To each their own. I thought it was perfect. Level design and the gravity made it feel 4D.

Repetitive? Most levels look the same? Horrible camera? These are complaints I've never heard about mario galaxy. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fvx5sFMEX9g&t=2s

I'm just not seeing where this game excels. running around the galaxy is a cool gimmick but its not something a whole game should be designed on. linear levels which i don't have problem with if they were designed with some great platforming in mind instead of just the gravity gimmick, sling shots and stupid wii mote pointer crap 

It's so highly rated because of the context of its time. Namely, PS and Xbox games were quite lame across the board.

The only complaint I have for Super Mario Galaxy is that it lacks online leaderboards.

I thought about  that, but nope. donkey kong returns is far better platfomer. last us pushed the envelope for graphics and story in games. skyrim pushed the envelope for open world games. batman arkham city was just mind blowing. honestly maybe it's cause of the motion controls and  gravity none sense. really mario 64 controlling better and having better level design makes no sense since it was the first 3d mario released like 10 years earlier

Except 64 doesn’t have better level design as Galaxy levels are tied to platforming concepts using gravity something no platform game at the time did. For example the other platform games were simply jumping from platform to platform Galaxy turned that on it's head and made it about the player utilising the gravity physics to solve platforming puzzles. 

I'm not sure what gimmick means here. It's a mechanic. Which games should have. It's a weird complaint that there is always gravity. I don't know what you mean by good platforming. Or what your objection to the controls are. Really nothing you've said is any sort of meaningful or intelligible criticism. It's just saying X is bad or Y is bad without any real explanation. 

The only thing that's kind of valid is that the game is not very challenging, and aside from a few difficult stars, it's really not. But, this is a Mario game that's meant for people of all ages and skill levels, so that is kind of to be expected. If that's an issue, then Mario games are probably just not going to be your bag. Mario Galaxy 2 and Sunshine would probably be the best of them, but even those aren't all that challenging. I would probably advise you to stop playing it or other 3D Mario games. Spend your time on stuff you're going to enjoy.

when you think about the gravity and running arounds little spheres most of the game and then jumping into stars and watching mario fly going to another little sphere the whole game its really crap game design . Thats what i call a gimmick its fun for a little while. but its comes at the expense of better controls, gameplay/Platforming and camera angels, not to mention its super linear and repetitive.  if you think i'm the only one, you can watch many complain about the samething i'm complaining about

https://www.reddit.com/r/nintendo/comments/11q3lr7/flaws_with_super_mario_galaxy/

then the whole "random hole that KILLS YOU" and "oh but wait, you can fall down and go upside down over here and NOT DIE" is terrible level design. Like Nintendo was still clinging to old (deadly pits) while trying to do something new (space). And then they were like “OK we can SOLVE this broken confusing thing by telegraphing it with big flaming black hole” which then runs the aesthetics and highlights the stupidity of it instead of fixing it.

I don't understand either, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is way better

Yea cause those platforming puzzles are so good basically the same go around or upside down puzzle the whole game. much better then having a level design made for fast paced platforming and exploring with hidden things though out the level.