If anything about Super Mario Galaxy will make you shout "Zowies!" it should be the way the Wii renders geometry on the fly. A good chunk of the landscapes seems small and round, representing small "planets" within each galaxy. On that same note, this spherical rendering makes one heck of a gameplay element, especially in boss battles (Bowser’s Dark Matter Plant in the Bedroom dome comes to mind) when speed and accuracy becomes an issue. Still, everything is extremely gorgeous, and Mario doesn’t look too bad himself, shaded and shadowed and smooth and oh so yummy. The water surface effects shimmer in the artificial light. Everything retains that comical Mario silliness but takes on a new depth of solidification, with perhaps a clipping here or there, but virtually more solid than anything released in the past. You actually get sucked into the world -no matter how crazy or impossible the geometry really is- and simply believe.

Granted this isn’t the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or the latest PC, but Super Mario Galaxy is a prime example of the Wii’s capabilities. If platform gaming still revolts you, you can count on the visuals to keep you glued to the display until the very end. In addition, the game’s soundtrack propels the immersive graphics to deeper level. Naturally the game is loaded with the usual iconic sound bites we’ve come to know and love, but in this case (which dates back to Mario Sunshine), the game sounds epic, almost to the point of Hollywood calibre in its over-the-top orchestration. Think John Williams. Think Danny Elfman or Howard Shore.

Despite all the pretty eye candy, epic music and addicting controls, Super Mario Galaxy is not meant for younger gamers despite its appearance, hence the "wolf in sheep’s clothing" cliché. At first the game is simple and outstandingly fun, but as gamers progress into the Bedroom and Engine room, the game simply turns evil, thus frustrating anyone with a low tolerance for platforming. This is not Pokemon or Viva Pinata. This is Mario in all of his glory, a hard-core platform game at its root, caked with layers of trick geometry (like gravity changes), unseen floors, annoying platform jumps and whatever else Nintendo can throw at you.

If you really think about it, Bowser is really Nintendo in disguise, laughing and mocking the players as they struggle to the final showdown. But that’s ok. Bring on the action. Gamers can still take it after all these years. Unfortunately, Super Mario Galaxy doesn’t garnish a perfect rating simply because we still endure the same storyline despite its updated theme. We are still having troubles with the camera despite the ability to change the view by pressing the control pad on the remote. The game is certainly not perfect, but it’s pretty close to perfect, and that’s just fine. Perhaps one day we will see Mario battling an evil Luigi (who happens to appear with Yoshi in Super Mario Galaxy), with Princess Peach at his side and the life of their first-born son at stake. Along with a unique storyline, perhaps we could see the console incarnation of the Versus mode so that players can beat each other up. After all, you need some kind of stress relief after losing all your lives to maddening platform jumping.

And yet, we keep coming back, still loving every minute of it. As the saying goes, "love hurts, baby."

Where I Am Coming From: As a parent, I look beyond the face value of games. When I evaluate something that seems geared towards the general gamers, such as Super Mario Galaxy, I think about how they will react, and will usually ask their opinions. I try to keep an open mind about any title; I’ll play anything just to keep focused on games as a whole, and not show a particular genre preferences. But deep down inside, under my gorgeous exterior, I’m a die-hard fan of the Quake, Doom and Unreal games. Just don’t tell my school principal.

What I Compared it To: You really can’t compare Super Mario Galaxy to any other title save for the previous Super Mario instalments. As the latest instalment, it’s the best of the crop, outshining any other Mario game made to date. But if you really had to compare the game to anything else, then, well, you’re out of luck.

What I Liked: Visually the game looked amazing. I was particularly impressed with the rendering speed and level of detail for each galaxy, whether it’s a tennis ball-sized planet to a complicated world of toys. You actually feel like you can reach through the screen and touch each virtual object. Throw in the unique Wii controls, and you have an awesome gaming experience not found on any other console. The music also added to the overall quality of the package, an epic feel found in movies like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings.

What I Didn’t Like: The frustration factor. It is without a doubt different for everyone, but Super Mario Galaxy clearly isn’t something to sneeze at. Platform jumping of this magnitude became increasingly annoying when thrown into the 3D realm back in Super Mario 64, and this latest instalment proves that repetition and luck are huge factors in finishing this game. Kids love Mario, but I would not recommend this title to any young gamer under 13. I have seen this game frustrate kids in primary, and it was not pretty to say the least.

Value Meter: Super Mario Galaxy is one of those must-have Nintendo Wii titles simply because there is some strange marriage between Mario and Nintendo. Separate the two, and time and space will utterly collapse.

Final Score: 9.5 out of 10