Super Mario Galaxy 2 turns 15 years old on May 23, 2025, and I still exactly where I was when it came out. I was fishing that day, and afterward, I went to my local GameStop to get my copy. Despite being annoyed that the game was released on a Sunday, giving me only a day to play it before going back to school, I had an absolute blast. Thankfully, Nintendo doesn't release games on Sundays anymore.

I have many great nostalgic memories of this title, and I still hold it in high regard as the best 3D Mario game ever created, as well as one of the best Mario games, period. It makes plenty of interesting improvements on its predecessor, and the experience still holds up compared to games like Super Mario Odyssey and Astro Bot. All these years later, it's a real shame that Super Mario Galaxy 2 remains stuck on the Wii.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Is Bigger And Better

The Perfect Sequel

It was a complete shock to Nintendo fans when Super Mario Galaxy 2 was announced at E3 2009. Normally, only one 3D Mario game comes every generation, and this holds true both before and after Super Mario Galaxy 2. However, Nintendo made a direct sequel, and it makes plenty of strides from the first Mario Galaxy. The levels in Super Mario Galaxy 1 were great, but it didn't always feel like Nintendo was firing on all cylinders. Repetitive galaxies could be disappointing — Gold Leaf Galaxy was essentially the same as Honeyhive Galaxy, for example.

The way skilled players use Cloud Mario to reach unbelievable lengths is wild.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 delivered levels that were far ahead of the first game with incredible stage gimmicks, new power-ups, and, of course, Yoshi. Several of the gimmicks here were later reused in future Mario games. For example, Beat Block Galaxy's concept reappeared in a section in Champion's Road from 3D World. Cloud Mario might be my favorite power-up in any 3D Mario title, adding significant depth to the platforming gameplay, and the way skilled players use Cloud Mario to reach unbelievable lengths is wild.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 also brings a nice dose of fan service, with certain elements from the first game coming back in the Special World, plus a returning Super Mario 64 area. Throwback Galaxy takes a trip back to Super Mario 64's Whomp's Fortress. I playing this game for the first time back in 2010, and this surprise blew me away. It was awesome playing this classic stage with Super Mario Galaxy 2 controls, even if the new movement leads to a ridiculous number of skips.

There are a handful of things the first Super Mario Galaxy does better. The story is much more fleshed out in Galaxy 1, the hub area is leagues better, and I think the soundtrack of the original is superior. However, I prefer Super Mario Galaxy 2 in all other regards as an ideal sequel that builds on a strong blueprint.

How Mario Galaxy 2 Compares To Other 3D Marios

A Game That Still Feels Fresh

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is quite an old game at this point, but even with tons of new platformers out now, including Astro Bot, Super Mario 3D World, and Super Mario Odyssey, Galaxy 2 still bests them all. Super Mario 3D World has excellent level design, but the movement isn't as good as Super Mario Galaxy 2, and the collectible system is quite lackluster. There's a reason why you can only collect Green Stars after you get all 120 regular ones in Galaxy 2, and trying to find them all while playing 3D World is a bit of a hassle.

Going back to Mario Galaxy 2 after Astro Bot highlights why I consider this title the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Super Mario Odyssey's biggest issue is that there are simply way too many Power Moons. With 880 in total, the levels are so jam-packed with Moons that, after a while, I just got exhausted and quit the 100% journey. Mario Galaxy 2 has 242 stars total, and while even that's a little overboard, it's not too bad. It also doesn't help that the Switch lacks an achievement system, whereas, at least in the Mario Galaxy titles, you were rewarded with a sweet message in the Wii Message Board after 100% completion.

My appreciation for Super Mario Galaxy 2 grew significantly after playing the most critically acclaimed platformer of 2024, Astro Bot. This game won dozens of GOTY awards, but it's debatable if it's even in the same league as Super Mario Galaxy 1 and 2. While the power-ups in Astro Bot are fantastic, I'd argue that the core platforming gameplay feels overly simplistic. It's a surprisingly easy title, presumably because this is that the core movement of Astro was designed around VR.

The PSVR1 title Astro Bot: Rescue Mission was the first true game in the series. Astro's moveset was made for VR play, with his Super Mario Sunshine-style laser hover meant to tell the player where exactly Astro is in a full 3D space. Without that extra dimension, the hover move doesn't fit Astro Bot. It makes the newer game way too easy compared to its VR counterpart, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 still plays much better.

For the sake of comparison, Astro Bot ultimately feels like Super Mario Galaxy 2 might if the movement tech from Super Mario Sunshine's Fludd were included. It would break the game, and going back to Mario Galaxy 2 after Astro Bot highlights why I consider this title the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Mario Galaxy 2 Needs To Release On Switch 2

The Best 3D Mario Game Isn't On Modern Platforms

When Super Mario 3D All-Stars was revealed, the largest criticism, besides the limited release, had to be the absence of Super Mario Galaxy 2. This was back in September 2020, during the first year of the pandemic, which heavily affected game development. At the time, I thought Super Mario Galaxy 2 was cut due to the pandemic and that it would be added sometime later. My theory proved to be dead wrong, and Galaxy 2 never arrived on the Switch.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and even Donkey Kong Country Returns made their way to the Switch, but no Galaxy 2. To this day, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the only home console 3D Mario game unavailable on the Switch, and it just feels wrong.

Porting Super Mario Galaxy 2 to the Switch 2 could have its problems due to the various motion control sections, but it can certainly be done, and it's certainly worth doing. Super Mario Galaxy 2 turns 15 on May 23, and it's about time Nintendo brought back this all-time great 3D platformer for a whole new generation on Switch 2.