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There are many persistent franchises out there, maybe too many; Sonic, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Pokemon and Fifa, to name but a few. Of all the game franchises, Mario has been the most successful in terms of sales and I believe this is because of Nintendo’s ability to evolve and take their work in bold new directions.

I heard your reaction even from here: “NINTENDO!? EVOLVE!? BOLD NEW DIRECTIONS?! WHHAAAAHHH?!”

It’s a bit of a controversial statement to suggest that Nintendo are a progressive developer, with all of the negativity surrounding the Wii, from hardcore gamers. People say that the Wii is so far behind, so how can I possibly defend Nintendo as a progressive developer? Well, that’s a discussion for a different article; this is the Mario Galaxy review, so you’ll have to wait for that one.

Just like Skeggy

Nintendo have taken the main Mario game franchise from an up the screen level by level platformer to a linear 2D side-scroller, to a world map based 2D side-scroller, to leading the way for full 3D platformers (3D environments, not popping out the screen 3D), to one of the most creative games ever made; Mario Galaxy.

It was a very bold move when Nintendo took the leap to Mario 64. This kind of move is what allows a franchise to stay alive for as long as Mario; do something really ground breaking, extend the limits of this concept with sequels and then before it becomes stale, come up with a new ground breaking concept. Like Madonna.

Mario Galaxy brought us mind bending gameplay and a universe with very few rules outside of Nintendo’s safe zone. The platforming is so tightly tuned that they can even cope with constantly shifting gravity and level designs that no other game would attempt. Mario Galaxy 2 extends the brave concept to whole new heights and also addresses some of the issues that were found with the first game.

Isn't that thing from Aladdin? The Cave of Wonders!

Levels in Mario Galaxy 2 generally consist of 2 types of planets. Some, you are able to move all the way around (such as a sphere) with no worrying about falling to your doom. Also, there are planets that you climb or move across and have to stay on surfaces, or else fall and be sucked into a black hole of doom with thousands of Mario’s past lives. You get between these planets using special stars, which shoot you to another part of the Galaxy, and the perspective and gravity rules are reset. One minute you may be jumping into orbit around a small planetoid of snow and brick and the next moment you may be side scrolling where your movement is restricted to a 2D plane.

A slight warning though; to some this change in perspective and rules of gravity may induce occasional projectile vomit. Once you get used to it, I’m sure you will be fine, but it’s definitely a stomach churner and will put some people off. It’s like when I used to jump off the highest buildings in Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and I would feel my stomach drop and tell me firmly “Stop It! Fool”. The changing gravity and unique feel of the controls is also difficult for some people to get used to and I have friends who are put off the game instantly because they don’t like how the game feels. But please don’t let that put you off, because if you put a little time in you will most likely learn that this is the peak of accuracy in controls.

"And they say that a hero can save us, I'm not gonna stand here and waaait! I'll hold onto the wings of an eagle. Watch as we all fly awaaaay!"

It’s the continual mix of gameplay that keeps the game fresh and surprising. The variation is taken even further with levels where you may have to ice skate, glide with a bird or use motion control to guide a sphere around planetoids without falling and more. In fact, there are so many different kinds of things to do that it makes almost any other game look like a one trick pony. I was playing Alan Wake recently and I got exceedingly bored by the lack of variation, but I kept questioning myself, thinking maybe I was being too demanding. This is what the game does, why should I ask for more? Mario Galaxy 2 reminds me how a single theme is not enough to make a great game, ideas must be implemented in as many ways as the designers can think of and pushed to the limits of the imagination. If a more serious minded Shigeru Miyamoto had made Alan Wake, it would have been very different.

I love to imagine the design process at Nintendo for this game. I would have loved to be there at the brainstorming meeting where dozens of attendees threw ideas into the pot. Pretty much every one of those ideas got into the game. Somebody said, “Make Mario’s head into a space ship”, so they did. A window cleaner, looking in through an open window shouts “Yoshi eats a blue fruit, gets gas and flies up into the air”, and BANG it’s in the game.

That brings me, not so swiftly, on to Yoshi. He’s a funny little dinosaur with a ferocious appetite and a wicked tongue. Able to swallow up most enemies, jump that little bit higher with a flutter of his legs and run that little bit faster than Mario, he is a great addition to the Galaxy cast. Yoshi also has 3 power-ups; the Dash Pepper, which sends him into a fiery, fast stampede, the gas inducing, blue Blimp Fruit, which sends Yoshi floating into the sky and the yellow Bulb Berry, which irradiates Yoshi making him luminous and revealing hidden surfaces. Yoshi is not under or over used in the game and his presence actually adds a lot.

Prehistoric Lizard takes on Tomorrows War Machine

You can also choose to become Luigi on certain levels, where he will be waiting to tag in at the beginning of a stage. When you complete the “story” you will also be able to change to him between levels. He’s pretty much the same as Mario but he can jump a little higher and he has much less grip on his shoes. It feels a little like he’s always running on ice so he’s a little more difficult to control.

The win button has returned! Like in New Super Mario Bros, after attempting a level and failing (Loser ) too many times, a shadow “Momma” will turn up and offer to do the level for you. I hate it. It reminds me of playing games with my brother. “It’s my turn and I don’t care how many times I die, I don’t need your help!” However, it’s a little ignorant to say the feature shouldn’t be in there as it’s not for people like me; it’s there for the casual gamers and young kids. And you may not think it but it actually really benefits us hardcore gamers, because it allows Nintendo to design a game that isn’t dumbed down, it allows the designers to make the game really hard. And parts of the game will tax even the most experienced Mario gamers.

The repetitiveness of first Mario Galaxy game has pretty much gone completely, with no going back to a modified purple version of the first level. The only place where repetition rears its ugly head is in the Bowser Boss fights. The player is made to kick Bowser’s ass multiple times, of course, and these fights are all exactly the same except a little extension to the formula in the last battle, thankfully. But don’t worry about that because there is so many different things to do and see in this game that it’s a bit of a feeble complaint.

In summary, if you have a Wii, you should have Mario Galaxy and/or Mario Galaxy 2, no matter what kind of a gamer you are. There’s a significant improvement in this sequel, especially in the level variation. There may be one more game out of the Galaxy theme and I look forward to it.

As soon as anyone touches Yoshi, he runs off crying. That's why Mario gets the hero treatment and Yoshi goes back to his egg.

Review Round Up

Graphics: 5/5 – The best on the Wii. It shows how lazy some developers really are. Brilliant design, detailed models and textures, colourful and great lighting make this Mario Galaxy 2 head and shoulders above any other Wii game, graphically.

Sound: 4/5 – A great soundtrack performed by the Mario Galaxy Orchestra. The sounds in Mario are as distinctive and yet as simple as ever. Old school sound effects allow anyone to know you are playing a game without looking.

Gameplay: 5/5 – Mario has platforming down to a tee. There’s so much to do and it’s all ridiculously fun. The difficulty level makes it challenging and rewarding. What else is there to say, it’s Mario.

Longevity: 5/5 – Although it only takes 80 stars to get the princess back, there are 120 stars to get in total and it’s not an easy task. You’ll have to collect all the comet medals to unlock the special comet levels, there’re loads of secret stars and some levels are just good old fashioned hard. You may lose some hair getting those 120 stars.

Overall: 5 Shiny Power Stars out of 5 – One of the best, if not the best game on the Wii. Nintendo have created such a masterpiece that I, again, begin to worry; where do they go next? I can’t imagine a better platformer.

- Joe Finn

Hello! And welcome to the long over due second episode of Thoroughly Underrated Games You Probably Should Play, a series of articles from The Newb Review where we recommend some bloody good games that have been far over-shadowed, often by games with lower quality, but higher marketing budgets. Episode 1 (an article on the fabulous game Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure, found here: http://rt.nu/9jissu) came out some time ago. However, as something of a new year’s resolution, our very own Crofterz has made it his mission in life to unearth these valuable gems for you, our beloved newbs.

So, it’s 2010… Another few years and it’ll be Back To The Future, but first of all since this is the first T.U.G.Y.P.S.P of the year (even I get tired of typing the full name out sometimes), lets take a quick look back at a few games from last year that might have slipped under your radar. Not only did we have a trillion (scientifically accurate number) great, big budget titles to keep us occupied, but the indie and arcade circuits had a tremendous year too. We were treated to Shadow Complex, Splosion Man, Flower, Flock!, I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1 and Johnny Platformer’s Biscuit Romp as well as some fabulous remakes, ports and reboots (Trials HD, and Battlefield 1943 anyone?). That’s without even mentioning Alien Breed Evolution, Wolfenstein 3D and The Secret of Monkey Island too.

So it was a great year for arcade titles. And with so many high quality games, there were bound to be some hidden gems that very much went under the radar. LucasArts’ latest arcade offering, Lucidity, is a prime example of this.

So, why should you all go out in your masses and buy Lucidity?

Well to put it quite simply, Lucidity is as good as all the other must buy arcade juggernauts such as Braid (which you’ll hear me mention a lot in this article), Splosion Man, Flower and Castle Crashers. But it has never reached the dizzying heights of acclaim that these four titles have.

For starters, Lucidity is absolutely mesmerising. As soon as its fired up, the game greets you with an awe inspiring, hand crafted, cut-out paper graphical style which not only helps add more mystery to the game but is just beautiful and unique. This game has an art style reminiscent of the Paper Mario games, but this looks better by a country mile. Lucidity is highly polished and full of personality: everything from the cut scenes to the in-game graphics are lush, vibrant and absolutely gorgeous. Each new level is distinct and different from the last, yet just as magical and beautiful. It’s difficult to stop banging on about how brilliant this game looks… but for the sake of this article we should move on to something else that’s great about the game… the music.

The art style is nothing short of amazing

Rarely do I pay attention to the music within a game unless it’s bad (am I the only person who found the music in Braid absolutely infuriating after a while?). But the music in Lucidity, much like its graphical style, is beautiful and full of personality. The game manages this without neglecting subtlety, thus playing the game is a lot more of an enjoyable experience. It makes a nice change to not have loud noises and music constantly tearing at your face like a pack of wolverines. Not only does the music help to keep an aura of mystery around the game, but it never descends into tedium and annoyance, which is something of a godsend nowadays. It’s all so hypnotising, like when you sit down to play a brand new game and end up losing an entire day playing, you despicable little hermit!

This is all well and good, but music and graphics are usually just the icing on a lovely gaming cake. The meat (a meat cake? Now there’s a lovely thought) of a game is the story and gameplay. Thankfully, Lucidity doesn’t disappoint in these departments either. The story is simple and charming, meaning it is not only a game for adults, but your little offspring wouldn’t find it hard to pick up the game and have fun.

The games revolves around the main character, a little girl named Sofi, whose grandmother reads her stories every bed time. The game starts with Sofi just dropping asleep after another bed time fairytale, when she reawakens within a dream world (the whole game is essentially set within her dream). Sofi stumbles across a red firefly, who is then eaten by a frog; who promptly runs off.

The premise of the game is basically the girl chasing the frog from one end of the level to the other to try and get the red firefly back. It sounds absolutely bonkers and it may sound a little bit rubbish, but apparently it’s all a metaphor for Sofi having to deal with the death of her grandmother. Except I don’t actually remember her grandmother dying.

The story, backed with the great graphical style and sound makes for a game that is both hypnotic and addictive. The mix of simplicity and ambiguity roots in a mysterious tone: who is this girl? Where are we? What’s going on? So many questions, yet there isn’t even a whiff of pretentiousness; something I unfortunately cannot say for Braid. In fact, Braid is in many ways quite a close comparison to Lucidity.

The only thing about Lucidity that isn’t utterly unique is the gameplay itself. It  isn’t as original, refreshing or as clever as the gameplay in something like Braid. But this still isn’t the type of gameplay you have the chance to experience very often in the current gaming climate.

As the girl moves from one end of the level to the other she will encounter obstacles and enemies. The basic aim is to use objects to avoid enemies, overcome the obstacles and collecting fireflies, scattered around everywhere, to unlock the next level. It’s all so reminiscent of the good old Lemmings days. Whilst Lucidity is slightly less engaging than Lemmings, it makes for a far more relaxed and casual play experience. Again, this is something of a godsend in a climate where games are desperate to hold your attention at all times.

Gameplay isn't as refreshing or different as the graphics or sound, but this is a hark back to older days; a type of gameplay forgotten in the modern gaming climate.

Lucidity is the perfect example of a game you can pick up and play for as long as you so please. You can play as much or as little as you want. You really feel in control and can play at your leisure. This all makes for an incredibly enjoyable gaming experience.

So there you have it, the first Thoroughly Underrated Game You Probably Should Play of the year. Some people are bound to disagree, but then again some people are bound to be idiots so… I guess that’s life. Yes it may seem a bit a childish game and it is, but isn’t there still a place for a bit of innocent fun nowadays?

Lucidity is available both on PC, through Steam, and Xbox 360, through the Xbox Live Marketplace.