Review:
Super Mario Galaxy 2

What's good:

- Outstanding graphics
- Excellent new power-ups
- Yoshi, Yoshi, Yoshi

What's bad:

- May be viewed as an expansion pack for SMG
- Small amount of "worlds"
- Higher level of difficulty compared to SMG

Nintendo made a bold and unexpected move when they announced that their Mario Wii title, Super Mario Galaxy, would be getting a sequel. Not only was this the first time that Nintendo made a second "main" Mario title for one of their consoles, but the game would be essentially a glorified expansion pack.

Let's face it, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a highly polished and improved version of its predecessor, but is that a bad thing? In this case, absolutely not. Nintendo was wise to take the suggestions that their fans gave, and put them into SMG2 to provide the most polished and beautiful Mario title to date.

So what's new in the Mario Galaxy world? For starters, YOSHI. If there was one thing I wanted to see in the original Mario Galaxy game that I did not get, it was this loveable and cute dinosaur. And Yoshi rocks. Not only is this little fella cool, but he speeds up and improves the game in numerous ways. Since Yoshi can devour nearly anything in his path, you'll find yourself speeding through points in the game that otherwise would be much slower with only Mario. In addition, Yoshi's well-known "hovering" ability is present in the game, allowing you to cross open jumps that Mario otherwise would be unable to reach without assistance. But the most important features that Yoshi has to offer are the combination of his speed, eating abilities, and power-ups. You heard me correctly just now. Power-ups. Don't expect Yoshi to turn into a Bee or a Boo, but Yoshi can eat certain items that enhance his abilities.

For example, eat a Blimp Fruit, and Yoshi becomes a gaseous ball that can float, similar to the Blimp item in Super Mario World that allowed Mario to float across certain levels. Eat a Bulb Berry, and Yoshi turns into a glowing lantern, lighting up the area around you, allowing Mario to see through dark caverns and other spaces. Another useful Yoshi item is the Dash Pepper, which turns Yoshi halapeno orange and allowing him to dash faster than usual, which in turn lets him climb steep terrains.