• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
  • We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.

Almost 12 years later, Super Mario Galaxy still stands as the best 3D platformer ever made.

ShinyKyurem

ShinyKyurem

Member
Jul 11, 2019
132
I still prefer Odyssey.
Btw am I the only one who likes Sunshine? Not saying it's the best of all the 3D Marios but I think it's quite good.
 

Compass

alt account
Banned
Mar 23, 2019
252
Blows my mind why we don't have ports/remaster. Like we have some major games comin out in august, why not release somthin now.
 
VanWinkle

VanWinkle

Member
Oct 25, 2017
16,094
I truly would love to play the games without the Wii Mote and nunchuck. It turned me off every time I would play them. Collecting those star bits was so annoying.

Still, I need to complete both games soon.
 
takriel

takriel

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,221
It's a platformer that runs at 30 fps.

Edit: Or does it?
 

Deleted member 31092

User requested account closure
Banned
Nov 5, 2017
10,783
It's always a bit strange to hear discussions about a genre be about like 3 games from the same series.

I still think it's weird that no other big IP came out of the 3D platform genre.
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
DIE BART DIE said:
You've described exactly what Galaxy is. It's not about exploring galaxies, it's about linear progression from one little self contained challenge to the next.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

True. I guess i just don't think the game executed it as well as it could have. Galaxy 2 felt like a much better realization of that concept.

However there are times when Galaxy tries to be more open, and it resulted in some of the worst stages in the game. Like Seaside Side Galaxy or Deep Dark Galaxy. Stages which would have been great in the previous 3D Mario games, fell completely flat in Galaxy. How Mario controls in this game is just not suited to those levels.

At times it felt like Galaxy was trying to have it's cake and eat it too. With how much more powerful modern systems are in comparison to the Wii, Nintendo could potentially do something truly amazing with modern tech if they make a "Galaxy 3" A open sandbox 3D Mario game with the Galaxy concept could turn out to be the best 3D Mario.
 
TheSpaceBetween

TheSpaceBetween

Member
Jan 11, 2018
9,653
A lot of people will tell you the sequel is better. And they would be wrong. Galaxy is indeed the GOAT 3D Platformer.
 
leder

leder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,111
Galaxy feels like a game length tutorial. Its easily the least fun of any 3D mario game to me. I'd much rather have a distinct set of powers and rules that I master throughout the game (with variety and swerves throughout, sure) than have every level be a shallow WOW SO INVENTIVE new idea.
 
Biske

Biske

Member
Nov 11, 2017
8,270
I can't stand having to walk around to the levels, hate it hate it hate it, for that alone I love Galaxy 2 much more.
 

NuclearCake

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
9,867
ShinyKyurem said:
I still prefer Odyssey.
Btw am I the only one who likes Sunshine? Not saying it's the best of all the 3D Marios but I think it's quite good.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Yeah i liked Sunshine. It's a messy game in many areas but my appreciation for it has grown over the years. I also liked it at the time more than most but that probobaly had something to do with me not liking many 3D platformers that released after Mario 64. So Sunshine felt like a breath of fresh air.

Mobu said:
the game would need to have actual platforming for this to be true
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

It has more challenging platforming than the first Galaxy and it's way more fun thanks to how much better Mario controls in Odyssey compared to how he did in Galaxy.
 
Keasar

Keasar

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
5,724
Umeå, Sweden
Both Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 are my favorites of the Mario games.

They had excellent music, the levels felt fun, new and different. Almost everything about them were excellent.

NappingRat said:
Not playing all major 3D platformers (not even all Mario ones) makes this kinda premature. Play all the big games, then decide which one is the best. And maybe write a more diplomatic thread title.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

OP did only mention that they hadn't played Odyssey.

As someone who has, Galaxy is better.
 
AndrewGPK

AndrewGPK

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,827
I prefer Odyssey, but love Galaxy too. I just prefer the sandbox style 3D marios a little more.
 
MarcelRguez

MarcelRguez

Member
Nov 7, 2018
2,418
Y'all have convinced me to revisit it. The second one is still relatively fresh in my mind, but I haven't played the original since a year or two after it cane out.
 
CosmicGinger

CosmicGinger

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57
Agreed. Galaxy 2 was awesome but lacked the magic of the original. It's hard to imagine any 3D platformer coming close to the greatness of Galaxy 1. It is gaming perfection.
 
BlueStarEXSF

BlueStarEXSF

Member
Dec 3, 2018
4,508
I think Galaxy 1 is better than Galaxy 2 by a significant margins because games are more than gameplay/level design. Galaxy 1 might have weaker level design but that atmosphere and the charm it has elevates it well beyond Galaxy 2 IMO.
 
Sub Boss

Sub Boss

Banned
Nov 14, 2017
13,441
Mauricio_Magus said:
Super Mario Galaxy 2*

Honestly, it baffles me when anyone says Galaxy 1 is better than 2, I play both of them all the time and the level of creativity and originality is out of this galaxy in the 2nd game.

The only thing Galaxy 1 did better than 2 is the story part of it when the 2nd one clearly didn't even care about that, and that's fine.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Tbh Galaxy is the excellent foundation 2 came from, the visuals, music, controls and creativity are there in Galaxy 1, 2 just pushem them evenfurther.

But yeah Galaxy 2 is the best :^)
 
Sub Boss

Sub Boss

Banned
Nov 14, 2017
13,441
Im still surprised they managed those graphics on the original Wii, 3D World wasn't nowhere as impressive.

Wish there was an inside look at the development of this game
 
mrmickfran

mrmickfran

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
26,776
Gongaga
giphy.gif
 
cyba89

cyba89

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,631
Galaxy 2 > Galaxy > Odyssey > 3D World > 64 > 3D Land > Sunshine
 
Mr. President

Mr. President

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,840
2 is an improvement over 1 in every way.
The only thing it lacks is that cool red flying Mario, which Galaxy 1 found a good implementation for in the first place.
 
Sky Walker

Sky Walker

Member
Oct 25, 2017
821
OmegaSmash said:
Galaxy 1/2 > all other Mario
It's law.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Fixed it for you. I always think Galaxy1+2 as a one package that completes each other. I believe each one has something special to offer from the other. But if you insist to make me pick one I'll choose 2. Galaxy 1 has that magical presentation in cutscenes and Rosalina bookstory. And that epic soundtrack. But Galaxy 2 is simply a better platformer game. It's even more varied than the first one in terms of fresh idea and soundtracks. It has better and more genius level design. And the soundtrack is something else. This game is the pinnacle of the platformer genre.

Edit:
cyba89 said:
Galaxy 2 > Galaxy > Odyssey > 3D World > 64 > 3D Land > Sunshine
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Lol, I have the exact preference.
 
Last edited:
BlueStarEXSF

BlueStarEXSF

Member
Dec 3, 2018
4,508
I do think the Galaxy games are held back by their inferior movement compared to stuff like Odyssey, Sunshine and 64 even if they have superior level design. They're still great.
 
OnionPowder

OnionPowder

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,323
Orlando, FL
i found 3D world so boring that i didn't even get half way through before i dropped it.

Galaxy is pretty damn good but I think Odyssey has beaten it. It's close for me though.
 
Hucast

Hucast

alt account
Banned
Mar 25, 2019
3,598
OnionPowder said:
i found 3D world so boring that i didn't even get half way through before i dropped it.

Galaxy is pretty damn good but I think Odyssey has beaten it. It's close for me though.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Most people who like 3d world probably finished it. The game only gets good by the end of it (world 8 and endgame). The endgame is btw filled with lots of content.
 
Garlic

Garlic

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,687
Joseki said:
It's always a bit strange to hear discussions about a genre be about like 3 games from the same series.

I still think it's weird that no other big IP came out of the 3D platform genre.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is a weird take -- at a minimum Crash and Spyro are big IP, you have Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Ratchet and Clank, Ape Escape if you're generous. Plus you have series like Rayman and Pac-man that had many 3D entries.

The problem is that most of these series suffered in the mid-to-late 2000s when developers decided 3D platformers weren't important anymore and most of these series passed to mediocre developers or got abandoned entirely -- Nintendo alone kept its best developers on its flagship series, which is why Mario continues to stand head and shoulders over the rest of the genre.
 
klier

klier

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
937
Galaxy 1, Galaxy 2, 3D World and Odyssey all are amazing and worthy Mario 64 successors IMO.
Galaxy might technically be a better game than Galaxy 1, but it lacks the novelty factor 1 had.
 
Titik

Titik

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,490
Yup.

Sorry Odyssey but at least you tried?

Also it gave us Rosalina, an iconic queen. That's a tall order for something like Mario which already has tons of iconic characters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.