Let's get one thing out of the way. I don't have any love for
Mario, the kind of love that a fan of the red and mustache character might have. I
totally respect the way the franchise has lasted for so many years, although I do think that a bit of "character fatigue" might be to blame in the latest outings of Mario (I'm pointing at
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games). So I approached Super Mario Galaxy, which has just landed on my desk, with a bit of caution. Here's the story of the first hour with the game.
16:00. I pop the disk in and wait... Bah, system update. Ok, I guess this does not get counted towards the hour as the Nintendo Wii is doing it, not the game. Fair enough. One hour needs to pass...
17:00. Update finishes and eager players of Wii Sports removed from their attachment to the Wii remote and the nunchuck. I wait for the game to load and hit A and B. It begins.
17:10. I get it, I get it. It's the old "great celebration gone wrong" routine when Bowser, which actually looks pretty scary when you think about it, especially if you're a small(ish) kid playing this game, comes up to pick Peach just as the passing of the comet is celebrated, with Mario anxious to get something (a kiss? a new costume? some starts?) from her.
17:12. The plot thickens as spaceships come in. It's going to be hard for Mario to make it this time, seeing as how he is rather ill equipped for interplanetary fight. Hmmm, the back cover did not say anything about a Space Mario, just Bee Mario and Fire Mario.
17:15. If there's something I love about a game, it's a succession of non skipping cutscenes. They're really cool, so developers do more of them and I will love your games' sarcasm off.
17:20. Finally, some gameplay. I got to catch those rabbits, but the space on which to do it seems really small. Will all the "planets" be just as small? Hmmm, rabbits are hard to get.
17:30. I totally like the stars that propel you through space at hype speed. They look very nice. I also like the overall graphics, even if they're a bit too much on the cartoon side of things. I like the shaking-a**-combat-and-activation mechanic.
17:45. Got a bit lost in the game... but still interesting. I might be getting into this Mario game, after all. The constant aiming necessary to get all the small stars could get a bit annoying in a while, though.
17:55. Wow, my first boss, I guess. It's pretty big and I cracked its shell using its tail, which was interesting. But he looks way too nice to be a monster. Can I stun him? Apparently not.
18:00. Lost all remaining lives while fighting monster with a pink tinge. I fail at Mario.
Ok, I have to admit I lost sometime around 17:54 and then took the disk out of the Wii. Call me a wuss but I do not like to lose at games.
