Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a mere month away. Hard to imagine, isn't it? Like I'm sure many other Mario fans are doing, I'm playing the original Super Mario Galaxy again. Galaxy was not just another 3D Mario; it did a number of really cool things that set it apart—things that made me an instant rabid fan of Galaxy 2 from the moment it was announced. And so, to ring in Galaxy 2's imminent release, I thought I'd share five of my favorite things about its groundbreaking predecessor—one each week—while we wait for it to hit shelves and fall in love all over again.
1 The Spin The spin move introduced itself just as I was starting to form a decidedly negative opinion about "shake to activate digital action" Wii control schemes, and shook that infant belief to its core. The spin move feels great to pull off, and—like many things in Galaxy—is useful in a number of ways.
A Galaxy player's first introduction to the spin move is in the very first level, where it's used to defeat Goombas to free captive Lumas; that action proves useful for the rest of the game as you not only attack enemies, but can also return enemy attacks, break crystals, destroy rocks, spin bolts, put out torches... and many, many other things. But what really makes it is the spin jump, giving Mario both a little extra height as well as a chance to cancel momentum and jump up and around walls. Coupling the spin jump with a ground-pound even gives you a sweet homing attack.
It does so much and feels so good; it's one of those things that's absolutely essential to what makes Galaxy so fantastic. It's hard to imagine the game without it, and Galaxy 2 will be making all sorts of brand-new uses of it—I can't wait. In the meantime, come back next week for the next of my favorite things.
1 The Spin The spin move introduced itself just as I was starting to form a decidedly negative opinion about "shake to activate digital action" Wii control schemes, and shook that infant belief to its core. The spin move feels great to pull off, and—like many things in Galaxy—is useful in a number of ways.
A Galaxy player's first introduction to the spin move is in the very first level, where it's used to defeat Goombas to free captive Lumas; that action proves useful for the rest of the game as you not only attack enemies, but can also return enemy attacks, break crystals, destroy rocks, spin bolts, put out torches... and many, many other things. But what really makes it is the spin jump, giving Mario both a little extra height as well as a chance to cancel momentum and jump up and around walls. Coupling the spin jump with a ground-pound even gives you a sweet homing attack.
It does so much and feels so good; it's one of those things that's absolutely essential to what makes Galaxy so fantastic. It's hard to imagine the game without it, and Galaxy 2 will be making all sorts of brand-new uses of it—I can't wait. In the meantime, come back next week for the next of my favorite things.