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Super Mario Galaxy 2

The video game Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an action platformer for Wii that continues the space-based fun begun by the 2007 runaway hit Super Mario Galaxy. Featuring out-of-this-world platforming across a wide array of unique planets and space environments, players can go it alone as Mario or team up with his old buddy Yoshi as they platform and puzzle-solve to their hearts content.

On some stages, Mario can find an egg, smash it open and hop onto the back of Yoshi. Yoshi can use his tongue to grab items and shoot them back at enemies, or to snag attach points and swing across chasms

Yoshi has an interesting diet. When he eats a Dash Pepper, he gets so hot and frenzied he can run up steep inclines and vertical walls. When he eats a Blimp Fruit, he inflates like a balloon and floats to new heights

New power-ups include a drill that Mario uses to tunnel through the planet's surface all the way to the other side of a planet

Skilled players will want to collect new Comet Metals, which will unlock harder levels with even more challenges. Mario collects stars as he travels from galaxy to galaxy, sometimes upside-down, sometimes floating from place to place. Every level is new, but the game retains the charm, sense of wonder and beauty in line with Mario's history

Super Mario Galaxy 2 for Wii

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an action platformer for Wii that continues the space-based fun begun by the 2007 runaway hit Super Mario Galaxy. Featuring out-of-this-world platforming across a wide array of unique planets and space environments, players can go it alone as Mario or team up with his old buddy Yoshi as they platform and puzzle-solve to their hearts content. Additional key features include new and returning power-ups, special power-up abilities when teamed with Yoshi and the new drill mechanic that allows Mario burrow into and through planets.

Galaxy 2: Out-of-this-world Adventure

Like its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an action platformer set in space. Platforming takes place between worlds, known as galaxies. Mario can move between smaller examples of these by jumping.

He can also embark on longer jaunts via a small steerable planet in the shape of Mario's head, but as a new twist he can also move into and through planets as well using the new drill mechanism. This allows for both a new direction in action as well as an opening to problem-solving and coin collection.

Players can expect the return of a variety of powerups from the original game including Bee and Boo Mushrooms, but also many that are new varieties including the Rock Mushroom that temporarily turns Mario into a rock that can smash through barriers.

Another key change to gameplay is the ability for Mario to join with his pal Yoshi. Once Mario hatches Yoshi from his egg he can ride him through a variety of scenarios. Yoshi's particular reaction to specific powerups makes for fun with gravity.

For example, when Yoshi eats a "Dash Pepper" he is able to move at hyper speed allowing the pair to literally run up the side of walls. Also, after eating a Blimp Fruit power-up Yoshi can swells up and floats like a blimp, taking Mario with him to areas of the game otherwise unreachable.

Key Game Features

Mario collects stars as he travels from galaxy to galaxy. Every level is new, but the game retains the charm, sense of wonder and beauty in line with Mario's history. Mario works his way through the various levels, sometimes upside-down, sometimes floating from place to place.

On some stages, Mario can find an egg, smash it open and hop onto the back of Yoshi. Yoshi can use his tongue to grab items and shoot them back at enemies, or to snag attach points and swing across chasms.

Yoshi has an interesting diet. When he eats a Dash Pepper, he gets so hot and frenzied he can run up steep inclines and vertical walls. When he eats a Blimp Fruit, he inflates like a balloon and floats to new heights.

New powerups include a drill that Mario uses to tunnel through the planet's surface all the way to the other side of a planet.

Skilled players will want to collect new Comet Metals, which will unlock harder levels with even more challenges.

Product Description

Launch into a new universe of gravity warping worlds in the sequel to one of the greatest games of all time! Yoshi joins Mario as they traverse a wild variety of galaxies exploding with imagination, helping out our hero as he gulps enemies, runs at super speed, or inflates like a blimp to reach high cliff tops.

Whether Mario's leaping into orbit around tiny micro-planets, tumbling through rooms with constantly flip-flopping gravity, or drilling through craggy worlds to emerge on the other side, he'll need new abilities and serious jumping skills to survive the all-new challenges ahead!

Super Mario Galaxy 2​ is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Wii. It was first announced at E3 2009 and is the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. It was released in North America on May 23, 2010,in Japan on May 27, 2010, in Europe on June 11, 2010, and in Australia on July 1, 2010.

The game's levels are galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds. While its gameplay is based on that of its predecessor, the game was updated with gravity effects and new power-ups.

It is the fourth original 3D platformer in the Mario series, after Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy. Upon its release, Super Mario Galaxy 2 was met with critical acclaim, and it has been listed as one of the highest-rated video games ever by aggregation sites such as Metacritic and GameRankings.

Super Mario Galaxy Plot

Princess Peach invites Mario to share some cake at the Star Festival, a time when Star Bits rain down from the skies over the Mushroom Kingdom. On his way, Mario finds a Luma (Baby Chico), who immediately befriends him and grants him the ability to spin.

Shortly thereafter, Mario's archnemesis Bowser, who has grown to an immense size (after swallowing Grand Stars, unbeknownst to Mario at this point), invades and attacks the Mushroom Kingdom.

Kidnapping the princess, Bowser escapes into outer space to create his empire at the center of the universe again. After launching into outer space, Mario is given control of Starship Mario, a mobile planetoid in the shape of his head, made by a crafty Luma mechanic called Lubba, powered by Power Stars, and piloted by other Lumas; his mission is to fly across the universe in pursuit of Bowser and the Princess and to help Lubba find the lost Lumas that were part of Bowser's plot.

Along the way Mario meets new Lumas and joins up with his companion Yoshi. Upon collecting enough Power Stars, Starship Mario reaches Bowser's main fortification, draining energy from what appears to be a comet.

Mario infiltrates the castle and defeats Bowser, but is forced to retreat when Bowser reappears; Mario then ultimately defeats Bowser by hitting him with meteors. Mario and Peach then get the Grand Star, not before the Comet Observatory from the first Super Mario Galaxy reveals itself, having been freed from Bowser's clutches, and Rosalina is heard thanking Mario for watching over the Luma that he had found.

The Luma returns to the Comet Observatory, taking Mario's cap with him, before the Comet Observatory transforms into a comet and leaves. Eventually, Mario and his companions return to the Mushroom Kingdom, where a large cake stands in front of Peach's Castle and Starship Mario sits in the sky above. And above that, the Comet Observatory shoots across the sky.

Galaxy 2 Gameplay

Super Mario Galaxy 2 features a unique hub world, known as Starship Mario. The gameplay of Super Mario Galaxy 2 is similar to that of the first Super Mario Galaxy, with a focus on platforming based on and around 3D planets (referred to collectively as galaxies) with varying sizes and landscapes.

The planets are smaller, allowing the player to jump from planet to planet more often. Mario is able to ride the dinosaur Yoshi, who can use his tongue to swing across gaps, as well as eat fruits that give him various powers, such as speed boosts, the ability to inflate like a balloon, or the power to reveal secret paths.

While the player retains the ability to collect Star Bits with the blue Star Pointer from the first game, the Star Pointer is replaced by a red dot when riding Yoshi, which allows the player to aim and control his tongue. This can be used for swinging off objects, pulling levers or, as in previous games, swallowing enemies and spitting them out.

Some of the mechanics introduced in Super Mario Galaxy return, such as blue Pull Stars, sections restricting movement to a 2D plane, balance ball levels, and gravity-reversing background arrows. Power-ups such as the Boo, Bee and Spring Mushrooms also return, along with the Launch Stars and Sling Stars for interplanetary navigation.

Also, new items and gameplay mechanics have been showcased since the game's unveiling at E3 2009. These include a drill that allows the player to drill through planets; the Rock Mushroom, which allows the player to smash through barriers; and the Cloud Flower, which allows the player to create new platforms in midair.

The game also allows a second player to control an Orange Luma (Co-Star Luma) to assist Mario. In addition to collecting Star Bits as in the first game, the Co-Star Luma can also attack and hold enemies and platforms, and collect coins and powerups.

Galaxy 2 includes a map system similar to those in Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, New Super Mario Bros., and New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This is navigated via a mobile planet called Starship Mario (so named because it is shaped like Mario's head) that serves as a hub world, which can be visited anytime and is expanded upon when new abilities are unlocked.

Completing levels unlocks new stages, but certain areas cannot be accessed until the player has collected a certain number of Power Stars. The game is separated into 6 worlds, with a seventh Secret World, each world harder than the previous one. Each world (except the secret world) is ended by a battle with Bowser or Bowser Jr.

Players can also collect Comet Medals hidden in the stages to unlock harder levels with tougher challenges. Similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii's 'Super Guide' feature, Galaxy 2 has a 'Cosmic Guide' feature that lets the computer play through a section of a level if players are having difficulty. However, if players use this, they will only receive a Bronze Star upon completion, requiring them to complete it themselves in order to earn a Power Star.

There are also monitors that show hints to the player. As in Super Mario Galaxy, Mario's brother Luigi is also a playable character. He can be used whenever Mario can locate him at the start of a level, but not all levels have Luigi present. Luigi becomes available for all levels after beating Bowser in World 6. Clearing levels with Luigi unlocks a Ghost Luigi representing a developer speed run that players can race against for completion time.

The game also features 242 stars, 120 normal stars and 120 green stars, the latter being unlocked after all of the former are collected; this then leaves 1 final stage with 2 stars, one immediately available and one unlockable.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Development

Shortly after Super Mario Galaxy was completed, Shigeru Miyamoto approached the development team and suggested that a follow-up be produced. The game was originally planned just to do variations on the original game's planets and call the game "More Super Mario Galaxy", (it was dubbed "Super Mario Galaxy 1.5" during early development), with a projected development time of approximately a year.

Over time, more and more new elements and ideas were brought into the game, and it was decided that the game would be a fleshed-out sequel rather than a slightly modified follow-up. Thus, development took two and a half years.

Takeshi Hayakawa, the lead programmer for Super Mario Galaxy 2, created a development tool that allowed different staff members, including visual and sound designers, to easily design and create stages without waiting for programmers, many of which were incorporated into the final game.

Miyamoto compared Super Mario Galaxy 2 to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, in that both games use the same engines as their predecessors, yet build upon their foundations.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was revealed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2009 on June 2. In Miyamoto's private conference, it was stated that the game was very far along in development, but its release was held back to mid-2010 due to New Super Mario Bros. Wii's release in late 2009.

Miyamoto also stated that the game has 95–99% new features, with the rest being previous features introduced in Super Mario Galaxy. With regard to the original game, Nintendo of America President and CEO Reggie Fils-Aime stated in an interview that the sequel would be more challenging, and Miyamoto said in a Wired interview that the game would have less focus on plot.

Miyamoto initially hinted that the game might utilize the "Super Guide" feature, introduced in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, into the game, and this was confirmed by Nintendo's Senior Manager of Product Managing, Bill Trinen, who claimed that the feature is implemented differently compared to what New Super Mario Bros. Wii offered. The feature is called Cosmic Guide, where the Cosmic Spirit (Rosalina) takes control of Mario.

The game made its playable debut at the Nintendo Media Summit 2010 on February 24, 2010, when a second trailer for the game was released, and its North American release date on May 23, 2010 was finally announced. The Japanese, European and Australian versions of the game came packaged with an instructional DVD manual, explaining the basic controls, as well as showing advanced play.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Music

As with the original Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2 features a musical score written for and performed by a symphony orchestra.

Early in the development process, when the concept of "Super Mario Galaxy 1.5" was being considered, there were not any plans to use different music from the first Super Mario Galaxy.

However, as the game evolved, the sound team, headed by Mahito Yokota, realized they needed new music that fit with the new gameplay mechanics that were being added. Although they were hesitant to use an orchestra again because of recording difficulties, general producer Shigeru Miyamoto gave permission immediately - according to Yokota, he felt that players would be expecting an orchestral soundtrack.

Miyamoto also apparently suggested that players would want to hear arrangements from Super Mario Galaxy, which is why the soundtrack is a mixture of brand new pieces and arrangements of themes from Galaxy as well as many past installments in the Mario series.

Nintendo composer Koji Kondo recruited 60 musicians for the orchestra, ten more than the number of musicians used for the original game's score, with an additional 10 musicians providing a big band style of music with trumpets, trombones, saxophones and drums.

The orchestral performances were conducted by Taizou Takemoto, renowned for his work on the Smash Bros. Concert in 2002, while Kondo served as an advisor and supervisor, and contributed five pieces to the soundtrack.

The soundtrack is currently available on a 2-disc set to members of the Japanese Club Nintendo as a reward. It can be acquired at the cost of 500 Star Points, though members who register a product code after purchasing Super Mario Galaxy 2 can obtain it for 300 Star Points. There have been no announcements about the soundtrack's availability in other territories.

 

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