Which Mario Galaxy is better?

I feel like gettin a Mario Galaxy game... which one is better? The first or the second one??

The second one, definitely. It has better levels, it's harder, you get to play as Luigi sooner, and it has Yoshi. :3

I also thought Lubba was a fun character. I also liked how the world maps were navigated in a similar fashion to the classic 2D Mario games.

They're both fantastic and among the best games of this generation. I highly recommend playing both. But if you can only have one, then go for the second. Its a lot more challenging, longer, and makes better use of all the items and other mechanics such as Yoshi (he's not even in the first one). Plus, the levels I felt were just a bit more unique and cleverly designed.

I liked the first one better. Just because the second one seemed like the same old thing.

Just my opinion though

The first game had (and still has) a huge emotional impact on me, and as such I like it better. However, I can honestly say that Galaxy 2 is the better game.

They're both fantastic though. The main difference - Galaxy 1 has a better story and atmosphere, whereas Galaxy 2 is longer and has more fleshed-out, skillful, creative gameplay. That's not to say Galaxy 1's gameplay is bad, but Galaxy 2's is an improvement in the aforementioned areas.

As for soundtrack, they're both pretty fantastic. Personally, I like Galaxy 1's better overall, but I know many prefer Galaxy 2's soundtrack.

So basically, it's story/atmosphere being the highlight (with still great gameplay) in Galaxy 1, versus fantastic gameplay being the highlight (with still great atmosphere) in Galaxy 2.

(AGAIN - Galaxy 2 does have great atmospheric elements, and Galaxy 1 does have great gameplay, but these aspects are simply stronger in one than they are in the other.)

Super Mario 64.

Nice! Thanks to everyone for the advices so far! I guess Mario Galaxy 2 is winning!

I prefer SMG[1] much more than SMG2. I play video games for the immersive experience, and in order for that to happen, the game at least needs a storyline. Now I know SMG2 has a storyline. And I know the developers were aiming for less of a focus on the storyline. But what the heck is up with the SMG2 storyline?! What is it exactly?! The focus on plot is so diluted, that the whole thing becomes almost completely impossible to follow and understand, at least in my opinion. And the parts that I got were cute and a tad silly but not cute or nearly silly enough to be worth it.

That said, some of the levels in SMG2 are better-designed. I found the game to be a bit easier than the first one (never even used Cosmic Help/Rosalina/whatever-it's-called). Not much easier, but still a bit easier. I also found the lack of a full hub world (the Comet Observatory in the first game) in favor of a level map to be outrageous. Sure, they have the small Starship Mario to explore, but like I said, it's small and not very worth it at all. Sure, having to go across the whole Observatory to find a Galaxy that you can't remember which Dome to enter to get to was insanely annoying, but the hub had feeling and emotion and was more real to me than a classic ol' level map.

Another reason I prefer the first game is because there are three regular missions for each "mainstream" Galaxy (there are also one-mission Galaxies I like to call "Puzzle" or "Challenge" Galaxies, plus the obviously-one-mission Enemy Bases). SMG2 has less to offer, at least per Galaxy. The most regular missions (excluding Secret Stars and P-P-Prankster C-Comets) in a single Galaxy is two. Some, many of which had much more potential, unlike most of the first game's single-mission "Challenge" Galaxies, only have one regular mission. Oh, and the Bowser battles in SMG2 are ludicrously simple for me. All three of them. The SMG[1] Bowser battles, on the other hand, are occasionally infuriatingly difficult, especially the second one (not sure why that one, though!). In the case of bosses, I always prefer impossibly difficult over five-seconds-dead easy because boss battles are my favorite parts of any video game (except the Pokemon games lol), and I want them to last as long as possible, no matter how frustrating they get (again, if you ever hear me saying the same thing about a Pokemon game, please admit me to a psychiatric hospital)!

Now, after all this, I want to acknowledge that SMG2 is a fantastic game. I just found it to be much more choppy, and much less engaging. And this has nothing to do with it being a rehashing of the first game, which I don't give a crap about. HOWEVER, you should start with the first game because you'll understand all of the references made in the second game when you get to it! This is my policy: always go in order! Understanding the references helped the second game become ever so slightly more engaging for me, and that meant everything. Besides, in-game references to past games always make me smile!

Let me end this by saying that there is one thing that I absolutely despise more than anything else in video games (besides people using cheat devices, and losing save data). Let me also say that both games are guilty of including this thing, so this shouldn't affect your decision. Dare I type it a second time in this post? Can I even do it? Let me try. P. Pr. Pra. Pra-a-a-a-a-nkst-e-e-er. C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-c. Comets. Prankster Comets. Great, there's no swear filter on that awful, awful phrase. Shield your eyes and your children's eyes!

Originally Posted by EzloSpirit

I prefer SMG[1] much more than SMG2. I play video games for the immersive experience, and in order for that to happen, the game at least needs a storyline.

Sad thing was that SMG1's storyline was optional, since the story is played out in a textbook.
The Mario platformers aren't exactly known for their immense storyline. The closest to a storyline in the Mario-platformers would be Super Mario Sunshine imho.

Originally Posted by EzloSpirit

Prankster Comets.

Ohh man, these Comets were fun!

SMG1 and 2 are the same minus Yoshi and a flying Mario head

Originally Posted by EzloSpirit

But what the heck is up with the SMG2 storyline?! What is it exactly?! The focus on plot is so diluted, that the whole thing becomes almost completely impossible to follow and understand, at least in my opinion

I agree here. Mario games don't really need a storyline but with that said, look at MSG's story kick-off at 1:13:



Amazing! This ♥♥♥♥ really ropes you in and makes you feel like Bowser means serious effing business this time around. Now let me summarize SMG2's story kick-off:

- What's happening?
- Bowser is kidnapping peach!
- lol I'm big now
- w00t?
- kbye

I found the game to be a bit easier than the first one (never even used Cosmic Help/Rosalina/whatever-it's-called).

Really? I found the levels in Galaxy 2 to be a lot more challenging by comparison. Galaxy 1 kept the kiddie gloves on until like... the final level whereas Galaxy 2 dared to challenge you much earlier in the game. You also have to take into account that most of us played Galaxy 1 before Galaxy 2 so we were used to making long jumps etc. Oh, and nobody used the Cosmic help, only kids

I also found the lack of a full hub world (the Comet Observatory in the first game) in favor of a level map to be outrageous.

The observatory wasn't that great to begin with, there was barely anything to do.

Another reason I prefer the first game is because there are three regular missions for each "mainstream" Galaxy. SMG2 has less to offer, at least per Galaxy.

I thought that was a good thing. Sure, you only stayed in each galaxy for so long, but that made the game all the more varying and fresh. Sometimes in Galaxy 1 I'd feel like some Galaxies just dragged on forever and I wanted to just move on from them.

Oh, and the Bowser battles in SMG2 are ludicrously simple for me. All three of them. The SMG[1] Bowser battles, on the other hand, are occasionally infuriatingly difficult

I didn't have a problem with either but yeah, at least SMG1 had the bosses be a little different, rather than the exact same thing, only giving bowser one more attack :/


What it really comes down to for me in a Mario Game is gameplay, and Galaxy 2 had the better level design, a much wider variety of levels and gameplay styles as well as the most challenging... challenges.

Sure, the story was "eh" at best and the music wasn't quite as grand as the first game but I really didn't care about that as I was jumping around clouds and killing goombas. It was just so much fun it made me overlook the few flaws SMG2 had, and that's quality right there.

SMG2 is better but you'd be better of buying and playing through SMG1 first to understand the backstory to SMG2. Otherwise the game won't make much sense to you, especially at the end.

I think I should get both then, starting form the first so I can be "impressed" and then getting a better version of the same thing in the second, seems like its the only solution!

get the first one.

dont even get me ♥♥♥♥EN started on the second one. i spent 70 ♥♥♥♥en dollars on it only to sell it to gamestop who gave me 15 dollars ♥♥♥♥en cock sucking mother ♥♥♥♥ers!!!!!! the level desine was complete ass i meant who the ♥♥♥♥ game up with this? they must have been really high and the game was far to ♥♥♥♥en easy like holy ♥♥♥♥. kidding it was far to ♥♥♥♥EN FRUSTRATING

Originally Posted by zeldatimelineadventures

I think I should get both then, starting form the first so I can be "impressed" and then getting a better version of the same thing in the second, seems like its the only solution!

Go for it if you've got the money, but I would only really recommend the first game because it's a classic. SMG2 pales in comparison for me. There's no real graphical update and the whole story and setting was just lacking. It's still better than most other games out there, but wasn't as impressive as the first SMG I don't think.

Originally Posted by biggest zelda fan ever

get the first one.

dont even get me ♥♥♥♥EN started on the second one. i spent 70 ♥♥♥♥en dollars on it only to sell it to gamestop who gave me 15 dollars ♥♥♥♥en cock sucking mother ♥♥♥♥ers!!!!!! the level desine was complete ass i meant who the ♥♥♥♥ game up with this? they must have been really high and the game was far to ♥♥♥♥en easy like holy ♥♥♥♥. kidding it was far to ♥♥♥♥EN FRUSTRATING

^ ...Yeah, don't listen to this guy. If I remember right, the last time he whined about hating SMG2, he said the game was too hard. And the majority agrees that SMG2 was an excellent game, if not better than its predecessor. In fact, it almost dethroned OoT as the greatest game ever.

I hate it when people say "go for the second one first!" I mean, what the ♥♥♥♥ are you smoking?

You have a problem with people finding the second game better?

^I think he means in general. He's highlighting the irony of that statement. I mean it's the second game! Why skip the first? Irony is delicious. Thanks, Blizz, for that irony. Oh, and it is a good point, too. I always go in order. If I lose interest in a game, and the sequel is better, then tough luck; the developers should have made a better first game! Luckily, this is not the case with the SMG series.

Get the 1st one the second one was super easy to me I finished it in two days and I wasn't playing that much. Also the storyline seemed halfhearted it didn't really lead on from the first one.