https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog daily 0.75 2024-04-14 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/strange-places-mario-64 monthly 0.5 2024-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/e63c2a50-9a88-455e-9878-3be2f9a9e9ca/Rainbow+Ride+entrance.PNG blog - Some Interesting Places in Super Mario 64 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/6568672f-418d-477a-9078-b0d43a0ec4b6/Floating+islands.PNG blog - Some Interesting Places in Super Mario 64 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/f2f707a8-e4d8-4d03-a2e9-80b3de0948e7/Balcony.PNG blog - Some Interesting Places in Super Mario 64 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/7e766ef1-4ba7-4e89-8fce-13962f7d3933/Central+room+HMC.PNG blog - 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Gilmore is in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/5c9e0cee-8fcb-442d-b175-cf4101c1f228/Podokesaurus_restoration.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Podokesaurus restoration” by Michael B.H. is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/7439dd37-4b9f-42f3-9e41-0bd3535726fb/Podokesaurus_Scale.png blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Podokesaurus Scale” by Slate Weasel is in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/d4bc6ed6-ca96-45e1-a297-4197a191f3cc/1024px-Astrodon_johnstoni.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Astrodon johnstoni” by Dmitry Bogdanov is licensed under CC BY 3.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/c06e8c4a-f323-46ad-9db8-372d7c5ae23f/756629428_27f8623a3d_o.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Hypsibema Missouriense and Nest” by Rick Hebenstreit is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/be2cf279-ecb9-4419-ae16-ea16a7a90106/51341173038_9fc74e0895_k.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out untitled by John Donges is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/b6910656-8265-4ddb-8fce-fae6e6ec89f0/2386004941_42f66a7a9c_o.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Acrocanthosaurus” by Ryan Somma is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/de0aaa85-d548-4a0d-b694-2186b1543701/Sauroposeidon_dinosaur.png blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Sauroposeidon dinosaur” by LadyofHats is in the public domain. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/ae84339c-588c-4681-944d-09e9968ca08f/110625881_81546480c6_k.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Utahraptor” by Zach Tirrell is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/36186a04-1c56-47b3-bc18-29ab396968a3/51339852767_3d41f2f937_k.jpg blog - Rating Every State's State Dinosaur - Make it stand out “Triceratops horridus (ceratopsian dinosaur) (Late Cretaceous) 2” by James St. John is licensed under CC BY 2.0. https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/blind-concerts monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/creative-commmons monthly 0.5 2022-11-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/bbffc757-8384-4828-8f32-b2fc38f8dff8/spaghetti blog - The Secret Magic of Creative Commons - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/4a7c4718-cc26-4e15-80d2-c9e4e38a1c2b/cc.png blog - The Secret Magic of Creative Commons - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/a932046e-3a16-4fb8-ab4c-ad1af1d0bc6d/paddleboard blog - The Secret Magic of Creative Commons - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/galaxy-1 monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602026855631-58GKWDP0UE4UTQWC8VV2/dripdrop.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 42: Drip Drop Galaxy If there’s a common theme connecting Super Mario Galaxy’s worst levels, it’s that they don’t need to exist. Why do we have to deal with this when there’s already an entire other galaxy focused on fighting an underwater boss? This could easily be consolidated with Bonefin Galaxy to create a single galaxy with two stars. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602027140081-4EJ6Z3PT9Q80UYE4H1XP/starreactor.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 41: Bowser’s Star Reactor For me, there’s literally nothing memorable about this stage. Everything this level does is actually done better by other Bowser and Bowser Jr. levels. I have no other comments. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602027512869-7XDDO6NCQEYM8O7UVWA6/boosboneyard.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 40: Boo’s Boneyard Galaxy Maybe it’s just me, but this level seems excessively difficult and extremely out-of-place. Something about descending fast as a Boo in this level is just impossible for me to do. And again, why isn’t this a star in Deep Dark or Ghostly Galaxies? Don’t tell me both of those galaxies are already full — Dusty Dune got seven missions, so one of them can too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602027798549-DPZ7GIWYGDVNKGF87K83/mattersplatter.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 39: Matter Splatter Galaxy As much of a nice idea as this is, it really feels like a Galaxy 2 concept that didn’t get fully fleshed out. There’s so much that can be done here that just doesn’t get touched. Imagine something like Flash Black from Galaxy 2, or those levels that use Yoshi and the Glow Fruit. That’s what this could have been! But it isn’t, and that’s all there is to it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602028057300-TANEVTHP85LXO8947XPY/loopdeeloop.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 38: Loopdeeloop Galaxy This level is the worst of the worst when it comes to motion-control gimmicks. For one, key turn motions aren’t very comfortable to me. And there’s just something about the ray surfing levels that stresses me out. I know I can slow down, but that doesn’t increase my confidence in the game’s ability to steer me correctly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602028259614-6LHZK8VF2736E2PI4ODL/honeyclimb.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 37: Honeyclimb Galaxy I hate to sound like a broken record, but again: put this in Honeyhive or Gold Leaf Galaxies. This has no reason to exist as its own thing. It’s doesn’t matter that this level is actually pretty fun to play. It’s this low because people at Nintendo apparently thought they could get away with turning individual stars into entire galaxies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602028504212-UKDWLGJFD15BF1D4ELH8/lavareactor.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 36: Bowser Jr.’s Lava Reactor It should really be an insult to Bowser’s Star Reactor that a boss refight is this far above it. If it weren’t for the increased difficulty of the sinking platforms, this would easily take the #41 spot. I mean, I don’t love a lot of these galaxies down here, but at least they aren’t copy-pasted from other places! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602028772839-X8H0GUK1ICF6UXIADDIP/loopdeeswoop.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 35: Loopdeeswoop Galaxy Contrary to some people, I think the increased difficulty of the Trial Galaxies means that they should be higher than their standard counterparts. And even though Loopdeeswoop is the upgraded version, it still does kind of suck to play. Same complaints about key turn controls and stressful steering, only this time with narrower paths! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602028941250-P467OA6R7J9VQ6H4E2HR/rollinggreen.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 34: Rolling Green Galaxy Then there’s the second kind of motion control level, ball rolling. This is a little more entertaining for me than ray surfing, so it gets to go a little higher. But only a little bit. It’s still not great. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602029385874-V13YPZNM7JPNXJP92ZGU/snowcap.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 33: Snow Cap Galaxy If you ask most people, they’d say this is one of the absolute worst levels in the entire game. I wouldn’t go that far, but this is still no joy to play through. It’s only doing so well in my ranking here because it has one or two unique ideas. Since it’s about catching bunnies, maybe make it a third star in the Gateway? Also, you can trap the bunnies in the two holes on either end of the planet and easily catch them. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602029193569-LVNOT861W93OHG2Z4TIY/darkmatterplant.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 32: Bowser’s Dark Matter Plant This level is very memorable for its goopy floors and gravity sliding block challenge, but that’s about all I can say for it. I really wish both of those concepts appeared way more often in the game, because I enjoy them both, but the fact that they’re only here makes this level look more like an outlier than a trendsetter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602029544551-T7D2BUOMA1VM48DYGUF8/buoybase.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 31: Buoy Base Galaxy Look. When I was writing this review, I didn’t consider music. Even if I had considered music, I don’t like the Buoy Base music. And other than that song, this level has very little going for it. But, I mean, hey — there’s a Poké Ball here! Right? Anyway, Space Storm Galaxy in Galaxy 2 does it better, end of sentence. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602029691108-RU9NBOTZLSX1N8XJ7S4X/rollinggizmo.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 30: Rolling Gizmo Galaxy Rolling Gizmo Galaxy is sort of the Platonic ideal of motion control levels. It takes the premise of ball rolling and expands on it in nice ways, making for a stressful but satisfying playing experience. There are definitely people who complain about aspects of this level (especially that final die you have to navigate onto), but this has always been an enjoyable enough experience for me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602029924845-CJW1IMVPAANQZCA8X72J/bonefin.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 29: Bonefin Galaxy Otherwise known as “the better underwater shell-throwing enemy-defeating galaxy.” I’d much rather fight Kingfin than three random eels, and I’m assuming you would too. Now that I’m thinking about it…why not combine this, Drip Drop, and Buoy Base to make a standard-size galaxy? Just throwing that out there. Although…maybe it’d be too much water in a single level. But perhaps that’s just what we need? Well, anyway, good job Bonefin Galaxy, number 29. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602030218168-RNPSTC8W7I6GWLJFFRB8/sweetsweet.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 28: Sweet Sweet Galaxy After I ranked all these levels, I took a little look around for other peoples’ opinions on the galaxies, and I was shocked! It seems like this is quite a divisive level. And it’s not really ranked too high on my own list, but I appreciate the aesthetic they’re going for. Who doesn’t want to live in a world made of cake, cookies, and chocolate? And also…is this the inspiration for Sweet Sweet Canyon? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602030494094-8SGI0QD63IKSBBQD4VK8/bigmouth.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 27: Bigmouth Galaxy Bigmouth Galaxy only gets to be this high up for two reasons. One: the amazing shape of the main planet. It’s a big fish…and you walk into its mouth! And two: I really love the idea of a golden chest that can only be opened using the special golden shell. I should also acknowledge the sequence break that lets you skip collecting the star chips, although I wasn’t aware of it when I played the game or made my ranking. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602031306385-J0RHBCBVQ6AGC03H16DL/dreadnought.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 26: Battlerock Galaxy Or as I like to call it: “Lame Dreadnought.” This is the first of the game’s main 15 galaxies to show up on the list. It’s a decent enough galaxy, but there’s just nothing too memorable to me about it. Topmaniac is absolutely the standout here, and he’s not even unique to this galaxy! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602031433806-FJCSKRFONHD9HPP87MV7/dreadnought.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 25: Dreadnought Galaxy Or as I like to call it: “Cool Battlerock.” It really does just take everything that Battlerock Galaxy did and executes it better. It also has Topmaniac, and let’s not forget to mention those amazing pointy-spire looking things. Add onto that a much more difficult, but enjoyable (and trolling) Purple Coin mission and you end up with a galaxy I could get behind. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602031622890-HAR2VDYVIAM651EBNW7M/airshiparmada.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 24: Bowser Jr.’s Airship Armada As far as Bowser/Bowser Jr. fights go, this is one of the more interesting ones. For once in this game, we actually get to fight Jr. directly, rather than take out a big minion. And it’s just so fun to use the cannons that appear in this galaxy. The platform ride you can see in the image has always given me some trouble, but it’s nothing too bad. All in all, a very fun and solid boss level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602026590023-KJR4EBYUD76M3WCX7K8K/gateway.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 23: Gateway Galaxy For me, this galaxy basically has to come in somewhere in the middle. It’s an interesting place, and I like that it makes an appearance in Mario Galaxy’s 100% cutscene, but there’s not much else going for it. It’s really just the galaxy that introduces you to the basic concepts of the game, like gravity and black holes and spinning. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602031961890-QPREPSWGD4QYJDK5YCHA/robotreactor.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 22: Bowser Jr.’s Robot Reactor This galaxy is a lot of fun for me, but not necessarily for the reasons you’d think. There’s a glitch that allows you to access the Megaleg planet without using a launch star, and then you can climb all over Megaleg without it activating. I mean, it’s still a fun boss fight, it’s just that I have more fun doing other things here. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602032238468-DJET5G4H7OLJ6GUFWHN9/ghostly.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 21: Ghostly Galaxy For me, a lot of the quality of Ghostly Galaxy derives from the quality of the Bouldergeist fight. The other levels in this galaxy are definitely fun, and you get to meet Luigi and all, but it’s nothing compared to this boss fight. And fun fact I just saw: the first four notes in Ghostly Galaxy’s music, that repeat throughout the level, are D-E-A-D. That’s really cool. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602032409501-MECYE002LWQQO9AQRLVW/beachbowl.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 20: Beach Bowl Galaxy This galaxy always comes as a relaxing surprise to me. Just when the levels are starting to get more difficult, there’s this wonderful little water planet full of penguins to explore. Even though the second mission is absolutely pitiful in terms of content, other missions like the Cyclone Stone and Purple Coins make up for it. This might be my ideal Super Mario Galaxy vacation destination. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602032641952-T8KXCR0SFJKKC0AC6ZTO/toytime.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 19: Toy Time Galaxy This is another one of those galaxies that everyone seems to love, and I just don’t get it. Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser isn’t that great of a mission. The Spring Mushroom is okay, but not fantastic. Truly, this galaxy’s stand-out mission is Luigi’s Purple Coins. Maybe that’s why it appears as a galaxy of its own in Galaxy 2. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602032833082-J8FU35FRRXXCDWYCU5UI/sandspiral.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 18: Sand Spiral Galaxy This galaxy is an absolute blast to play through, but it ends so soon! I would have loved to see an entire set of missions based around navigating using one of two available power-ups. This level is all about “Bee vs. Boo”, but what about Fire or Ice? Spring or Bee? Flight or invincibility? And really, this picture doesn’t get across how beautiful the moon at the end of the level is. So. Glowy. Absolutely a top 10 galaxy…if only it were longer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602033127393-9ZFM8RR06XDYIQ0U3UKO/dustydune.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 17: Dusty Dune Galaxy I’ve been conflicted for a while on where to put this galaxy. If you ask me what I think about Dusty Dune, I would initially say that I don’t like it at all, but that’s not really true. I don’t like Dusty Dune Galaxy when I’m actively thinking about it. But when I get into the missions, and stop thinking about the fact that I hate this galaxy, it turns out I have a pretty good time! But then my mind wanders and I remember I’m in Dusty Dune Galaxy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602033334220-27VF5O4EGLXLRXLUGG8I/deepdark.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 16: Deep Dark Galaxy It’s always an exciting feeling to be making progress in your game, and Deep Dark Galaxy is great for that feeling. It’s the first galaxy in the final dome in the game, and it definitely feels like it. With missions like Ghost Ship Daredevil Run and Plunder the Purple Coins, this is always an exciting, challenging galaxy to dig into. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602033455725-MHF49819KJWAB9VMGGBP/flipswitch.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 15: Flipswitch Galaxy You know those “oddly satisfying” videos all over YouTube? Yeah, this is like one of those, but in video game form. Yes, I know it’s only one planet. Yes, I know it’s way too short of a level. I don’t care. I love this. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602033813732-D8XYMNTX02KHPYWDYBTS/galaxyreactor.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 14: Bowser’s Galaxy Reactor The final boss level! Some people would want this to be higher on the list, but it’s not that amazing. Looking back on it, it would have been really cool if each planet in this galaxy represented a previous Bowser/Bowser Jr. stage, but I don’t mind too much. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602033997244-B26TJDPWUA6OZCK50DY1/goodegg.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 13: Good Egg Galaxy As the first main galaxy in the game, Good Egg has to be a real hit of a level, and it absolutely is. Dino Piranha is fun, King Kaliente is fun, the purple coins are fun! It’s a fun place. But there's more fun to be had in the galaxies coming up. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602034998561-10T5H1IA8YHVJN9EQTEF/spacejunk.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 12: Space Junk Galaxy Space Junk is widely praised for being Super Mario Galaxy’s most chill location, and I definitely agree with that. But other than a nice atmosphere and unique music, I’m not sure there’s a whole lot going for it. Space Junk isn’t your average Super Mario Galaxy level, but it is your standard level that’s just pretty good and gets the job done. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602035269590-4SHCUDKHKLSWYDC0VBU4/bubblebreeze.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 11: Bubble Breeze Galaxy Well this shouldn’t be a controversial pick… A lot of people claim that they don’t like bubble levels because they’re difficult to control. I just don’t understand where that comes from. Personally, I’ve never had a single issue with navigating these levels — not when I played it on Wii and not when I played it on Switch. This would be much higher if there weren’t a skip you could do to avoid half of the entire galaxy. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602035552516-Z719WZWY5GQZDEE04R2B/gustygarden.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 10: Gusty Garden Galaxy Again, a galaxy that would rank high in a music ranking, but that’s not what I’m doing. And actually, I prefer the Major Burrows boss fight music to the main theme of this galaxy. It’s a very well planned-out and executed galaxy, which explains why it gets referenced so heavily in future games. But it’s not the best galaxy in the game, and not even the best in its dome. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602035788495-BG0Z3NR908VKQMA60U7H/slingpod.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 9: Sling Pod Galaxy In a lot of these descriptions, I advocate for a smaller galaxy to get lumped into a bigger one. I’m going to change that up here — Space Junk Galaxy needs to get shoved into this stage. Sling Pod Galaxy is more fun to play than a lot of Space Junk’s missions. It’s also fantastic for gathering Star Bits. It’s just better in every way, even despite its lack of missions. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602035989777-0T9ANFY40PH598OHRAPH/hurry-scurry.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 8: Hurry-Scurry Galaxy I will fight you. There’s something very satisfying to me about going to this galaxy and trying to destroy every last shrinking platform before collecting the star. You run around, and long jump, and get to play on this really fun planet! It’s highly satisfying to do, and I will defend it to my final breath. This is a good level. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602036144314-KAMA2PBME737N3UGQRX5/bubbleblast.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 7: Bubble Blast Galaxy This is just another wonderful bubble stage, what can I say? It’s a bit more challenging than Bubble Breeze, which is nice, and there’s no major sequence break, which is also nice. I love the idea of assembling a launch star by beating five different, smaller challenges. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602036370706-Z2DR75M1L8D76EF57947/grandfinale.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 6: Grand Finale Galaxy I’m absolutely shocked that anyone would rank this anywhere close to the bottom of the list. There are people who say things like “this has a lot of wasted potential", but clearly they’ve never collected all the game’s 242 possible stars. This galaxy is a fantastic example of a satisfying payoff for 100%ing a game. If you’ve never gotten here by yourself, you can’t know the immense satisfaction of returning to the Star Festival and getting that final star. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602036656914-MCWTE5NBBGB16OR2XZ6I/goldleaf.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 5: Gold Leaf Galaxy A lot of peoples’ main complaint with this galaxy it that it’s a rip-off of Honeyhive Galaxy. I disagree. I mean, have you even looked at this place? It has such unique missions. That’s not to mention that you get to work with Bee Mario or Luigi, and the presence of cataquacks, one of the cutest creatures this game has to offer. You might call it repetitive, but this is an experience I’d be happy to have any day of the week. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602036872301-BANM1N99QHBOD6PYR45E/seaslide.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 4: Sea Slide Galaxy This level is one of my absolute favorites for the same reason some people hate it — it’s very spread-out and can be slow to navigate. I don’t see those as issues at all! This galaxy’s purple coin mission is quite relaxing, since you just get to hang out and walk around and collect coins. And I shouldn’t forget to mention that Sea Slide contains a replica of Hurry-Scurry Galaxy’s planet, which instantly makes it a classic to me. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602037140704-Z6VFT1MW12OJRPFYY659/meltymolten.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 3: Melty Molten Galaxy If you’re looking for a challenge, Melty Molten Galaxy is your go-to option. Of course, I have to mention the highly stressful Lava Spire Daredevil Run. But that’s not all…you can get stressed out by Fiery Dino Piranha, the purple coin mission, or even just fighting the standard Li’l Cinders that seem to be everywhere in this galaxy. It’s a high-risk galaxy with some very satisfying stars, if you can take the heat and beat the mission. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602037347608-CFG557SJPMHF2T27ML8I/honeyhive.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 2: Honeyhive Galaxy Well, Gold Leaf Galaxy was number five, so it probably makes sense to see this here. How can you outrank the OG? This level introduces the Bee Mushroom and the Queen Bee, two iconic bee-related things from this game. And I’m not considering music, but still — this music is absolutely amazing, especially the version of it when you fight Bugaboom. And then there’s the part where you get to knock Luigi out of a tree…basically, it’s all legendary. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1602037643932-GNF0O9NWGWHUUTXHBHXM/freezeflame.jpg blog - Ranking Every Galaxy in Super Mario Galaxy - 1: Freezeflame Galaxy This is Super Mario Galaxy’s best galaxy, no questions asked. Not only is a fantastic example of the fire/ice level that appears throughout the Mario series, it’s has some of the best missions in the entire game. Some people would get annoyed by having to climb the mountain or collect the purple coins, but I’m certainly not. This is always a serene, calm experience, and it feels so good to get those final few coins, especially if you do things perfectly and jump off the peak for those last two. Who wouldn’t be in love with this level? https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/communicating-well monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1601833100363-5W51K0ZLGEOMW4GCW3EC/image-asset.png blog - Communicating Well https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1601833674117-6RIVNBK4P8PBQAACMFOF/Screenshot+2020-10-04+134726.png blog - Communicating Well https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/historical-marker monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1600873220501-GK1ZJX157ONP8NOIZ8ZY/aerial+view.png blog - Redeeming the Saddest Historical Marker https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/it-narrative monthly 0.5 2020-09-09 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/favorite-color monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1599610515125-3C84EZ9P2C74DYX0U4TP/black.png blog - My Favorite Color https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1599610603423-JA888Z449I5Y6YDM2GYL/eigengrau.png blog - My Favorite Color https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/colors-of-noise monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030099755-D49B2EFYF34OU6Q541K4/whitenoise blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030295807-DSF5MZ0VNZ0FPLGGJ4YY/Pink_noise_spectrum.jpg blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030322874-ARDLRMHQMU0ENGSKNDCP/image-asset.jpeg blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030339857-8IS6844KA609MP20MAOP/Blue_noise_spectrum.jpg blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030381879-ZIL1X5XY19BD6MAK2MNU/Violet_noise_spectrum.jpg blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1598030405572-2MQR8D83KJLDZJ4S8FO9/Gray_noise_spectrum.jpg blog - All the Colors of Noise, Explained https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/gatsby monthly 0.5 2020-10-06 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/grammys monthly 0.5 2020-07-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1580100865149-BHBXBJDOGKO7M7E2GOWI/chris.jpg blog - The Curse of the General Field Sweep https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1580101594445-OLZ51LHP7EN6UM8T3I7B/billie.jpg blog - The Curse of the General Field Sweep https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/covers monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/baseball monthly 0.5 2019-11-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1573443238528-FPO2ZQ1C1GPBH2NZZMEK/mendoza.jpg blog - Setting the Bar for Mediocrity https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/verite monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/performance-cuisine monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/seven-wonders monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570467048665-YLUCR5NDGPGP4F3W1ZXF/stonehenge.jpg blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Stonehenge age: roughly 5,000 years location: Wiltshire, England note: A classic, yes, but not represented on the original list. If you’re looking for ancient superstructures that people shouldn’t have been able to build given their circumstances, it’s tough to overlook the OG. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570629802481-AYPHMH1UB6AYFA902ASV/Saint+Sophia%27s+Cathedral.jpg blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Saint Sophia’s Cathedral age: about 1,000 years location: Kiev, Ukraine note: It’s a bit surprising that we still have this building today: it survived decades of Russian and USSR politics, wars, and revolutions relatively unscathed. It was originally based on the Hagia Sophia, but it’s taken on a life of its own as a symbol of Ukraine and its Christian tradition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570630598525-NI6RR82SJ0MG84ZI8M85/Nazca+Lines+-+Pelican.jpg blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Nazca Lines age: 1,500-2,500 years location: Nazca Desert, Peru note: You’re looking at the Pelican, one of about 80 depictions of animals. Beyond that, there are about 1000 other lines and geometric shapes carved into the land. They’re best enjoyed from the air above, so spare a thought for the ancient people who painstakingly built them from the ground. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570631241586-0L6QDFFFPXHJ0GVZTN9S/Poverty_Point_Aerial_HRoe_2014.jpg blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Poverty Point age: 3,200-3,800 years location: West Carroll Parish, Louisiana, USA note: This artist’s depiction shows how Poverty Point may have looked at its peak. It is an earthworks, meaning that dirt was manually transported to construct large hills, crevices, and dams. The tallest of the six hills constructed is 72 feet (22 meters) tall! It is unclear what the Poverty Point site was used for, although historians suspect a long-term community, religious, or astronomical purposes. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570632341874-01R3AGILKEOUAZDDH9EZ/Mont-Saint+Michel blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Mont-Saint-Michel age: about 1,500 years location: Normandy, France note: Mont-Saint-Michel is located on a tidal island off the northern coast of France. During low tide, it’s a peninsula jutting out into the water, but during high tide, water rises and makes it a true island. There are actually hotels you can stay at inside the building! They’re probably prohibitively expensive, admittedly, but it’s worth visiting just for its magnificent architecture. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570637748404-9M1948ZLD26KKCMA5KCJ/Nan+Madol.jpg blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Nan Madol age: roughly 1800 years location: Temwen Island, Federated States of Micronesia note: Nan Madol was a city / temple complex constructed on an island in the Pacific Ocean. Very little is known about the history of the city, leading to a number of conspiracy theories and popular imaginings of the island’s past. According to some, the city was constructed by twin sorcerers. The island is also cited as a modern-day Atlantis, a portion of a lost continent, or a highly advanced civilization wiped out in dramatic fashion. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570640304497-4H796RVQDHKS13LR67F1/Costa+Rican+stone+spheres blog - The Seven Wonders of the World Suck. What Can We Do About It? - Stone spheres of Costa Rica age: about 1,500 years location: Palmar Sur, Costa Rica note: There are roughly 300 large stone spheres littered around Palmar Sur. The largest of them are over 6 feet in diameter. Originally, more were created, but some European colonialists blew the spheres up, thinking they had gold inside them. The culture of the people who made them was ultimately destroyed by European arrival. We're not quite sure what they were ever created or used for, but I like to imagine the biggest, most dangerous bowling match in ancient history. https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/tetris monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/levitating-frogs monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1551630356310-58XLAOJS3PM8AT0LUCVR/Andre+Geim.jpg blog - Levitating Frogs and Two-Dimensional Crystals Royal Society - royalsociety.org/people/andre-geim-11484/ https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1551630727948-WOK2CTVZ8Z8HDX6NKNTJ/graphene.jpg blog - Levitating Frogs and Two-Dimensional Crystals AlexanderAlUS - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Graphen.jpg https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/town-hall monthly 0.5 2022-03-30 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/politics monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/creative+commons monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/copyright monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/color monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/tourism monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/movies monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/literature monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/dinosaurs monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/music monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/games monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/audio monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/rhetoric monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/communication monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/law monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/sports monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/television monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/secret+magic monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/google monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/history monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/technology monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/memes monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/food monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/books monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/for+your+consideration monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/science monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/category/ranking monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/blog/tag/science monthly 0.5 https://www.jacobthrall.com/home daily 1.0 2020-08-11 https://www.jacobthrall.com/about daily 0.75 2022-06-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5c6df0c17eb88c7371d7beaa/1570456530377-MFHG21WFOE0G0VJT78CH/jacob about This photo is from, like, 2019. 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