242 Stars First Run: 29:04:50
I felt kinda bad about leaving this thread I created out there hangin' before going, especially since this is such an awesome game, so let's SPOILERS one more time shall we?
Ending
[spoiler]Classic Bowser battle. The meteors even leave shockwaves, and then he also wheels out his fire breath, holy cow. Then, just when you think it's over, he CRASHES THROUGH THE FLOOR and EATS the Grand Star! And then in true SMW2 fashion, is huge and in the background, while you have to hurl more Glorious Golden Meteors at him.
You beat him, he laments over the huge slice of cake he never got (lol), and accepts his beating. The Grand Star rescues Peach, and you can mess with her before grabbing it alongside Peach and Luma. There are Star Bits on the underside of that planetoid, BTW.
You return to Starship Mario, Rosalina comes and picks up her Luma from Mario Daycare...and leaves with his hat?! Wait, wait a minute!!!
Everyone returns home, cue the ending. Oh, and Bowser's okay, but he knows how Small/Regular Mario feels now, shall we say.
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Post-Game and Post-120 Stars
[spoiler]Yea, Special World! And Rainbow Road FINALLY makes its platforming appearance as a Roll-A-Ball stage! That alone is worth the price of admission!
Then we see the trail of Rosalina's Comet Observatory; it's normally blue, but after 120 Stars, it's green! We find Luma returning to Mama's Library and putting on Mario's cap for a story about the Green Stars...
Ah, but it doesn't end there, THEN you find the Green Stars which are hidden in SM64 ways throughout each galaxy. Then after you run the
LandmasterGrandmaster Galaxy once, collect 9999 Star Bits, and then you'll have to do a DAREDEVIL RUN. OMFG, I spent 45 lives and 1-2 hours on that Star!
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Post-The Perfect Run
[spoiler]But it's worth it, because after the 3 Boomerang Bros., a Launch Star will appear, shooting you to the Princess of the Stars herself! Talk to her, and grab the Star. Or, if you're Boss (like I did), backflip up and over the house, grab the 1-Up, and THEN grab the Star. Risky? You bet your sweet tail! But hey, you're Boss, right? You won't fall off and have to do it all over again. ...not that you couldn't anyway.
Rosalina doesn't grab the Star alongside you ala Peach in the ending, but she joins everyone on Starship Mario! Totally worth the frustration (but that's because I'm a fan of the character, admittedly)![/spoiler]
Can't wait to see what they've got up their sleeves next.
Anyway, want help on some specific Stars, just hit up a certain popular imageboard and I'll be there (although I'll have a Mario-esque coat of paint
).