With Super Mario Galaxy on the shelves and more Gamecube backlog to get through, I thought I might go back and give Super Mario Sunshine another shot. I rented this one way back when it first hit, but expecting another Mario 64 I found myself quite let down. I bought it used and it’s been on my shelf for quite some time, waiting for another chance. SpaceKitty recently played through and enjoyed it, so I thought I’d take another look as well.
First off, I’m still not a fan of the talking FLUDD, nor of the island setting. Neither feels very “Mario”, really. Mario 64 had some diverse locations, but they felt like they belonged in a Mario game and were pulled from classic titles, from the castle to the desert. Sunshine on the other hand just sorta feels like Mario stuck in a different game. Replace Mario and the toads with generic platforming characters and it wouldn’t be a Mario game at all. The fact that many of Mario’s signature moves are replaced by a water cannon only adds to this feel.
Complaints about it aside, the FLUDD system is rather fun to use. I’m particularly fond of the hover nozzle and how it controls. Switching nozzles however is a pain in the neck, and it would be better if you could simply do so via a menu system. Graphics are generally bright and cheery, though again, questionably Mario. The camera is also surprisingly hard to control, considering how good Mario 64’s camera was back in the day. The obstacle course mini-levels are terribly frustrating, but are also some of the most fun. It’s not a bad game so far, just wasn’t what I was expecting 5 years ago.
Hi Rirath! Funny that you mentioned this game. I’ve been itching to shake the dust off SMS and start playing it again. My favorite parts of this game are probably the zone areas where you have to reach the sprites. Especially Pinna Park and Noki Bay (I think I got them right!). My least favorite are some of the warp tunnel obstacle courses; some of those can be insanely hard! The one where your inside a giant gravity ball machine is especially murder to complete. Thank the designers for 1-ups!
I stopped playing somewhere around that village with the gigantic mushrooms underneath. It got to be too much trouble for my time at that point in my life. But, like you, I’m willing to give the whole game another shot.
I remember also being awestruck at the water and sun effects. I loved how realistic, in a cartoony way, that they made the game. (Does what I just said make ANY sense?!)
Hey Chris, glad to see you’re still stopping by! Good thing you’re a married man, SpaceKitty is starting to get jealous. :)
I think the 1-UPs are why I can enjoy the obstacle courses, because I can keep trying them until I finally get it right. I suppose I like the more traditional platforming aspect, and the old-school music remix is catchy as well. They can get pretty frustrating, but I also like games such as Super Monkey Ball and Ninja Gaiden — so maybe it’s just the challenge that I enjoy.
SpaceKitty tells me Galaxy continues the tradition with 1-UPs at the start of the harder course levels, teasing you into giving it just one more try to complete. Actually, I believe her words were “making it impossible for you to stop playing.” I suppose the effectively unlimited tries can also be a bit of a curse.