Super Mario Galaxy is a 3D action-adventure
platform game for the
Wii, first released in Japan on November 1,
2007. It is the eleventh entry in the
Super Mario series, the third 3D platformer, and the first of what would be recognized in retrospect as the "course clear-style" games of the series. In this game, the player controls
Mario in outer space, moving across spherical planetoids with their own centers of
gravity. The
levels are more linear than those found in its 3D predecessors
Super Mario 64 (1996) and
Super Mario Sunshine (2002). Similar to prior games, Mario collects
Power Stars to rescue
Princess Peach from
Bowser, who is trying to establish his own
galaxy at the center of the universe. Mario is aided by
Luigi, a
brigade of Toads, star-shaped creatures called
Lumas, and a mysterious woman named
Rosalina. Upon its release,
Super Mario Galaxy was met with critical acclaim and commercial success. It received various awards and accolades, including from the
Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the
Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association, and the
British Academy of Film and Television Arts, and has gone on to be considered one of the
greatest video games of all time and a masterpiece. It has sold 12.8 million copies, making it the ninth-best-selling Wii game. A dedicated sequel,
Super Mario Galaxy 2, was developed and released for the Wii on May 23,
2010.
