Super Mario Galaxy 2

The highly-anticipated Super Mario Galaxy 2 proves that Nintendo are just as skilled at making small refinements as they are at huge leaps forward. To anyone who played the original, SMG2 will be familiar territory: same basic plot (Bowser's got Peach again, Mario to the rescue), same high level of design creativity, same challenging game play and same neck-straining gravity shenanigans. Considering how much they got right the first time they would have been fools to reinvent the wheel, but the addition of several small features has pushed the game into all-time classic territory: no small feat when the rest of the gaming world is looking for the next flavour of the moment.

To start with, Mario has got some new power-ups. On top of the Bee, Ghost, Spring and Fire Flower suits, our hero now has access to the Rock and Cloud mushrooms, which allow him to transform into a rolling boulder and summon fluffy floating platforms, respectively. Additionally, he can pick up a Spin Drill which can be used to dig through a planet or access its interior. All of these new abilities have been incorporated into game perfectly, with several levels depending on how well you've mastered them. Mario's reptilian partner-in-crime Yoshi also turns up in SMG2, with his own set of power-ups and levels based around his skills.

The acquisition of stars has taken on some variety, with various challenges issued by in-game characters augmenting the usual ‘finish level/get star' grind. The Chimp, a playful simian, offers a variety of mini-games such as bowling and ice-skating, while avian Fluzzard challenges you to flying races controlled by tilting the Wii-mote, providing a welcome change from wearing out the Nunchuk joystick.

Perhaps the most exciting improvement is the co-op multiplayer. In the original, the second player was restricted to collecting stars for the main player, a vaguely useful task that was often employed to convince whiny children that they ‘really were playing the game'. This time around, player 2 takes control of the Luma that follows Mario on his adventure. You can still collect stars in this role, but now you can also grab coins, lives and air bubbles. Enemies can be held in place, and some can be stunned or destroyed by the Luma. You can even control environmental obstacles, stilling fireballs and Bullet Bills to allow Mario safe passage. What this means is Nintendo have perfected‘passenger seat gaming', with player 2's support often making or breaking a successful level attempt. Hardcore gamers can still go it alone and get the full experience, but in the later, hair-tearingly difficult levels, a good second player is worth their weight in gold.

Fans of novelty might miss the point of Super Mario Galaxy 2. Sure, it's Super Mario Galaxy with some bits and bobs added on, but this is confusing the forest for the trees. What the game truly represents is the end result of years of steady progress in the field of platformers, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 has set the benchmark so high that it may remain unchallenged for quite some time.

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