Super Mario Sunshine (Video Game 2002) Poster

(2002 Video Game)

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7/10
Very summery game.
SMS is definitely a gorgeous game to look at and a perfect game to get you in a summertime mood. The perfect blue skies, glorious sunshine and beautiful water effects make you just want to pass through the screen and into the Isle of Delfino in the game itself. Mario vacations in this sunny resort only to find it's covered in pollution when he arrives. So now it's up to him to clean it up across the various levels and worlds.

It's one of those games that you can just keep on playing over the years and even put aside for a while before going back to it. It doesn't really have the same charm in the winter months however. The music, the graphics, the humor are all cute and colorful. It makes for perfect escapism.

However, the designers have simply tried to cram in too many controls on the Gamecube pad and, as a result, it's a very hard game to control. Many levels and missions require precision manoeuvring and can often take several minutes of painstaking balance and ascension only for it all to be undone, as Mario plummets several hundred feet, by a tiny little flaw in your button-bashing. It will seriously drive you C-R-A-Z-Y.

Had it not been for this, I would probably have stuck with SMS to the end, but I had to just be done with it once and for all, otherwise I would have chucked my Gamecube at the wall.

Graphics A Sound A Gameplay C Lasting Appeal B
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8/10
Like Some Good Time In The Sun, Without The Burn
BlackX25 October 2002
Super Mario Sunshine lives on the classic Mario, but takes it another level with even less side-scrolling than Super Mario 64, and a whole lot more sense of freedom. The boss fights are fun instead of frustrating, the levels create more and more challenge, and the controls, despite the Side Somersault, are easy to master.

Mario, Peach, and Toads head for a nice Hawaii plus Disney World vacation to Isle Delfino(watch for the inside joke on the GameCube's old working name "Dolphin") when Mario is accused for polluting the island with slimy graffiti, taking away Sunshine and the Shine Sprites, which have vanished, and making everywhere an unhealthy, dangerous, depressing-looking place. The real culprit is someone who we all know, but has dressed up to look like Mario. He repeatedly steals Princess Peach away, just like a famous relative of his. Mario must now use the new F.L.U.D.D.(Flash Liquid Ultra Dousing Device, watch for the bottom left corner of the screen when it analyzes Mario)water pumping backpack, which gameplay is based on, to defeat enemies, triumph over obstacles and solve the mystery of Who, Why and What happened? As he collects Shine Sprites from missions, Sunshine will return to the darkened island.

The music is great! I love the mysterious and remixed tunes that appears in the Shadow Mario scenes, plus the obstacle courses, though some of the sunny, bright music doesn't fit the mood even if it fits the setting.

Nintendo is starting to regain its' reputation to not have the best possible graphics, but having original gameplay that's fun and smooth.

The variety of activities that you are aloud to do it great, and the ways to collect Shine Sprites are numerous. The voices are fantastic and never boring, the graphics are as good as the many computer-generated images of Mario you see in video game magazines, and the cut-scenes are great and hilarious! I fully recommend this game, and to get a guide or a couple Nintendo Power magazines to help you out, but you should really be "Okey-Dokey!"
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9/10
A Great Mario Game!
Nintendo just keeps delivering the goods. While this may debate-ably fall slightly short of later outings like Super Mario Galaxy, this game seemed to make for bigger and better things in the 3D Mario gaming sector. Mario Sunshine came out on a system which it helped boost install-bases for: The Nintendo GameCube, which would remain Nintendo's worst-performing home-console, sitting at 22 million + units, until the Wii-U under-performed the GameCube in 2016 (13.5 million+ total). It's amazing that Mario Sunshine managed to sell over 6 million units worldwide, because this game is one of the best Mario games in the character's 32 years of history. Even an under-performing console doesn't keep quality games down from getting the attention they deserve.

This game was effectively the true successor to Mario 64, and it shares a lot of the same sound effects, jumping mechanics and feels like what would have happened if that game got polished up and thrown into a different environment to the Castle. In this case Mario is at Isle Delfino and the setting is an emphasized tropical and sunny paradise that feels like everything basically takes place at, or near the beach. The only time the beach aesthetic doesn't come into play is when you enter the areas where Shadow Mario takes your squirt nozzle away. Some of the time those levels feel like they could be outside the world of the game itself, like in the far reaches of space.

Taking everything into account, Mario Sunshine is a fine piece from Nintendo's massive gaming library. Give this one a shot; it deserves it.
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An overrated frustrating game
joshwinkler8729 May 2005
Nowhere near as good as Luigi's Mansion, the game's puzzles are so repetitive and frustrating much of the game's fun is taken away. The camera angles are nearly impossible and Mario's moves are hard to learn. Spraying off graffiti, hanging on hooks that are nearly impossible to grab onto, balancing on tightropes, talking to Delfino residents and some of them punching you all the way across the town, a bunch of new, useless moves and even the music is pretty annoying after a while. Granted, the game is not entirely bad, it never gets boring just very, very frustrating. Maybe it's just me but I think Nintendo didn't put as much effort and thought into this game as they have with so many others.

Overall rating: 4/10
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10/10
Mario is walking on Sunshine!
reddragonhero1725 March 2022
I remember 20 years ago seeing the commercial for this game when it was on the Gamecube, and loving the concepts of it: Mario on a tropical paradise with a water pack cleansing it of sludge. I managed to play it at BestBuy and loved the limited time I spent playing it. Now I managed to get the game as part of the 3D All-stars collection and Switch as well, and I love it even more. Gotta love the whole summery feel to it and how you can use the water pack as a weapon and support item. I even like the challenging secret levels which feature a nice acapella version of the famous theme, even though they are frustrating. The only quibble is that the controls take some getting used to, and some sound effects are annoying but those are mild, as I love this game to death. So grab a Switch or Gamecube and enjoy a nice vacation with Mario!
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9/10
A . Nintendo finally delivers what it's always been known for: stunning graphics and addictive gameplay.
ACA8511 September 2002
Nintendo finally delivers what it's always been known for: stunning graphics and addictive gameplay.

Few gaming icons are even half as recognized as Mario. And no gaming icon has produced more quality games over the years. So when a new Mario game comes out, it should come as no surprise that there is a good deal of hype surrounding that game.

With all the hype, it's hard to live up to what people expect. If you are expecting the same shock the world received with Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, or Super Mario 64, then you'll be sorely disappointed. Super Mario Sunshine isn't groundbreaking or breathtaking, but it is a solid adventure game that no GameCube owner should be without.

Super Mario Sunshine begins with a plane trip to an exotic island, with fun, sun, and plenty of water. Upon landing, Mario, Peach, and the usual entourage of toads exit the plane and prepare for their vacation. Hey, Mario deserved it. How many times has he saved the Princess?

Things go wrong, right from the start. Mario is framed for crimes he didn't commit, and he's ordered to perform community service as penance. Who would frame Mario, anyway? It's not like he has any enemies, right? Well on this particular adventure, Mario is framed by a clone who takes on a mercury-type shape shifting appearance, much like T-1000 from Terminator 2. This clone looks incredible, from a graphical standpoint, but he hardly looks like Mario. Mario doesn't look like a giant reflective mirror, does he? How could anyone mix Mario up with a sparkling clone?

Apparently the legal system is not the only problem on this island, though, because the entire island is filled with your typical brain-dead adventure characters. The dialog is absolutely horrendous, but it's not as bad as the voice acting. Super Mario Sunshine has some horrible voice acting, when you can actually hear it.

So let's get into game's first problem, the sound. You can never quite hear what the characters are saying, mainly because the music is exponentially louder. In the case of Super Mario Sunshine, though, that could be a good thing. The voice acting is terrible. Peach talks in a broken form of speech, Mario just makes his typical Italian `noises', and the toads and other characters all make some kind of squeal or goofy laugh. It goes more than being lighthearted-it's downright annoying.

The music isn't on par with the other Mario games, or any other game for that matter. There are quite a few nice tracks, which include some fancy remixes, but other than that, the music is nothing to be desired. The sound effects are decent, but they are incredibly overused at times.

Away from your ears and onto your eyes, Super Mario Sunshine is quite a sight to see. It is easily the GameCube's most impressive title visually, mostly because there is just so much going on without problems and glitches.

Each level is filled with interactive scenery, an incredible number of moving objects, and the best water effects ever seen on a video game. Graphically, it's just amazing that the levels are so nice to look at, and so large. The textures could use some work, but the water (which is truly astounding) and other great effects clearly overshadow the small graphic problems. Super Mario Sunshine is visually stunning.

Throughout these huge levels, you'll be controlling a new and improved Mario. Gone are the punches and kicks; they've been replaced by jetpacks and jetpack add-ons. With these new tools, you can hover around or shoot water at your enemies. Apparently Mario has some incredible strength, too, because he jumps and leaps higher than ever, despite carrying a backpack of water that would weigh any normal person down.

Mario's goals include finding red coins, killing (and re-killing, as you'll see) bosses, locating certain items, or trying his hand some old-school platforming action.

Wait, what's that about old-school?

Throughout each level, Mario will `accidentally' have his new jetpack stolen by the same fiend who framed him in the first place. Without his new jetpack, you'll be forced to complete an obstacle course using only the old-school Mario techniques, like walk kicks and triple jumps. A nice diversion, and a nice challenge, too.

Mario will work his way through a handful of unique worlds, scouring each world for hidden `shines', exactly in the same manner as he did looking for stars in Super Mario 64.

Controlling Mario is essentially perfect. The camera might bug you in the beginning, but you'll find it to be one of the best cameras in any video game, ever, once you get used to how it controls. The C-Stick will swing it around you, allowing you a nifty view of all the area around you, and the L Button centers the camera behind you.

Super Mario Sunshine is not your standard platform game. In addition to the new jetpack idea, Nintendo has thrown in a new underground travel innovation. They've also added a new graffiti system that fits nicely with the game. And finally, everyone's favorite dinosaur makes his return to the world of Mario.

Yes, Yoshi's back, but that's not saying much. It's fun to finally ride him around in 3D, but overall, he's mostly useless. They've changed his powers, too, removing the ability to shoot eggs in exchange for the ability to turn enemies into solid platforms. Thankfully, Yoshi can still use his tongue, though. With that tongue you'll be eating enemies and fruits. Different fruits can even change Yoshi's color and powers.

The game is seen as `clean up the environment' from commercials and previews, and from the beginning, you might actually think that's the case. An hour into the game, the entire `clean up that graffiti' act is practically gone, and you're back to good old Mario platforming fun. There are enough levels and challenges to leave even the average gamer coming back for more.

Super Mario Sunshine's biggest achievement is its lack of gameplay flaws and its stunning graphics. Most adventure/platform games have glaring gameplay problems, but Super Mario Sunshine has none. Aside from some poor audio, there is nothing wrong with Mario Sunshine, and there is no reason that you shouldn't own this game.

Game Stats:

Players: One / Genre: Adventure B . Presentation (Menus, Manuals, and Finishing Touches) A + . Graphics C . Audio A + . Game Play and Story A + . Camera and Control B + . Value (Replay and Cost) A . Final Grade
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10/10
Favorite Mario Game
BustedBlock28 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Out of all the Mario games I ever played this one is definitely my favorite because it is so different and unique when compared to other Mario games. I love the setting and the soundtrack of this game. The boss fights are my favorite boss fights from any Mario game, like Petey Piranha and the giant blooper as well as Bowser Jr's robot that you battle while riding a rollercoaster. The final boss fight with Bowser in his hot tub was also incredibly fun. It's definitely fun in the sun!
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8/10
My 7 y.o. son absolutely loves this game!
CayenneAngel22 September 2002
My son was very excited to see the new worlds and challenges of Mario Sunshine. He introduced the game to a number of his friends, both big and small, and they were also fond of playing. If my son likes it this much, I figure it's worthy of my recommendation on his behalf.
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7/10
Skip this Mario game.
bull-frog9 April 2007
The Super Mario series were among the funnest I ever played. I enjoyed all three of the original NES's Mario games. The SNES Mario was pretty decent also. But the one on Gamecube was a let down. It was the only Mario game I haven't beaten. The last time I played it was 4 years ago and I gave up. It was more frustrating than fun.

The game is fairly repetitive and you see the same scenery over and over again - the only difference is that they add more and more enemies and more difficult tasks. There are probably only three or four different outlays in the entire game. Some of the tasks are mind-numbingly frustrating - such as collecting x number of coins in y number of seconds. The hopping across moving blocks in space tasks was real frustrating as well. A real letdown for the series.
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10/10
My favorite Mario game of my childhood
jacobjordanbayne5 November 2022
My favorite Mario game of my childhood Super Mario sunshine is My favorite Mario game of my childhood Super Mario sunshine on super mario 3d all stars i beat Super Mario sunshine on the nintendo switch but I didn't beat Super Mario sunshine on nintendo GameCube before the nintendo switch came out Super Mario sunshine has a good story & it's like a crime series where Mario is frame for a crime which he didn't commit and I like that you go around chasing the perpetrator to clear Mario's name and find out that Bowser was behind this the whole time so she could keep princess peach for herself and for lying to his son Bowser Junior about princess peach being his mother ! And who is Bowser Junior's mother ?
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7/10
My opinion
joaquinortiz-5473715 November 2019
I only can say one thing of this game... this game is... very hard!
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7/10
Super Mario Sunshine Review:
w_bignell51316 January 2022
This Game and Melee where the pinnacle of Nintendo's open world exploration.

Technical, Sunshine isn't the Best 3D Mario game, but it still holds up even after 20 years.

(A-)
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1/10
One of the Worst Mario Adventure games
cheezdontgowitm327 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know why the "also known as" thing has "Super Mario 64 II" there because this was NOT a sequel to Mario 64 in any way and will never be worthy of being one. Mario Sunshine was just downright frustrating, it's not that it's too hard, it's just not fun. It's less fun, and more challenging, it's hard, like, stupid hard. Not like Mario Galaxy where everything was fun, and challenging at the same time, it only felt easy because I had such a great time playing it, but this? NO! I advise you to skip this Mario game like one of the comments said, first of all they added all of these dumb characters, like the Piantas which have like huge noses and then a tree growing out from their head (what's up with that???) and then they added almost NONE of the older Nintendo characters like Goombas, Koopas, they added all these new enemies. Then you have this guy named FLUDD who is your helper the entire game which is like this water backpack and he's so annoying. All of this new stuff is just crap man...this game is just a big disappointment, and doesn't deserve good ratings like some of the comments below me. Now not everything in the game is terrible, the music is cool, but not any memorable tunes, and then of course, in these platform levels, the Mario Theme will be playing which I thought was cool, the graphics are really nice, and SOME of the challenges in the game are fun, that's...in the beginning of course, the game just gets too repetitive, collecting EVERY single blue coin just to get all the Shine Sprites? PLEASE! Why can't it just be more simple like Super Mario 64? Oh and also being repetitive are all the levels, they're all the same kind of theme, island theme...you know, on a beach, on the sand, tropical setting, but I mean, even though it all takes place on an island, they could've added like...you know, a Cave level maybe? Some kind of rain forest or something? Or a level that's just all Underwater? I mean come on, not JUST some island theme levels. So yeah, this game is not good.

4/10 Poor

If you want a Mario game, get a Wii and get Mario 64 on the virtual console, or get Super Mario Bros. 1, 2: The Lost Levels (THE Japanese VERSION, NOT THE US VERSION), 3, or Super Mario World, or Mario Kart 64, OR get Mario's newest one, Super Mario Galaxy! Just get anything BUT Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Bros. 2, AKA Doki Doki Panic.
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Another Mario Classic!
Hotoil3 August 2002
Adds many unique elements to the classic Mario scenario. A great sequel to Mario 64. Controls are familiar to those who know the previous adventure on Nintendo64, though slightly enhanced. What can I say? It's addictive and a must-play for GameCube owners, and it gives most video game addicts a reason to rent or own a Gamecube.
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7/10
Pretty good
matarab-317228 May 2022
Could've been a 10/10 if it wasnt so goddamn difficult from the frustrating bosses to the clunky controls this game is good for those who like hard games if not then this game is not for you.
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7/10
An OK game, but clunky in comparison to other 3D Mario games
bobehensley21 February 2022
I love the vibe this game has going for it. It's nice to see Mario in a tropical resort setting for a change. The music, level and character design all create a really relaxing atmosphere in comparison to some of the more chaotic levels of Super Mario 64. The levels aren't as ominous. Instead of falling into a bottomless pit, more often than not you will fall into a body of calm water instead.

It's nice that the world feels more forgiving and relaxing, because the gameplay certainly feels a bit more frustrating than other Mario 3D games. Mario's move set feels a bit stripped in comparison to SM64 and future Mario titles. Walking and camera movement take a bit getting used to. Mario feels a lot more slippery in this game, and I found myself missing a lot of jumps because of how sensitive the controls are (which unfortunately can't be adjusted).

And getting the hang of flood is quite a challenge in itself. It takes some time to learn how to fire water accurately at enemies, which often requires you locking Mario's movement Resident Evil 4 style. I feel like the shooting mechanic of flood breaks a lot of Mario's movement and makes the game feel clumsy. I also think that water shouldn't be a limited resource for flood. I never found rationing flood's water supply to ever be a fun mechanic, even if it's technically more realistic to have a constant need to replenish the water it has.

The charming music and atmosphere make up for this though. It's nice bit of escapism, especially in colder winter months. And in between the frustrating moments are fun platformer levels in a well realized island environment. It's the only Mario game I felt had a consistent world design and I hope they revisit this kind of world building in a future Mario title.
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5/10
Play if you're a hard core Mario fan
chupacaden9 October 2020
I'm just gonna give it to you straight guys, I don't like this game. Like, at all. If I had to describe this game in 3 words or less, the 2 I'd use would be "overly difficult". Sunshine is basically a souped-up version of SM64 control scheme wise. You still had your long jump, you back flip, your jump and dash ect.. The only thing that they add that was new was FLUDD, basically the watering hose that you lug around everywhere you go. It's a nice addition, don't get me wrong. It's very nice being able to hover around whenever you screw up a jump and correct yourself. It's just... this game is more difficult then it needs to be. And, when I pick up a Mario game, don't think "oh I heard that this game is rely hard, can't wait to challenge myself!" No, when you pick up a Mario game, you're looking to have fun. You're looking to get away from your life and get wisped off into a world full of weird creatures and princesses. In Sunshine... your on vacation. Just one example of the over difficulty of the game is THE STUPID RED COIN BLOOPER RACE!!! That race took me at least 100 tries! I finished the actual race 6 times. I just couldn't land on the Shine at the very end. It was just the worst. And that was just for 1 Shine! There are 120 of them!! *sigh* Well, on to the story I guess. You start out with Mario and Peach on a private plane heading to a vacation island. But, oh no! Mario has been falsely accused of vandalizing public property and is called court! He is then sentence to community service and spends a couple nights in the slammer. I'm not even joking, that's how the game starts out. How you beat the is pretty straight forward: beat Shadow Mario in every single level. But, unlike SM64, you have to get the majority of the Shines in each level before you can face him. After you've beaten him in each level, you're able to climb Corona Mountain (corona???👀). Side note: were they trying to get you emotional at the very end with FLUDD? It was genuinely hilarious because there was absolutely no character arc at all to provoke emotion at the end. The graphics were rely good in the HD update. Terrain modeling was overall really nice for a GameCube game. There're a couple things here and there where the modeling is a little chunky, but that's about it. The cutseans could get a little bit of an upgrade, because they still have a low quality feel to them. Overall, this is probably my least favorite of the Mario games. 5/10, needs a lot of difficulty adjustments.
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The Sun truly shines in Super Mario Sunshine.
KellySmiths553583 November 2002
Super Mario Sunshine is most definitely the best Mario game out there. Great graphics, Storyline, gameplay, and even replay value combine to make Super Mario Sunshine One of Miyamoto's best works, I would have to say. This is the perfect sequel of Mario games, and with a few flaws, this game will be enjoyed to people of ages.
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1/10
Surprisingly, pretty terrible
Dr_Death66628 April 2009
This game upsets me, it really does. And now I'll tell you why. I expected this game to be really awesome, because when I saw the preview for it I thought "Wow! That game looks cool!" Well, sadly, I was wrong. This is far from one of Mario's greatest games. It's about Mario and the gang going to the beach, but an impostor of Mario is polluting the island. Pretty dumb concept, right? The game-play is even worse. This game is WAY too challenging, and is almost unplayable. Spraying the gooey plant things takes forever, and you lose tons of health also, you don't know where you're even supposed to be most of the time, and levels are unbeatable, and not in the good way. I mean literally unbeatable. It took me about 2 hours to get past one level, and I'm usually a pro at plat-formers! Therefore, if you expect a nice solid Mario game, look elsewhere, because this is certainly a frustrating so called "fun new Mario game."

1/10 or: D-
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Fantastic
rossrobinson12 November 2003
Mario Sunshine i think is a fantastic game to play for the Nintendo Game Cube. This game was made in 2002. This was Mario's 2nd game for the Nintendo Gamecube as Mario Party 4 was released before this game. i give this game 10 out of 10.
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1/10
Abysmal and overrated
VajraRaja25 February 2021
This has to be the most overrated game I have ever played. The only reason shy it is highly reviewed is because of the Mario branding. Had this been a new title by an unknown developer, it would have been trashed. So looking at this abysmal game with a non bias pov without the Mario label, lets break it down. This game has horrible mechanics. The FLUDD controls are horrendous we all know this, lucky I use an emulator to remap the controls to make it less of an issue. Sadly Mario controls even worse. He slips around like a weightless drunk on ice. His jumping mechanics are laughably bad because they make no sense. Remember when you had to run and jump to jump further and higher? Yeah that's gone, its been replaced by some ridiculous backflip facing the other direction. This is pathetic for a platforming game. Lets now talk about the games progression, there is no direction, just replay the same repetitive levels with "new" objectives. Meaning collect 8 red coins, race some clown in a costume Il Piantissimo across the boring map, defeat the same boss for the 3+ time , and chase around a painted Mario 8+ times.... This game is repetitive and boring. I had no incentive to complete it, yet sadly I stuck around because I ain't no quitter. I wish I gave up instead of giving up my time. The game is so unsatisfying and so is the ending. I feel terribly sorry for anyone that wanted to e a completionist and collect a stars and blue coins. I truly feel sorry for you, please get help. This game is mediocre-bad however slap a Mario nametag and brainwashed fanboys will defend it as a masterpiece....
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Mario isn't as pleasant this time around.
Shamashmuddamiq28 July 2003
This game was sort of a let-down. I had fun at first, but after awhile I noticed that there were two types of levels:

1) Those that are extremely easy (though it might take awhile to figure out what you need to do). 2) Those that are extremely tedious. It doesn't necessarily mean that they're hard, it just means that you need to do them over and over and over again until you get lucky enough that Mario doesn't slip, slide, or fall the wrong way. Almost all of the obstacle course levels are like this.

It's one of those games that derives almost all of its difficulty from the fact that you're trying to control a 3-D environment with a 2-D interface. Most gamers would call that poor design.

Probably the most annoying thing about the gameplay is the backward-loop high jump. It never happens when you're counting on it, and it often does happen when you really don't want it to. After you've spent 10 minutes climbing a wall, and you fall all the way down to the bottom again simply because Mario decided he didn't want to do a backward high-jump this time, you just feel like turning it off. I did many times. I only came back because I figured it would get better. It never did.

I found myself saying after just about every level: "I'm glad I'll never have to do that level again."

Except for the gameplay, this game is excellent. Good graphics, somewhat good story, and it's a big game -- there's a lot to do.
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A notch below Mario 64
pvt_witt12 August 2003
Throughout the years, Nintendo has christened, defined and set the standard with the release of a Mario title in the beginning of their console's five to six year run: Mario Bros. on the NES, Super Mario World on the SNES, and Super Mario 64 on the N64 are the prime examples. Mario's first solo incarnation on the Gamecube, Super Mario Sunshine, released more than a year after the Gamecube itself came out, is an effort worthy to be deemed a Nintendo and Mario title, but it lacks the groundbreaking and definitive qualities that its predecessors had, most notably Super Mario 64 when it debuted on the N64 six years prior.

By groundbreaking and definitive, I mean that Mario 64 introduced to the world of gaming the sheer potential of three-dimensional gameplay. SM64 represented a paradigm shift in gaming, a changing of the guard, from 2-D to 3-D, from pre-rendered to real-time, bringing with it the glorious potential for innovation and interaction. Helmed by the great Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario 64 dazzled gamers and critics alike, sold countless N64s, and most importantly it emphasized the most vital aspect a game can have--gameplay.

Fast forward six years to the year 2002. Super Mario Sunshine has just come out. I play it and realize that there's just something not quite right with the game. I recognize that the game is no slouch--don't get me wrong--but something's missing. The magic, that intangible, fleeting magic that you can only catch glimpses of , is not there in its entirety in Sunshine. This can be attributed to many factors. For one, the gameplay is similar to that of SM64, so it doesn't have that entirely innovative appearance. Two, games before Sunshine have rehashed some of the gameplay mechanics introduced by SM64, adding to the wear and tear of that general formula. And three, Sunshine feels like a prettier yet restricted version of SM64.

In Sunshine, you collect Shine Sprites, similar to the stars found in SM64. There are 8 objectives per level instead of six, which yield a Shine Sprite upon completion. Two Shine Sprites are hidden per level, and you can claim the eleventh by collecting 100 coins. This formula of gameplay has been exploited over the years since SM64's release. Donkey Kong 64, a game I think was a letdown in many ways, uses this gameplay formula, as does the lovable Banjo Kazooie and its sequel. Where Sunshine doesn't shine as brightly as its predecessor, however, is in its control mechanics and some aspects of its gameplay design. Mario controls well enough, and your ability to manipulate the camera is improved, but in the end, this compromises--along with the way the levels and objectives are designed--the sense of freedom Mario 64 had. In SM64, levels were usually massive, although at the sacrifice of detail. Through the open-air level design of Mario 64, the developers utilized the full potential of 3-d gameplay. Mario could launch out of cannons across whole levels, take to the sky with the wing cap and touch the heavens. This liberating factor allowed the player to devise his or her own methods for capturing certain star pieces. That was the beauty, the intangible variable that I think made SM64 the classic game that it is. Sunshine takes that away with the exclusion of things that allow the player to improvise, and with the inclusion and reliance on the water cannon, the way the objectives are designed, and the restricted scope and design of the levels you play in.

The premise of the game involves Mario, the Princess and her court going on vacation away from the Mushroom Kingdom to an island called "Isle Delfino." Upon arrival, a crisis has broken out: the airstrip where they have landed is covered in a mysterious goop, and there is so much pollution that the sun is being blotted out. The locals accuse Mario of these crimes and he is sentenced to mandatory labor to clean up the area with the help of a new gameplay device, FLUDD, a sentient water cannon with interchangeable nozzles. These nozzles allow Mario to manipulate water in various ways, giving him the ability to move through his environment, clean up goop, fight enemies, and solve puzzles. Setting out on his journey to clear his name, Mario discovers the true perpetrator to be a "shadowy" figure who possesses Mario's form.

Much like SM64, the levels that Mario can visit are accessible through numerous, indirect passages, never directly accessible in the sense that Mario can run to them. These levels are equally as exotic and sunny as the rest of the game, from the rolling, green Bianco Hills, to the massively mycological and tribal Pianta Village. Each level feels sharply distinct in its design and detail, right down to the musical themes that play, which conform to the personality and atmosphere. Organic instruments play upbeat tunes in the tribal-like Pianta village; the theme of Pinna Park captures the spirit of an amusement park as you stare in wonder at the swaying pirate ship's reflection in a pool of water below, spinning merry-go-rounds, and a rotating Ferris wheel. If you get up on said Ferris wheel, you have a breathtaking vantage point of the whole front side of Isle Delfino's, enabling you to see the other locales of the game situated at certain points along the Island.

Three-dimensional gameplay has come a long way since SM64 revolutionized it, and not many games have come close to the way SM64 executed it. A game is not supposed to have many limits unless its purpose is emulating the real world or a realistic facsimile thereof. In our real world, gravity holds us back: we can't jump as high as Mario, we can't leap off a mountain and watch ourselves and hope we land on the huge mushroom with the star on it, moreover survive. In a virtual world, gravity's not necessary, and especially with a 3-d Mario game, its full effects aren't necessarily desired.
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Black Sheep of the Family
AnotherFuture10 April 2004
Yes folks, it's Mario, and don't get me wrong, I like Mario games (the best ones are Mario 3, Mario World, and Mario 64), but Sunshine SUCKS!! In the game, Mario goes to a tropical island paradise but gets accused of vandalizing the place and Mario must clean it up. Yes, the developers experiment with different concepts in Mario games, but these ones are horrible. It's just not Mario going around the place, attacking with a hose and cleaning with it. It says on there that you don;t have to waste time saving the princess in this game, but guess what, you have to waste time saving another. First, you like it, but then the repetition of the gameplay prevents you from liking it anymore.

BOTTOM LINE: Not as good as the other Marios (I played the new Mario and Luigi game for Game Boy, and it was pretty good). If you want Mario, get any Mario game except this, and I hope "Mario 128" is not crap.

Rating: 4/10
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fantastic
rossrobinson15 June 2004
I absolutely love Super Mario Sunshine, this is one of the best super mario games i have played in my life, i also like Super Mario 64 that was from Nitendo 64. Super Mario Sunshine is out to buy for the nintendo gamecube. There are other super mario games for all networks, including, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario: the lost levels, super mario sunshine, super mario kart, super mario kart 64, mario 64, smash bros etc: Super Mario has been out for many many years, since the 1980's as far i can remember. I remember the games for the nitendo and the super nintendo. I also remember the movie which was super mario bros released in 1993, starring Bob Hoskins, Dennis Hopper and other actors who i can't name. I give super mario sunshine 10 out of 10.
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