I just semi-finished a wonderful game. It's everything that has been said it was and more. Most anyone who reads this will probably say "duh" to this. It's no big secret and most everyone who was going to play this game has probably already done so. The game is Super Mario Galaxy and it was great. It was better than great. It was a treat to play. It had all the great things that we've collectively come to expect from Mario games and it has them in spades. All of the twists, turns, challenges, secrets and hair-pullingly maddening extra levels are all there. The most beautiful part of the game is that it can be as challenging or not as you like (more or less). There are 120 possible stars to find throughout the game. The game will let you access the last boss level after about 60 stars if you just want to play the game to beat it. My six-year-old can play through most of the "required" levels with minimal assistance. It is safe, fun and kid-friendly for those of us with little ones that are into games. For us adults that are obsessive collectors; well the other 60 stars are amidst a potpourri of clever, and at times frustrating levels that use myriad challenges you must play through to earn them. I would say that one could get anywhere from a minimum of 15 hours to as many as 40 hours out of this game on the first playthrough. Just a note---many of the levels are NOT geared towards kids. They are just too challenging in my opinion. I know I used language on a few levels that was definitely NOT geared towards kids! Don't worry, it was after their bedtime.
The funny thing is that several of the levels that drove me nuts my first time through aren't nearly as bad as I go back and replay them. (Yes, there is incentive to go back and play through a second time.) For some of the toughest ones, there's usually a trick or pattern that is easy to miss or well-obscured. I was watching my wife play one of the "trash-bombing" levels and noticed that if you land the bombs roughly where the coin-dispensing buttons are; that seems to be the trick to getting all the trash piles blown up in time. What took me 15 or 20 tries the first playthrough only took 2 or maybe 3 the second time. The same could be said for some of the comet levels I had trouble with. There is usually a trick or exploit that's waiting to be found. I was convinced that the game designers were clever sadists for awhile. I've since come to think that they're just really quite clever and yeah, ok--maybe just a weency bit sadistic. Not nearly as bad as I thought though! If you get the chance, I really strongly recommend playing this one. It's every bit as good as you've likely heard and I would dare suggest maybe even a little better.
