Super Mario Galaxy 2 Dated, Looking Ridiculously Fun

Another one of the games I'm most looking forward to in 2010, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the sequel to the biggest Nintendo title from 2007. Lots of new information came out during this week's Nintendo Media Summit.

One of the most satisfying parts of the first game was the outstanding visuals and colorful and dynamic environments that made up its levels. It seems that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is no different, as shown in the newly-released screenshots. The super-large land looks particularly fun, and should be great to run around in.

Another one of the things I liked most about the first game was all the boss fights. Early in the game you get a great introduction to a crazy piranha plant, and the Bowser fight is memorable and challenging as well. The sequel promises to have just as many great fights. Gobblegut (a massive, earth-worm-like dragon who features in the Wired article) looks like a fun encounter, and the mechanical Malletoid (shown here by 1Up). The sense of scale has always been great, as you battle over-large enemies that dwarf Mario.

As always, there are new gameplay mechanics. The big new twist is Yoshi, allowing transformations and abilities that Yoshi can perform to help Mario reach new areas and overcome obstacles. Excavation is accomplished through the use of Yoshi's drill, allowing the exploration of the internals of planetoids. Undoubtedly we'll see a handful of goofy new powerups as well.

The game seems to be coming along nicely, and should another great installment of the Mario adventure franchies. Super Mario Galaxy releases on May 23rd.