19. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010)
Down from 8th is another solid platformer that at first seemed like it would be a mundane sequel to the original due to shared levels. However, even the retro levels and those from the first Galaxy seemed mostly new with the new objectives placed inside them. For the first time in a while Yoshi also came back to add his jumping variety to the platforming. In addition, new powerups, my favorite being Cloud Mario, are superior to the older ones. The prankster comets are less predictable and the staff ghosts give a fun goal to beat. The more consistent access to Luigi allows you to use the type of character you feel like on a given day. Then there are the green starts which improve greatly upon repeating the same levels with Luigi in the first game, though it almost seems like a waste that many people never see them because you need all of the original stars to unlock them. The increased difficulty in this game and rewards for actually progressing are a fresh of breath air from the direction Nintendo had been taking Mario games.
Primarily an RPG player but have interest in any game that will make me think.
