If you are looking to this game to revolutionize the platformer, like Super Mario 64 did, you will be sorely disappointed. If you go into this game expecting a well made platforming game that happens to have Mario in it, you will be happy.
There is really no plot to speak of. You and the Princess are on a vacation to this nice (and VERY bright & sunny) island. You land and someone imitating you has been spraying some sort of goo all over the island. The local authorities think it is you (of course) and sentence you to clean the island as punishment. Meanwhile the princess gets kidnapped (AGAIN) and that's about the extent of the plot. Bowser is around and you probably know the rest.
But, why kid yourself? You never played a Mario game before to get a nice story. You played it to enjoy a fun, old school style platformer. And that is what you get here. Super Mario Sunshine (SMS) really doesn't stray too far from the roots that SM64 set years ago. Instead of stars you have to find shines. The more shines you find, the more levels open up. And so on. While fun at first, the game can get a bit long. Now I LOVE long games. Makes it worth the money. This game, however, really has no story driving it and it basically turns into a big fetch-quest to find shines, blue coins and the like. It is fun for around 20 hrs. or so, then it starts to get annoying. The game hits a difficulty jump around half-way through the game. While this is normally not a bad thing, here the difficulty comes from a shoddy camera and shaky controls.
Most reviews I have read, have praised the controls. They have said it's great that Mario has a ton of moves at his disposal. I somewhat agree. But, when it's hard to just do a normal wall jump without accidentally doing some crazy spin thing that gets you killed, I get frustrated. The controls just feel a bit 'loose' here. I never felt I had full control over Mario. The camera is the biggest culprit here. The game gives you full control over the it with the yellow stick. In theory, it sounds good. In reality, it's not. I found myself swearing at numerous death attributed to bad jumping due to hideous camera placement.
Another issue I have with the game is the way it WASTES Yoshi. Basically you use him to get a couple shines and help open up a couple levels. That's it. And to make him die everytime he touches water even though the whole game takes place on an ISLAND, is just mind-boggling. And where is Luigi?!! Not even a mention of the famous brother in this game.
Maybe the biggest (and best) addition to the game is the 'FLUDD' water pack that Mario carries around on his back. It is basically a water back pack that has 3 nozzles (that you find throughout the game) that help Mario in his quest. While not a groundbreaking thing, it definately adds some fun to the game.
The last issue I have is the lack of variety in the levels. There is 'hub' level, of sorts. In this city you can access all of the 'real' levels that you play on. Most of them are quite similar in look, though. You will not find an ounce of snow in this game. No desert levels, although there is plenty of sand. Most of the levels are just some form of land mass surrounded by water, hence the island theme. While that was obviously the intention of the developers, it makes the game seem really long. 20 hrs. of this game feels like 40 hrs. because you feel like you have been playing the same level the whole time. At least visually so.
Overall, the gameplay is still fun. It is kind of addicting to try to get all of the shines in the game. And some of the platforming is fun. The levels where Mario looses the waterpack are pure old school Mario. Even though some of them are quite difficult, they are not bad enough to make you get mad and stop playing. When you finally finish them, you feel a genuine sense of accomplishment. I think most people would like this game. It's just not good enough to keep me playing to get all 120 shines. Maybe it will be for you.
The graphics are quite nice. Some of the backgrounds could use some serious work. Overall the game looks really good, though. I will warn anyone who doesn't like bright colors, though....this game is maybe the cutest looking game I have seen in awhile. You could shine direct sunlight on your TV screen and still have no problem playing this game. The look is not for everyone, but I found it quite refreshing. Maybe I have played too many survival horror games lately, but I liked the bright colors.
The sound is pure Mario. There is very little voice acting. Mario makes his usual noises and the Princess still sounds like a huge ditz. Nothing to write home about here.
I would recommend this game to any GC owner looking for a good platformer. It is the best on the system. Just don't go expecting it to revolutionize the genre in any way. In many ways, it feels more like a side-quest than a full-blown Mario game. While I spent most of the review complaining about this and that, I would still pick this game up. Give it a chance and you will probably like it......for about 70 shines worth, not 120.
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