Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

Nintendo retconning video game Rosalina to match the movie representation by adding a new epilogue to Super Mario Galaxy makes me happy I own the Wii version on disc, which can't be patched.

I will die on this hill: Rosalina is not Peach's sister. Retconning her so that she is no longer a character with her own distinct separately formed identity, agency and existence within the franchise and instead possesses an identity reframed by her relation to another legacy character feels like a cheap move. It's an appeal to a contemporary ethos that demands every little thread within a media work be tied off I na bow, every mystery explained, and everything neatly connected back to the existing lore for fan service reasons alone. And that is ultimately boring and devoid of creativity.

Article: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie by Kyle Hilliard

Chris Meledandri, who runs animation studio Illumination, offered plenty of platitudes about how excited he and his team are for the sequel (and for it to hopefully gross another $1.36 billion) saying, “From its groundbreaking world building to its iconic characters and unforgettable music, the Super Mario Bros. have left a lasting impact on the very fabric of our culture.” Meledandri cites the music and also confirmed Brian Tyler will return to compose, which leads me to make a concerted plea: we do not need licensed pop music in the Mario Bros. movie. Koji Kondo has made some of the best and most memorable music of all time, and the best parts of the first Mario movie were Tyler’s orchestrated adaptations of it. You played the incredible Mario Galaxy theme in your teaser trailer. Just use that! If I hear a single note from A-Ha’s “Take On Me” again in this movie, I swear I will walk out and demand a refund.

• They tease Yoshi in the post credits scene for the first movie, but no word on Yoshi in the first trailer for the sequel.
• Funny how Bowser likes Luigi more and Luigi is just chill with him even after being trapped throughout the first movie. Mario just hates this bitch and they never meet until the 3rd act.
• That casting choice for Rosalina got me howling. Anti-woke YouTubers are gonna have a field day.
• Miyamoto just HAD to mention Pikmin in this direct and that is just so funny. Man can't go without mentioning Pikmin.
• I heard the Prowler sound effect from Into the Spider-Verse. Some posts even got the composer, Daniel Pemberton, taking notice.
• Peach had to beat up Ninjis and that made me sad. :(
• They did HE MR GAY
• Where's the GOAT, Lubba?

Beat the game, then got a bunch more stars, then decided I had my fill and stopped. (Not interested in going for 100% on this.)

Great game! I'm quite impressed, because wonky gravity levels are usually a pain to me, and this is pretty much a whole game of such levels. At first I was pretty annoyed by all the little planets to run around on, but I got used to it after a while and started to have a good time. By the end I was getting a bit tired of it again though (hence stopping while still in a good mood).

In this game, Mario steals Crash Bandicoot's spin attack, which is probably good because aiming your jumps is a bit harder in this one. There are some new power-ups too, some of which are fun (the bee) and some are not (the spring). Playing through the game overall is a breeze regardless, I died WAY less in this one than in 64 and Sunshine. Which I'm fine with, I'm sure there are some stars that provide a bit more challenge for the completionists out there.

If that was it I'd give the game a 3/5, but the presentation for this one is top-notch, the background story (a pleasant surprise!) with the new characters is sweet, and the orchestral music is amazing. That bumps the game up to a 4 IMO. Absolutely love songs like this one, so atmospheric and moving: