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The little red plumber that started the greatest revolution in video game history is back in a brand new way. We all thought that Mario in the 3D world was impossible, but Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto proved that wrong by releasing Super Mario 64. Miyamoto now releases the next installment in the Mario series, which is meant to take all of the elements from Super Mario 64 and Luigi’s Mansion and perfect them. The end result is Super Mario Sunshine.
Who would have thought that any Mario game would have a plot behind it? Mario, Princess Peach, Toadsworth, and some other Toads take a vacation to the tropical island Isle Delfino. After arriving at the airstrip, they are forced to make a rough landing because the airstrip is covered by this paint goop. Who or what could have caused this? After Mario was asked to find some help, he runs into FLUDD (Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device from Gadd Inc.) and you must remove all of the goop to return the airstrip to the way it was before. You encounter your first Shine Sprite, which are similar to Stars in Super Mario 64 and are the source of power and peace on Isle Delfino, after defeating a giant paint plant. After completing this mission, Mario is arrested for his troubles of saving the airstrip. The fact that Mario saved the airstrip is irrelevant to the residents of the island, because they accuse Mario of starting the mess in the first place. But how can this be, Mario is a good guy and he just arrived on the island. I love how these people don’t use their logic to solve the mystery and discover Mario’s innocence, but we digress. Mario is forced to clean “his mess” and return the Shine Sprites to the Shine Gate. Mario runs into the true perpetrator, who looks like a water form of Mario. Can Mario defeat this imposter, save the princess who is kidnapped later in the game, and return Isle Delfino to the way it was once before? Well, of course he will, or else the game wouldn’t have an ending now would it?
Mario has most of his old moves from the previous Mario game, and he has a couple new moves. New jumps include the spin jump, which is used to remove any goop that may have gotten onto Mario from cleaning the island. Another is a side jump, which cause Mario to jump sideways and jumps much higher than he normally would. Returning moves are the Butt Stomp, the Triple Jump, and Wall Jumps which are made much easier to accomplish in this game compared to Mario 64. Mario has the new ability to do some tight rope walking which I must say is my favorite new addition.
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I refuse to get down until I get a bigger trailer |
Finally we have the water pack, FLUDD. FLUDD shoots water from his nozzle, but it’s the different nozzles that determine how that water will affect Mario. For example, having a rocket nozzle on FLUDD will launch Mario sky high and reach places that couldn’t be reached with the hover nozzle. Spraying water is the key to this game, and mastering it is crucial. However, as opposed to popular belief, the game is not ALL about spraying water and cleaning up the island. If you played Luigi’s Mansion, you already know how to control FLUDD’s water spraying powers.
Oh, did I happen to mention that Yoshi finally returns? Yes sir, you can now control Yoshi in a full 3D world. Yoshi comes in a variety of color, and the fruit that you feed Yoshi determines the color it will be. In order to have a Yoshi hatch from an egg, you have to give it the fruit that is coming from the egg in a thinking bubble. Yoshi can spray juice, and of course use their tongue to gobble things up. One of the things about Yoshi that makes me disappointed is that any Yoshi you have cannot survive in water.
The graphics are not the prettiest ever seen on the GameCube, but it has it stands up for itself in many ways. The water effects in this game are the best that I have ever seen. Think Wave Race Blue Storm but ten times better. The game has a smooth framerate of 60, and the draw distance is incredible. Because of this however, the models in this game are low in polygons and not as detailed as one would have hoped. The colors are bright and vibrant; it makes the island look very tropical and cheerful. What’s also interesting is that there are waves from the heat that you can actually see. Guess it must be hot down there huh? Mario expresses how hot it is also by a motion which he wipes the sweat from his forehead. With all the water around him, I guess he won’t be having a heat stroke anytime soon.
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This seems awfully familiar.... |
The first thing I have to say about sounds is this: FLUDD has the third most annoying voice compared to Jar Jar Binks and Slippy Toad. Now that we got that out of the way, let’s get on with the rest of the sound effects. Every character in the game speaks during cutscenes except for Mario, who either remains silent or just moves his lips showing that he is talking. Peach sounds exactly like she did in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is the voice of a dumb blonde basically. The background music for each of the levels is really cool. I think the soundtrack is a lot better than the one from Super Mario 64. From Bianco Hills to a “remix” of the Underground music from the original Super Mario Bros. when you’re going through the pipes underneath the level, the music is very enlightening. Mario has his usual “Yahoo!” and “Whe-heeee!” from the Mario 64, but what I find most humorous is his “MAMA MIA!” when he gets burned and starts running around like a mad man.
Mr. Miyamoto always works to give us new and innovative gameplay. Although this game’s gameplay is not as revolutionary as its predecessor, it’s still very fun. The game has 7 levels, with 8 missions to complete on each of them. There are also 2 secret Shines in each level, and another special Shine for collecting 100 coins in the level much like in Super Mario 64. In order to collect all 120 Shines, you also have to collect all 240 blue coins, which some of you may remember from SM64 as those special coins that were worth 5 yellow coins each. There are 30 blue coins in each level, 20 blue coins in the overworld Delfino Plaza, and 10 in the final boss’s lair. That’s a lot of blue coins for you to collect, and it isn’t simple to find all of them as they are very well hidden. Good luck to those who want to finish this game with everything without touching a guide or asking for help. Oh, and I have to mention my favorite part of the entire game. There are levels in the levels that you have to make it through an obstacle course and make your way to the Shine. Some people don’t like them, but I found them a lot of fun. You can’t use FLUDD in any of these levels, but that’s all right. It brings back the quality and fun of classic platforming.
However, after completing the game, I honestly see no reason for anyone to pick it up again unless you’re bored and have no other games coming out for months. But the game makes it hard to find the blue coins, so it’s going to take you a while. Like I said, after completing the game, there is no reason to play it again unless you want to get all of the Shines quicker than you did the first time or you have forgotten the game and it’s like playing it all over again.
Verdict: This is the Mario game we have been waiting for since 1996. Sorry Luigi, your game wasn’t enough to satisfy Nintendo fans. We want Mario! SHINE GET!
| Presentation |
It’s Mario man! This game looks and feels like Mario 64. However, it does kind of suck that you don’t play in the Mushroom Kingdom. The island is a bit restricting… |
95% |
| Graphics |
The water effects are what win my heart. Not to mention that the draw distance is breath taking. But you only get that draw distance because of the low polygon models on most enemies and lack of detail. There are also some framerate slow downs that are just unacceptable. |
95% |
| Audio |
: I think the audio would have been much cooler if Mario said SHINE! Other than that, we have an awesome soundtrack and classic Mario sound effects. |
100% |
| Gameplay |
It’s Mario at its best. Take the gameplay from Super Mario 64, enhance the graphics and audio a bit, and slap on a water pack. Voila, you got Super Mario Sunshine. Just because the gameplay isn’t original doesn’t mean it’s horrible. Like they say, don’t fix what isn’t broken. |
100% |
| Lasting
Appeal |
Ouch, only 7 levels? Collecting all the blue coins and Shines will keep you busy, but I think the game would have been perfect if there were a couple more levels in addition to more blue coins and Shines. |
90% |
| Final
Score |
94% |
Marcus Bonilla
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