Super Mario Sunshine - Early Hours

[Doug Erickson]

A next-generation Mario 64? No, but then again, Mario 64 wasn't all that. Super Mario Sunshine eschews Nintendo tradition by adding a plot, which will totally embarrass anyone over the age of 13. Nintendo has caved in and added cutscenes (complete with hammy English voice acting and dialogue with almost no adult appeal) to a classic franchise, and we're all the worse for it.

Other than that, Mario's new water pack is a riot, and while there's less moves than Mario 64, what the Big M's got is nuance. Subtle controls and tons of contextual actions such as fence-climbing, high-wire bouncing, and jetting around from pressurized water add a lot of depth. And this time around, there's loads of REAL platforming, hindered only by an archaic camera scheme that can't really seem to figure out where it needs to be.

Like Mario 64, Mario opens up new worlds (7 in all) from the main hub as he fights Water Mario and Baby Bowser to save Dolphina Island from the scourge of pollution and collect 100+ "Shines" - Miyamoto is as unrepentantly LSD-addled as ever. Sounds stupid, but the paint pollution and jaw-dropping water effects make up for it.

SMS looks good, controls alright, and has bigger worlds with way more play technique than the previous outing. SMS traded world variety for world complexity, and it definitely makes the game a more interesting outing for adults- but will that offset the agony of Nintendo-branded cutscenes with chirrupy voice acting? We'll see.

[runesword forger]

It's Mario, ya know?

A couple questions...

How long is it (not racing through, but on average if you like checking things out along the way).

Uh, how many cutscenes are there, and how long are they? You're kinda scaring me.

Are the controls really good? Can you belly flop, butt stomp, triple jump, and generally zip all over the landscape in a very un-plumberish way?

[DavidCPA]

Would a 5 year old enjoy this game?

-DavidCPA

[Doug Erickson]

It's pretty long - the worlds are big. My friend finished it about 20 hours, "zipping through" - other accounts have it around 30 hours if you take your time. I've played about 5 hours and have 13 shines, with 3 worlds available from the hub. Cutscenes only happen infrequently, thank God, although there's a torturous five minutes or so at the beginning - and they're unskippable. Gah. Boss fights are outstanding and really clever.

No triple jump or belly flop, but you can butt stomp and triangle jump up walls ala Samus in Metroid. You can also do the ol' back-forward high jump. Most of the platforming involves the water pack, which has hover, rocket, and jet nozzles besides the normal spray nozzle - the hover nozzle lets Mario travel long distances in a jump, the rocket nozzle lets Mario launch to ridiculous heights, and the jet nozzle lets him rush all over the ground/water at high speeds. You can only have two nozzles at any time, so you'll need to mark where the nozzle change boxes are so you swap out when you need one of a particular type.

A five-year old could probably play it, although it's hella harder than Mario 64, and requires more camera interaction.

[runesword forger]

v. cool. A Mario platformer somehow makes the world right. Can't explain it.

[JT]

v. cool. A Mario platformer somehow makes the world right. Can't explain it.

I thought Mario 64 got really tough about halfway through. Now they're saying the new one is much tougher. God help my 31-year-old bones. I suck.

Can't wait though.