'Super Mario Galaxy' Ranked 'Best Nintendo Wii Game' on Metacritic

The Nintendo Wii has largely faded into obscurity as a games console, with the WiiU dominating most of the discourse surrounding that particularly era of Nintendo gaming. But there are plenty of games that prove just how formative the original Wii truly was.

Much like the Nintendo 64 or the SNES, the most well-known games from the Wii era are those with Super Mario himself front and center. There were a couple of great Mario releases on the Wii, from New Super Mario Bros. Wii to Mario Kart Wii, but one game stands out as the most creative and innovative.

Super Mario Galaxy was originally released in 2007, and it quickly became a tentpole release of the Wii era. The game introduced a whole host of new gameplay mechanics to the Super Mario franchise, developing on the 3D platforming blueprints that had been laid out in Super Mario 64.

The game's story follows Mario on an intergalactic quest to rescue Princess Peach from their old nemesis Bowser, who has taken her to another planet to prevent Mario from finding her. The player must guide his ship through the vast expanses of space, stopping at weird and wonderful worlds to refuel along the way.

Super Mario Galaxy was an incredibly innovative game in the franchise, capitalizing on the new console's capabilities to introduce motion-based gameplay for the first time. Players can use the Wii Remote's gyroscopic functions to complete missions, making the franchise even more interactive.

The game received universal acclaim from critics, who praised its forward-thinking gameplay mechanics and fresh story, which clearly separated it from the previous Super Mario games.

There had been concerns that Super Mario was becoming too repetitive and oversaturated as a franchise, and this Wii classic immediately quashed those worries. It became one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Wii, with over 12 million copies sold since its release in 2007.

Super Mario Galaxy is currently the highest-rated Nintendo Wii game on Metacritic, followed closely by its sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2. It became the first Nintendo title to win BAFTA's Game of the Year award, and even lent its name and (loose) story to the second movie in Universal's cinematic Super Mario universe.

Both Super Mario Galaxy and its immediate sequel were enhanced and released on the Nintendo Switch in October 2025, allowing a brand new generation of gamers to discover this family classic.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 2, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published May 2, 2026 at 4:33 AM.