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[SpongebobSquaredance]

Super Mario sunshine was a famous moment in Nintendo history where they took a page directly from dragon quest. Once stated by Hiroshi Yamauchi that people who play RPGs are depressed gamers who like to sit alone in their dark rooms and play slow games. Interesting what game could he have been referring to at the time in Japan and what was the most popular oh snap dragon quest anyways.

So not to be outdone by dragon quest as the number one contender for games whose visuals and sound effects cause a distinct drop in dopamine and serotonin levels to the player and individual. Mariosunshine was born. It was Nintendo's darkest and finest moment. A game that not only memory holes the trauma you receive from it but also causes gamers to be depressed. After single handedly stealing the title of most depressing game since dragon quest RPGs Hiroshi Yamauchi was able to step down in 2002.

holy shit it's not that bad

 

[bender]

When this game was new about 2 months in I 100% the game and only died like 4 times.
I must've been in the zone that day.

 

[Star-Lord]

Super Mario sunshine was a famous moment in Nintendo history where they took a page directly from dragon quest. Once stated by Hiroshi Yamauchi that people who play RPGs are depressed gamers who like to sit alone in their dark rooms and play slow games. Interesting what game could he have been referring to at the time in Japan and what was the most popular oh snap dragon quest anyways.

So not to be outdone by dragon quest as the number one contender for games whose visuals and sound effects cause a distinct drop in dopamine and serotonin levels to the player and individual. Mariosunshine was born. It was Nintendo's darkest and finest moment. A game that not only memory holes the trauma you receive from it but also causes gamers to be depressed. After single handedly stealing the title of most depressing game since dragon quest RPGs Hiroshi Yamauchi was able to step down in 2002.

I mean, I’m not Mr Brightside, but I didn’t feel depressed or suicidal playing through Sunshine. Frustrated at certain points, but sad? No. I don’t know where you got that information from, but I’d be questioning the source.

 

[Naked Lunch]

I mean, Sunshine has actual challenge, something almost all Nintendo games lack.
Only Mario 64 is better as far as 3d Mario goes.
Because people whined about Sunshine and FZero GX's difficulty - all Nintendo games since have been easy as shit. Weak.

 

[MrMephistoX]

It's the most difficult 3D Mario by far. I personally loved it.

When I played it the first time though, we had a group of about 4 people who all obsessed over Mario 64, and played it constantly. We would trade off every shine, or blue coin. The difficulty is just too much for some people to handle alone. We'd have many coins or shines that took a few of us trying to get.

I think it's not flawless, but probably my favorite Mario. Love the setting and the graphics style. Love the difficulty and complex platforming. You may just want to spread it out over time and get a couple shines / coins then call it a night. We also had to use a guide to get 100% back in the day, but we did it.

It’s honestly a better translation of 2D Mario gameplay to 3D than 64. I’ve always said people would have considered it an instant classic if they didn’t shoehorn Mario into it and got to flex with some random new IP: it’s almost a proto Splatoon. Same with Windwaker.

 

[Punished Miku]

It’s honestly a better translation of 2D Mario gameplay to 3D than 64. I’ve always said people would have considered it an instant classic if they didn’t shoehorn Mario into it and got to flex with some random new IP: it’s almost a proto Splatoon. Same with Windwaker.

You're totally right. In my head canon, it's in the same timeline as Splatoon as a distant prequel before humanity falls to the rising sea levels and perishes in the global warming apocalypse.

 

[Star-Lord]

I mean, Sunshine has actual challenge, something almost all Nintendo games lack.
Only Mario 64 is better as far as 3d Mario goes.

Because people whined about Sunshine and FZero GX's difficulty - all Nintendo games since have been easy as shit. Weak.

Completely agree. Modern Nintendo seems to cater to everyone in the world, making their games as easy as possible, at the cost of diminishing quality. I yearn for the days of Mario 64 and Sunshine in terms of difficulty. Hell, even Galaxy had a few tougher levels chucked in for good measure, but even they paled in comparison to 64/Sunshine. All Nintendo cares about now is sales. Making games easier means more people buying/playing, which means more sales.

All Nintendo have to do is remake 64 and Sunshine in the Odyssey engine - along with the original Donkey Kong Country games, for good measure - and I’ll be one happy Chris.

 

[Knightime_X]

Sunshine isn't that hard tbh.

 

[bender]

Sunshine isn't that hard tbh.

My girlfriend calls me sunshine too.

 

[Knightime_X]

My girlfriend calls me sunshine too.

Groovy!

 

[Star-Lord]

Sunshine isn't that hard tbh.

It’s up there as one of the more challenging 3D Mario titles, just ahead of 64. It’s not impossible, but it’s damn close. Losing only four lives? Not buying it, bruh.

 

[Kuranghi]

I set it up for 8K, 60fps and inverted FLUDD controls and I still didn't last long with it. I played for an hour pr sp and then turned it off forever, thats not a game for me, it found it really annoying in so many regards. SM64 has aged so much better imo.

In Odyssey when I use advanced moves to skip content it feels like I am doing things I'm not supposed to and I love it. In Sunshine it feels like what you should be doing to avoid the stuff that isn't fun to do.

 

[Kokoloko85]

1. Mario Sunshine
2. Mario 64
3. Mario Galaxy 1
4. Mario Odyssey
5. Mario Galaxy 2
6. 3D Land
7. 3D World

That's about where I would rank them personally. Sunshine has one of the more complicated movesets. 3D World easily has the least complicated move set and feels a bit worse to control than all the others.

Id put Odssey over Galaxy 1 and Id agree with you on the rest.. Actually I put Galaxies at the bottom

 

[Star-Lord]

Id put Odssey over Galaxy 1 and Id agree with you on the rest.. Actually I put Galaxies at the bottom

That, sir, is blasphemy.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Blue coins are optional. I am tired of this compliant.

Being optional doesn’t make collecting them any less shitty.

In retrospect, you kinda have to give it to the people calling the Cube kiddy.
Nintendo really went the extra mile here.

 

[Star-Lord]

I set it up for 8K, 60fps and inverted FLUDD controls and I still didn't last long with it. I played for an hour pr sp and then turned it off forever, thats not a game for me, it found it really annoying in so many regards. SM64 has aged so much better imo.

In Odyssey when I use advanced moves to skip content it feels like I am doing things I'm not supposed to and I love it. In Sunshine it feels like what you should be doing to avoid the stuff that isn't fun to do.

Maybe if you persevered, you would’ve found the rest of the game quite enjoyable. But I understand if you found the game too hard and threw a wobbly.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

Wait till you get to the hotel.

This is where I quit the game. Was 5/10 for me up to that point, then what little good remained took a cliff dive. I will never understand how anyone could be of the opinion it was better than 64.

 

[Kuranghi]

Maybe if you persevered, you would’ve found the rest of the game quite enjoyable. But I understand if you found the game too hard and threw a wobbly.

I didnt say I found it too hard, I just didn't find it fun to play, like the platforming wasn't satisfying and the movement wasn't too my liking. I didnt "throw a wobbly"*, I just made a mildly annoyed grunt and turned it off and more because of how much time I'd spent setting it up rather than for the game itself.

I wish the game was just the secret levels with a long jump, that would be awesome.

*but that is a very funny phrase.

 

[Knightime_X]

It’s up there as one of the more challenging 3D Mario titles, just ahead of 64. It’s not impossible, but it’s damn close. Losing only four lives? Not buying it, bruh.

It's fine if you don't believe.
But I know what I did.

 

[PaintTinJr]

I set it up for 8K, 60fps and inverted FLUDD controls and I still didn't last long with it. I played for an hour pr sp and then turned it off forever, thats not a game for me, it found it really annoying in so many regards. SM64 has aged so much better imo.

In Odyssey when I use advanced moves to skip content it feels like I am doing things I'm not supposed to and I love it. In Sunshine it feels like what you should be doing to avoid the stuff that isn't fun to do.

It isn't a game you can really assess without playing it authentically on a first play through, so playing on PC emulator in 8K, and probably not with a gamecube pad, is going to struggle to give you the game experience Nintendo designed.

The cube pad's button design and layout - particularly the camera stick and analogue triggers - are really needed for this one on your first outing. If you get a chance, try it using Nintendont on Wii with a cubepad(and hdmi converter). It and winderwaker, and a few other cube classics really needed to show themselves to a gamer first with the intended pad IMO.

 

[EDMIX]

1. Mario Sunshine
2. Mario 64
3. Mario Galaxy 1
4. Mario Odyssey
5. Mario Galaxy 2
6. 3D Land
7. 3D World

That's about where I would rank them personally. Sunshine has one of the more complicated movesets. 3D World easily has the least complicated move set and feels a bit worse to control than all the others.

The real ones knows this.

64 and Sunshine literally are the last of the best 3D Mario titles, the controls are just nerfed after for kids and they remove so many amazing platforming elements for the sale of being casual. Its why I personally feel the Gamecube is the last Nintendo system made for the hardcore, their IP after that system are dumbed down, nerfed, made easy, motion added lol

 

[PaintTinJr]

That is so true. And unfortunately why they decided to simplify 3D Mario ever since. This was their last attempt at pushing the boundaries of 3D platforming.

Yeah, they really pushed it with sunshine in a great way IMO. The demanding use of the camera changes platforming entirely for me, because previously in SM64 the camera is in a - relatively - pre-decided position/orientation, and the average user doesn't override the camera often - if at all - and so by the camera being in a set position for a particular obstacle, the user inputs to succeed are also - relatively - pre-decided

By contrast, in Sunshine, the game demands that you think about where to position the camera ahead of time - and plan while in motion - so that in a running or chase task you are largely just using one direction (up, down, left or right) and constantly moving the camera so that the input tracks the direction you need to go - and because Fluud shoots in the user input direction Mario is moving, it means he automatically is aiming at whatever Mario is running towards.

It really is a masterpiece of 3d action platforming in my book.

 

[Cutty Flam]

I really enjoy a lot of the difficult stuff in 3d Marios, because it feels like it is my fault when I fail. The difficulty feels cheap, like the MK3 ai.

Will it get better?

Super Mario Sunshine is very difficult. Play it not to play it quickly, but instead play it to savor each challenging level the game has to offer and I think you’ll enjoy it a lot more

I had the time of my life with Super Mario Sunshine. It really is close to if not right at the pinnacle of platforming in 3D gaming right there alongside Super Mario 64

It’s amazing because each shine sprite or even blue coin in this game is like a mini adventure with twice or three times the difficulty of Super Mario 64. And the overall theme of the game being set in Isle Delfino, a luxurious vacation Island Resort was executed to perfection

 

[Scotty W]

I played it recently. I absolutely hate the inverted camera controls. Such a shame that many games don't let you change that from that time period.

I can change it on the switch

 

[Deputy Moonman]

I hated Mario Sunshine. The waterpack ruined the whole experience for me, but I hated the Galaxy games even more.

 

[01011001]

The real ones knows this.

64 and Sunshine literally are the last of the best 3D Mario titles, the controls are just nerfed after for kids and they remove so many amazing platforming elements for the sale of being casual. Its why I personally feel the Gamecube is the last Nintendo system made for the hardcore, their IP after that system are dumbed down, nerfed, made easy, motion added lol

wtf? have you even played Odyssey? the movement in that game is so crazy that Nintendo basically gave up blocking you off and just started hiding coins and shit in areas that would normally be considered out of bounds in most other games.
wyh? because the way you can combo into moves gives you a ridiculous amount of ways to get you up or across basically everything in the game if you are good enough.



no other Mario game has movement this good

 

[EDMIX]

wtf? have you even played Odyssey? the movement in that game is so crazy that Nintendo basically gave up blocking you off and just started hiding coins and shit in areas that would normally be considered out of bounds in most other games.
wyh? because the way you can combo into moves gives you a ridiculous amount of ways to get you up or across basically everything in the game if you are good enough.



no other Mario game has movement this good

Played and beat Odyssey...I like AC Odyssey better lol

Its not on the level of 64 or Sunshine, its yet another casual 3D Mario

 

[ReBurn]

The camera in the game is terrible.

 

[Serge85]

Great, Great game, finally completed the game last year, I' had a blast

 

[th4tguy]

1. Mario Sunshine
2. Mario 64
3. Mario Galaxy 1
4. Mario Odyssey
5. Mario Galaxy 2
6. 3D Land
7. 3D World

That's about where I would rank them personally. Sunshine has one of the more complicated movesets. 3D World easily has the least complicated move set and feels a bit worse to control than all the others.

Out of curiosity, was Sunshine your first real 3D Mario that you played through?

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

Now, just imagine 1 second back in time: we were all waiting for a mario game and we got... that.

 

[Punished Miku]

Out of curiosity, was Sunshine your first real 3D Mario that you played through?

No. Started on each Mario at release beginning on NES.

 

[TLZ]

Super Mario sunshine was a famous moment in Nintendo history where they took a page directly from dragon quest. Once stated by Hiroshi Yamauchi that people who play RPGs are depressed gamers who like to sit alone in their dark rooms and play slow games. Interesting what game could he have been referring to at the time in Japan and what was the most popular oh snap dragon quest anyways.

So not to be outdone by dragon quest as the number one contender for games whose visuals and sound effects cause a distinct drop in dopamine and serotonin levels to the player and individual. Mariosunshine was born. It was Nintendo's darkest and finest moment. A game that not only memory holes the trauma you receive from it but also causes gamers to be depressed. After single handedly stealing the title of most depressing game since dragon quest RPGs Hiroshi Yamauchi was able to step down in 2002.

Don't know if you're joking or not, but it's funny you say this.

I feel bored after every time I try playing Sunshine for a while. I keep trying every now and then because I like it. But something about it just bores me and doesn't help me play it for long. I think it feels more like a chore than a game.

On the other hand, whenever I play Galaxy 1/2, I want to keep going. I think Galaxy 1/2 are the pinnacle of Mario games.

I know this isn't a standalone game, but I really enjoyed Bowser's Fury. I rate it higher than 3D World.

Apart from mechanics, graphics and story, games have to be fun and not a chore.

 

[bender]

Played and beat Odyssey...I like AC Odyssey better lol

 

[SF Kosmo]

It's an awful game. I register it in the recent compilation and it hasn't improved any. Easily the worst mainline Mario.

 

[Solarstrike]

The music is torture. Was traumatized for weeks after Delfino Plaza.

 

[Touch fuzZy. get BizZay]

awesome game, replayed last year

 

[SantaC]

Being optional doesn’t make collecting them any less shitty.




In retrospect, you kinda have to give it to the people calling the Cube kiddy.
Nintendo really went the extra mile here.

But collecting 900 moons is fine?

 

[EverythingsOverrated]

Sunshine was obviously rushed and probably a little more than half complete when it came out. Playing it again on the switch makes it even more obvious. The first few levels and noki bay are great, the other levels are anywhere from decent to absolute crap.

It's too bad because they really nailed certain aspects of the game. Controlling Mario feels great, FLUDD is great, the game looks good, great music. Worth playing, but I definitely understand people not liking it.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

But collecting 900 moons is fine?

Most blue coins in Sunshine give zero clues they’re there.
A blue coin may be there in one “chapter” and not there in another, forcing you to visit basically empty parts of stages and spray or buttstomp everything because just anything may be hiding a blue coin.

There’s always clues to finding moons in Odyssey, and you don’t have to exit and reenter a stage to select a different chapter. The difference in concept and design is massive. Both may ultimately be redundant, but Sunshine’s blue coins are the exact opposite of fun. The game being unfinished and downright broken in so many parts doesn’t help, too.

I don’t understand why people are still defending what may be the single worst collectathon sidequest in a Nintendo game, ever. It’s like Nintendo were trying to take a page from Rare’s book and misunderstood everything that made the Banjo games so good.

 

[Kokoloko85]

That, sir, is blasphemy.

I really hate the Galaxy games lol.
It felt like a compilation of all the frustrating levels in Sunshine with motion controllers and shaking. Sprinkled with constant rockets to planets and gravity/anti gravity gameplay.

The hub was cool but still prefer 64 and Sunshine’s hub lol

 

[Orta]

I thought it was great fun, some of the challenges were rock hard but nothing that wasn't eventually overcome with furious screaming and throwing the controller about.

Tbh, I preferred it to Mario64. With the godawful camera and utterly shit controller I'd don't ever want to play that game again.

It seems to be fashionable to knock Sunshine whilst in reality it was better than 99% of rival 3D platformers at the time, certainly soulless rubbish like Ratchet & Clank or Jak & Daxter.

 

[PaintTinJr]

Most blue coins in Sunshine give zero clues they’re there.
A blue coin may be there in one “chapter” and not there in another, forcing you to visit basically empty parts of stages and spray or buttstomp everything because just anything may be hiding a blue coin.

There’s always clues to finding moons in Odyssey, and you don’t have to exit and reenter a stage to select a different chapter. The difference in concept and design is massive. Both may ultimately be redundant, but Sunshine’s blue coins are the exact opposite of fun. The game being unfinished and downright broken in so many parts doesn’t help, too.

I don’t understand why people are still defending what may be the single worst collectathon sidequest in a Nintendo game, ever. It’s like Nintendo were trying to take a page from Rare’s book and misunderstood everything that made the Banjo games so good.

I think you are completely missing the context of when the game released - how Nintendo were still running premium rate number game helplines, and the emerging niche of games like Sunshine, SotC, Ico, WindWaker to name the higher profile ones, that merged art with AAA graphics tech, and so people really wanted more hours in the games to soak up the artistry of the worlds beyond completing the mainline game quest. At the time, I was personally gutted when I finished " single worst collectathon sidequest in a Nintendo game", as you put it and it didn't unlock anything else, to keep me playing in that world.

Nintendo seemingly listened to that complaint at the time, because their next game: Galaxy unlocks a Lugi play through - which although being more content, misses the point IMO, as Luigi isn't Mario, and also Galaxy's control method has a jump set to waggle, that randomly triggeried once every 10minutes in error for me, and that just wasn't what I wanted coming from the precision of SM64 or Sunshine.

 

[Skifi28]

Blue coins are optional. I am tired of this compliant.

Playing the game is optional, doesn't change anything.

 

[Star-Lord]

I didn’t realise just how many people are wrong about the 3D Mario games. Galaxy hated, Sunshine slated, 64 unappreciated. What is the world coming to?

 

[Scotty W]

Blue coins are optional. I am tired of this compliant.

Doesn’t being tired of this complaint imply that it is a complaint shared by many people?

 

[fart town usa]

I like Sunshine quite a bit but I found it almost unplayable on the Switch. I just hate the tiny joy cons.

I may have grown out of it too, I'd like to revisit it with a GCN controller and see if I still enjoy it. Admittedly, my past enjoyment from Sunshine largely came from the bright colors and the Caribbean style music.

 

[Tschumi]

This is super shallow, hilariously so actually considering my recent thread on the subject, but my big problem with Sunshine was the graphics LOL, i went back to it a bit late and i legit disliked the visual style compared with TWW, the easiest comparison i could make... I also thought the mechanics for just about everything were, a few iterations shy of their modern incarnation let's put it that way

 

[SF Kosmo]

It’s honestly a better translation of 2D Mario gameplay to 3D than 64. I’ve always said people would have considered it an instant classic if they didn’t shoehorn Mario into it and got to flex with some random new IP: it’s almost a proto Splatoon. Same with Windwaker.

If it didn't have Mario in it, it would be sitting just below I-Ninja and Billy Hatcher and just above Tork and Malice in the Hall of Forgotten Sixth-gen Platformers.

 

[WalterSobchak]

I got about a third of the way through on the Switch and haven't picked it back up in 4 months or so. Was having a decent time with it I guess. Certainly no 64 that's for sure. Can't decide if I like it better than the Galaxy games or not . Maybe I will try and finish it by the end of 2021.