What an extraordinary twelve months for Nintendo. It was a year that began with the company occupying the inauspicious position as also-ran in the console market, and with the very real potential that their bizarrely-named new Wii console would bomb- precipitating a Sega-like pull-out of the home console scene.

As we know now, what transpired was very different. The little console that could has propelled Nintendo to a position of dominance in all three major world territories, becoming one of the top three most valuable companies in Japan, as well as sparking a cultural phenomenon and bringing about a paradigm shift in the gaming demographic. Permanent sell-outs, hundreds of thousands of column inches, and a handful of Wii related injuries later, and Nintendo are on top for the first time since Sony's original PlayStation landed on the scene in the mid 1990s. And while Wii Sports turned the gaming world upside down, and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess warmed the cockles of our gaming hearts, it was the ever-elusive Super Mario Galaxy that we desired most. We were collectively entranced by the concept of Mario in space- the trailers showcasing the insanely vibrant space-scapes, and the revolutionary sphere-based gameplay genuinely looked like a brand-new platforming concept. A series of painful but unsurprising delays later, and the game finally arrives on the cusp of the first anniversary of Nintendo's wonder-console.

The result is an unforgettable gaming experience that will enthral and enrapture all those who play it.

Mario Galaxy could never re-invent gaming the way that it's spiritual predecessor Super Mario 64 did because there is no 4th dimension to be broached- but if there is a 4th dimension, then I'm fairly certain it's out there in space, because Galaxy is the biggest leap forward for platforming since that seminal Nintendo 64 game.Why? The answer lies not in the game's exquisite graphics, sound or even its controls (I'll get to them in due course) but rather in the one utterly uncopyable and inimitable foundation of a game that Nintendo are masters of: level design. The sphere-based platforming and gravity-bending mechanics of the game are the big innovation here. Adapting to the new platforming logic demanded by Galaxy takes just a few minutes- but realising the fact that running off the edge of a platform no longer means instant death is a deeply liberating one. Freed of the limitations of gravity, Galaxy enables players to run around all the surfaces of objects. On each side there'll be something new, something fresh, and more often that not, something that will bring a smile to your face. Whether it's climbing up a giant robot, Shadow of the Colossus style, jumping from grassy planet to celestial apple by means of a giant worm, or riding a manta-ray through water-rapids suspended in space, the sheer imagination of design is mind-boggling. There is no filler whatsoever- no traversing large sparse areas to get to wherever you're going. The destination is irrelevant- it's the journey that matters. And what a relentlessly fun journey it is. The core gameplay is simple- jumping from planetoid to planetoid, completing some sort of a challenge- collect star pieces, kill all the enemies- jump to another planet. Rinse and repeat. The sheer variety of the gameplay prevents the formula from going stale in any way.

Those of us concerned that taking Mario out of the mushroom kingdom and putting him into space seems like an incongruous combination need not worry. Galaxy is deeply infused with the Mario spirit, much more so than Sunshine and even Super Mario 64. The game is deeply respectful of the series' heritage, bringing back a host of enemies, from goombas to koopas, and from whomps to kamek. A number of 'two-dimensional' areas also crop up, and with Mario retaining his full skill set, these become highly entertaining challenges. The recurrence of theme music from older Mario games, most notably Mario Bros. 3- also brings with it a further sense of nostalgia that is entirely appropriate. Indeed, the game cherry-picks the finest ideas from each of the games that came before it, as well as adding a host of its own. Mario Bros. 3 offers us a re-imagining the airship levels as well as that game's focus on power-ups with Galaxy including the entertaining Bee, Ghost, Fire and Ice power-ups. Super Mario 64's influence is best seen in the linear Bowser levels, devious challenges of platforming skill that are given a new twist through the liberal use of gravity distortions. The oft-maligned Super Mario Sunshine, ironically enough, bequeaths to Galaxy its fundamental concept- that of short, sharp platforming challenges. Remember the void levels? Imagine a game full of them, except better designed and fleshed out, and you're well on the way to understanding the mechanics of Galaxy.

Of course, the Wii's unique hardware enables Nintendo to add some new ideas to this heady mix. Unsurprisingly, the use of the console's unique control set-up is a model for others to follow; not because of any fancy waggly motion-sensing, but rather because Nintendo have used it sparingly and effectively. Perhaps cognisant that accelerometer-based motion sensing isn't quite appropriate or accurate enough to fully integrate into the experience, Galaxy utilises a mostly traditional interface- with a few quirks. While the nunchuck and remote buttons are used to control Mario and jump, a shake of either controller unleashes a new spin attack that is used to do anything from attacking an enemy to activating a switch. It's responsive, easy to perform and like the sword attacks in Twilight Princess, a more tactile way to interact. But the real triumph of the Wii controls comes in the form of the stellar (geddit?) use of the controller's IR pointer functionality. This is used in two main ways: firstly, as a sort of 'light gun' shooting 'star bits' (collected throughout the game) at enemies to stun them. Secondly, it's used in a variety of contextual scenarios, from blowing Mario around in a bubble to pulling catapults, sending Mario to new planets. My personal favourite are the Pull Stars, which, when 'clicked', can be used to propel Mario through the air around obstacles. The physics-based puzzle opportunities opened up by the pull stars are a highlight. A number of self-contained scenarios use the tilt function of the controller to good effect- notably the manta-ray racing and a Monkey Ball-inspired tilty-turny bit.

Suprisingly enough, the real significance of Galaxy's controls arise not from the use of the Wii Remote and nunchuck, but rather the incomparable precision and responsiveness of Mario, which has been further refined. The sideways somersault move, which was so useful in scaling Sunshine's heights seems to have been made somewhat more difficult to pull off, but elsewhere, the level of polish on the controls is palpable.

Visually, Super Mario Galaxy speaks for itself. Finally debunking the accepted wisdom that the Wii is really no more powerful than a GameCube after all, Galaxy's visual splendour is a product not of billions of polygons but rather of sterling art direction. The small size of each individual area in the game has freed the developers to concentrate the Wii's graphical power over small areas. It shows, because Galaxy's visuals are the finest on Wii. The universe explodes with colour and vitality that most other games dream of. The draw distance is also worth mentioning- Every planet in a given galaxy is fully visible from any point. The character animation is also remarkably good- the first time you see Kamek you'll think it's been ripped straight out of a Pixar movie. The sheer visual variety of the planets and planetoids in the game is one of the most pleasing visual aspects- you'll be soaring through the obligatory fire, ice and desert areas, but also windy gardens, sugar-coated environments, penguin paradises, space defence outposts, and a whole lot more.Videophiles will be pleased to note that that graphically, the game fulfils holy trinity of 480p, 16:9 and most impressive of all, a silky-smooth 60 frames per second.

To the soundtrack then.Koji Kondo tends to get all the credit when Nintendo produce a good soundtrack, but rarely blamed for the poor ones. The GameCube era was a bit of a dry period for classic Nintendo music. So when it was announced that Galaxy would feature a fully-orchestrated sountrack for the first time in a Nintendo game, we were understandably enthused. And the decision has been utterly vindicated, because this game's soundtrack is an absolute revelation, and one of the most suprising aspects of the entire package. The Mario Galaxy Orchestra perform a set of the most uplifting and spine-tingling game tunes ever committed to disc with a gusto and precision hitherto unseen in a first-party Nintendo game. Amongst the many standout tracks, the bombastic pomp and grandeur of Battlerock Galaxy's signature theme, the inspirational, supremely confident Gusty Gusty Galaxy tune and the delicate strings of the observatory hub music will go down not only as some of the finest Mario series music to date, but some of the most memorable gaming music ever. Wonderful re-imaginings of classic Mario themes add to the inexorable feeling that you're playing a fully-realised, proper triple-A title. You know a game has a good soundtrack when you find yourself lingering in certain levels just to catch another earful of the music. In short, we'll never accept MIDI in a major Nintendo game, ever.

The relatively young EAD Tokyo development studio, who made the excellent Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat are the team behind this one. The influences of that game on Galaxy are clear- the trails of collectables, from musical notes to star bits are very reminiscent of Jungle Beat, while the almost rhythmic action of jumping from vines to planets also evoke memories of the under appreciated GameCube curio.

It's also deeply encouraging to see that, much like with the recent Phantom Hourglass on DS, the developers haven't held back in tweaking the fundamental formula of Nintendo's most prized series. Gone are the relatively small number of large, sprawling worlds that characterised previous 3D Mario games- now we have a much higher amount of locations, with many granting three or just one star each. More deeply ingrained traditions have also been thrown out the window- now, for instance, collecting 50 (gasp!) coins is enough to grant an extra life. Best of all, though, is the reduction of the health bar from six to three- a smart move, which helps to reintroduce a sense of danger and difficulty to proceedings.

Still,Super Mario Galaxy is not a 'perfect' game, to use the meaningless term. In the interests of balance, there are a few niggles worth mentioning. Some galaxies are much more compelling than others, for starters. While there are no real out-and-out duds, there are a number of disappointments. The hub area is also by far the weakest of the three 3D Mario platformers, although it has its charms. The difficulty level veers too much towards easy at times, particular on the boss levels, which are often over before they've even begun. Also, despite much of the game boasting extraordinarily good music, a number of galaxies feature non-descript background music that add little to the experience. Yet, in the grand scheme are things, these are trifling niggles, and by far the biggest sin committed by the game is that it eventually ends. For this is Nintendo's most complete and well-rounded game in recent memory- one that has been released as it was intended to be played, unlike Sunshine and Wind Waker on the GameCube that both clearly needed more time in development.

Galaxy is a rip-roaring reminder that nobody does it better, gives an almighty kick to a genre that has become increasingly sidelined in recent years, and reminds us all that Shigeru Miyamoto's crack team still jealously protect the secret ingredient that infuses their best games- the purest, most joyous distillation of fun.

(That not enough Galaxy goodness for you? Then we'll have a comprehensive video review of the game for your viewing pleasure on N-Europe within the week.)