Super Mario Galaxy Speedruns FAQ
-- Main Category Descriptions -- 
Any% collects 60 stars to unlock the third and final Bowser level, then complete the Bowser 3 level for a 61st star. Timing begins when you press "start game" from the select file menu, and timing ends when you touch the Grand Star at the end of Bowser 3. 

120 stars completes all 120 available stars in the game as a single character, then defeats Bowser 3 a second time. Timing start and ends the same as Any%.

242 stars completes 120 stars (including the second Bowser 3) for Mario, then Luigi, then completes "The Grand Finale" for both characters. Timing ends when you touch the star at the end of the final level.

-- Not category-specific --
What console are you running on?
WiiU Virtual Console running Wii JPN available through Homebrew. Vs other available consoles:
- vs Wii (general): WiiU has faster loading sequence
- vs ENG: Less text
- vs Switch (3D All Stars): while Switch has even faster loads than WiiU VC, the joycons make movement incredibly inconsistent to deal with.

What are the differences between using Luigi and Mario?
+/- refers to helpful/harmful changes (respectively) from Mario mechanics/speedrun
+ Luigi long jumps further; he also backflips, triple jumps, and sideflips higher than Mario
+ There is also a 5 minute long cutscene at the beginning of each Mario run that selecting Luigi as your character skips
- Boo Mario moves faster than Boo Luigi
- Luigi has lower friction (slidier) than Mario
- Luigi's air decreases with every submerged spin (i.e., while swimming underwater) whereas Mario doesn't.
In addition, spins using Nunchuck shake allow Luigi to go slightly higher than spins using the Wiimote, and the opposite is true for Mario.

What is 2P mode, and how does it work?
2P takes advantage of 2-player mode in SMG, where you use two Wiimotes instead of just one. This allows you to collect star bits more easily and temporarily freeze/sun enemies on screen; however, the most significant change is the "2P jump ability". 2P jumps can be achieved by pointing at Luigi/Mario and pressing A on the 2P Wiimote after starting a homing ground pound (a 6 frame window to press 'Z' after shaking to spin). These 2P jumps allow the character to jump much higher than normal, allowing for more consistent mechanics, better setups, and even complete jumps not possible in 1P mode.
Many 2p runners have the 2 Wiimotes taped or velcro'd together.

Why are you switching between galaxies to complete stars?
To align our progress with certain "comet cycles". Many galaxies have special "comet" levels that are usually a version of a previous level with some difficulty or context twist. However, these comets only appear under certain conditions. Switching between galaxies essentially manipulates these comets to appear at optimal times during the run.