Super Mario Galaxy 2

There are good games that are inspired by other genres, and there are bad ones. The one in discussion, Super Mario Galaxy 2, falls in the latter category as it takes Mario and places him in Pac-Man’s world.

The idea of putting Mario in a maze to gobble up coins while being followed by mushroom men and tortoises doesn’t sound half bad. The only real way you can go wrong with that is execution and unfortunately that is the case with Super Mario Galaxy 2.

In this game you will be playing as Mario (you can tell its him by the hat and large nose), with the goal being to collect all the purple circles that are spread throughout the map. Just like in Pac-Man, while you are gathering, there are some spooks that are out to get you.

The difference between the ghosts in this one and those in Pac-Man is that here, they’re more like zombies because they have no clue as to what they are doing. At least in Pac-Man you had the vivid feeling that they are plotting to trap you in a corner and scare the yellow out of the giant pellet eating head which you are.

Whether you’re a fan of Mario or Pac-Man who’s looking to try an interesting spin on things, Super Mario Galaxy 2 might not be the best of choices. Controls are simple, you use the arrow keys to guide the little guy through the mazes but in a lot of cases you will notice that he simply can’t make a turn the right way or worse, he get’s stuck on a straight wall.

In Pac-Man, even though those are ghosts that are chasing you, they don’t have the ability to pass through walls but apparently in Super Mario Galaxy 2 that’s not an issue. It does add to the stress that you’re being chased but it’s so random that it seems totally unfair (and it also seems to be a bug).

What Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an interesting idea that had a lot of potential when it was released. Now, after way too many years of abandonment it just seems silly.