While I skipped SMG1, this is the first 3D Mario game to have truly won me over. The controls aren't entirely to my liking, mainly with the camera, and how it can be difficult to orient Mario properly when the perspective changes. You can be holding the analog stick in one direction, run to the underside of the platform so Mario is upside down, release the stick and then push it in a new direction and Mario will run in the exact opposite way you want him to. Surprisingly I found the motion and pointer controls brought a very fresh challenge to platforming, particularly with using the pointer to direct Yoshi's tongue. Where I can't praise this game enough is its level design. Each world provides new and interesting challenges full of different powerups and environments to explore as they shift and rearrange themselves. The Wii's technical resources are also used very intelligently to make a crisp, colorful looking game that compares very favorably to games on the more powerful systems.