I just posted a long review of Super Mario Galaxy over at my blog, Rumblepak.net.




Needless to say I loved the game. Actually, it might be the best "pure" video game of all time.

What I mean by "pure" is that it is great completely on the strength of its gameplay. The story is absurd (but not in a bad way), the characters are loveable but static, and there really isn't anything real "deep."

Yet the game itself is so utterly fantastic. Edge magazine called it "A Riot of the Imagination," and they are right. Each galaxy had me on the edge of my seat, wondering what amazing idea would hit me next. So, yeah, it's an A+ game without a doubt.

I really hope the next Zelda game has this fantastic leap of imagination. Now, I loved Twilight Princess and considered it an A+ game as well, but it was a perfection of an old formula, not a reinvention. There isn't anything wrong with that of course, but hopefully next time around in Hyrule we can see the same kind of fantastic re-imagining that Mario was blessed with.

Here's a snippet of my Rumblepak review:

"It is difficult, even for a staunch defender of the video game medium, to try to put a simple "game" into such a category. Yet here, for this game, I must. Super Mario Galaxy represents nothing less than a lifetime of game design mastery condensed into one title, an adventure so wonderful and utterly inspired, that the player might just drop the controllers in disbelief."

Read the rest of my review.