N-Philes

Super Mario Sunshine

Posted by Ben.

Mario has finally arrived! Everyone's favourite koopa smokin', mushroom eating, princess saving plumber is, at long last, strutting his stuff in his very own Gamecube adventure. It's been a long while since we last saw our little friend in his own game – not since 1996, in fact. Well move over Luigi, and take your mansion with you, because your brother has just staged you up.

In Super Mario Sunshine, we meet up with Mario on his way to Isle Delfino, where he, the princess and her steward are hoping to enjoy a relaxing vacation. He arrives at the island only to discover that a strange, impish misfit has been gallivanting all over the place, leaving a splattery trail of goopy multi-coloured crap behind him. Worst of all, he looks just like Mario!

To make a long story short, the island natives blame Mario for the vandalism, and sentence him to clean up the entire island with the help of a water-spraying backpack called FLUDD. Sounds confusing, eh? Well, to complicate matters, the Mario imposter kidnaps Princess Peach! What a story. So, to keep Mario and the island natives happy, you must take control of the goofy plumber and save the day. Collect 120 shine sprites, clean up the island, and rescue the girl. It's all in a day's work.

Super Mario Sunshine's graphics have apparently irked a lot of critics, as everyone seems to be griping about them. Go and read some reviews elsewhere on the Internet. Go hang out in some forums. Everywhere you go, some 14-year-old punk-ass kid is bitching about how bad this game looks. Don't listen to the haters, because this game looks great. Wandering through the massive levels for the first time took my breath away. In fact, just looking at the shimmering water is enough to make me wet my pants (hey the guy in the commercial did). The game is not without its graphical faults, no, but all things considered, this is one of the prettiest titles available for the Cube.

SMS's frame rate is a little less than dazzling, but certainly incapable of ruining the game. It's a fairly steady 30FPS, with the occasional slowdown. Emphasize occasional. I've had the game for almost 2 months now, and I've noticed slowdown less than five times. And as I said before, the water in Super Mario Sunshine is simply astounding, and definitely the best I've ever seen in a video game. Character models are relatively low-polygon, which is somewhat disappointing, as is animation. Textures aren't bad, but aren't great either. Lighting, I'm pleased to say, is top-notch.

I suppose my biggest gripe with the visuals would be the inconsistency. Overall, I'm pleased with the way it looks, but some areas of the game are clearly better looking than others. Many would consider this unacceptable for a 1st-party Nintendo game, least of all, a Mario game. I, on the other hand, would not. You have to remember that we got Mario when we were told we were going to get it. The lengthy delays synonymous with Shigeru Miyamoto and his franchises didn't plague SMS. Not once. Graphics that are less-than-perfect are a relatively small price to pay to see Mario running across our screens sooner as opposed to later.

Super Mario Sunshine's sound falls on par with its graphics: good, but not great. Koji Kondo's music sounds pleasing, sure, but I have yet to find myself humming any of the tunes. This is pretty disappointing for me, given that I still hum music from Mario 64 – a game I haven't played in two years. There's really nothing wrong with the music, I had just expected more. There's plenty wrong with the voice acting though. I found myself straining to hear characters' voices (because for some reason, they were really quiet), only to be disgusted when they actually reached my ears. Peach's voice is sickeningly girly, and Toadsworth is laughable, as are the voices of the two main villains (you'll understand what I mean once you get there). Strangely, Mario (perhaps the best voice any game has ever seen) has very little to say. Sure there are the usual Yippee's, and Woo Hoo's, which are fine and dandy, but all his other speaking parts have been reduced to grunts. Lame.

SMS supports Dolby Pro Logic II, although it doesn't really enhance the audio experience. The sound is definitely the game's biggest weakness.

In terms of gameplay, Super Mario Sunshine couldn't be better. Anyone familiar with Mario 64 will be instantly at home. Mario controls much the same way as he did a few years back, minus a special move or two, plus a tricked out hydro pumpin' backpack. FLUDD adds another level of depth to the already bottom-of-the-ocean depths we're used to. Mario can spray water forward, both while moving, as well has from a stationary position (which allows for aiming), he can spray streams of H2O downward, allowing him to hover, he can spray it directly behind him to speed over land, and he can charge up a hydro blast to rocket sky-high. It all adds up to an exhilarating experience. Don't go and assume that FLUDD makes the game freakishly easy, though. In fact, you always have to use your pack wisely. Mario can't hover great distances, nor does he have an unlimited supply of water. The hover nozzle is useful for correcting jumps, and not much more. The rocket and turbo nozzles aren't even necessary for completing the game, though they come in handy when searching for secrets, and getting to hard-to-reach places.

Accompanying FLUDD are Mario's different abilities. There are a variety of jumps, slides, and kicks which come together to make SMS an enjoyable romp for gamers everywhere. In fact, sometimes it's fun to just goof off throughout the town (which serves as the game's hub), sliding, wheeling, dealing, and carousing. Performing all these zany stunts is a breeze, and while the control scheme is very intuitive, it takes a good 15 minutes or so to grasp.

I've heard a lot of complaints about the camera, but to be frank, I love it. It will take some getting used to, but you can pretty much see anything you need to with it. It has flaws, like not being able to pass through objects, but the good far outweighs the bad. I could go on and on, but I don't think I will. I'd like to keep it short. Gameplay = great. Honestly, it's fantastic. Gamers might find the final boss disappointing, which is a bit of a downer, but there's so much to do, and simply defeating the bad guy at the end doesn't mean you've completed Super Mario Sunshine. Getting all the shines is what's important, and there are many ways of getting them: battling mini-bosses, collecting coins (of varying colours), scaling to new heights, and completing small obstacle courses without the aid of FLUDD. Successful completion of these tasks means more shines for Mario, bringing you closer to beating the game.

I feel that the only gamers who aren't going to fall in love with SMS are the ones who haven't played SM64. If you fall into this category, brace yourself; you're in for a ride. SMS seems to be catered to those familiar with its predecessor. If you've never played it, Sunshine is going to be difficult. So, you've got 2 choices. 1: Stop reading right now and go play Super Mario 64, or 2: Buy Super Mario Sunshine anyways, play it religiously for a few days, and join the rest of us.

I don't know if SMS is a game that can be played over and over again. I'm still desperately attempting to collect all 120 shine sprites. I'm quite close... but it serves to show you that someone like me, who's played the game for an hour a day (give or take) can have fun with the title even two months after purchasing it. And I'm betting that at some point, I'm going to pick up the game, and enjoy the adventure all over again...

This game gets an N-Philes score of A+.

Super Mario Sunshine: worth your hard-earned cash? Hell yes. If you own a Gamecube, you owe it to yourself to buy this game as soon as you possibly can. Don't own a Gamecube and find yourself reading this review for no apparent reason? Now's a great time to pick one up and see what you've been missing. You wont be disappointed.

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