Review: Super Mario Galaxy 2

[varun619]

The review was lame. I wanted in-depth analysis of how the gameplay, sound and everything else works, not 4th-grade low brow humor.

"Oh he poops star bits."
"The second player star is cute".
"Luigi go away."

It was cringe worthy. And the worst part is you used that "whatever" casual tone of your voice for reviewing the ACTUAL game and not displaying your poor stand up comedy.

It was like watching a female ScrewAttack review.

Awesome looking game though.

Did you actually read the review?

Yes, Susan. If you noticed, I was criticizing your video review, not the written one. The written one is alright. It's the video that seemed like a last minute add-on.

The video is not a review, it is a supplement. It is not meant to stand in the place of a review, merely supplement the information provided in the written review. It lacks "in-depth analysis" because it's not meant to have it.

Ah alright. Did not know that. The jokes could have been better though.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

To anyone who says this game sucks:

It has Yoshi in it, your argument is invalid.

Yoshi hasn't a good game since the SNES, therefore this statement is invalid.

 

[Susan Arendt]

The review was lame. I wanted in-depth analysis of how the gameplay, sound and everything else works, not 4th-grade low brow humor.

"Oh he poops star bits."
"The second player star is cute".
"Luigi go away."

It was cringe worthy. And the worst part is you used that "whatever" casual tone of your voice for reviewing the ACTUAL game and not displaying your poor stand up comedy.

It was like watching a female ScrewAttack review.

Awesome looking game though.

Did you actually read the review?

Yes, Susan. If you noticed, I was criticizing your video review, not the written one. The written one is alright. It's the video that seemed like a last minute add-on.

The video is not a review, it is a supplement. It is not meant to stand in the place of a review, merely supplement the information provided in the written review. It lacks "in-depth analysis" because it's not meant to have it.

Ah alright. Did not know that. The jokes could have been better though.

Oh, I don't think you'll find anyone arguing that point.

 

[Elesar]

Here's a suggestion Escapist (not just you, all video games journalists, but you're the only ones I really pay attention to).
Next time there's a Mario release, how about you let someone who isn't overly fond of Mario play it to review? How about someone who's not attached to Mario, maybe isn't that familiar with the mythos or previous games and will therefore judge the game on it's own merits as it's own game as opposed to it's merits in relation to a long lasting series.
I'm not saying you'd end up with a bad review. Said person might love it a lot. But it would be a very different one.

Just a thought.

 

[John Funk]

Here's a suggestion Escapist (not just you, all video games journalists, but you're the only ones I really pay attention to).
Next time there's a Mario release, how about you let someone who isn't overly fond of Mario play it to review? How about someone who's not attached to Mario, maybe isn't that familiar with the mythos or previous games and will therefore judge the game on it's own merits as it's own game as opposed to it's merits in relation to a long lasting series.
I'm not saying you'd end up with a bad review. Said person might love it a lot. But it would be a very different one.

Just a thought.

The problem is, in an office with a ton of lifelong gamers, there probably aren't gonna be that many of them who aren't familiar with Mario. Not saying it can't happen, but it's pretty unlikely.

 

[Elesar]

The problem is, in an office with a ton of lifelong gamers, there probably aren't gonna be that many of them who aren't familiar with Mario. Not saying it can't happen, but it's pretty unlikely.

Point, I guess. I suppose I'm slightly biased. I'm a lifelong gamer and I have no attachment to Mario. Never played one of his games all the way through. But I know I'm in the minority, so I won't hold it against you.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Here's a suggestion Escapist (not just you, all video games journalists, but you're the only ones I really pay attention to).
Next time there's a Mario release, how about you let someone who isn't overly fond of Mario play it to review? How about someone who's not attached to Mario, maybe isn't that familiar with the mythos or previous games and will therefore judge the game on it's own merits as it's own game as opposed to it's merits in relation to a long lasting series.
I'm not saying you'd end up with a bad review. Said person might love it a lot. But it would be a very different one.

Just a thought.

You seem to be assuming I didn't judge the game on its own merits, and I'm not sure why.

 

[Elesar]

You seem to be assuming I didn't judge the game on its own merits, and I'm not sure why.

I didn't mean it that way and I'm sorry I offended you. I found your review to be very informative, more so than most other reviews on the subject. I suppose my point is less about objectively measuring the game and more about measuring the game on it's own. Every review on every Mario game I've ever read, watched or listened to, from IGN to Zero Punctuation has at some point or another, measured the game against the rest of the series and accepted the setup and characters. It's not so much a complaint as intellectual curiosity. How would these games review with someone who'd never heard of or played Mario and had no idea who these people are? Maybe they'd review better? Maybe they'd review worse? Just a thought.

And now that I've had responses from not one but two members of the Escapist staff respond to me, I'm going to shut up before I dig myself in deeper. Again, sorry for offending you, I do hold your opinion in high regard.

 

[Susan Arendt]

You seem to be assuming I didn't judge the game on its own merits, and I'm not sure why.

I didn't mean it that way and I'm sorry I offended you. I found your review to be very informative, more so than most other reviews on the subject. I suppose my point is less about objectively measuring the game and more about measuring the game on it's own. Every review on every Mario game I've ever read, watched or listened to, from IGN to Zero Punctuation has at some point or another, measured the game against the rest of the series and accepted the setup and characters. It's not so much a complaint as intellectual curiosity. How would these games review with someone who'd never heard of or played Mario and had no idea who these people are? Maybe they'd review better? Maybe they'd review worse? Just a thought.

And now that I've had responses from not one but two members of the Escapist staff respond to me, I'm going to shut up before I dig myself in deeper. Again, sorry for offending you, I do hold your opinion in high regard.

Well, there's a difference between judging the game on its own merits - which I assure you, I did - and using shorthand context because you figure everyone knows the setup for a Mario game. That second part is a bit trickier. When reviewing a sequel, you want to strike a balance between filling in the newbies and not boring the folks who already know the drill. With a series like Mario, it's even more difficult because not only has the series been going on for ages, but most people have also played it and the basic set up - Bowswer kidnaps Peach, Mario goes to rescue her - never changes.

I do know what you're saying, but I think you may be confusing "not having an attachment" with "not having familiarity." You can be familiar with a property and not actually have played the games all that much.

 

[SMOKEMNHALO2001]

To anyone who says this game sucks:

It has Yoshi in it, your argument is invalid.

Hell yeah! I never cared for Galaxy and I'm not exited for Galaxy 2 but still, YOSHI! That alone made me want want to play this game.

 

[BehattedWanderer]

And, now that I've played quite a bit of it...I must ask why you forgot to mention the difficulty! Playing it solo is quite the feat, but clearly the game is made to be played co-op this time around. With two it's difficult, and with one there are parts that will make you lose twenty lives in as many minutes, if not less. Of course, those post still exist in co-star mode, but at least the Luma behind you is really, really useful.

[sub]Suck it, purple coin challenge on that flip-spin galaxy--I have a buddy who can retrieve coins from empty space![/sub]

 

[Susan Arendt]

And, now that I've played quite a bit of it...I must ask why you forgot to mention the difficulty! Playing it solo is quite the feat, but clearly the game is made to be played co-op this time around. With two it's difficult, and with one there are parts that will make you lose twenty lives in as many minutes, if not less. Of course, those post still exist in co-star mode, but at least the Luma behind you is really, really useful.

[sub]Suck it, purple coin challenge on that flip-spin galaxy--I have a buddy who can retrieve coins from empty space![/sub]

Well, I did mention that certain section were quite hairy to try solo, and also mentioned that I died plenty in preparation for the review.

 

[Elesar]

Well, there's a difference between judging the game on its own merits - which I assure you, I did - and using shorthand context because you figure everyone knows the setup for a Mario game. That second part is a bit trickier. When reviewing a sequel, you want to strike a balance between filling in the newbies and not boring the folks who already know the drill. With a series like Mario, it's even more difficult because not only has the series been going on for ages, but most people have also played it and the basic set up - Bowswer kidnaps Peach, Mario goes to rescue her - never changes.

I do know what you're saying, but I think you may be confusing "not having an attachment" with "not having familiarity." You can be familiar with a property and not actually have played the games all that much.

Ehh, I feel like I'm not being clear. Let me put it this way with a medium that is more my area of expertise:

In the Harry Potter series of books, early on (generally first or second chapter) Ms. Rowling would spend a chapter devoted to going "Hey, this is Harry. These are his friends. This is what happened in the last couple books. You up to speed? Let's rock."

In the films on the other hand, they generally skip over that and go right to the plot. If you hadn't seen the other films, you'd have no idea who anyone was and why you should care. THAT is the question I am trying (and evidently failing) to address, how would it hold up with someone who didn't know who Mario and Peach were or who Bowser was? It's essentially an unanswerable question, as everyone attached to gaming knows who they are on some level, but it's an interesting thing to think about.

Now I need to question whether or not I should consider this learning experience a positive or a negative...after all, I did get some attention from staff...
Oh and while I have you here, I'd like to thank you for recommending The Path which led to me playing it. One of the best PC games I've played in...well let's just say a long time.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Well, there's a difference between judging the game on its own merits - which I assure you, I did - and using shorthand context because you figure everyone knows the setup for a Mario game. That second part is a bit trickier. When reviewing a sequel, you want to strike a balance between filling in the newbies and not boring the folks who already know the drill. With a series like Mario, it's even more difficult because not only has the series been going on for ages, but most people have also played it and the basic set up - Bowswer kidnaps Peach, Mario goes to rescue her - never changes.

I do know what you're saying, but I think you may be confusing "not having an attachment" with "not having familiarity." You can be familiar with a property and not actually have played the games all that much.

Ehh, I feel like I'm not being clear. Let me put it this way with a medium that is more my area of expertise:

In the Harry Potter series of books, early on (generally first or second chapter) Ms. Rowling would spend a chapter devoted to going "Hey, this is Harry. These are his friends. This is what happened in the last couple books. You up to speed? Let's rock."

In the films on the other hand, they generally skip over that and go right to the plot. If you hadn't seen the other films, you'd have no idea who anyone was and why you should care. THAT is the question I am trying (and evidently failing) to address, how would it hold up with someone who didn't know who Mario and Peach were or who Bowser was? It's essentially an unanswerable question, as everyone attached to gaming knows who they are on some level, but it's an interesting thing to think about.

Now I need to question whether or not I should consider this learning experience a positive or a negative...after all, I did get some attention from staff...
Oh and while I have you here, I'd like to thank you for recommending The Path which led to me playing it. One of the best PC games I've played in...well let's just say a long time.

No, I understand your point, but you're not understanding what I'm saying. In any event, to more accurately answer your question, the motivation and plot of this, or any other Mario game is so thin that it makes little difference to your overall enjoyment of the game if you come in as an expert on the Mushroom Kingdom or as a complete newbie. The opening cinematic tells you everything you need to know in order to proceed.

 

[Anticitizen_Two]

Good to hear that the game is good... I kinda thought John Funk would review it after the 9001 stories he posted on it, but Susan's great too.

Now if only I still had a Wii...

 

[Mouse_Crouse]

Best review by the best reviewer on the site.

 

[ObsessiveSketch]

FACESHIP, AMIRITE?!!
http://www.crisonu.com/tv2/lol_wut.jpg

 

[metagross111]

interesting, considering she's rubbed elbows with Yahtzee's jokes.

 

[King of the Sandbox]

It's a Mario game. Do they really need reviews anymore?

That said, I'll be picking this up soon. ^_^

 

[PodX140]

Absolutely loved Arendt in this, makes every review a blast, and extremely helpful.

Sadly, no chance of me picking this up, but hey. Good to know it's out there.