Some new details about the gameplay of Nintendo’s upcoming Super Mario Galaxy have been revealed at E3 in Santa Monica.
First, the pointer action that was shown previously has been upgraded. Previously, players simply used the Wii-mote to collect floating stars/bubbles, trying to reach 100 of them, and an extra life.
Now you are able to make additional use of them at any time – by shooting them at on-screen enemies and objects. What’s more is that a second player can pick up a Wii-mote and take over the pointing and shooting for a light co-op experience.
Second, suits are back! In a demonstration of the game, Mario made use of a bee suit that allowed him to fly around the honey bee world world of SMG, also making him lighter, and giving him the ability to climb along the honeycombs on select walls in the area.
Now the suits come with specific drawbacks, however. In the bee suit, for example, Mario is vulnerable to water, which he can otherwise run right through.
Finally, we were given a little more insight as to how the planets’ physics work. Earlier videos may have led some to believe that all of the planets Mario ventures to are full spheres (or approximations of spheres), with gravitational properties that would keep him stuck on the surface, no matter his orientation – right-side up, upside down, etc.
Now it has been revealed that certain planets have "black holes" swirling beneath them, creating a steady downward pull and making it so that Mario is vulnerable to the old fall-off-the-edge-of-the-level method of demise.
The game looks like it’s coming along very nicely, and I expect it to be on par with Mario games of the past (pre-Sunshine).
Super Mario Galaxy will be released on November 12th.
