Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Super Mario Sunshine

 
Games: Super Mario Sunshine
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Games Guide
Super Mario Sunshine
Buy Now

Game Description

Nintendo's flagship character returns for more platform action in his first starring role in a 3D game since 1996's genre defining Super Mario 64. Upon his arrival to Isle Delfino for some well-deserved rest and relaxation, Mario finds himself under scrutiny from the local inhabitants. Apparently someone dressed like Mario has been polluting the island with an ooze-like substance, so the town sentences the Italian plumber to clean the mess up. Mario must not only clear the town but also clear his sullied reputation by finding the mischievous fellow responsible for the deed.

To combat this new environmental threat, Mario comes equipped with a water cannon mounted on his back. A meter in the bottom right corner of the screen depicts the amount of water left in his backpack as he sprays the ooze to wash it away. By removing the graffiti and grime from the town, Mario will reveal additional areas to explore. Each new region is accessed from a portal within Delfino Town in a manner similar to the paintings in Super Mario 64's castle. To activate a portal, Mario must collect a certain number of shines, golden suns that function like the stars in Super Mario 64. Shines are earned by solving puzzles, defeating boss characters, or by simply finding them within a level.

As in previous adventures, Mario can collect 100 yellow coins in each level and will encounter familiar creatures such as Piranha Plants and Bullet Bills while advancing through the seaside environments. Basic moves include the repertoire introduced in Super Mario 64 as well as the added functions of the water cannon. Mario can use it to blast into the sky and fly for short periods of time before the water needs to be replenished. Dinosaur pal Yoshi can also be ridden and used to solve puzzles or to attack enemies. Other collectibles include both red and blue coins, ten of which are hidden on a level. Only by finding enough shines can Mario help save the world from the murkiness created by his dastardly double.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

It's hard to believe it took nine months after the launch of Nintendo's fourth home console to finally see Mario in another 3D platform game. If this isn't indicative of Nintendo's software balance problems on GameCube, then perhaps nothing is. To be blunt, Super Mario Sunshine is hardly the groundbreaking title players have come to expect from the franchise, as it follows the blueprint of Super Mario 64 almost to the letter. Only this time you won't be experiencing the sheer wonder you had while seeing a beloved character journeying across a virtually uncharted 3D realm.

During the six-year span between Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, platform games have become more epic, more interactive, and prettier. Yet the core element of collecting items in a world divided into sub-sections has been left unchanged. So it comes with a modicum of disappointment that Super Mario Sunshine doesn't shake up the genre with a number of new and fresh ideas other than the usual enhancements expected from a sequel. Perhaps this is due to designer Shigeru Miyamoto's reduced involvement with the franchise, but those who have played Super Mario 64 will be surprised at how similar Super Mario Sunshine is in its design and play mechanics, to both its credit and fault.

While the setting is completely different -- Super Mario Sunshine takes Mario away from the familiar Mushroom Kingdom to the tropical setting of Isle Delfino -- the gameplay isn't. Instead of collecting stars by completing specific objectives within an area, Mario collects shines (golden suns). Instead of walking around a castle, which connects all the worlds together, he walks around a town. Instead of jumping through mirrors to access a new area, he jumps through graffiti. There are still 100 yellow coins to collect as a sub-quest on each level; timed races on foot and atop creatures; and similar objectives, from running up a large mountain to navigating fiery platforms inside an active volcano.

What Super Mario Sunshine does bring to the table is Mario's back-mounted water cannon, which adds a twist to the hopping and bopping action. There's a degree of satisfaction you get when cleaning up the ooze and grime, since it's immediate feedback for a job well done. Little details -- such as Mario getting muddy after walking through a puddle, cleaning off little Toads trapped in ooze, or dousing a burning backpack strapped to a frantic salesperson -- add some personality to the title, which features more character interaction than Super Mario 64. The water cannon is also used to complete objectives apart from cleaning up the world or removing graffiti, such as cleansing the teeth of a giant eel, watering plants, or using it to diffuse Bob-ombs before picking them up and tossing them.

The addition of new nozzles is also a great idea (players will eventually acquire a turbo nozzle and rocket nozzle, the latter blasting Mario high into the air for a short time), which encourages players to revisit past areas to find even more shines and secrets. Yet it seems there could have been more variety in this area. Super Mario Sunshine sticks close to the water formula when there was a clear opportunity to add some Inspector Gadget-like instruments to his backpack like spinning helicopter blades, a jetpack, scuba gear, or more inventive designs -- which would have offered a far more compelling reason to explore the island than to collect hundreds of yellow, blue, or red coins.

Super Mario Sunshine does bring back Yoshi, however, who was absent in Super Mario 64. Yoshi is not available in all areas, and will unfortunately disappear if he gets wet, but the game certainly becomes more interesting whenever Mario rides his loyal steed. Yoshi can ground pound, latch onto enemies with his tongue and eat them, and even spit out fruit juice in a clever workaround to Mario's inability to use the water cannon while riding the dinosaur. In true Mario fashion, stages can be revisited once you have unlocked Yoshi and more objectives can be completed (such as eating a blue butterfly, something that doesn't sit too well with Mario's palate).

The setting, the beautiful island music, the water cannon, and the reappearance of Yoshi are all solid reasons why players should book their next gaming vacation on Isle Delfino. Super Mario Sunshine is not a radical departure from Super Mario 64 and it's not without a few faults in the gameplay department, either. Players must constantly manipulate the camera. The water cannon can also be tricky to control when used as a hose, as it's hard to adjust the height of the water while also keeping an eye on the enemies pursuing Mario. Yet none of these issues take away from the delight most will have playing the game, something Nintendo has been able to deliver with unprecedented success throughout the years.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

While the game borrows too much from 1996's Super Mario 64, it is still an enjoyable romp in an interesting setting. Nonetheless, most will expect more from the game given the amount of time it has taken to see the light of day.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

The tropical theme obviously features its share of water effects, which are of the quality found in Wave Race: Blue Storm. Everything is colorful and cheery, as expected in a Mario title, and players can see far into the distance without any pop-up or fogging effects.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Mario's voice can sometimes sound like nails on a chalkboard, but the music is excellent and appropriate to the setting, with steel drum beats and a calypso style. Some repetition in the soundtrack is the only negative.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

The level structure encourages replay value by throwing in new play mechanics (like new nozzles and Yoshi) to try in the different areas. There are 120 shines to collect, 240 blue coins, and countless yellow coins.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The manual is in full color and features a number of attractive pictures to complement the well-organized layout.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide
Search unanswered questions...

Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics

Wikipedia: Super Mario Sunshine
Top
Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Super Mario Sunshine
Super mario sunshine.jpg
Developer(s) Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Designer(s) Yoshiaki Koizumi
Shigeru Miyamoto
Takashi Tezuka
Composer(s) Koji Kondo
Shinobu Tanaka
Series Mario
Platform(s) Nintendo GameCube
Release date(s) JP July 19, 2002
NA August 26, 2002
PAL October 4, 2002
Genre(s) Platform
Mode(s) Single-player
Rating(s) ELSPA: 3+
ESRB: E
OFLC: G
PEGI: 3+
Media 1 GameCube disc
System requirements 7 memory card blocks

Super Mario Sunshine (スーパーマリオサンシャイン Sūpā Mario Sanshain?) is a platform game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on July 19, 2002, in North America on August 26, 2002, and in Europe and Australia on October 4, 2002. It is the first 3D Mario platformer since the release of Super Mario 64 in 1996. Super Mario Sunshine's successor is Super Mario Galaxy, which was released for the Wii in 2007.

The game takes place on the tropical Isles of Delfino, where Mario, Toadsworth, Princess Peach and five Toads are taking a vacation. A villain resembling Mario, known as "Shadow Mario", vandalizes the entire island with graffiti, and Mario gets blamed for the mess. Later on, Mario is ordered to clean up Isle Delfino, while saving Princess Peach and Yoshi from Shadow Mario. Mario cleans up the island with a device called FLUDD invented by Professor E. Gadd.

Super Mario Sunshine was generally well-received by reviewers. The game has sold over 5.5 million copies, and was the tenth best-selling game of 2002 in the United States. Due to the game's commercial success, it was re-released as a Player's Choice title in 2003.

Contents

Gameplay

Mario using the Hover Nozzle

Super Mario Sunshine shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor, Super Mario 64, but it also introduces new features, like the ability to spin while jumping. FLUDD, a water-squirting accessory, is a new element in Super Mario Sunshine, which Mario uses to complete his mission. When Mario first acquires FLUDD (an acronym for Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device), he can spray and hover in the air using its nozzles. Two other nozzles can be unlocked later in the game to extend FLUDD's functionality; the Rocket Nozzle, which blasts Mario up high into the air, and the Turbo Nozzle which lets Mario sprint at high speed on land and water, and break down doors.[1]

Mario can ride Yoshi, who can eat fruit and squirt the juice of that fruit. This juice can be used to dissolve orange generators acting as obstacles, and briefly transform enemies into platforms for Mario to step on. The color of Yoshi and the effect of its juice depends on the type of fruit last eaten. Yoshi will disappear if he touches a deep body of water or if he does not eat a fruit within a time limit.[2]

The game contains a number of independent levels, which can be reached from the hub, Delfino Plaza. Gameplay is based on collecting "Shine Sprites" by completing various tasks in the levels. At first, each level features one task which may be completed to acquire a Shine Sprite. The player is then returned to Delfino Plaza and a new task is unlocked in that level.[3] Each level consists of eight tasks, which may be played again at will once they are completed.[4] Once the player has collected enough Shine Sprites, a new level is available at Delfino Plaza, either by the acquisition of a new ability or a plot-related event.[5] Shine Sprites are also available by collecting and trading blue coins.[6] Gameplay proceeds in this fashion until all of the Shadow Mario-related missions are completed, which unlocks the level containing the final boss.

Plot

The game takes place on the tropical resort of Isle Delfino, which is shaped like a dolphin and comprises ten primary locations. The island is mainly inhabited by the races Piantas and Nokis.[7] Delfino Plaza is Isle Delfino's capital and the game's main hub.

Mario sets out for Isle Delfino for a vacation with Princess Peach, her long-time steward Toadsworth, and a group of Toads. Upon arrival, they find that the once-pristine island has been polluted and plastered with graffiti. As a result of this pollution, sun-shaped objects called "Shine Sprites", the island's sources of power, have disappeared, and the island is covered in a perpetual shadow. The culprit seen spreading the graffiti is disguised as Mario (referred to as "Shadow Mario"). Mario is promptly arrested as he arrives, falsely accused of vandalizing the island. He is put on trial, found guilty, and ordered to clean up the graffiti and recover the Shine Sprites. To help with the cleaning, Mario finds FLUDD, a powerful water cannon which is toted like a backpack. Mario sets out on an adventure to clear his name and locate the real criminal, while restoring tranquility and order to Isle Delfino.[8]

After numerous incidents, Mario follows Shadow Mario, who has kidnapped Princess Peach, to an amusement park. There, Mario defeats a huge Bowser robot being controlled by Shadow Mario. It is then revealed that Shadow Mario's real identity is Bowser Jr., the son of Bowser.[9] Bowser Jr. takes off in a hot air balloon with Princess Peach, having been told by Bowser that she is his mother. When learning the truth, Peach is visually upset for a second. He is last seen heading for Corona Mountain, a volcano where Bowser is holding a family vacation of his own. After Mario defeats Bowser Jr., still disguised as Shadow Mario, in the remaining areas of the island, he enters Corona Mountain, defeats Bowser and rescues the Princess. However, FLUDD becomes damaged during the battle with Bowser, supposedly beyond repair.[10] The Toads repair FLUDD shortly afterward and Mario, Peach and the others begin their well-deserved vacation, while Boswer admits to his son that Peach wasn't really his mother.[11]

Development

A sequel to Super Mario 64 had been in the works for several years. The cancelled games Super Mario 64 2 and Super Mario 128 were some ideas Nintendo had for a direct sequel to Super Mario 64,[12] and some elements from Super Mario 128 were used in Super Mario Galaxy.[13] Super Mario Sunshine was first shown at Nintendo Space World 2001.[14] The game was later shown again at E3 2002.[15]

In an interview about the development of Super Mario Sunshine with producer Takashi Tezuka and directors Yoshiaki Koizumi and Kenta Usui, it was mentioned that the game's development began with the idea of gameplay involving a water pump.[16] However, at first the developers thought that the world was too daringly out of character with Mario. Therefore, they tried using a man-type character, but thought this was too odd and that "if there was a man next to Mario, there is a sense of incongruity."[16] There were ten candidates for possible water nozzles, and FLUDD was chosen because of fitting in the game's setting, despite it not being one of the favorites. Some preliminary gun-like water nozzles were removed due to all the controversy in the United States.[16] They also stated that several Yoshi features were omitted, such as Yoshi vomiting water fed to him.[16]

Koji Kondo and Shinobu Tanaka composed the score to Super Mario Sunshine.[17] The soundtrack features various arrangements of classic Mario tunes, including the underground music and the main stage music from the original Super Mario Bros.[18] Super Mario Sunshine featured many of the usual voice actors for the various Nintendo characters. The voice cast consisted of Charles Martinet as Mario and Toadsworth, Jen Taylor as Princess Peach and Toad, Scott Burns as Bowser, and Dolores Rogers as Bowser Jr.[19] Other voice actors included Isaac Marshall, Kit Harris, Deanna Mustard, and Kazumi Totaka.[20]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 92% (76 reviews)[21]
Metacritic 92 / 100 (61 reviews)[22]
Review scores
Publication Score
1UP.com A[23]
Computer and Video Games 10 / 10[24]
Electronic Gaming Monthly 9.5 / 10[25]
Eurogamer 9 / 10[26]
Game Informer 9.75 / 10[27]
GameSpot 8 / 10[28]
GameSpy 5/5 stars[29]
IGN 9.4 / 10[30]
Nintendo Power 10 / 10[31]

Super Mario Sunshine was commercially successful, having sold 5.5 million copies as of June 2006.[32] In 2002, Super Mario Sunshine was the tenth best-selling game in the United States according to the NPD Group.[33] It was re-released in 2003 as part of the Player's Choice line, a selection of games with high sales sold for a reduced price.[34]

Super Mario Sunshine received critical acclaim by game reviewers. IGN praised the addition of the water backpack for improving the gameplay,[30] and GameSpy commented on the "wide variety of moves and the beautifully constructed environments".[29] The game received a perfect score from Nintendo Power, who commended the "superb graphics, excellent music, clever layouts, funny cinema scenes and ingenious puzzles".[31] GamePro also gave Super Mario Sunshine a perfect score, stating that the game was "a masterpiece of superior game design, infinite gameplay variety, creativity, and life."[4] The American-based publication Game Informer said that the game is arguably "the best Mario game to date."[27] ComputerAndVideoGames.com also mentioned the game is "better than Super Mario 64."[24] The game placed 46th in Official Nintendo Magazine's 100 greatest Nintendo games of all time.[35]

Some reviewers criticized the game. GameSpot criticized the various additions, including the water backpack and Yoshi, calling them "mere gimmicks." They also criticized the camera system, and cited that the game seemed somewhat unpolished and rushed.[28] They also criticized the voices, stating that "Super Mario Sunshine's FMV also houses some of the lousiest voice-over work to be found on the GameCube. None of the voices fit particularly well. Princess Peach sounds too ditzy, Mario is limited to grunts and other nonverbal communications, and the game's bad guys are completely miscast and downright disappointing."[28] Matt Wales of ComputerAndVideoGames.com accused the game of having a "distinct lack of polish."[36]

References

  1. ^ Super Mario Sunshine instruction booklet. Nintendo. 2002. pp. 20–23. 
  2. ^ Super Mario Sunshine instruction booklet. Nintendo. 2002. pp. 25–26. 
  3. ^ Super Mario Sunshine instruction booklet. Nintendo. 2002. p. 28. 
  4. ^ a b Stardingo (2002-08-26). "Super Mario Sunshine review". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/nintendo/gamecube/games/reviews/25921.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
  5. ^ Mackie, Joe. "Super Mario Sunshine (JPN) Review". GamingWorld X. http://www.gamingworldx.com/gcn/SuperMarioSunshineJPN.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
  6. ^ Tboy. "Super Mario Sunshine review". GamersHell.com. http://www.gamershell.com/gamecube/super_mario_sunshine/review.html. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
  7. ^ Super Mario Sunshine instruction booklet. Nintendo. 2002. pp. 6. 
  8. ^ Super Mario Sunshine instruction booklet. Nintendo. 2002. pp. 6–7. 
  9. ^ Nintendo EAD. Super Mario Sunshine. (Nintendo). Nintendo GameCube. (2002-08-26) "Peach: So you're Bowser's son?"
  10. ^ Nintendo EAD. Super Mario Sunshine. (Nintendo). Nintendo GameCube. (2002-08-26) "Bowser Jr.: Someday... when I'm bigger... I wanna fight that Mario again!"
  11. ^ Nintendo EAD. Super Mario Sunshine. (Nintendo). Nintendo GameCube. (2002-08-26) "FLUDD: The vacation starts now!"
  12. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (2006-08-21). "Miyamoto Opens the Vault". IGN. http://wii.ign.com/articles/726/726761p1.html. Retrieved 2007-11-15. 
  13. ^ Williams, Bryn (2007-03-08). "Miyamoto's Creative Vision". GameSpy. http://wii.gamespy.com/wii/mario-wii/771581p2.html. Retrieved 2007-11-22. 
  14. ^ "Spaceworld 2001: Mario Sunshine Impressions". IGN. 2001-08-22. http://cube.ign.com/articles/097/097694p1.html. Retrieved 2007-11-15. 
  15. ^ "E3 2002: First Look: Nintendo's Booth". IGN. 2002-05-20. http://cube.ign.com/articles/360/360098p1.html. Retrieved 2007-11-15. 
  16. ^ a b c d Anthony JC (August 2007). "The Making of The Game - Super Mario Sunshine". Nintendo Online Magazine. N-Sider. http://www.n-sider.com/articleview.php?articleid=415. Retrieved 2007-08-07. 
  17. ^ "Super Mario Sunshine Credits". MobyGames. http://www.mobygames.com/game/super-mario-sunshine/credits. Retrieved 2007-11-16. 
  18. ^ Majaski, Craig. "Super Mario Sunshine review". Gaming Age. http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=gamecube&game=mariosunshine. Retrieved 2007-11-16. 
  19. ^ "Full cast and crew for Super Mario Sunshine". Internet Movie Database. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298052/fullcredits#cast. Retrieved 2007-11-16. 
  20. ^ "Super Mario Sunshine Credits". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supermariosunshine/tech_info.html. Retrieved 2007-11-17. 
  21. ^ "Super Mario Sunshine reviews". Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/533287.asp. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 
  22. ^ "Super Mario Sunshine reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/cube/supermariosunshine. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 
  23. ^ "Super Mario Sunshine Review". 1UP.com. http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3061376&p=5&sec=REVIEWS. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  24. ^ a b "Super Mario Sunshine". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=80100. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
  25. ^ Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis): 198. October 2002. 
  26. ^ Bramwell, Tom (2002-10-04). "Super Mario Sunshine Review". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_supermariosunshine_gc. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  27. ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (September 2002). "Super Mario Sunshine". Game Informer. http://www.gameinformer.com/Games/Review/200209/R03.0801.1649.23236.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
  28. ^ a b c Gerstmann, Jeff (2002-08-25). "Super Mario Sunshine review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/supermariosunshine/review.html?. Retrieved 2005-11-18. 
  29. ^ a b Guzman, Hector (2002-08-26). "Super Mario Sunshine review". GameSpy. http://cube.gamespy.com/gamecube/super-mario-sunshine/545787p1.html. Retrieved 2006-05-03. 
  30. ^ a b Mirabella III, Fran (2002). "Super Mario Sunshine review". IGN. http://cube.ign.com/articles/368/368539p2.html. Retrieved 2006-05-03. 
  31. ^ a b Nintendo Power (Nintendo): 160. September 2002. 
  32. ^ Boutros, Daniel (2006-08-04). "A Detailed Cross-Examination of Yesterday and Today's Best-Selling Platform Games". Gamasutra. http://gamasutra.com/features/20060804/boutros_08.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 
  33. ^ "The NPD Group Reports Annual 2002 U.S. Video Game Sales Break Record". NPD Group. 2003-01-27. http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_030128a.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-12. 
  34. ^ Calvert, Justin (2003-09-09). "Nintendo Player's Choice range grows". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/gamecube/action/starfoxadventures/news.html?sid=6074802. Retrieved 2007-07-19. 
  35. ^ "60-41 ONM". ONM. http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/article.php?id=7258. Retrieved 2009-02-19. 
  36. ^ Wales, Matt (2006-05-17). "Super Mario Galaxy preview". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=140193. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 

External links

v • d • e
Mario series
Games by year • Games by console • Games by genre
Main series
Other games
Genres and series
Characters
Mario • Luigi • Princess Peach • Bowser • Toad • Yoshi  • Donkey Kong • Wario • Birdo
Other media
Related

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Shopping: Super Mario Sunshine
Top
super mario sunshine
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Games. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Super Mario Sunshine".  Read more