Genre: Action
Platform: GameCube
Way back when the GameCube first came out, many people bought copies of Luigi's Mansion, hoping the newest Mario game would have the same quality as games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Bros 3. Sadly, they were disappointed to discover that the game was good for at most a week and is only worth renting.
Then Nintendo announced Mario Sunshine, later renamed Super Mario Sunshine. People speculated about it; would we have an extremely short game like Luigi's Mansion, or would Nintendo recapture the gameplay of Super Mario 64? Finally, it came out. Was it worth it? Was it a good game? I got it about a month ago, and I'm pretty sure I know the answers to these questions.
Basically, the storyline is that Mario and Peach try to go on vacation (again) but a weird water Mario has been polluting the island they went to, and Mario is framed for it! With the help of FLUDD, a water-dousing device, Mario must clean up the island and clear his good name.
First, let me explain a few things about this game. There are many "secret levels", that is, the episode's name (an episode is basically a level in a world) begins with "the secret of the". Basically, you need to get to where this 'secret' is, and complete a difficult obstacle course to gain a Shine. If you fall, you have to start the secret level over.
Anyway, unlike Super Mario 64, you have to do the episodes in order. In SM64, I could often get the fourth Star before ever getting the first, but they MUST be done in order in SMS. On top of that, you need to get the first seven Shines of all of the worlds in order to get to the final world, Corona Mountain.
This will be compared to Super Mario 64, an N64 game of similar nature. If there is a (-) at the end of my description of a category, it means Super Mario Sunshine was not as good in that category as Super Mario 64, an (=) show that they are approximately equal, and a (+) shows that Super Mario Sunshine is better in that category. Some categories do not have these because they would not apply (such as secret levels, for example).
Okay, now for the Review! It's out of 0-5 stars. WOW! Who didn't see THAT coming?
Graphics: **** 1/2
It's probably no surprise to anyone that the graphics on this game are better than those on Super Mario 64. Of course, as we all know, graphics don't make the game. However, they do make it look cooler if it has better graphics. The graphics are really neat, and you can see many things in more detail than you could before. (+)
Sound and Music: *** 1/2
Well, I always liked the secret levels music (which is a variant of the original Super Mario Bros. outside theme, though it really sounds more like a bunch of people singing "doot doot doot" to its tune). The Delfino Plaza music isn't too bad, either. Overall, most of the music doesn't thrill me, but not too much of it is bad either. However, some levels did have pretty good music, like Ricco Harbor. Super Mario 64 had some better music, like in Bob-omb Battlefield (I really liked that music) and some other courses. (-)
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
I never understood a lot of people who complain about this game's "easiness". It's not easy, it's hard, ESPECIALLY the secret levels. It's pretty tough to get all the Shines you need in this game without consulting a guide, because otherwise it's often hard to figure out what to do. While I could get past Mysterious Hotel Delfino fairly easily, I needed to know how to start the level, though after that I could figure out the rest myself. In Super Mario 64, while the Stars were sometimes harder to get, it was less frustrating and usually more obvious.
On the other hand, Super Mario Sunshine does help you out at the beginning by showing you where you need to go, which Super Mario 64 never did, the only hint you get there is the name of the Star. Still, it's nice to not have to do them in order (though in some cases in Super Mario 64 you have to get one Star in a level before another). Also, in Super Mario 64 it didn't matter which Stars you got. (=)
Controls: *****
I actually had little to no problems with the controls, I found it easy to move around the way I wanted. I found it more tricky in Super Mario 64. Of course, it probably has more to do with the console's controller than it does the game. (+)
Levels: *** 1/2
The secret levels brought this category
down some, for the record. They're tedious, annoying, and really hard.
It's also distressing you have to do the Shines in order, AND that you
need SPECIFIC Shines to
progress. In Super Mario 64, it didn't
matter which Stars you got or what order you did them in. I don't really
mind them being in a certain order, but I'd prefer if they set a certain
amount of Shines you need. That, or make the secret levels better. (-)
Concept: ****
I have to say, they did this game pretty
creatively. FLUDD is very new although some claim it's just a copy of the
Poltergeist 3000. However, unlike seemingly every Mario game other than
Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario, it has a real storyline that unfolds as
you go along. In other words, it holds surprises. I'd talk about some,
but that would probably ruin it for people who haven't already had it ruined
for them. ANYWAY, the Shines are very similar to the Stars in Super Mario
64, and so are many of the moves. It seems this game
got many of its ideas from Luigi's
Mansion, Super Mario 64, and Super Mario RPG. Of course, that still makes
it unique in its own way. While Super Mario 64 set a standard for 3D adventures,
Super Mario Sunshine is still creative. (=)
Bosses: ** 1/2
Hmm. The bosses are a diverse bunch,
but the final boss is surprisingly easy. Gooper Blooper (who you fight
multiple times) is a pretty easy boss if you know how to fight him; although
he's easier than the final boss, the final battle is still surprisingly
easy. On the other hand, the bosses ARE a diverse bunch (as stated before).
Unfortunately, it would be a little nicer if they gave you more hints on
how to beat them. I find it
annoying to often have to consult a
guide. Still, it seems they were more creative than they were in Super
Mario 64, and a bunch of people would probably want to try to figure out
how to beat them themselves. FLUDD will sometimes give you hints, but they're
not much. (+)
Replayability: **
There really isn't too much to do in this game after you win. Yeah, there are the extra Shines to get, but that's not going to keep me too interested. Once you win, you don't especially feel like returning to this game. If you got something amazing for getting all of the Shines, I might feel more intereested in trying, but it's just not quite worth it. I felt the same way about Super Mario 64, it was great while it lasted, but I didn't have much to do afterwards. This is a pretty big game, it just doesn't have much replayability. (=)
Secrets: ****
It may be strange for there to be many secrets yet not much replayability. You see, when you beat the game, it's not that interesting to try to get those secrets, but they're neat to try to find while you're going through the game. There are hidden Shines all over the game. This is, once again, like Super Mario 64. (=)
Secret Levels: no stars
AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!!! I HATE these things! It wouldn't be too bad if you didn't HAVE to complete them, but you do if you want to complete the first seven Episodes of each world. These things take forever, and you don't even have FLUDD to help you out. I just wish they had put in a "halfway point", so that if you screw up after that, you'll just come back to the halfway point and not have to do the whole thing over again.
Actually, if you don't count the fact these secret levels are too hard and really annoying and should be optional and take forever to beat and also ruin a lot of the game, they're actually fun. The only thing I like about them is the music, and even that doesn't add much to it.
Camera: ** 1/2
I've heard many complaints about the camera in this game. I myself didn't have too much trouble with this, but nevertheless it was annoying sometimes. Maybe it was just because the levels were set up strangely, or maybe Nintendo just didn't do the camera right. Whatever it was, it was definitely more annoying than Super Mario 64, though it still wasn't too bad. (-)
Gameplay: **** 1/2
I'll be honest here: Just because the
gameplay is different does NOT mean it's worse. While there's a heavy
emphasis on FLUDD, there's still some
of the old-fashioned Mario action in here. In fact, FLUDD is actually enjoyable,
and adds an interesting new direction to the game. However, they did remove
some of the aereobics Mario could do in Super Mario 64 (though they did
keep some). Then again, FLUDD does help him do various things, like jump
higher or run faster. (=)
Fun Factor!: ****
This game would be a lot more fun if
they changed those ecret levels around some. This category lost points
because the frustration on those secret levels sort of removes the "fun".
I find I usually enjoy it when not
playing a secret level, and usually
hate it when playing a secret level. I enjoyed the overall gameplay more
than Super Mario 64, but the secret levels are just horrible. I can't emphasize
how much I disliked them. If they were changed in the way I suggested with
the "halfway point", the game would be much better. (=)
OVERALL: ****
This game would've gotten a 4 1/2 star
rating, possibly even a perfect score, if not for those stupid secret
levels. They spoil the whole game.
And also, why put so much emphasis on particular Shines? Why not just give
a certain amount you need? What's the point of getting other Shines when
you only need specific ones, other than if you're trying to get all 120
Shines?
In summary, Super Mario Sunshine is nowhere near the best Mario game ever, or the best platformer, and is definitely overhyped. Still, although it may not be quite as good as Super Mario 64, it is nevertheless a good game, and a worthwhile buy. (-)
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