Maybe it's because I am not of the Old School Nintendo world, having never owned an NES or SNES, but I think Mario Sunshine is better than Mario Galaxy.

Yes, Galaxy looks better... yes, Galaxy is a lot of fun... yes, Galaxy is clever and cute and challenging. But every time I play it - and I'm eight hours and 44 stars in at this point - I have this nagging feeling that I would rather be playing Sunshine.

What really blew me away about Sunshine, what made Sunshine feel "next gen" to me, simply is not present in Galaxy. Sunshine made me feel like I was transported to a living, cohesive corner of the Mario Universe. Galaxy, perhaps ironically, feels like tons of separate little linear levels that I am asked to play through only because they exist. Sunshine was more of an adventure through Mario's world; Galaxy is an arcade collection.

I think it was the first level in Sunshine... after warping to the area, you trot up a little green hill, bopping a couple of Goombas. Nothing revolutionary yet. But in short order you crest that hill and the vista opens up to reveal a small clay-and-plaster village, a wide lake on the right, a forested area dotted with trees and enemies. You can see a cave across the lake. You can see tightropes connecting the rooftops. Far off you can see coins of various colors that you know you will have to collect. It does not look like a video game level, but you know that somehow it will be a video game level. In fact, this area masks several such levels... and every "world" in Mario Sunshine does the same. It may look like a village or a seaside resort or a waterfront amusement park but it is actually packed with interconnected paths and hidden routes. This, to me, was the genius of Mario Sunshine, and I do not get that same feeling from Galaxy.

Galaxy is more like SMB3 (I have the GBA version). Most of the levels in Galaxy are straight shot paths with one way forward. Many times you'll reach a portion of the level that blocks you from going back, in case you think you missed a pickup or whatever. It's a small thing, but that really bothers me.

I also hate that you don't have full control over the camera. So many times I have wanted to just rotate around and check out the view... or tweak the angle just enough to get a better look at something up ahead. And you can't. What meager camera options are available in Galaxy are almost useless. (Which is not to say that the AI-controlled camera does a bad job. It actually does a great job of keeping your view on the action... better than Sunshine's automatic camera. I just expect the option for a personal touch.)

2P Co-Star mode is a bit of a bust. First of all, Rhonda was disappointed to learn she was nothing but a on-screen cursor. I'm surprised they didn't represent the second player with the little Luma dude that Mario absorbs about ten minutes in. I mean, really. How hard would that have been, and how much more immersive!

And at the end of it all, there just isn't a whole lot for 2P to do to feel like they're actually accomplishing anything. In Double Dash, the second player had to stay focused, had to be a part of game, even though he or she wasn't driving the kart. In Galaxy, 2P's attention can drift. We have had a couple points where the second cursor was absolutely invaluable - freezing Chain Chomps, for example - but most of the time, 2P kinda feels like the last picked dodgeball kid.

Co-Star mode is a nice inclusion, but it's clearly nothing that the game was designed around.

Sunshine and Galaxy come from two very different approaches, but both end up at the same goal. Galaxy just seems more on-model to me, and that model ceased being intriguing in the SNES days. I'm still playing the hell out of Galaxy. It just lacks that GTA-style free-roaming that I enjoyed in Sunshine.

I imagine there are a lot of Wii owners out there who never played Sunshine... hell, who never owned a GameCube. I encourage you lot to ignore the drooling "It's SOOOO much better than Mario Sunshine... what was that water spray crap?" that's out there and pull Sunshine out of the bargain bin. Of course, you'll also need a GameCube memory card and a GameCube controller... but with Smash Bros coming out, you may want some GameCube controllers around anyway.

Two more complaints: what the heck is up with letting you Wii-mail your Star List to friends, but nothing else? How about screenshots of the game in action, Nintendo?

And why does the game default to four lives no matter how many you have collected before the save-and-quit? That really torks me off. I've had 20+ extra lives, quit for the night, and then restored to see them all gone.