Super Mario Sunshine
Reviewed by JPeeples
Gamers across the world waited with baited breath for
six long years in anticipation for the next true
Mario game. Super Mario 64 showed that Mario could
survive the transition to the third dimension, and we
all wanted MORE. However, that was not to be. We all
saw him take a supporting role in games like Mario
Tennis and Mario Golf, but we wanted him in something
along the lines of a platform game. After seeing him
in great games across tons of genres, we all wanted
to see him return to his plat forming game duties.
Sure he's a good golfer, and a nice tennis player,
but the lack of jumping on baddies had the gaming
world in a tizzy. We all wanted him in a platforming
game, and now, our prayers have been answered,
GameCube style. Mario and company go to take a
vacation, but find out that their little island
retreat (known as Isle Delfino) has been recently
sullied with graffiti from a guy that more, or less,
fits Mario's description. Now I find it amazing that
the ONE island they want to go to has a witch hunt
out for anything remotely resembling Mario, but I
digress. That guy just doesn't have lady luck on his
side, poor fella. This Mario-ish dude has been
putting all kinds of goop on everything, causing the
Shines to leave (Shines are the island's source of
sunlight, so you can imagine that they would REALLY
like to get those bad boys back ASAP.) Without the
Shines, the island is in dire peril, yadda, yadda,
yadda. It is your job to clear your name, destroy a
whole slew of nogoodnicks, and clean the island up,
while at the same time collecting the many Shines
that have been shrewn about the game.
The gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine most resembles
that of Super Mario 64, with a couple of exceptions.
First off, Mario has a cool, versatile water pack
called FLUDD which he can use to do any number of
tasks. This one tool can kill baddies, bring flowers
back to life, clean gunk off of townsfolk, and help
you get across seemingly impossible jumps. That's one
versatile water pack right there. However, with this
water pack comes great responsibility. You only have
so much to use in this bad boy, and if you run out,
you need to either get an ever-so-convenient water
bottle, or find some body of water to dive into, in
order to replenish your H2O supply. If you find
yourself without water, you can still jump on baddies
to beat them if worse comes to ware. However, the
punching abilities that Mario gained in Mario 64 have
gone by the wayside in this game, giving you one less
offensive attack strategy in the game. All that
tennis and golf must have given Mario some Carpal
Tunnel Syndrome. He just can't catch a breakÉ
As you go through Isle Delfino, you will meet all
sorts of bad dudes, brother. You will see a few old
baddies, tons of new baddies, and that really bad
dude who sent Mario up the river. Now when you see
the Imposta-Mario, you'll wonder just how the
citizens of Delfino could have gotten confused, I
mean really now, the evil dude is BLUE and looks to
be made of water, and is carrying a paintbrush.
ReallyÉ How on Earth they could confuse a guy in red
overalls to a mass of liquid is beyond me, but
considering Mario's pot luck, I guess I shouldn't be
too surprised.
Progression in the game is accomplished by beating
episode after episode of gaming goodness, all the
while doing some sort of good deed to get a Shine.
Getting red coins, getting lots of golden coins, and
of course, meeting the set goal for each episode will
net you a Shine. Get as many of these as possible to
NOT have the townspeople want your head on a stake.
Throughout this episodic madness, you will be treated
to some classic Mario gameplay thanks to short levels
in which Imposta-Mario takes your water pack, and
leaves you to rely on GASP, YOUR GAMING SKILLS to
survive. That brute! How dare he expect players to
use skill in a Mario game!
The boss battles in this game take on an epic scale
not seen since the days of 2D Mario. Now I might be
in the minority here, but I don't consider a big ball
and chain (thank you Mario 64) to be all that
imposing a foe, wow, it's big, and it's got a chain.
At least with Bowser you could always count on him
throwing axes at you, or attacking you in a scary
smiley face craft of DOOM. Thankfully, Nintendo
realized that the boss battles needed to be spruced
up a wee bit of a lot, and they did a great job with
it. Now, you will go toe to toe with an overgrown
version of the CLASSIC PIRHANA PLANT OF EXTREME PAIN,
and you will LIKE IT! Also, expect to make use of
Mario's grabbing abilities that came in ever-so-handy
in Mario 64. Now, they'll be used to rip off the arms
of EVIL OCTUPI! Tearing off limbs? In a video game?
Man, that makes Mario Sunshine the most violent game
EVER! AnywaysÉ The boss battles also give the player
a sense of tension not seen since the days of old.
You've got pulse-pounding music blaring, that speeds
up to match the tempo of the fight, and a BIG, HUGE
FOE in front of you just waiting to be killed. That
my friends, is a boss battle.
Controlling everyone's favorite plumber has never
been easier. The GameCube's controller was seemingly
made for the game; hell, it probably was. The
controls are as responsive as humanly possible, and
the 3D control stick thing makes controlling Mario a
breeze. It's never been easier to move him from Point
A to Point B, and I for one, couldn't be happier.
Using FLUDD will become second nature once you get
used to the mechanics of the device. After a few
minutes of practice, you will be blasting away
baddies with water like John Wayne in a western. The
slick controls that Mario games have always featured
relatively simple control schemes that allowed you to
do quite a bit within the limiations of the
controller. Even the newest Mario games feature this
idea, albiet, in a more limited capacity. Nothing is
mapped to more than three button presses, and that
kind of simplicity can really help get a player into
a game. This feature really helps to show that
nothing is out of reach, gameplay-wise in a Mario game.
The graphics in the game are truly some of the most
breathtaking in gaming history. The entire game is
bathed in a wide array of tropical colors. This use
of one basic color scheme helps give the game an
identity all it's own. While the other Mario games
features the same basic look, only with a palette
swap, this game gives each and every world a look all
it's own. Effectively, giving each world it's own
personality. The bright colors help accent the lush
textures that are used to coat each and every little
thing in this game with details. Things such as the
puddles left by water after using the FLUDD, and the
refined textures on the many structures throughout
Isle Delfino add quite a bit to the overall look of
the game. The graphics maintain the "less is more"
philosophy that has been prevalent since the
inception of the Mario series. Although, it's to a
lesser extent in this game. The Mario games have
never really relied on little graphical tricks to
look impressive. They have always focused on the
principle graphic elements. Nice looking characters,
nice looking environments, etc. I believe it is this
philosophy that has enabled the Mario games to always
look good no matter how much they age. Because they
don't rely on "flash in the pan" graphical
techniques to reel you into the visuals, they have
more substance to them.
The bright color scheme in the Mario games also helps
to enhance the fantasy-esque feel of the series. The
bright scheme can't help but put a smile on the face
of all who play it. After all, how can you NOT enjoy
a game that's all happy and cheery and such?
The sound in the game, much like the graphics, has
been refined to the point of near-perfection. As per
usual, Nintendo included some classic Mario tunes to
enhance the "classic" vibe to the game. They also
put in some classic sound effects to enhance this
vibe. I feel that the new tunes retain the qualities
that made the classic ones so memorable. Like the
classic music, some of the newer stuff is catchy,
it's stuff you can hum easily, and it's stuff that
sticks with you long after you've played the game.
The sound effects for Mario games have always had
their roots about as far removed from reality as
possible, and this game continues that grand
tradition. When you are playing a Mario game, you're
looking for some escapism, and the sound effects help
you out in this respect. However, not all is well
with the sound in this game. Nintendo has seen fit to
give the main characters in the game voices for the
first time ever. Now, this could be a great thing in
theory. Finally giving a voice to the most
recognizable gaming character of all time.
Unfortunately, things don't quite work out as well in
execution as they seem in theory. Part of the fun in
the Mario games has been using your imagination to
voice the characters. Mario is an everyman, while
Peach is the damsel in distress. Letting the player
come up with voices for the characters gives them yet
another reason to love the Mario games. Too bad the
voice acting takes away that need for imagination.
Mario sounds a bit too much like a doofus; while
Princess Peach (Toadstool in the older Mario games)
sounds like a complete ditz. And FLUDD sounds like a
hydraulic version of HAL, which is really freaky if
you think about it for a second or two. Considering
the pristine level of everything else in the game, it
really is a shame that the voice acting couldn't be
up to par. Placing voices on Mario characters is the
modern-day equivalent of putting voices in Charlie
Chaplin flicks, you can do it, but since it would
take away something that makes the source material so
endearing, why would you want to? The voice acting
really strips some of the player's imagination away.
All in all though, the sound is great. If it wasn't
for the voice acting, they'd be about as perfect as could be.
Super Mario Sunshine is one game that you will be
playing for years to come. The fun, addictive
gameplay will keep you hooked on your first time
playing through the game. While the Shine collecting,
and many subtleties of the gameplay will keep you
playing long after you beat the game.
If you are looking for a game that will provide you
with countless hours of enjoyment, then look no
further than Super Mario Sunshine. It combines
classic Mario gameplay with flawless control. Toss in
the stunning graphics, and you have yourself a game
that begs to be played. The only black eye on the
whole thing is the horrendous voice acting.
Thankfully, the pros outweigh the cons a million to
one, making this game a must-have.
Overall: 9 out of 10