Yup! It is way better than the first one so far, and that was one of my favorite games of all time. I've only gotten a few stars but it feels like I played for so much longer.
Nintendo should do this every generation for the 3D mario games: Introduce a new idea and then build off of them further in a sequel.
Currently Playing: Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart 8, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Predictions:
Super Mario Galaxy will pass Super Mario 64 in total sales CORRECT!