When you're a little kid, playing video games for the first time, or perhaps becoming a bit more experienced at them, there's a certain "magical" sensation that you experience while exploring those digital worlds. It's like you become the character you're playing as, attempting to triumph over the many dangers and perils that block your path. When you get older though and your imagination isn't as involved in the game as it was when you were younger, new games tend to leave you with less of a "magical", wonderous experience and more of a logical sense of progression. How do I get from A to Z? It's less about immersion and more about entertainment.
The last time I had that magical feeling was when I played a little gem in 1996 called Super Mario 64. I was 10 years old at the time, entering my last year of elementary school, and life was in the midst of taking a very dark, bleak turn for me. But that game, with it's groundbreaking 3D look and control, made some moments a little less bleak for me. I especially loved getting a hold of the wing cap and just flying around while listening to the amazing remastered version of the StarMan theme. I'll let my buddy Smooth McGroove fill you in on how awesome that theme was.
So, fast forward to 2010. I am done with playing the Xbox 360 and all of its First Person Shooters. I trade in my 360, my copy of Mass Effect 1 and 2, my copy of Halo 3 and ODST, and any other game I had at the time to get a Wii and a copy of Super Mario Galaxy. The last Mario game I had played at that point was Super Mario Sunshine, a game I did not enjoy and still don't to this day, and I was really hoping that this game would be at the very least a good Mario experience. And boy was I wrong!
It was an amazing experience!
Before I got to sit down and I play it I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of using the Wiimote and Nunchuck to control the game. I was very used to my hands being closer together to control the analogue control stick and buttons. It's what I had been doing since Mario 64 after all. But once I began playing Mario Galaxy, the concept of using the remote to point at, waggle, and help Mario along his gravity defying adventure soon made perfect sense to me. I loved it. And I loved going to the new worlds, new galaxies, and conquering the challenges to eventually rescue Peach.
Also, I was quite amazed at the graphics of the game. For being a standard definition system, Nintendo certainly knew how to push the visuals to make everything look very pristine and amazing!
And of course, the music. I knew as I was finishing the game, I needed to have the soundtrack because it was just that great! Composed by Mahito Yokota and Koji Kondo, the music makes great use of orchestral and electronic compositions. My favorite of which, as you've seen from the title of this blog, is Stardust Road. The Observatory Waltz might be the theme that players become most familiar with as they progress through the game, but it's this relaxed, calming theme played mostly on the piano is what sticks out to me most about the game. It's almost like the music wants you to just take things slow and really enjoy being where you are!
You're in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! So take it all in for a moment and try not to fall into any black holes. Otherwise Bowser will laugh at you.
Getting Super Mario Galaxy was one of the best gaming decisions I've ever made. It's the only game to make me feel that magical sense of immersion like I was a kid again. No other game has done that for me, not even Mario Galaxy 2, a fantastic game in its own right. For that I am very grateful to Nintendo and I hope to keep on enjoying their games well into the future.
Enjoy!
