Well, this thread has been sitting way back on page 4 after over two months of being idle. I thought I'd bring it back.

I did go ahead and get Super Mario Galaxy 2 after testing it out at Best Buy. Here is the run down. Game play is identical to the first so it is really quick and easy to catch on if you have played the first. It is technically a direct sequel, but it is pretty much the just another Mario story line game. While the game play is the same, there are all sorts of new moves, power-ups and of course, Yoshi. Some of the power-ups are pretty sweet, like turning yourself into a rolling boulder, and becoming a cloud. Yoshi has his own tricks as well.

SMG2 has quite a few throwback cookies to it as well. The map system micking selecting worlds and levels like in SMB 3 for the NES and SMW for SNES. And at the end of each world is a showdown with Bowser Jr. and Bowser in alternating worlds. Upon defeating Bowser for the last time, you open up to a secret world with extra challenging levels. Some of the throwbacks include previous stages from SM 64 and SMG1. But unlike SM 64 and SMG1, there are a lot more worlds in SMG2 which makes for a lot more fun.

After you collect all 120 starts a secret appears. See spoiler.

Overall, SMG2 is an excellent game. If you liked SM 64 or SMG1, SMG2 is a must get. Game play is a 9/10. Graphics is an 8/10 (for the Wii). Control is the same and pretty smooth. 9/10. I'd put it as a tie with SMG1 with just about everything except one category: the musical score. Here is where SMG2 takes the cake. It has the same style as SMG1, but by far on a more epic scale. The final showdown with Bowser has one of the most epic scores I've found for video games. And yes, I am putting it in the same sentence as One-Winged Angel of FFVII. Not classic like One-Winged Angel, but Epic like it. It has the Gregorian Chant style that makes One-Winged Angel so great when it first came out. I could listen to that all day. The rest of the score of the game is still similar to SMG1 but definately more epic. Overall music score is a 9.5/10 and that gives a final overall score of close to 9/10. It is a worth while game to play if you like the Mario style of game play.

Shadowlander, you didn't like the Mario games? That makes me sad.

Eh...they were just never my cup of tea. Platformers in general I don't really care for, so Mario isn't alone there . In a perfect world my favorite type of game is a 4X Space Conquest game like Master of Orion or Galactic Civilizations, but they don't often make em' anymore. From the original Nintendo era I really did enjoy the Zelda games and especially the Final Fantasy games. Those were great! I found SMB to be kind of tedious after a while.

I'm really anticipating the new Medal of Honor game, it looks really awesome. Only like 9 days til it comes out

I played Master of Orion 1 and 2. They were fun, but what I really don't like about that style of game is that no matter how many times I played it, the game was either way too easy or way too hard. I never could find the right balance to where it was hard enough to be challenging but not flat out impossible.

What I love about most Mario games and the Zelda games are that I can make doable challenges. Zelda is doable without dying. Mario is MUCH harder. But doing Zelda with minimal gear and minimal life is much more challenging. Anyone who claims to be a Zelda master should attempt the 3-heart challenge. For time's sake, I have not done it but I've gotten close, by doing it without getting any heart pieces (just getting the hearts after clearing a temple).

My brother has very kindly gotten me hooked on Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty. As if I needed another game to be hooked on.
At least this one isn't nearly as time consuming as WoW.
I'm not much for playing the online pvp with other players... my husband enjoys that. But I do like going through and unlocking the achievements in the campaign and custom games vs computers. I'm a little ways into the campaign on hard... slowly improving my skillz.

Any other Starcraft 2 players on here?

I don't play Starcraft II because my PC would explode if I pushed it *that* hard . I'd really like to play it though as I was a huge fan of the original Starcraft. Which faction do you like to play? I love playing the Terrans, but I'm slightly better at the Protoss. And how's the plotline for the game? Any good? (no spoilers please)

I'm actually working my way through the original Starcraft right now. I'm still on the Terran campaign, the mission were you first go up against the Protuss. They're hard to fight. I really enjoy the fact that the hero units are only slightly improved versions of the normal units. In the two Battle for Middle-Earth games I was able to stomp all over the map with only the hero units and rarely had to bother using the normal ones which makes for a tad bit too easy of a game.

Ooooh Starcraft fans on NW.

I recently finished playing the campaign for SC2 couple weeks back. Graphics were nice, but I felt the story and writing was weaker than the original, riddled with cliches and stereotypical characters. However, gameplay was definitely diverse and I found it quite enjoyable. I generally prefer RTS games by Relic Entertainment (Dawn of War/Company of Heroes).

So, RTS games aside, any Bioware (Knights of the Old Republic/Mass Effect) or Valve (Half Life/Left 4 Dead) fans here?

I'm a big fan of the KotOR games. In fact, my Lord of the Rings Online kinmates and I are planning on branching out to ToR when it comes out next year. I'm pretty excited about it.

I don't play Starcraft II because my PC would explode if I pushed it *that* hard . I'd really like to play it though as I was a huge fan of the original Starcraft. Which faction do you like to play? I love playing the Terrans, but I'm slightly better at the Protoss. And how's the plotline for the game? Any good? (no spoilers please)

Be aware that the incoming reply is from someone who never played Starcraft but instead played Warcraft 3.

I really liked the plotline. I had to go back and read through the Wiki version of Starcraft for the backstory. Course after I did that my husband pointed out to me that the game came with a booklet with a backstory... haven't read that...need to read it. My one and only complaint was that I saw a few too may parallels from the Warcraft universe.

The gameplay, just like Warcraft 3, but without hero characters. In the campaign, you do play heroes from time to time, but for the most part, it's just the game units.

Thus far I've only really played Terrans. I recently (in the past two days) started trying Protoss. They might be a tad overpowered early on as I've been running into the enemies' base within the first few minutes of the game and winning. I've yet to try Zerg, but I've got a friend who's crazy good with them.

So, RTS games aside, any Bioware (Knights of the Old Republic/Mass Effect) or Valve (Half Life/Left 4 Dead) fans here?

I'm not a fan of fps games. If I start playing them, I find that I'm dead within the first few minutes of the game unless it's on embarrassingly easy. My brother plays Mass Effect and my husband has the game (though I don't think he's played it all the way through). It reminded me as some kind of combination of Halo and Morrowind. But watching my brother play Mass Effect 2, I found the language was beyond terrible, so I won't let my husband get that one.

In fact, my Lord of the Rings Online kinmates and I are planning on branching out to ToR when it comes out next year. I'm pretty excited about it.

I've been wondering how many people would pick up ToR when it comes out. My husband's best friend has been after my husband for probably a year now to play it when it comes out. But after WoW I'm not sure MMORPGs will ever enter this house again Too time consuming... too expensive.

I stay aware from those MMORPG's. Not only do I not have the time, I am not willing to put the in the money to play it. I wouldn't play it often enough to make it worth it. It's simply not my style.

I don't expect to play any video games except for a couple hours on the occasional light week until the semester lets up. My school work is starting to add up and little sign of it letting up any time soon. I was able to find the time to complete Super Mario Galaxy 2, including all 242 stars. The last one is by far the toughest in the series: the GrandMaster Galaxy on a Daredevil Run, which translates to no getting hit ever. Not easy. But one thing I will say about SMG2, the soundtrack is the best in the series. It is epic to a level rarely reached and it makes you want to wait to do anything to Bowser on his final form just to listen to the music. If only the actual battle compared to the music.

I'm not a fan of fps games. If I start playing them, I find that I'm dead within the first few minutes of the game unless it's on embarrassingly easy. My brother plays Mass Effect and my husband has the game (though I don't think he's played it all the way through). It reminded me as some kind of combination of Halo and Morrowind. But watching my brother play Mass Effect 2, I found the language was beyond terrible, so I won't let my husband get that one.

I found Mass Effect 2 extremely enjoyable and user-friendly for FPS beginners. The story was stellar and the strong moral dilemmas were thought-provoking. There was one particular moral choice that took me half an hour to sort out. The game really pushes you to consider the moral consequences of your choices, with some of the choices you made in the first game coming back to haunt you in the sequel. The language was bothersome in some areas but generally could be avoided since you can easily skip dialogue by hitting the spacebar and using the subtitles. Most of the harsh language center around a plotline consisting the redemption of a psychotic. It was a tough call but I felt the language further depicted the wretchedness and a deeper understanding of the character itself. Of course, the game is not for everyone, but I still strongly recommend it to anyone that enjoys strong characters development, complex moral situations, and a deep sci-fi plotline

Shooter aside, are there any Portal lovers here? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TluRVBhmf8w )

Shooter aside, are there any Portal lovers here? ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TluRVBhmf8w )

"First you will be baked, and then there will be cake."

I think that line will forever be burned into my brain. Yeah, my husband loves that game. I honestly don't know why I haven't played it myself. Looks like my kind of game.

So, RTS games aside, any Bioware (Knights of the Old Republic/Mass Effect) or Valve (Half Life/Left 4 Dead) fans here?

I love Knights of the Old Republic, 1 and 2; much bigger fan of those games than i ever was of the movies. Once i finish my current run-through of K2 (which may take a bit yet), i'm downloading a bunch of the cut content and going through it again. I don't like that they're making an MMORPG instead of a third game, especially since i don't think i'll have the money, time or inclination to try one out; but if the opportunity presents itself, i might try it.

I have a friend that really, really likes Mass Effect 1 and 2 and sent me his copy of ME1, but i don't have a computer that will run it. I really want to play it, but until i get a substantial increase of funds, that isn't likely to happen for a while yet.

Also heard a lot about Portal, but haven't had a chance to play that either. Those are the breaks when you're unemployed, i guess.