Games are compared to other games on their system for the most part. SMG looks better than almost all games on Wii so it has amazing graphics - like 10. As for the story, Mario platform games never have good stories, it's not a big deal.

SMG pretty much features a ingenious design with innovative game play mechanics that separates it from the everyday platformers.

Also SMG really is technically impressive for the wii and has a creative yet charming art style. Making it, to many(including me), one of the prettiest games ever. Storytelling shouldn't count against a video game at all, in my opinion. Most video games sport a mediocre or generic story anyways.

becasue it answers the first rule of games

is it fun?

since it is a yes, who gives a bibble about graphics, story, etc when you are having fun just playing.

Because it's the most beautiful and one of the most fun games of this gen? I remember being in awe when I first played it. Maybe reviewers got the same feeling I, and many others, did. The story is also present. It's the journey you embark on to recover the Grand Stars and defeat Bowser. I'd rather play a platformer than read it. The storybook was a nice (and minor) addition of Rosalina and the Lumas' backstory. No more than that is necessary.

Fun is grossly overrated. Gaming is serious business, man!

One thing mario has going for it is lack of story. If nintendo goes in that direction I think they will be fucking themselves. I mean right now there is nothing to compare a story on. If they make a story reviewers from then on will be like "the story wasn't as good as the last one" and mark it down on points.

Mario games will probably always have the same story: Save The Girl.
I don't think I would want it any other way.

SMG looks VERY good (sure it doesn't look as good as some HD games, but the Wii is simply not capable of that), has great music (I even have the soundtrack) and plays just as it should (with no unnecessary Wii-waggle). When I had bought it, I couldn't wait to get home from work each day and play it again. So yeah I think it deserved those scores!

It's one of the most over rated games ever. Maybe even more over rated than CoD4.

Have you even ever played it? <looks at his game collection> Nevermind. 

GTAIV being so high confuses me. Lets all be confused together

Tetris has rubbish graphics and a generic (at best) story. Yet is one of the best games of all time. SMG has such good level deisgn, controls, music , value for money and character design that the plot is not that big of a let down.

As for bias - I'm not even going to respond to that because I'm aware you don't actually believe it, infact I'm aware that you only made this thread to mock people who are of the opinion that reviewers are biased against the wii (which isn't me btw, most reviewers are biased against certain genres, more than actual consoles)

It was not rated high due to being a mario game. Plenty of mario games don't get rated so high. Infact, this is the highest rated mario game ever so there goes that idea :P

A story is not essential for a game.

As for 'ignoring the graphics on the Wii' - Now that's a tricky one isn't it. If we find a PS3 game that looks identical to a Wii game, should not the Wii game be rewarded and the PS3 game punished? Are we comparing games to others on the console, or to others released in the same time period. If the latter, then MGS4 should instantly lose 5% because the graphics are nowhere near as good as in Crysis, and 10% for using dual analogue stick instead of either Wiimote+nunchuk or keyboard + mouse, giving this awesome game a maximum from any one review of 85. So no, it appears we must, to a certain extent, only compare games to other games on the same console