Super Mario Galaxy Star Guide
Part 3 of our spectacular guide to all 120 stars.
Sea Slide Galaxy
Star #1
Going After Guppy
A simple swimming challenge. Talk to the big ugly killer whale and he'll challenge you to swim through eight rings. That's right - you don't have to beat him, just complete the course. Grab a red shell to speed things up, and watch out for obstacles, but this star is more of a formality than anything.
Star #2
Faster Than A Speeding Penguin
Another underwater challenge, although this time there is a race. Beat the penguins around the course, and the star is yours. It's the same course as Going After Guppy - though you have to go a little bit further to the finish line - so just grab a red shell, avoid the hazards and take advantage of some yellow rings near the end for a speed boost.
Star #3
The Silver Stars Of Sea Slide
This is a fairly straight forward romp around the scenery, collecting the five silver stars needed to make the power star. Start off by grabbing the Bee Mario power up from the island, then use the top of the palm tree to fly over to the stone archway for the first silver star. Fly from the next palm tree to dry land, then use the cannon to launch yourself at the Toad's spaceship. The pull stars will allow you get the second silver star. Head back to the shoreline and follow the palm trees to the tower - the third star is along the way. Launch to the next island and fly to the big tree for the fourth star then drop down and spin the valve to shift some of that water. Drop into the middle of the planet to get the final silver star. Your power star, helpful as always, sods off back to where you started.
BONUS: Hurry, He's Hungry
Fatten up the hungry Luma on the stone platform with 40 star bits, and they'll provide you with a real challenge. It's another collapsing platform stage, with musical notes on each and every panel. You need to pick them all up to get the star. There's no definitive way of doing this - just keep moving, and think one step ahead so you don't cut yourself off or leave notes out of reach. Pull it off and you've more than earned that power star.
Toy Time Galaxy
Star #1
Heavy Metal Mecha-Bowser
Welcome to one of the most fantastically entertaining sections of the game. Jump on the train and let it take you to the first launch star. You'll land on a series of colourful blocks. The purple sections have sticky gravity, enabling you to walk up vertical surfaces, but also putting you in danger of falling to your doom. Follow the course around until you find the launch star stuck behind a blue cage. You need to long jump (run, hold down Z, then A) over to the purple section to the right, spin the yellow screw to open the cage then long jump back into the launch star. Now, remember back in part one when I said Bee Mario was just about the best thing ever. I only said that to catch you off guard with the genius of...Spring Mario. Pick up this marvellous power-up, and turn Mario into a demented zebedee. Use the spring to make short work of the conveyor belts, and avoid the lasers. Launch over to the plate, and spring jump to the top of the bottle. Stomp your way in, then launch out to Mecha Bowser himself. Run up the leg on your left, using the green floor which has the same effect as the purple, spin the screw then jump in the pipe. You'll emerge on the other leg, so spin that screw as well. Launch onto the torso and unscrew the panel. Drop down and enter the green pipe, which takes you up to his arm. Clamber up his arm, watching out for bats, and unscrew his shoulder. Quickly catch this launch star and it takes you up to his head. Grab the Spring Mario power up again, and bounce down the green grill, watching out for that Magikoopa and the fireballs from the cannon. Bounce onto his nose, avoid the laser, and bounce again up to the top of his head. Now just spring jump and stomp that stack of rocks to destroy Mecha Bowser and earn the star.
Star #2
Mario Meets Mario
Jump aboard the train again, and this time the launch star is to your left. This will send you to a giant screw-like planet covered in electrical fields and lasers. You need to grab the five star pieces - one is right where you land, one is over a spring-plunger further up, another is trapped inside a crystal, one is on top of a blue screw, which you need to spin, and the last one is right on the tip. Now launch over to a giant effigy of NES era Mario. Don't get too nostalgic - it's an absolute bastard, since it's made up of disappearing green panels and rotating yellow ones. In other words, you can't stand still and must grab the five silver star pieces without leaving yourself with nowhere to go. The less green panels you touch, the better, since that leaves you more room to manoeuvre on the way back.
BONUS: The Flipswitch Chain
You can't miss the hungry Luma on the giant screw during Mario Meets Mario. Feed it 50 star bits and it'll create a new planet. It's made entirely of flipswitches, and arranged in pillars. As you can guess, you need to flip them all to get the star. Just be methodical, and clear each section before moving to the next.
Star #3
Bouncing Down Cake Lane
Mmm. Tasty. Launch from the train track to the first cake and use Spring Mario to navigate the tall walls and conveyor belts. You'll reach a huge rotating orange cake, with deadly gaps. Make your way past those, super spring over the forks and hit the next launch star. Climb to the top of the ice cream and make your way across the poles to the lollipops. Watch out for the shockwaves, and jump clear onto the frozen platform when it comes around. Keep making your way across ice and lollipops until you reach a pole. This takes you to a cannon, so fire yourself at those pull stars and use them to reach the next launch star. Make your way up the final cake, and blow out all the candles with a spin. This triggers the boss battle - another crazy mole gunner. Your tactics are even more simple this time. Grab the Spring Mario and use it to stomp the gunner three times.