Super Mario Galaxy

Mario’s Wii debut is in March, but you should at least have a taste of what’s to come. Mario is the traditional champ of everything new and inventive that Nintendo dares to dream. Nintendo’s most famous icon is celebrated because his games combine the familiar with off-the-wall routines that can seem magical: secret warps, surprise transformations, and always brilliant new ways to outsmart his foes.

The combination of Mario and Wii will shock anyone who considers videogames humdrum or lacking intellectual appeal. On one level the brightly coloured, abstract worlds (planetoids in this case) are of course kids’ stuff. Mario Galaxy’s wonderfully intuitive control transforms the TV into a lively activity centre, pointing with the remote to target objects of interest, revealing new items to collect – on one occasion musical notes that ascended through the scale as Mario ran through them. Delightful is the only word for it. But we can easily imagine that adults will also feel drawn to the curious topsy-turvy nature of Mario’s newest adventure.

Each planetoid is a puzzle within itself, so can be enjoyed in bite-sized sessions. The solution to each puzzle is wonderfully varied, and you’ll be constantly smiling at the inventiveness. It really is a stern test of your own imagination, and to be honest kids probably have the advantage here versus adults who are get stuck in their ways.

Sure there’s jumping around and bouncing on enemies, the usual kind of stuff. But the broader experience in Mario Galaxy feels like constant experimentation and you’re literally drawing shapes in the air to perform some of the new moves. Playing Mario Galaxy is often like playing a videogame within a dream it’s so bizarre, but you’ll be compelled to stay with it because it’s just so joyful

Back to Wii special