Super Mario Galaxy 2
£49.99
Wii, Nintendo

What’s the story? When Princess Peach invites Mario over for some cake and star gazing the famous plumber didn’t expect to face the ‘sky falling down’ and a giant Bowser kidnapping her (again). His faithful Luma friends from the original ‘Galaxy adventure help out by sending him off to space to explore more galaxies, collect more stars and hunt down the evil monster.
How does it play? In a nutshell, great! Oddly the game comes with a DVD to help you get to grips with the controls, yet we found it simple to pick up and play. We did like the inclusion of tips scattered around levels though, which introduce you to the skills you need at that point. Ignore them if you know what to do, but if you need a pointer simply click to watch a little video. They’re a great way of removing irritating tutorial levels.
‘Galaxy 2 has all the stuff that made the original great, getting you to spin and kick baddies into oblivion as you explore 3D platform levels that’ll have you upside down, underwater or flying through the air. It’s still challenging although less frustrating than its predecessor and you’ll need to use different abilities and skills throughout the various level types.
Mario’s getting a bit ‘big headed’ as you move from galaxy to galaxy on a planet-sized Mario head - a great way to move around the game’s levels when you get stuck and want to attempt something different.
New features include co-op gameplay and the ability to control Luigi for a change, but our favourite addition is the inclusion of Yoshi. Certain levels will see you riding the cuddly dinosaur and using his tongue to eat everything in sight including bad guys and hot chillis – hold on tight!
New hats also give you more abilities, for example the Cloud Mario hat allows you to create platforms in the shape of fluffy clouds and the Rock Mario hat plonks you right into the middle of a rock-hard ball, which you can use to smash enemies and bash obstacles out of the way. It’s more of the same in essence, but if it isn’t broke, don’t try to fix it, eh?
Any clever bits? Nintendo isn’t known for state of the art graphics or the newest game development tech, instead excelling on offering classic-style gameplay that’s simply great fun. Graphically though, this game’s bright and its colourful cutsie feel fits it like a glove.
Flipside’s verdict: Addictive as hell but without being frustrating, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a hugely enjoyable gameplay experience filled with variety and classic gaming fun. It’s a must have game to add to your Wii collection.

We reckon…  5*