Sunday, March 18, 2012

Game of the Week: Super Mario Sunshine | Video Games, Reviews ...

Super Mario Sunshine Logo

Super Mario Sunshine was our favourite plumber?s first starring role on the Gamecube. It was an unusually controversial Mario title, owing to some quite revolutionary moves for the franchise.

The story finds our hero and Peach taking a well-deserved vacation (Mario has deserved it at any rate, we don?t know what if anything Peach fills her days with). Arriving at Isle Delfino, we find the idyllic resort has been vandalised by huge quantities of a mysterious substance, almost drowning some residents and bringing life to a virtual standstill. The perpetrator appears to be none other than Mario himself, who is tried for the crime and ordered to clean the entire island himself. Being the all-round great guy that he is, he sets to this task immediately to clear his name and unmask the impostor (For the fans, there?s some light princess kidnap shenanigans in the plot too).

Fortunately, he has just met the perfect partner for this mission at the airport, in the shape of the much-maligned FLUDD (Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device). This is an odd kind of water powered backpack. It enables Mario to spray water, to ward off enemies or clean off the mess left by his doppelganger?s magical paintbrush. But it?s no glorified watergun. FLUDD acquires different nozzles throughout the game, allowing the likes of hover jumps and rocket jumps. For some, this addition removed much of the challenge from the game, particularly with the hover ability acting as a kind of crutch. As such, the brief sections where the impostor stole your backpack were a favourite. These allowed you to traverse some intricate platform sections alone, which is what Mario (and his designers) do best.

Super Mario Sunshine

The odd, talking FLUDD in all its glory.

The hub world, and the worlds themselves, broke from the norm again. There?s none of the themed snow levels, water levels, and lava levels we?re accustomed to. Sunshine is based entirely on the island?s tropical concept. An area of Delfino acts as the castle from Super Mario 64, without the great variety offered by the paintings. This isn?t to say that the game?s levels are tediously samey, but the sun-kissed flavour from start to finish was not to
everyone?s taste.

Super Mario Sunshine was quite an oddball release. The formula of these games is one that hasn?t changed too much over the years. The Gamecube iteration was one that dared to add a few extra ingredients to the mix, and mess with conventions. It was not unsuccessful, as sales, reviews and fan opinions largely demonstrate. But there are detractors, and it is easy to see why, as I?ve shown. The bottom line, however, is that a chosen setting and a somewhat gimmicky new mechanic does not mean the quality of the core gameplay simply disappears. For some, Sunshine is the worst in the series. For others, it?s the best. All that matters is that the old Mario magic is certainly present.

Super Mario Sunshine(b)

Source: http://www.gamingsurvival.com/2012/03/17/game-of-the-week-super-mario-sunshine/

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