The Wii has been experiencing a bit of a drought in really good games lately. With several mini game compilations and ports of old games, not to mention lackluster new titles, the impressive Super Mario Galaxy is more than welcome. The mustachioed Italian plumber who saved gaming in the ‘80s is back with yet another epic adventure.

The evil koopa king, Bowser, kidnaps Mario’s “special one,” Princess Peach (again) and, as always, it is up to Mario to save her. This may be the same basic story of nearly every Super Mario game ever, but anyone familiar with the series knows that the games aren’t really story driven; gameplay is what it’s all about.

Using similar gameplay and camera mechanics as the ground-breaking Super Mario 64, Galaxy plays like a dream. Occasionally the camera sticks at a slightly troublesome angle, but it can usually be manually operated to set it right. Controlling Mario is as smooth as ever, consisting of running and a variety of jumps. A standard jump is performed by simply tapping the A button, but wall jumps, back flips, long jumps, and the often difficult triple jump are also present to help Mario save the day.

Although much is borrowed from past 3-D Mario games, new features, locations and power-ups abound. Obviously new is the way the Wii Remote is used. By shaking the remote, Mario can spin to attack enemies or get a boost in his jump. The pointer is used to gather crystalline star bits simply by pointing at them. These star bits are used to attack enemies by seemingly shooting them from the remote into the screen.

Power-ups come in the form of mushrooms and flowers that can change the plump protagonist into a variety of forms. With the right power-up, Mario becomes the flying Bee Mario, the invincible Rainbow Mario, the intangible ghostly Boo Mario, the insanely fun, high bouncing Spring Mario and several other quirky personas.

Although the main plot is less than original, the fact that it takes you to the stars and beyond is unique to Galaxy. Each stage takes the form of a different galaxy with themes like water, ice, fire, desert or quite a few others. The levels play around with gravity, often shifting which direction Mario falls. These galaxies are accessed via a sort of space station belonging to a woman named Rosalina, and acts as a hub to all the locales, similar to the castle in Super Mario 64 or the main plaza in Super Mario Sunshine.

As in the previous games, each level is completed by attaining a star. A total of 120 stars are initially available, but only a fraction of that number is needed to beat the game. Getting all the stars unlocks a special bonus, so dedicated gamers will certainly be rewarded.

What Super Mario Galaxy lacks in plot it more than makes up for in outstandingly fun gameplay. Every level offers something new, so, even though all players do is gather stars, levels never get old and always feel distinguished.

If one word were to describe this game, fun would be that word. This is an exceptionally well made title, as to be expected by Nintendo, and is a must-buy for all Wii owners.