Coming: 2010
From IGN's Interview: "Reggie Fils-Aime on the Record"
IGN: You have a bit more insight on the development of Galaxy 2. What's the direction for the game? Do they really want to blow it out or will it be more of the same?
Reggie: What Mr. Miyamoto has shared is that if the first Galaxy was maybe more inviting in terms of all the audiences, what Galaxy 2 is going to be is maybe a little more Nintendo fan / harder gamer focused. A little tougher. The use of Yoshi makes it a little more challenging. We showed some of the snippets of some of the activities -- it's a bit more challenging. It's going to be, if you will, for more of that passionate Mario fan who grew up getting challenged with Super Mario World. It's going to be much more in that area.
From "Shigeru Miyamoto Roundtable LiveBlog"
"With Super Mario Galaxy, it's the first time we really worked with spherical worlds and we had a lot of ideas about how to use gravity. However, when we finished the game, we realized there were a ton of ideas we just couldn't fit in," he says.
More than 90 percent of what you will see in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is all brand new. Maybe even 95 percent . . . Galaxy 2 contains roughly the same amount of content as the original.
Galaxy 2 is very, very far along, but since Nintendo has New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it's going to hold off and keep Galaxy 2 for next year. :(
No spoilers
There are spoiler tags for a reason. Not that you deserve anything, for you spoiled the game for me, remember?!
You are so far behind the rest of us, you won't need them with this game.
So there are 240 individual stars? Twice as much content as the first game?
Yes. Though its not what you expect. Oh and that number is incorrect.
Damnit, cryptic statements.
How many stars are there then? And why is it not what I expect?
Play the game.
Okay, played some more. Near the end of world 3. Bear that in mind when you read the impressions.
Let's say I rate the levels/galaxies in Mario galaxy 1 vs 2 on the 1up A+ to F scale.
I would say most of both games levels sit between an A+ and a C-
I think that Galaxy 2 has more C rate levels than Galaxy 1.
Galaxy 1 is more consistently A level in its galaxies.
But Galaxy 2 has a few more A+ levels and more B's.
I guess what I'm saying is that whilst Galaxy 1 was consitently enjoyable, the quality of the galaxies I've played so far in Galaxy 2 is more variable.
The water level in Galaxy 2 is annoying BS, making you run or swim vast distances for a cloud power up and a tower. Or collecting silver stars. That's the sort of stuff a non-nintendo developer does as their game design. And the snow level where you were just shooting fireballs at snow figures to unearth random stars/keys/warp stars is just pointless.
Then there is amazing crazy shit like the flipsville galaxy, or the patently better bosses, or big huge galaxy which I loved.
I don't like bulb yoshi, it's a bit finnicky. Also the camera in Galaxy 2 can be notably frustrating in some sections, at an awkward angle not allowing yourself to judge distance as well in some sections. There was this part in the water level, the camera zoomed out to I could see a silver star and yet that didn't allow you to accurately judge marios position relative to a bouncy springboard.
Galaxy 1 had much 5 stars challenges too. Even one in the water level, where the 5 stars were spread around the whole level. But then again you liked Big Mouth Galaxy, so either your memory is not as good as you claim, or your taste is just wrong. That being said the Sunshine level is one of the weaker one, but it should seeing as it is based on the weakest Mario game in years. The purple coins challenge makes the level worthwhile.