After playing through most of Galaxy, I decided last night to dust off my copy of Mario 64 -- played half way through it in a little under 4 hours (60 stars).
I keep hearing people comment about the swimming in Galaxy, about how it is worse than it was in Mario 64. I had thought the same thing, until I went back and played Mario 64 again last night. Sorry folks, but swimming in Mario 64 sucked worse. The camera was just as bad, occasionally even getting caught between the surface of the water if you didn't dive deep enough, and simply climbing out of the water was hit or miss.
I think our memories of Mario 64 are more powerful than the game really was. At least mine were, before last night. At around 8:00 PM, I still thought Mario 64 was the superior title. After midnight, I'd become convinced that Galaxy trumps 64 in most every aspect, including swimming.
However, I do think one disappointment with Galaxy is the linearity of the levels. There is nothing in Galaxy (at least, that I've seen yet) that compares to 64's Tick Tock Clock or Wet-Dry World, two of my favorite courses in that game.
