THE GOOD:Engaging Storyline & Plot
Nice Graphics
Pleasurable Audio & Music
Many New Characters, as well as recurring ones.
Many Unique Challenges
A Wide Array of Different Worlds
Good Replay Value
THE BAD:
Bit hard at some points.
Some Ridiculously Difficult Episodes.
SUMMARY:
Here we have Super Mario Sunshine, another Mario game made by Nintendo. Super Mario Sunshine may look a tad boring by looking at the game cover, but behind that lies a game that will be remembered in the next generation. Super Mario Sunshine is the first 3D Mario game to emerge ever since Super Mario 64, and is much more pleasurable and entertaining than it sounds to be.
Super Mario Sunshine has many, many good qualities about it, and some of them include the storyline, new character introductions, as well as gameplay. The gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine is similar to Super Mario 64, although the character uses a new tool that will help out with Mario's adventure, F.L.U.D.D. F.L.U.D.D. is a new and interesting machine designed by none other than Professor E. Gadd, a character introduced in Luigi's Mansion. The player will have to use F.L.U.D.D for a large variety of the game, in order to clean and purify Isle Delfino, which is where the game takes place. There are many functions for F.L.U.D.D., some of them including hovering, rocketing off the ground, turbo boosting, and of course, squirting. The player will have to utilize F.L.U.D.D and the typical platforming skills of Mario to collect the Shine Sprites.
Super Mario Sunshine has a plot that is not so different from the typical Mario game, but takes place on a very different location with many strange worlds. The storyline is fun and vibrant as the player goes through each colorful and different world. Mario once again, has to save Peach from Bowser who has kidnapped her on hers and Mario's vacation to Isle Delfino. After a mysterious person that looks remarkably similar to Mario although having a much darker and metallic tint spreads goo and muck all over the island, Mario is sentenced to the duty of cleaning up the entire island and bringing back the Shine Sprites that have disappeared from Delfino Plaza to bring light and glory back to Isle Delfino. The speech used by the inhabitants of Isle Delfino is easy to understand, so that even a child or adult can understand it easily. The storyline has a couple of twists to it, and there are many different characters that influence Mario's adventure, from the leading Pianta in Sirena Hotel to the Noki Elder living in Noki Bay. You will see many of the characters used in Super Mario Sunshine reappear in a different game, such as the five colorful Toads that were also on Peach's plane to the island to the Piantas and Noki people featured in many side games, such as the Mario Party and Mario Sport games.
Super Mario Sunshine has a wide array of worlds and episodes, similar to Super Mario 64. Super Mario Sunshine lets Mario try to collect 120 Shine Sprites that are scattered all over the island, similar to how Mario and his friends try to collect the Power Stars in Super Mario 64. However, there are many more different and unique challenges in Super Mario Sunshine than it's predecessor, making every 'Episode' fun and interesting. The player may have to roll a watermelon to a Snack Shack in Gelato Beach, go into a Casino and try to find the secrets behind it, collect 8 red coins while on a speeding Blooper, go into a strange dimension/world full of twisting shapes, or even fix a Merry-Go-Round in Pinna Park using a Yoshi.
There is a vast amount of characters in Super Mario Sunshine, and most of the new characters reappear in future games, such as the Piantas and Noki species, as stated above. F.L.U.D.D appears in Super Smash Brothers Brawl as Mario's Down B Special, part of a Gimmick Court in Mario Power Tennis, and much more. Piantas and Nokis can be seen and/or played in some of the Mario sport games, such as the ending ceremony in Mario Kart : Double Dash and the Mario Baseball and Strikers series. The player can hatch and use a fully-grown Yoshi to complete tasks that were otherwise impossible to beat, and even Shadow Mario plays a large role in the game and reappears in Super Mario Galaxy as Cosmic Mario. Some of the old characters, such as Bowser, Peach, Toadsworth, and Toads are seen, but most of the prominent characters in Super Mario Sunshine are introduced in this game and used in future and newer games.
The graphics are extravagant in Super Mario Sunshine; each scene and world has a large palette of colors and sights. It's easy on the eyes and the player can feel that each world has a different feel and atmosphere to it just by looking at the screen. Super Mario Sunshine really brings out the potential the GameCube has, and has near similar quality graphics to it's future sequel, Super Mario Galaxy.
The music in Super Mario Sunshine may not be the best, but it's not downright horrible to listen to either, as most of them are quite catchy. The soundtracks fit each world nicely as they all sound different but retain that light, tropical feel to it as Mario enters each world. Some of the soundtracks have made it into Super Smash Brothers Brawl onto the Isle Delfino stage, with Delfino Plaza and Ricco Harbor being the two that have made it. Most of the audio is normal and uninteresting, as Mario sounds just like he was in Super Mario 64. It's not disappointing at all however, as Charles Martinet does a great job as the voice actor of Mario and it'd seem a bit strange to hear Mario with a different voice. The music is much better than some of the other games on the GameCube, but it's not exactly all that memorable.
There are many different things you can do after you've beaten the game; you can collect Blue Coins and cash them in for more Shine Sprites (10 Blue Coins nets you one Shine Sprite). You can play some mini-games that are available in some of the stages, or you can just revisit a world/episode you loved and play it again. There aren't many (If any) sidequests in Super Mario Sunshine, but the wide variety of things that you have completed can be replayed again for enjoyment.
Every game has its own flaws. Super Mario Sunshine isn't an exception. While the gameplay and graphics of the game seem attractive and innovative, some of the tasks are very difficult and can be frustrating to an inexperienced or impatient player, such as a few of the 'Twisting Shape' dimensions that appear in a couple worlds. It all comes down to patience to beating this game, and if you simply do not have enough of it (Or time.), then you'll get angry at many points of the game.
Overall, Super Mario Sunshine is possibly one of the best games for the GameCube. It's Player's Choice status and popularity is enough for any bored player to take a look. Everything in the game is well worth the forty dollars, but it'd be good to rent it first to take a look and see if it's to your liking.
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