PixlBit

Number 1

 

I remember mentioning in a previous post that my dad offered to get me a Nintendo Wii in 2006. I only wanted Twilight Princess for xmas at the time, so I declined the offer. I should have taken his offer. Why?
It was early 2007 and we went to Mexico. I took my Gamecube and some games and I think I beat Twilight Princess. When we came back I wanted to replay it. I did and I beat it again, except that this victory was bittersweet because my Gamecube finally gave out. The Gamecube has survived 2 trips to Mexico, 2 going and 2 returning trips. I tried many games in hopes that it would still work, but it was futile. I never had a console die on me and I actually shed some tears because it felt like I’ve just lost someone important.

I still had an N64 that still functioned like it was straight out of the box so I used that as my primary method of gaming. I got to play games that I hadn’t played in a long time like Conker, Banjo, and Donkey Kong 64. I tried to see if I could collect everything in DK64, but the game always erased itself when I got close.

Then one day I went to Gamestop and they had free booklets advertising Wii and DS games. I saw some neat stuff, but the game that really caught my attention was Super Mario Galaxy.
When I was reading about it, it said that Mario’s next adventure was in space. My teen self thoughts that Nintendo had run out of ideas with Mario. But I was willing to give it the benefit of doubt. We had Video on Demand and they had game trailers from upcoming games. They had Super Mario Galaxy and decided to watch it. I was really amazed at what I saw and from that moment I knew I needed a Nintendo Wii. I asked if I could get one but my folks said it would be for xmas. It was a long way but at least I was assured one.

My local Target was taking pre-orders for SMG and I decided to get that. I got a very cool 3D Mario giftcard for pre-ordering it and I would get a collectible coin when I pick it up on launch day. The launch date arrived and I went to pick up my copy. It felt odd picking up a game for a console I didn’t own, but I at least had something to play once I got a Wii.

           
Eventually xmas came and I got a Wii and I got a copy of Mario and Sonic which was cool but SMG had me more excited. Me and my bros played Mario and Sonic and some Wii Sports for a while and we had fun. After that it was finally time for the moment I had been waiting for almost the whole year. I played for a good hour or so and wow, was I blown away. As usual I will avoid story spoilers, even though there isn’t much story in Mario games, but this one seems to have something of a story.

The game to me was just amazing. I had played the previous 3D Mario games, but this just blew them out of the water. The levels were some of the best that I had ever seen in the series at the time. The levels are called Galaxies this time and sections of the levels are split into planets that you must go through. I was amazed at how you can be in a planet and just go all around it without falling. There are even planets that aren’t even round and you could go under them or all the way around. But not all planets are like this so you have to be careful.

The gravity in the levels are a real game changer here. The gravity is what allows you to navigate all around a planet and is what allows you to pull off incredible feats like jumping really to double jumping in the air using the new spin move.

The levels are really good. Some levels take you to grassy levels, while other take you through space bases, and other times to some really interesting stuff like a giant toy room to a galaxy filled with nothing but junk. The levels even reward you for exploration. Some levels have alternate paths that allow you to get a hidden Power Star in the level.

One of my favorite things about the levels, besides the great level design is the music. I would say that the music here might be the best series, at the time. The music is all orchestrated which is a first for the Mario series and it sounds awesome. Music in the game just match the tone and the levels great. It’s like you’re on a great adventure and just the music alone gives you an example at the scope of it. It really is music to your ears.

Another thing that I had mentioned is that the game has a story of sorts. You have the main story or objective of the game which is *spoiler* rescue Princess Peach. But there is another story involving Rosalina, one of the new characters in the game. As you progress through the game, you unlock chapters in a story that tells you about her past which is pretty tragic and something I do like. It’s more of an additional story in the game and it’s not something that’s forced into the main game or anything, which is neat.

All in all, this game is really great. I loved the game so much back then, that when I beat it, I wanted another go, and a cool thing is that once you collect all the Power Stars with Mario, you can play through the whole game as Luigi. Luigi has the same moves as Mario but controls slightly different. He jumps higher but he has less traction on the ground. I’ve played the game 30 times now, 15 with Mario and 15 with Luigi, and this happens when the Wii is the only console you own. I didn’t mind, I was crazy about the game and I thought that it might have been my most favorite game ever.

   
As I have said many times before, 2009 was by far the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I’ve been to 4 hospitals during that time. The days were really long and the only thing I looked forward to in those days when I got up in the morning was night time because it meant the end of the day.
I got a lot of tests done, some easy ones like blood tests and some really painful ones. You know those giant needles you see in an anime? Well I have seen a real life equivalent of that, not exactly that size but something close since it is the biggest one I’ve ever seen in real life and I’ve had a shot taken with that. It was really painful.

It was around E3 time and I think I was in the third hospital which actually started to set things in motion. I was talking to my brother on the phone and he told me about new games that were announced at E3. He told me about a new Zelda game and I got excited. He told me more stuff and he told me about a game I would really love. I asked him what it was and he didn’t tell me because he said it was a surprise. I got really excited and for the first time in a while I was happy.

Nothing could make me happy. I sometimes had to smile because I would worry my folks a lot, I know it was all a façade with those smiles, but I didn’t want them to suffer any more than they already were. I even think one nurse was coming on to me. She looked like the kind of girl that would never give you the time of day. She was really pretty, she had short blonde hair and a great looking body. I noticed that she might be coming on to me because when a nurse takes your vital signs, they stand next to you. She on the other hand would sit on my bed, and would inch really close to me. One time my mom wasn’t there because she went to the restroom, and the nurse came in. She took my vitals and I think she got a bit too close that I almost saw her…ummm what’s a nice way of putting it? Well I’ll let you decide on that word. I even became everyone’s favorite patient for some reason. I guess they liked that I never complained about anything and that I was really nice. They did tell me that it was a rare thing to see someone of my age this nice and kind because most aren’t and even more rare that I didn’t have a single trace of alchohol or drugs in my body.

I remember one of the doctors once told me of a surgery I would get. However what he told me wasn’t pleasant. He told me that I would most likely die from it. I was even told that in a off chance I would survive, that I will be staying at the hospital for a very long time. I was just, I couldn’t find any words for that. My mom was fully confident that I would live, but then my dad arrived and we had to tell him the news. I broke up in tears and I don’t think I have ever cried as much as I had that time. I just couldn’t comprehend what I heard. My dad stayed with me while my mom went home. My dad went to the restroom. I was alone and then I prayed to (insert religious deity here)and said that if I was going to get better, then help me, or if I was not, to just take me at this very moment right now so I wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. The next few days I was then allowed to go home, but I thought to myself that what was the point? I was going to be in bed all day like I was here. I went home and my brother showed me that surprise. It was Nintendo’s press conference and saw some really neat announcements like a new 2D Mario platformer and a new Metroid. Then I saw it, I think it was the surprise my brother had told me. I saw some familiar gameplay and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was Super Mario Galaxy 2. I couldn’t believe it was a sequel to my favorite Mario game.

This announcement helped me forget what I had heard a few days ago. Eventually I went back. I actually had a friend while I was at the hospital. He was from a group of people who are in charge of visiting patients and just play or have fun with them. I told him about what one of the docs had told me. He told me that he should of probably worded it better and not to worry, he said that I would get better and that I was a good person. I shouldn’t worry and just pray and not lose hope. He was really nice and then I told him about the E3 announcements and he was surprised at the SMG2 announcement. I told him that if I do die, I would never get to play it as it was a sequel to my favorite game of all time. The he told me to do this, just focus and think about getting better so you can play it. And not lose any hope despite what anyone might tell you here.

Then my doctor that was in charge of my particular case here came in my room. He told me he had some news for me. I told him if this was related to what I heard about death a while back. He told me where did I hear that? I told him what they told me. He told me not to worry because he had some great news for me. He had been speaking to a surgeon at another hospital and she told him that she was confident that she could help me with my problem. I was overjoyed and so was my friend. So I was allowed to go home form there so I could make an appointment to meet up with her. I said my goodbyes to everyone, they were sad to see me go but they wished for the best. It was the last time I got to see my friend there.
I eventually went to see this surgeon at the other hospital and when I saw her, I knew she would be the one to help me. She was just so confident that she could do it. She then told me about my case and how the other doc had mentioned about how nice I was. She then told me that I looked like a really good kid and she doesn’t know why things happen to good people. She did give it to me straight, she told me the surgery was a high risk. She told me that there was only a 10% chance that I would survive it and said that all the cards were stacked against me, since it meant that there was 90% chance that I would die. I told her that there was only one way to find out and that I was willing to go for it. She told me that a lot of people are too scared to even consider something like that since death is almost always a certain thing. She commented at how brave I was, and she told me not to worry that she would do whatever it takes to help me and that my life was at her hands now. I came home very happy.

             
The following week I had to get submitted to that new hospital and my surgery would come that following week. Everyday I would just count down the days, and yes I was incredibly nervous, but knew I had to go through it. I did what my friend told me and just think that I had to get better to play SMG2 and never lose hope and pray to whatever belief I had. Eventually that day came and to say I was nervous was an understatement. I had left a special message to my family via the DSi Flipnote software and had said in a flipnote, that everything would be fine, and that should this really be the end, that they are the best family that someone could have, that I love them and not to worry and just move on. I was then in the surgery room and they put on that oxygen mask thing, the last things I thought about was a prayer, my family, and what my friend had told me before I was put to sleep with the gas.

I remember waking up and I thought I was dreaming, all I could see was my mom and dad giving me a thumbs up. As days passed by, the surgeon came to my room and congradulated me because I had survived a surgery that took a whole day. I couldn’t believe it myself. It was October and I was finally allowed to go home, and they told me I would be going home for good, but I would have to come back for check-ups every now and then. I was bound to a wheelchair for a while and it sucked. I lost a lot of strength and I was pretty thing. A lot of my clothes were too big. I even had to learn how to walk again as a result of losing strength.

Then the release date of Super Mario Galaxy 2 came in 2010. I was excited and that was the first time I had ever been out of the wheelchair. I guess the game might have motivated me. It felt like a huge victory for me after surviving a huge ordeal and SMG2 was the reward.

We went home and I popped in the game. I instantly knew what to do but I was even more in awe at what they had put in the game. I couldn’t believe it, it was incredible.
I noticed that the Comet Observatory from the first game was gone and that this time you had a world map which was much more streamlined. As for the Galaxies themselves, they were just much more better this time around.

They took everything that I had loved about the original and just made it even better. The galaxies were even more crazy and had a lot of secrets to them too. Level design here is just amazing and there is something here for everyone. Galaxies can take you to some pretty crazy areas too, from jungles, to an enormous waterfall, haunted mansions, and even a galaxy that is for fans of Super Mario 64. There’s even more 2D areas here too for those who are fans of 2D Mario games. You could tell a lot of care went into crafting all of these levels. Yoshi is back too and it makes for some really fun platforming sections.
The music here is just as amazing, if not more than the first games music. It’s such a blast to hear the music and like before, it matches each galaxy and its theme really well.

The game also awards exploration here like in the previous game. You might find an alternate path that takes you to different area in the galaxy that houses a different Power Star. The game really is more of the same, but it’s not a bad thing. It is bigger and better than the first game. It also has a lot of replay value too, like a secret world with new galaxies to explore, and after you collect all the Power Stars, you can even go hunt for the new Green Stars which are hidden in the galaxies. Some are in easy to spot areas and others are really well hidden and it reminds you of Super Mario 64. The game is also harder than the first, especially the last galaxy. I've beaten the game 5 times from start to finish, and just recently, my Wii stopped reading dics. It's sort of fitting it did that while I finished a playthrough on the sequel of the game I wanted the most. 

As for my final thoughts on these games, I will say that these games are just amazing in every sense of the word. I know I cheated but I couldn’t decide between the 2. I love them for really different reasons. I love Galaxy 1 for the impact it had on me playing it for the first time and I love Galaxy 2 because it was a game that took what the first one had, and improved on it in every way possible. The games are really colorful with probably the best graphics you had ever seen on the Wii, it moves really smooth, and the games are just so much fun. When it comes to 3D Mario platfomers, these are as perfect as perfect can get, or at least close to it. These are without a doubt my most favorite games on the Wii, and if this crappy list of games is any indication, my most favorite Nintendo games of all time. The games are really out of this world and I would gladly play them at any chance I get. And I would love to see Galaxy 3 happen.

So that’s it for this list of games. I hope you like reading this, even if it was just a poorly made list. Sorry if this one dragged on for too long, but I kinda wanted to have  aback story to these posts as to how and why I love them. So, with that out of the way, did you ever play SMG1 and/or 2? Thanks for reading and a special thanks for reading all of these posts. It wasn’t the best list ever, but think of it as an unofficial list, but if I get enough requests, I will do an official Top 10 Nintendo games list and will trim it to one game per franchise.

So with that out of the way, thanks for reading and later