I tried so hard to like this game. I read all the nice reviews, I saw the pretty art, and I wanted a Mario game for my Nintendo appliance, because while I think I can safely say I'm not a fanboy (read my reviews for proof), I could not wait to finish this stupid game. I am convinced that every single positive review on the Internet and in print publications was written by someone who had a Nintendo developer standing next to him, a loaded weapon pointed at the reviewer's forehead. I recognize the impact of Super Mario 64, folks. I see it, I really do. But just adding polygons and a really ridiculous backpack doesn't make for a sequel. Not ever. At least Capcom in the early 90's could admit this and called their games, "Super Ultra Street Fighter II Mega Duper Dude Fighting" and didn't just tack on a number or call it a sequel with every incremental upgrade.
Okay, first off, if I am going to go out of my way to collect the minutiae in any game, (like all the shines here) then the rewards ought to be substantial. After you collected the secret packages in the recent GTA games on Windows, the PS2, and the XBox, you were rewarded greatly with in-game components that would enhance and ease your overall play experience and oozed with coolness, regardless. In SMS, if you collect every shine, you are rewarded with the distinct feeling that Nintendo just wasted a lot of your time.
This game is the epitome of been-there, done-that play infrastructure serving as a weak foundation for merely pretty graphics. If you MUST play your Gamecube, give Metroid or Zelda another spin, and if you MUST go around pointlessly collecting things, give the GTA games a shot. At least then you get a freaking assault chopper for your efforts.
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