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Hynad on 06 July 2010
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dahuman said:
Hynad said:

Answer this. What makes Galaxy 2 so much better than the first game?


Galaxy 2 worked on a core game design that made the game already very good and built on top of it, adding different power ups, a mount, tools for the mount, genius level design that easily outranks the 1st with those new and different power ups in mind, a world hub that is nowhere near as confusing as the original, and starts to kick your ass in the first world and still manages to hold your hand with something like super guide if you are a new gamer which is good for both serious gamers and new comers. A musical score that's even beyond the first Galaxy. Also a girlfriend mode that no longer screws you over. I still don't know how Nintendo does it, the level design they come up with are just so out there beyond the reach of other devs, it's fucking crazy. For example, look at something like Crackdown 2, then look at Galaxy 2, you just can't help but wonder sometimes. We definitely need more devs like EAD Tokyo or ND, that's for sure.

There.  That is exactly what I wanted to read.

Basically, they took everything that worked wonders in the first game, and polished everything further.  Adding a few surprises along the way.

My question wasn't to put the greatness of Mario Galaxy 2 into doubt, that would be ridiculous.  It was to make it obvious that Mario Galaxy 2 (or the first one, for that matter) didn't need to reinvent a genre to be concidered as great as it is. 

It didn't reinvent the genre. And I don't think the first game did either.  But Nintendo polished it to some heigths never yet reached for a platformer.

Uncharted 2 did the exact same with the action adventure genre.  It may or not be your cup of tea.  But it's rather difficult to question the amount of polish in Uncharted 2.  Be it the controls, the visuals, the soundtrack, the story, the set-pieces, or just the overall gameplay.

The same goes for God of War 3.  It didn't reinvent the genre.  It polished it to higher heights, while still being a God of War game.  (The game does put you into incredibly epic situations every now and then.  And it's certainly the only game that made me go "WTF FREAKING AWESOME I NEED TO CATCH MY BREATH"-ish out loud, after only 20 minutes of gameplay.

I've stated earlier in this thread that for me, my opinion, my view on things, Sony has this generation reached a level of polish in their games that only Nintendo had before them.

Nintendo's games have wowed me again and again.  Even if I don't necessarily love all of their games (even in the series I love the most like Zelda and Metroid) they still offer an incredible level of polish in all of those.

This gen's Sony games are doing the same for me.