Ignore all of the negative things you've heard about Mario Sunshine; it's certainly not as bad as some people make it seem-it's actually one of the best games of this console generation. Sure, it's not as innovative-hence not as revolutionary-as its forebears were, but did it really have to be? With each new installment in the series, Nintendo has never tried to bush the boundaries as far they go-they're more interested in making each entry more enjoyable than the last. This is where they succeed in Sunshine, as it's an excellent game; it has its flaws-as does every game-but the bulk of its positive features come together so well, that its flaws are nearly overshadowed by them.
Sunshine mostly falls short in the infinitesimal aspects of modern games-or the "small things" rather. Right when you start a new game, you'll be treated to a pretty terrible FMV, showing that unnecessary presentational aspects are the least of Nintendo's worries. It honestly wouldn't have killed them to simply render the cut scenes using the game's engine, as it's pretty difficult to tell them apart anyway. Other small flaws can be found in the form of the game's basic menus and poorly designed structures. It definitely detracts from the overall experience, but as stated earlier, these are small flaws-and nothing more.
What Sunshine does best is offer an unrivaled gaming experience, roughly on par with the best of the Mario series. Unsurprisingly, it plays a lot like Mario 64, except instead of collecting stars, you're collecting shines--and you have a waterpack. A quick summary for those unfamiliar with Mario 64: You played as Mario; you went through a variety of levels, collecting STARS as you completed goals in these levels-unlocking more levels in the process.
The only real difference here is that while Mario 64's levels took place in a variety of terrain, such as snowy valleys, mountain tops, lava caves, and underwater reefs, Sunshine really only revolves around several beach theme levels. It is pretty disappointing, and makes the game feel pretty contained to the summer-theme milieu. Sunshine could've been much more than what is-it honestly could have been a world-beater much like Metroid Prime.
Thankfully, aside from those few shortcomings named, Sunshine does pretty much everything else right. For example, the controls are easily the tightest in any platformer created thus far-it could even be stated that they're beyond that of Mario 64. Camera Control is generally just as good-flawed sometimes, but it works quite well in the end. It's possible to get the camera stuck behind walls and obstacles at times, forcing you to make blind leaps of faith at times. Though it's certainly not perfect, the camera has definitely been knocked much too harshly by most publications. Perhaps they're forgetting that Mario 64's was not perfect, and that no other game comes close to matching Sunshine's great camera.
Prior to its release, Sunshine received brutal criticism against its graphics. Gamers were quick to point out small visual flaws, and declared the game "too graphically similar to Mario 64". As easy as it was to fall into that hype, those individuals would be proven wrong by simply playing the actual game. It isn't a technological monster like Metroid Prime or Wreckless, but its actually pretty solid both technologically and aesthetically. The polygon count varies-Mario and most of the bosses look pretty good; however some of the enemies and environs look pretty boxy. Textures-save for the ones on the walls-are usually pretty solid as well, retaining both a modern, crisp look, and a colorful Nintendo one. Where Mario Sunshine fires on all cylinders is in its graphical effects. The water in the game is breathtaking-even better than Wave Race's-and the sludge, metal, and oil effects are equally impressive. To sum Sunshine's graphics in one word, they're SOLID.
Sunshine's audio portion fares about as well as its graphics-that is to say they're good, but it's really nothing special in the end. Some of the mixing sounds pretty bad (The Yoshi Stuff), but overall, it does a good job of setting the mood, and offering a few catchy beats. Just think of Mario 64's music and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Sunshine.
The game actually lasts a pretty long time, considering how short most platformers are nowadays. Expect to reach the end of this one by at least 20 hours-with an additional 20 more if you plan on collecting everything. It's pretty enjoyable all the way through, with only a few repetitive, and therefore, bad mission detracting from the overall experience. Clearly it's not as revolutionary as Mario 64 was, but that single truth simply cannot stop if from being an excellent game on its own merits. One destined to go down into the books as another solid entry in the Mario series.
Graphics: Slick, smooth, and generally pretty impressive-a few bad textures here and there hurt the score [8]
Sound: Good stuff. Nothing too great, but it's really nothing offensive either. [8]
Controls: Perfect as always. [10]
Replay: It's always fun to come back and mess around in the game's hub world. [9]
Design: Much too similar to Mario 64-still quite good though. [8]
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