Super Mario Sunshine (GC) - GameCube

Super Mario Sunshine is a Action game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo of America Inc. in 2003 for the GameCube.

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Super Mario Sunshine
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Super Mario Sunshine
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Super Mario Sunshine Featured Review

Super Mario Sunshine Review by: siksiksikki - 10/10

From Castle to Beach
Having lacked a large scale standalone adventure since Mario's triumphant march on to the 3D scene with Super Mario 64 on- well- the Nintendo 64, this new and wondrous tale of Mario's travels in the Mushroom Kingdom's (Mushroom World's?) equivalent to a Floridian resort was more than breath of fresh, salty air. Modeling itself vaguely on the previously mentioned title's controls and take on world exploration, Super Mario Sunshine was an immediate hit.

For many, myself included, Super Mario Sunshine was already the epitome of Gamecube gaming, eating hours out of our time as we hopped, jumped, skipped and jetted our way through beautiful and inspired locales ranging from amusement parks to odd alternate dimensions that will put your platforming skills to the test.

GRAPHICS
No longer is our denim clad crimson hero rendered in the obsolete sharp edged polygons of the past system. The plumber is back in a glorious smooth fashion, and sporting short sleeves for the tropical excursion to boot! But it doesn't stop there!

Everything about this game's design was handled with the utmost love and care. The waters, which of course shows up in abundance, is deep, blue, vast and almost makes you want to find the nearest pool and relax for the rest of the day (temperature permitting, of course!). A player might actually find themselves stopping while on a run through a stage to stop and just admire the scenery. A wonderful new addition to the games rendering is a new Depth of Field mechanic which at the time- for me at least- was my introduction to this little piece of technology. Sadly, it doesn't go into effect near the player and is mainly for the background elements, but it's certainly not lost on the overall experience.

And, as if the beautiful tropical environment, the new sleek character models, and the ocean water that almost makes one TASTE the salt it's so real wasn't enough- just take a good look at your surroundings the next time you're strolling through Delfino Plaza. Nearly every level you might be able to visit by jumping into graffiti or otherwise is actually visible from the main hub world! You can even see the airstrip where the game all started! Talk about detail, folks!

SOUND
The sound, while remaining still beautiful and very fitting to the game's overall theme, leaves something to be desired. Koji Kondo and his genius does in fact return as one of the main composers for the game, however I, myself, would be hard-pressed to single out any specific track in the game to recommend to someone else. The exception to this possibly being either the Delfino Plaza theme song- mainly because you spend so much time there- or the memorable tracks remixed for the alternate "secret" levels you'll run into throughout each level of the game.

Music aside, however, everything is just- dare I say it- Peachy. From Mario's trademark grunts and whoops, to the almost sickeningly satisfying sound of bouncing around on a Toad's head. The game introduces even more voice acting than many previous Mario titles with many Pianta characters and even Toadsworth getting actual dialogue through the game. Even a certain bad guy who will go unnamed for spoiler's sake had some dialogue that had me laughing, even if it wasn't aloud.

ADDICTIVENESS
Boy, oh boy is this a game a gem for those looking for a title to waste their free time on. For those who played Super Mario 64, collecting stars- referred to as Shine Sprites in this game- will be nothing new. In fact, the game features a total of 120 Shine Sprites where SM64 had the exact same amount of stars. New to the title in one way, however are the new ways Blue Coins are implemented.

In Super Mario 64 blue coins were a bonus for stomping on a certain corresponding block that would cause a certain amount of them to appear somewhere near the player, challenging them to collect them before an invisible timer ran out. Each coin would yield 5 coins to the players coin counter and help them significantly on their journey to collecting 100 of those golden suckers in each level. But not in Super Mario Sunshine.

Instead, in Super Mario Sunshine the Blue Coins are now their own sort of collectible outside of hunting down Shine Sprites! Though outside of having a counter and a grand total of 240, the Blue Coins themselves are more a mechanic to collect more Shine Sprites, as collecting 10 of them and bringing them to a shop in the main hub town will net the player one of the beautiful golden... Things.

STORY
Now, we all know where the story is going here. Mario shows up somewhere with Peach, someone takes Peach, Mario goes through Hell and high water to save Peach, end game. Everyone bow. Peach doesn't even have to be around Mario to get kidnapped half the time! Well, this game doesn't exactly break the mold in THAT respect, but that certainly doesn't mean the formula hasn't been changed entirely!

Instead, as the game opens we are introduced to the familiar faces of Toadsworth, Princess Toadstool, and- duh- Mario on their way to Isle Delfino for a much needed vacation. Of course after years of fighting a giant turtle dragon and his motley crew of an army will take it's toll on anyone. But not all is well as they touch down on a grafitti riddled airport. Mario dons the F.L.U.D.D. and leaps into action as the goop takes the form of a giant piranha plant!

After saving the day, even though he wasn't even supposed to be at work today, Mario issssss- Jailed! That's right! Now thanks for our mustachio'd jumping machine! As it turns out, it would seem someone who looks exactly like him has been running around the island throwing graffiti all over the place, and that's where I'll leave off before I get into real spoiler territory!

But, for any would-be new players I'll at least leave you with this appetizing little snippet from a certain someone's dialogue: "Mama Peach"

DEPTH
As one might expect as the successor to Super Mario 64, the game will take you quite a bit to beat. The content in this game while simple, is abundant. There really isn't much to be said other than that, really. Collecting all 120 stars and all the Blue Coins will definitely take up a lot of one's time!

DIFFICULTY
Oh yes, while it might surprise someone with all it's bright and vibrant colors, this game can in fact be quite difficulty. Take the controls from Super Mario 64 and adding to them with the new F.L.U.D.D. mechanics in itself will have Mario vets new to the title taking some time to get used to. The platforming can be fun, though frustrating at times- especially once you HAVE gotten used to F.L.U.D.D. and it's controls and you find yourself in one of the "Secret" levels within the levels and F.L.U.D.D. gets taken away from you! You're left with Mario and Mario alone as you're tasked with some of the most challenging platforming you'll experience in a Mario game.

And, while F.L.U.D.D. can handle like a dream at the best of times, that doesn't mean it is without fault- Specifically when using the jetpack nozzle you're equipped with from the beginning. Very quickly a glide can turn bad when you can't turn quite as fast as you normally would for some odd reason, or when you're trying to steer F.L.U.D.D. while simultaneously trying to fiddle with the camera's controls. (which by the way has been vastly overhauled since 64, and feels much more fluid, thankfully)

OVERALL
There's not much left to be said that hasn't already been stated! Get your overalls on, that control stick burning, and get ready for one of the most colorful adventures you'll ever have! Well, at least until you play Super Mario Galaxy!

Graphics 9 Sound 7 Addictive 9 Depth 10 Story 9 Difficulty 8

Super Mario Sunshine Reviews

Overall 9.5 Graphics 9.1 Sound 8.6 Addictive 8.6 Story 7.9 Depth 9.5 Difficulty 7.9

9.7

Super Mario Sunny-Side Up! Or Down... Lexatom
Hey, guys, welcome to my review of Super Mario Sunshine! Super Mario Sunshine is a game for the Nint...
Graphics 10 Sound 8 Addictive 9 Story 9 Depth 10 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 5/5 Submitted: 01-17-15 Review Replies: 0

8.5

"Summer Relaxation gone into Peril!" sonicthehedgeho..
*Resting upon the beach* ....z....zzz....ZZZZ *bubble pops* OH! Oh hello there viewers...
Graphics 8 Sound 8 Addictive 7 Story 9 Depth 8 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 4.5/5 Submitted: 07-02-14 Review Replies: 13

10

From Castle to Beach siksiksikki
Having lacked a large scale standalone adventure since Mario's triumphant march on to t...
Graphics 9 Sound 7 Addictive 9 Story 9 Depth 10 Difficulty 8
Review Rating: 3.7/5 Submitted: 03-17-15 Review Replies: 3

8.2

Mario's vacation takes a sticky turn. RedHotToddy
Ah, super Mario 64, This was the game that redefined the definition of 3D platforming! The game w...
Graphics 9 Sound 9 Addictive 9 Story 7 Depth 9 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 3.3/5 Submitted: 10-02-13 Updated: 10-02-13 Review Replies: 3

9.5

Don't you just love sunshine? TheFadedWarrior
Oh my good gracious, I'm making yet another review for you guys. Today, I'll be reviewing one of the...
Graphics 9 Sound 10 Addictive 9 Story 9 Depth 10 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 3/5 Submitted: 01-07-14 Updated: 01-07-14 Review Replies: 4

8.5

Shine Get! claytune
How does one make a followup to the legendary Mario 64?...
Graphics 9 Sound 8 Addictive 8 Story 6 Depth 10 Difficulty 9
Review Rating: 3/5 Submitted: 01-14-21 Review Replies: 0

9.5

Super Mario Sunshine Mario0908
This game was a game that I started growing up with. I played this game a lot but I was never really...
Graphics 10 Sound 9 Addictive 8 Story 7 Depth 9 Difficulty 7
Review Rating: 3/5 Submitted: 03-08-14 Review Replies: 0