16 Years Ago, Nintendo Released One of the Greatest Video Game Sequels in History

Nintendo's catalog of stellar video game series is almost daunting. From mega stars like Mario and Zelda, to more niche offerings like Fire Emblem and Metroid, there seems to be something for all ages and tastes in Nintendo's library, and one of Nintendo's greatest sequels is now 16-years-old.

Today, May 23, 2026, marks the 16th anniversary of the North American release of Super Mario Galaxy 2, a game whose legacy would be felt ever since, especially with the recently released Super Mario Galaxy film.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 was released on the Wii as a direct sequel to the first game and kept the core creative design elements of the original game, but sought to refine the experience even further with just a few new mechanics that elevated the game above its predecessor. Mario's second outing into space saw the gaming icon blast between unique planets, leap around zero gravity rings, and finally ride Yoshi.

According to Metacritic, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is sitting at an impressive 97 metascore, making it the fifth-highest rated video game of all time on the site, tying with the original Super Mario Galaxy and the more recent yet equally beloved The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Critics praised the game's creative levels, art style, charm, platforming mechanics, abundance of content, and its improvement over the original game. Most reviews also highlighted how virtually every level was different and consistently added engaging mechanics throughout its whole runtime.

The two Mario Galaxy games would go on to serve as the loose inspiration for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, and while the film would go on to make almost $1 billion at the box office, the critical and fan reception to the film was much more divided than the original film.

Since its release, Super Mario Galaxy 2 has appeared on several media outlets' "best video game sequels of all time" lists. IGN ranked it as the 20th best sequel of all time.

The next mainline 3D Mario game is rumored to be in development at Nintendo and is allegedly targeting a 2027 release, according to a recent unconfirmed leak.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 23, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 10:01 PM.