re: I forgot how incredible original Mario Galaxy is

I'll second that Mario Galaxy 2 is better than 1, though both are the best 3D Mario games in the series. I found MG1's story charming, but I don't really play Mario games for their narratives. I prefer MG2's more traditional overworld map to MG1's hub/spaceship because it allows me to get in and out of levels much faster. I also think MG2's levels are just more fun and a bit better designed than MG1's.

MG1 only beats MG2 for me in terms of it's more consistent level themes. The themes of each MG2 stage are kind of all over the place, which makes it feel a little like a DLC level pack at times.