Super+Mario+Galaxy+(Kaitlyn)



Super Mario Galaxy is a mostly single player game that was developed for the wii and released in 2007. I am a big fan of the Mario games so, when I went to Game Stop to see what games they had available for the wii console (not the Wii U) I was drawn to this game. Then, it came highly recommended by the sales clerk. It was also only $5!

The game begins with quite a bit of exposition introducing the world you are about to enter (semiotic domain). You are introduced to this majestic world as Mario. The player (Mario) is invited to the centennial Star Festival by Princess Peach to celebrate the comet that passes overhead, but then Bowser invades with a surprise attack on the kingdom. Bowser then captures Peach’s entire castle and lifts it into space. Mario is then launched into space by Kamek, one of Bowser's minions. On the planet, he meets Rosalina and her companions, the Lumas. Rosalina is a watcher of the stars, who uses the Comet Observatory to travel across the universe. However, Bowser has stolen all of the Power Stars that act as the Observatory's power source, rendering it immobile. Mario sets off on a journey across the universe to reclaim the Power Stars and restore power to Rosalina's observatory. His overall mission being to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser.

The different levels in the game are galaxies filled with minor planets and worlds. Mario can travel from galaxy to galaxy collecting PowerStars. The game's main hub is the Comet Observatory, which contains 6 themed domes that provide access to the 42 galaxies available. When the player first begins the game, access is available to only a few galaxies. However, as more Power Stars are collected, more galaxies become available. When 120 Power Stars are collected, the player gains the ability to play through the game again as Mario's brother Luigi. *Note: I did not make it that far. I played for 4 hours and unlocked a few galaxies. This game is very addicting and fun.

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The player learns a great deal in this game, but it is very much disguised as fun tasks. You learn about the acquisition of materials and there is a lot of explorational learning. Adaptive learning and task oriented learning within a semi-open world are used. There is an intended order of tasks, but there is some freedom within that order for players to explore. This game develops your abilities individually, so you can’t do everything right away. The player is learning one step at a time what Mario’s capabilities are and adapting within the world. There are a lot of spacial and gravitational shifts that require adaptability, as well. The player has basic knowledge of Mario’s abilities by the time you reach the observatory, but then you learn of Mario’s new ability to spin. This spinning comes in handy when dealing with the different enemies and objects you encounter on the different planets.

The kinds of teaching involved in Super Mario Bros Galaxy include the Probing Principle, Practice Principle, Ongoing Learning Principle, Semiotic Domains Principle and the Achievement Principle. The Probing Principle is used in that the Players constantly discovering new ways to tackle tasks/enemies. Exploratory and adaptive learning are promoted by few instructions that are then given after a few trial-and-errors. The Practice Principle is used because the task of collecting the PowerStars is an ongoing task that the player is constantly motivated by in each level (galaxy). Therefore, the player spends a lot of time on each task, and thusly receives a lot of practice at the game. The Ongoing Learning Principle is utilized with the adaptive mindset that the player must have. Each planet has a different enemy and set of “rules” in which to conquer that planet. The learning is constant. The Semiotic Domains Principle is utilized because the player has to understand each domain (planet, galaxy) that they are in relatively quickly to move forward. The tasks in the game have a lot of situational meaning within each semiotic domain. The Achievement Principle is loosely used in that new abilities act as rewards and are acquired as Mario moves through each new land.

There are numerous wikis devoted to Super Mario Galaxy. A lot of gamers rave over the graphics and the creativity behind this Mario game by Nintendo. The most commonly discussed activities seem to be the breakdown of ways to get through the different galaxies. There is also a great deal of discussion about how to cheat and play as Luigi sooner than after completion as Mario.

I really enjoyed this game. It was fun and very engaging. I played it for a little over 4 hours and plan to continue to play it. I enjoyed using the nunchuck and wii remote together, and found these controllers to be fairly simple. My only complaint about the game is that as I’ve gotten older, my eye sight has gotten worse, and I have issues with feeling disoriented as a result. I got slightly disoriented a few times as the game turns upside down and the gravitational pulls change depending on the planetoid I was on. That is just because I am an old lady, though ;) I can definitely see why Mario fans like this game! I'm very interested in Super Mario Galaxy 2 now.