the mini-levels in Sunshine so I felt relatively well-equipped to do it. I think it only took me about 10 tries the first time and five the second.

I am so happy I have Amazon Prime, can get this game for $30 and have it waiting for me when I get home. Yoshi!

Yeah, I'm super stoked about this one. I don't generally pre-order games, but that Amazon $20 credit bonus was too good to pass up. Apparently Wally-World is having a similar deal.

I only just recently unlocked Luigi in the first one: I've been trying off and on to complete the Toy Time purple coin challenge for two years. Protip: The secret is to not make any mistakes ever or you die instantly.

Minarchist wrote:
  • Evidence so far is that the music will unfortunately be all-Midi, instead of live orchestration like the first game used.
  • Good news, everyone! While the version of the game first revealed in last years' E3 used MIDI placeholder music, apparently the final version will have orchestrated music like the first did.

    hbi2k wrote:
    Minarchist wrote:
  • Evidence so far is that the music will unfortunately be all-Midi, instead of live orchestration like the first game used.
  • Good news, everyone! While the version of the game first revealed in last years' E3 used MIDI placeholder music, apparently the final version will have orchestrated music like the first did.

    Good. I was just posting how furious I was about that.

    I'm bummed that apparently most of the powerups will still operate on timers the way they did in the first one. That was one of my only sore points with that game: the Fire and Ice Flowers were awesome, but you never really got to fool around with them because the clock was always ticking.

    Glad they've ditched the hub world, though. It was a pain always having to farm lives, schlep myself up to whatever teeny little room had the level I wanted to get to next, etc. I would've been fine with a hub world if you had the option of hitting the pause button and selecting a level to go directly there if you just wanted to get right to the action, but given the choice between a hub world or a normal world map / level select menu, I'll choose the world map every time.

    Now if they'd just give you the option to map the spin attack to a button instead of this Wiimote-shaking nonsense, we'd be in business.

    I was trying to think of a reason to start a new file and unlock everything again the other day. Might be a nice warm up for next month.

    Hubby pre-ordered weeks ago to get the $20 off!! I'm excited........and I still have a little over a month to get off my duff (or actually sit on my duff) and finally beat the game.

    Yeah, I know.....I'm a bit slack

    All I have to say though is..............YOSHI!!!!!

    By the way, as of this moment, Amazon is not delivering on release day for this particular title. I e-mailed customer service and they said they only do that if they know they can guarantee delivery for all prime members. I expect that to change a couple weeks before release date (I've seen it happen before), as this should be one of the Wii's two biggest games of the year; but just so you know, don't expect it right now. Even if it does arrive on the 26th instead of the 23rd, it's worth it for the $20.

    It's Sunday release. So I don't think release-day is happening.

    No, but Monday would be nice, instead of Wednesday...

    Hell part of me is tempted to buy it at walmart/gamestop on midnight Sat, and then return my unopened Amazon one later in the week. But that's um... shady I suppose.

    I just want to play. But $20 is $20 too.

    Well, I live in Tucson, and Amazon has a warehouse in Phoenix. If I'm lucky they'll ship it from there, which typically gets it to me in one day even with free shipping. I guess I can stand to wait until Monday for twenty bucks.

    The DSi Magnum had a Sunday release as well, and my Amazon order showed up the day after, without release day delivery. I suspect Mario will do the same, and I can live with that.

    I'm just looking forward to the game. There's nothing in particular that makes me go crazy over what I've seen, but I know that the gameplay will be so solid and fun that it will be worth it, that's why I pre-ordered, just as my wife said.

    mrtomaytohead wrote:

    I'm just looking forward to the game. There's nothing in particular that makes me go crazy over what I've seen, but I know that the gameplay will be so solid and fun that it will be worth it, that's why I pre-ordered, just as my wife said.

    Yeah, frankly even if it's just a level pack it's still worth it, just because they're so well designed.

    Also, Yoshi!!!

    Minarchist wrote:

    Also, Yoshi!!!

    Everyone's flipping out over yoshi, but I'm not too excited, knowing how the game gives and takes. I love Yoshi, but I love being able to take Yoshi anywhere I can survive and hold onto him much more. And if history of Mario Galaxy has taught us anything, our suits and upgrades dissapear at the end of level / every time you get a star. I want to take Yoshi everywhere like in Super Mario World, dang it!

    That said, I love playing with Yoshi and really look forward to the time in the saddle. I loved Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and I'm still sad I never bought it, but at least I borrowed it from a fried for a few months.

    I get that, and I agree, but that's where we've been since Super Mario 64. Once they introduced the hub world, everything went to timers.

    I think it's two-sided, though. You don't get to keep your power-ups; but they regenerate in the same level and they aren't ridiculously difficult to get to. I remember going through this incredibly complicated p-switch/vine maneuver in SM3 to get the hammer suit, for instance, only to immediately lose it when I got sniped by a fire-spewing piranha plant. It wouldn't regenerate unless I finished the level, went back, and went through all that mess again. Blech. And as far as the flying timer on the bee suit, if that wasn't there, it would completely break the game.

    Minarchist wrote:

    And as far as the flying timer on the bee suit, if that wasn't there, it would completely break the game.

    Only in as far as would happen if everything else about the game design was held as is. If the bee suit was untimed then the rest of the game would have been designed to suit that functionality.

    I quite liked the hub world in SMG, and really what's the difference between a hub world and a world map in the end of the day? If it takes too long to get around you could just make the hub world more compact. Farming for lives is rubbish though but it was rubbish in any of the 2D marios that required you to do that too, glad they ditched it in SMB:Wii.

    They gave away so many lives in Super Mario Galaxy that I never bothered to farm for them. It was ridiculously easy to never die in that game (and I applaud that, frankly).

    Got my pre-order in for this at Amazon for the $20 cashback. To be honest, it's more for the wife than me - she devoured the first one.

    I had the following conversation with her yesterday:

    Me: "Hey honey, just checking - we can only afford to get one of these games - Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Rock Band: Green Day. I've done the right thing in picking SMG2, right?"
    Her: "Duh."

    Minarchist wrote:

    I get that, and I agree, but that's where we've been since Super Mario 64. Once they introduced the hub world, everything went to timers.

    I think it's two-sided, though. You don't get to keep your power-ups; but they regenerate in the same level and they aren't ridiculously difficult to get to. I remember going through this incredibly complicated p-switch/vine maneuver in SM3 to get the hammer suit, for instance, only to immediately lose it when I got sniped by a fire-spewing piranha plant. It wouldn't regenerate unless I finished the level, went back, and went through all that mess again. Blech. And as far as the flying timer on the bee suit, if that wasn't there, it would completely break the game.

    Yeah, the flying timer is just right, and really just functions like a floaty double jump. I guess I just really liked Super Mario World, especially getting the blue Yoshi and seeing how far I could fly in every level. Also, that level in World 4 where you had to go under the 1st gate to get the alt exit was awesome.

    mrtomaytohead wrote:

    I loved Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and I'm still sad I never bought it, but at least I borrowed it from a fried for a few months.

    Quite possibly my favorite 2D platformer of all time. I may be looking through rose-colored goggles, but that's how I remember it.

    On the subject of timers, it's all about the level design. The powers in 2D Mario games were (as far as I can recall...) entirely optional. The goal was to go from left to right, and you could do so with or without a fire flower or a star. The powers in the 3D Mario games do not serve the same purpose. You cannot simply ignore the bee suit or spring suit and expect to reach your goal. They are necessary, and their placement and timers are part of the ingenious level design that is Super Mario Galaxy. Every power is an essential part of a puzzle or platforming challenge. It's a large part of the reason that there was such a ridiculous variety of gameplay in Galaxy, and I feel that it is one of the main reasons that the gameplay did not seem stale or repetitive to me one time during my journey to collect 120 stars.

    Dyni wrote:
    mrtomaytohead wrote:

    I loved Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and I'm still sad I never bought it, but at least I borrowed it from a fried for a few months.

    Quite possibly my favorite 2D platformer of all time. I may be looking through rose-colored goggles, but that's how I remember it.

    On the subject of timers, it's all about the level design. The powers in 2D Mario games were (as far as I can recall...) entirely optional. The goal was to go from left to right, and you could do so with or without a fire flower or a star. The powers in the 3D Mario games do not serve the same purpose. You cannot simply ignore the bee suit or spring suit and expect to reach your goal. They are necessary, and their placement and timers are part of the ingenious level design that is Super Mario Galaxy. Every power is an essential part of a puzzle or platforming challenge. It's a large part of the reason that there was such a ridiculous variety of gameplay in Galaxy, and I feel that it is one of the main reasons that the gameplay did not seem stale or repetitive to me one time during my journey to collect 120 stars.

    I ran through the Yoshi's Island reworking on the DS and it was just as great (in fact the DS version is probably better than the SNES version) definitely in my top platformers and maybe top games ever list.

    Totally agree with what you say about Mario level design.

    DanB wrote:

    I ran through the Yoshi's Island reworking on the DS and it was just as great (in fact the DS version is probably better than the SNES version) definitely in my top platformers and maybe top games ever list.

    Totally agree with what you say about Mario level design.

    It may be my bias against portable games, but I like the console version much better. I just don't like staring down at the screens. I imagine had YI2 been released on a console I probably would have liked it a lot more. As it stands, I play a level or 2 ever so often. At this rate it'll be 2020 before I finish it. sigh.

    ClockworkHouse wrote:

    They gave away so many lives in Super Mario Galaxy that I never bothered to farm for them. It was ridiculously easy to never die in that game (and I applaud that, frankly).

    Generally you're right, but there are a couple challenges that are pretty much impossible to complete without farming a good twenty lives beforehand (I'm looking at you, Toy Time Purple Coins). Those were frustrating enough without having to waste time flying around the hub world searching for 1ups.

    Personally, I think it's about time they just dropped the "lives" mechanic from Mario games altogether. They give them out like candy, they've become meaningless. Either you wind up with a ridiculous amount of them right away and never drop below 60 or so again (NSMB, NSMBW) or they reset your life counter every time to load up your game, meaning that you have to waste time farming before you do anything challenging (Galaxy). Neither adds anything to the game.

    Agreed. Send a letter to Miyamoto post-haste!

    hbi2k wrote:
    ClockworkHouse wrote:

    They gave away so many lives in Super Mario Galaxy that I never bothered to farm for them. It was ridiculously easy to never die in that game (and I applaud that, frankly).

    Generally you're right, but there are a couple challenges that are pretty much impossible to complete without farming a good twenty lives beforehand (I'm looking at you, Toy Time Purple Coins). Those were frustrating enough without having to waste time flying around the hub world searching for 1ups.

    Personally, I think it's about time they just dropped the "lives" mechanic from Mario games altogether. They give them out like candy, they've become meaningless. Either you wind up with a ridiculous amount of them right away and never drop below 60 or so again (NSMB, NSMBW) or they reset your life counter every time to load up your game, meaning that you have to waste time farming before you do anything challenging (Galaxy). Neither adds anything to the game.

    Well, I wouldn't say completely drop them from the games completely.....I mean, like you said, sometimes having an over-abundance of lives can help you (and me, of course) get through some of the frustrating parts....or even give you the gumption to go through the parts of the game that you really don't have to complete to beat the game; but just to play them or see if you can get through them for fun.

    I would say that maybe they shouldn't give them out so freely (the letter from the princess for instance.......seriously, how could have sent that letter if she was captured? I mean, if she could easily send a letter, she could escape for herself :x). Maybe make us work harder for them......like in the original Super Mario Bros. I will admit that there were too many times where you could easily get a 1-up mushroom just by playing around on the starship. When it comes to trying to collect everything a game has to offer, I'm one of the most OCD players there is.....but for some reason, I didn't like trying to collect as many 1-ups I could find.

    So Mario's also going to have a cloud suit?

    IMAGE(http://gonintendo.com/wp-content/photos/screenshot_29513.jpg)

    That kind of thing would be completely {ableist slur} in almost any other game, but I see a picture like that for a Mario game, and all I can think is... AWESOME.

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