Super Mario and the Flat Earth Society
I once said that I wanted my Miyamoto back. Nowadays... I just wish he'd go into retirement, because the man has lost his touch.
I was somewhat disappointed with Super Mario Galaxy. It had great promise, but the actual implementation was sprinkled with all sorts of bad design decisions and it would be better off if some of its content were cut (a sadly recurring trend). In the end, though, I enjoyed its spacefaring theme, its excellent soundtrack, and its exploration of the Marioverse's mythology/cosmology.
I was surprised to discover that these traits were present despite Miyamoto's protests, and not because of his contribution. I was displeased to discover that he got his way in the end, which explains why Super Mario Galaxy 2 is a shadow of its predecessor.
As if Galaxy were a shameful mistake that should be forgotten, Galaxy 2 opens up with a retcon: The first game's Star Festival never happened (or it's happening again, which would imply that 100 years have passed), Bowser shows up, and Mario is catapulted into space with absolutely no explanation given. Now, I'm not clamoring for deep plotlines in a freakin' Mario game, but the Mushroom Kingdom has existed as a fictional setting for almost thirty years now. Seeing little nods of continuity between the games is fun, while the utter stagnation that Mario's creator advocates is frustrating.
When I said "catapulted into space," by the way, I actually meant "catapulted into Super Mario 64's sky levels." There is very little space to be seen in a game that is ostensibly about galactic exploration. Galaxy's bizarre planetary shapes (and resulting twists in gravity) are gone, replaced by... a bunch of platforms in the sky. There are some planets with actual gravitational fields, but they are the exception rather than the norm. Most of the time, the floor is just a floor -- and there is no way to know whether it's a platform or a planet unless you push Mario off of it. If he lands on the other side, you just found a new area to explore! If he plummets into the void below, you just wasted a 1-up.
Why, Nintendo? What's the point of developing such a great physics engine if you're not going to use it? I find it indicative that, in Galaxy 2, the very first planet Mario lands on is shaped like an ellipsoid, but has a tall fence around its equator that prevents him from circumnavigating it. "I know what you're thinking," it says, "and you shouldn't try it. That's not how things work in this game."
...At least the soundtrack is still excellent.