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Super Mario Sunshine....Gaf opinion!

D

DOT DASH DOT

Member
Ok, so I pretty well play every major Mario game that makes it out into the wilds, but for whatever reason, I have NEVER played SM Sunshine.....why? I don't fully know tbh.

I remember a general feeling when it was launched that it just wasn't a quality Mario game, like you'd expect, and it literally slipped by me and I never played it, I've read no reviews, seen very little gameplay, and with hype surrounding Odyssey, I started to think about the past games, and realised my failings.

So what say you Gaf? How is it really? Anyone love it? Worst Mario game going? Let's hear it :)
 
D

Doctor_Thomas

Member
I hate that I can't uninvert the camera, it's unplayable for me as a result and I hate the gimmick of water to clean things, because it's not fun. Easily one of the worst Mario mainline games.
 
R

Razlo

Member
JayCB said:
Never understood the hate it tends to get, it might not be Mario 64, but I loved the crap outta it when I played it through first.
Click to expand...

It's not a good Mario game.

People can like it despite that, but most played it expecting a Mario game, and it's disappointing under that lens.
 
W

WonderRade

Member
Super Mario Sunshine is "bad" only due to its pedigree as a mario game. If it were a different IP it would be considered a good and quirky 3d platformer
 
M

Markitron

Is currently staging a hunger strike outside Gearbox HQ while trying to hate them to death
It's fantastic, I much prefer it over Galaxy but would put it firmly behind Mario 64.

The harder levels without the FLUDD are the best 3D Mario stages.
 
1

13ruce

Banned
It's basically Mario cleanin up after a big Splatoon match/mess. I kid, but it's a very good game in it's own way imo.
 
R

RandomExpletive

Member
I'm definitely biased as it was my first Mario game (never got 64, was too busy with Smash and Goldeneye), but it's a fun game that gets a ton of hate.

I adore the soundtrack, one of my favorites
 
O

ozfunghi

Member
Hmmm no sir, i don't like it.

Wonky camera, not enough fun levels, too repetitive... didn't dig the hubworld (or whatever you youngsters call it) either.
 
J

James Scott

Banned
It's the most rushed feeling 3D Mario.
While some games like 3D Land lacked content it didn't feel padded or unpolished.
It's still very fun, tho. Lots of room to improve and show your skill like in 64.
 
P

Phediuk

Member
It's pretty shite and probably the worst "main" Mario game ever.

The whole thing feels half-baked, like it was shoved out the door a year early--which it was.
 
L

Lucky Seven

Banned
Sunshine is one of the few games that I actively soldier for. If Galaxy gets any sort of attention, I will lead a charge to remind people that Sunshine is the superior Mario game.
Even though i'm usually the only one and people call me crazy.
 
Barry Burton

Barry Burton

Member
A very good, very fun game that is surprisingly unpolished for a flagship Nintendo game.

It's probably the worst 3D Mario game, that or 3D Land, but I think it's still great and a bit underrated.
 
F

Flame Lord

Member
Razlo said:
It's not a good Mario game.

People can like it despite that, but most played it expecting a Mario game, and it's disappointing under that lens.
Click to expand...

And why is that? Besides the water pack I have no idea how the game was any worse than 64 before it.
 
P

Phediuk

Member
WonderRade said:
Super Mario Sunshine is "bad" only due to its pedigree as a mario game. If it were a different IP it would be considered a good and quirky 3d platformer
Click to expand...

No, that camera fucking sucks, many of the levels are lame, lazily-designed, or frustrating, and the blue coins are boring as shit and obviously just there so they could say the game had 120 Shines.
 
B

bounchfx

Member
I only really have one memory of it..

being excited to play it, because M64 was one of my favorite games ever
getting my gamecube
playing sunshine

what the fuck is this spraying shit, and why doesn't it work properly?
fuck this, not gonna spend any more time with broken mechanics

and then I quit and have been sour on it ever since. Probably put 2 hours into it, max :( still wanna try it again some day.
 
O

OrangeGrayBlue

Member
I remember it further cementing Nintendo's quirky image at the time. They really threw people for a loop with the purple lunchbox console, cartoon Zelda and tropical resort Mario. I think Nintendo squandered a lot of excitement for their next-gen offerings, even if the games still turned out very well. The general consensus ranged from pure outrage to a sort of apathetic "Well, ok" when these games were first shown. Very few people saw Sunshine or Windwaker unveiled and were outright elated about the direction Nintendo had taken (although Windwaker has since garnered a lot of good will).

I can't say Sunshine really ever wowed me, but I don't think it was awful. One of the few big GC games I never actually bought, but I did play a good bit at a friend's house.
 
woopWOOP

woopWOOP

Member
I liked the different environment and worlds. Seems more natural than the random platforming blocks of 64 and Galaxy at times.
Game gives me this weird vibe like Super Mario Land and Mario RPG. It has some recurring enemies, but they look really weird. Drunk square Boos and Piranha Plants made out of goop.
Fludd was alright, but aside from hovering I don't really miss it.
Some of the Fluddless challenges were pretty fun, some were total bullshit.
Yoshi's system was weird as shit in this game. Pukes up juice and fades away like an Inkling in water.
That Manta Ray boss was cool.
The blue coins for shinesprites were a bit too much.

All in all I liked it when it came out, tho not as much as N64. I kind of want to replay it, but it's pretty low on the list.
 
K

Kraq

Member
It's good because it's a 3D Mario game and they're all good, but it's missing something for me. Half of the worlds are enjoyable and memorable such as the harbour and the hotel, whilst the other half just seem to drag on like the beach and village.

Then there's the blue coins. Sunshine is the only 3D Mario I haven't 100%'d as I can't be bothered to do the chore of hunting down all 240 of them as I look back and forth at an online guide telling me where they are. The game could really do with a WW style remake, whereby they scrap the blue coins and put in 24 shines somewhere.
 
Z

ZombiePlatypus

Member
Ymmv in terms of how "Mario" it feels. I think it's one of the best entries and that its highs far outweigh its lows.

Also, it's summer! Perfect time to get into it!
 
T

TheLegendOfCap

Member
My favorite 3D Mario platformer, but its also probably part rose-colored lenses

But i love the whole theme, all the locations around the island, and the Watermelon level and the racing levels (but the sand bird level can die)
 
M

mrlion

Member
I enjoyed it. It happened to be my first Gamecube game as it came with it. Of course, not as good as SM64 but it was a pretty good Mario game.
 
S

Snowman Prophet of Doom

Member
It has beautiful visuals, some of the finest controls I've ever experienced, and the FLUDD-less levels are perhaps the best 3D platforming has ever been.

The story sucks, the setting is a bit monotonous, and the gameplay with the waterpack is a bit repetitive when it becomes about "shoot water at thing", rather than about using the waterpack to enhance platforming and create new options.
 
T

TheChaos

Member
Pretty good game but hella unfinished. You could tell they stuck in the Blue Coins in at the last minute because they ran out of time to make all the levels.
 
U

UnlovedJew

Member
The connected worlds and the platforming that the hover nozzle allowed for was great. I loved just how many secrets there were in each world with the hidden sprites and blue coins everywhere.

Some missions were designed horribly and there is some ridiculous padding but overall it's a fun game and certainly very different front eh rest of the 3D marios.
 
A

added_time

Member
An excellent game but I'm used to Mario games being flawless so it was strange to see one that had actual flaws.
I thought the multitude of blue coins was a sign that they wanted more levels but ran out of time so filled the rest of the shines with those. Also the camera was flat out bad sometimes which made some shines hard to get through no fault of the player.
Still better than most games out there though despite all that.
 
V

VDenter

Banned
It has the best 3D Mario controls and mechanics everything feels super tight although it does have a learning curve just like Mario 64 to reach advanced levels of play. Which might turn some people off in fact i am sure it did. Because until you completely master the controls the game is really difficult but after that the Gameplay becomes incredible.

The seven worlds mostly take cue more the early Mario 64 levels which were basically large sandboxes allowing you to reach your objective in multiple ways and just mess around and explore.The games structure is not as open as 64 but the upside is that the missions themselves were much more fleshed out and the worlds were larger and more dense. However when compared to 64 the game droops a ball a bit with a couple of poorly designed missions and 24 blue coin filler shines that were added to make up for the three or four worlds that were cut during development.

Overall its fantastic and one of the most underrated Mario games. Considering how bland Mario has been with the new Super Mario bros series and Paper Mario having all the life and creativity sucked out its franchise Mario Sunshine is a breath of fresh air in 2017. Super Mario Odyssey feels like a godsend and i am so glad Nintendo is making a 3D Mario in the vein of 64 and Sunshine again.
.
 
P

PeakPointMatrix

Member
It's the Sonic 06 of Mario games.

Control and camera issues.
Cumbersome, obtuse level design.
Stretches of gameplay that are plain just not fun, broken, unpolished, or overstay their welcome.
Bizarre, out of place story.
Brief flashes of brilliance that are smothered by other issues.

Like 06, the only redeeming aspects are the level/hub themes of a summer Tropical Venetian city, and the soundtrack. The controls are pretty tight when the camera or level design isn't fighting you.
 
S

Shotgun Kiss

Member
I think it's a fantastic game as a whole, but peppered with some bafflingly bad design choices.


For example, the pachinko minigame, the minigame where you need to collect red coins by riding a leaf (combined with how long it takes to reach that minigame), and the fact that around a third of the game's shines are earned by collecting blue coins, which are a nightmare to find.
 
V

Velikost

Member
Probably my favorite 3D Mario; I like it more than 64, and wayyyy more than 3D World. Never really got around to playing the Galaxy games.
 
T

TheDinoman

Member
It's not a horrible game, but it's definitely the worst 3D Mario game in my eyes and I just don't enjoy playing it all that much.
 
W

Whales

Banned
great setting
good music
fun gameplay
controls almost as good as m64

the only problem with sunshine is the whole blue coin shit, that was def a cheap way to pad the game to 120 shines
 
R

Razlo

Member
Flame Lord said:
And why is that? Besides the water pack I have no idea how the game was any worse than 64 before it.
Click to expand...

Mario games usually have a wide variety of level types and power-ups, along with fun character designs.

Sunshine has you essentially using 1 power-up the whole game, through samey looking environments, and the Piantas are the worst character design in a Mario game.

It's the only mainline Mario game I couldn't bring myself to finish.
 
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