Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a horrid, awful game in its own way. It's not buggy; it looks nice; it sounds nice; it plays nice. But putting some things into context, it becomes an awful game. It's a glorified expansion pack that disgustingly escapes the same criticism Mario Kart and Call of Duty always get. The reviewers sound very dishonest and hypocritical because of this; all they do is praise its level design, its soundtrack, and its presentation while overlooking that Super Mario Galaxy 2 does exactly what every rehash does: recycle previously-novel concepts, reskin, add a few new enemies, levels, and items all while failing to improve on the original game. What makes this game different than Call of Duty, Pokaymon, and nearly every other rehash in existence? Is it because it's brand-name loyalty?
The timing of the game's release is awful, releasing in just, relatively, a few years after the first game is out. This is the first warning sign that the game will be a cynical cash grab. And it is. There are no drastic gameplay changes, but more importantly, not even noticeable graphical improvements. If it were released on the Wii U recently, I would be more forgiving. But there's no forgiveness from me for this half-digested intestinal cancer which I can't believe I actually shelled $50 for.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 does not redefine the genre, nor does it master its genre. It does nothing to remove the flaws from the first game, and it introduces more flaws and gimmicks on its own. The swimming controls are worse, the camera tends to be a *bleep*, and the motion controls and powerups are still a gimmick at best. It's usually not challenging, but when the challenge is there, it feels just cheap. The Green Stars, for instance, feel like a tacked on feature, appearing in sporadic spots in previously-played levels. Some Green Stars are found in surprising spots, but they don't feel creative. The Grand Finale Galaxy emphasizes on cheap difficulty with a very long level with no checkpoints, and the prankster comets just make it more frustrating rather than enjoyable. Speaking of which, the Prankster Comet alarm will get on your nerves.
The powerups are again scant, as in the first game. Super Mario Galaxy 1 had powerup distribution problems; the Boo Mushroom is really put to use in only one level, the first level it appears. Super Mario Galaxy 2 had the opportunity, but blew it, including the Boo Mushroom in, literally, a whopping one level. The Ice Flower is used decently enough, and it's a pretty fun powerup, but it is absent for no reason in the next game, which could've done more. The Red Star, one of the most fleshed-out powerups in the game (besides, it just looks amazing), is used only in one level and in the small HUB in Galaxy 1. Galaxy 2 blew it again by completely removing it.
In the meantime, Galaxy 2 introduces lame and rarely-used powerups of its own. Yoshi (who has a much more awful voice than normal) has some potential, but all his powerups are just... really limited. He's also used fairly rarely, so at best, he's just fan service, especially how he appears so prominently in the boxart, front and back. In fact, Yoshi seems to be treated as another major character. The Rock powerup sounds cool at first, but there's one level that will instantly make you hate it. Or actually, several levels. The dang thing is so hard to control, it makes me wonder if that's really what they're going for. The Cloud Flower is nice and all, but it falls on the other side of the spectrum of powerup distribution: it appears way too much. The Spin Drill is just an overall lame powerup that really just limits Mario, and it's not really that fun. The Mario Kart 8 concept probably would've done a better job.
Mario games usually have not much to say story-wise, but even then, Galaxy 2 had the opportunity to continue developing Rosalina's backstory or improving Galaxy 1's plot point. Instead, though, Galaxy 2 wipes the slate clean and introduces a lame story, even by Mario standards, and Rosalina appears only briefly at the end of the game.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 promises to give more chances at innovative level designs, but fails to deliver. For instance, Melty Monster has only one spectacular level, but this is short-lived as the other levels are bogged down by the Chimp and powerup gimmicks set nowhere near the main location. Level concepts are frequently reused, such as Shiverburn Galaxy (a ripoff of Freezeflame Galaxy, with even the same music!), , sweets worlds, the bosses, Fluffy Buff (feels like a ripoff of Gusty Garden, including the music), Sky Station Galaxy (a ripoff of Good Egg Galaxy), Honeyclimb Galaxy (a ripoff of Honeyhive Galaxy), and too much forgettable 2.5d levels in Mario's apparently 3D platforming game. I'm not overlooking levels and concepts such as Beat Blocks, Cosmic Cove, and Slimy Springs, but they are drowned out by all these other trite elements.
Also, Super Mario Galaxy 2 implies that it's set in space, but the majority of the levels have blue skies, making players feels like they're playing on little planetoids suspending way up in the stratosphere. Hell, just look at the box art compared to the first game. I thought Super Mario Galaxy had the "OMG MARIO IN SPACE" vibe, but Super Mario Galaxy 2 has barely any of that. It feels like Super Mario 64, rather, which the majority of its worlds suspended in the sky.
The only major improvement in Galaxy 2 is the co-star system, which is much more interactive than Galaxy 1's co-star, but even then, it can have some improvements. Independent hackers, who have virtually no budget and are doing their jobs without pay, can make Galaxy have two-player mode with Mario and Luigi fully playable. Why can't the biggest gaming corporation in the world do the same?
Finally, this reminds me of another point: hundreds of game developers are struggling to have their games stand out among the rest. Most likely, a lot of games have been canceled due to budget constraints. In the meantime, we have this shameless rehash getting heaps and heaps of praise. Stuff like Call of Duty aren't spared from this, not at all, but at least they get the flack they deserve. This sorry, money-printing, corporate whoring piece of *bleep* has dodged this, despite doing nearly exactly what the aforementioned games are doing, getting universal praise and gaming awards it does not deserve; what's worse, even the more honest gamers think this is a spectacular game, and this makes me outraged. Even New Super Mario Bros. 2 is bashed for its trite level design and presentation. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a cynical cash grab that has done its work. I believe it did its job a little too well. Not only do I despise this game extremely, this game has also made me abhor Super Mario Galaxy as well, just not as much. Super Mario Galaxy 2 removes all the novelty the first game and spreads its toxic rehash vibe by associating itself with the shell of its former self.
I get it: Super Mario Galaxy 2 has a nice soundtrack (if it wasn't bogged down by awful MIDI covers of Super Mario World, MIDI music in general, and that grating Yoshistar Galaxy music in general). It looks nice and colorful. But does it deserve 9/10 or a 10/10?
No.
Not even higher than a 7/10.
