Regarding some of the most iconic video games, you need to celebrate them not just when they launch or do well in sales. Instead, you need to honor them when key anniversaries come around because they impacted you back then. We’ve already had one key anniversary this month starring Mario, so how about another? We ask that because today is the 15th anniversary of one of the most essential Nintendo titles ever made: Super Mario Galaxy. The game came out on the Wii in 2007, and fans remember the title fondly today.
The importance of the game is many-fold. First, it was on the Wii, which would become one of the best-selling consoles that Nintendo ever had. The Nintendo Switch has since passed, but it set a high bar for years. Second, the game came at a vital time for the franchise. For many console generations, the main Super Mario series had a series of escalating titles in terms of gameplay and quality. Each game did its best to top the other, and it worked. But then, Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube came out, and it was divisive at best. Nintendo needed to pull something big out and create a title that no one would ever doubt was quality and fresh.
The answer to that came from director Yoshiaki Koizumi, who led the Super Mario Galaxy team to the stars above and created a wonderful experience hailed as one of the best gaming titles ever. Not to mention, it’s one of the best-reviewed games of all time, with a 97 on Metacritic.
What set the game apart was the fun twists on the franchise and the scope of it all. While the kingdoms we’d gone to in past titles were big in their own ways, we got to go to the galaxy above and explore whole planets. Each planet we went to was unique, had its puzzles and tasks to do, and you even did boss fights on the planets.
Plus, the motion controls were very tight, and it was easy to move Mario around and get him to do what you needed. The games also created Rosalina and the Lumas, a duo that was so popular that they got put into Super Smash Bros.
Fast forward to today, and the game is still an inspiration, as it was the backbone of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. The Creative Director cited Super Mario Galaxy as one of the best games he’s played.
Fans flocked to the Twitter post above to sing their praises for the title. Many consider it their favorite game with Mario and remember how excited they were for it back then. Some are still hoping for a third title in this line.
Others correctly state that because it was 15 years ago, they are officially “old.”
Source: Twitter
