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Mario Sunshine is Better Than I Remembered

You suck, Folken. You're just mad because you lack the mad Mario SKILLZ. Cliffside level rockeeeddd, so did the treetop one. They all rocked, damn you people!
 
I like this SMS love. I just started to play the game through again last week and it's better than I remember, thst's for sure.

What Nintendo NEEDS to do for the next mario platformer installment is bring back the Koopa kids; make the levels a but more linear much like the non FLUDD levels in sunshine; bring back the classic power-ups - mushroom, hat/feather, flower power (hell, even bring back the frog suit, metal mario etc..); keep te levels focused on different natural elements - lava, ice, water etc..

Or just make Super Mari 3 in 3D :D
 
Be glad I didn't mention the pitiful role Yoshi was given in this above average affair. ;)
 
but everything else ummm sucked? A mish-mash of pretty ok levels and OMG CRAP
You fucking kidding me? SMS has some of the very best level design in a 3D platformer ever. They were incredibly tight and well-crafted, like little playgrounds of platforming fun. Well, some of them.
 
Aside from one of the most screwed up storylines I've ever heard of in a videogame, Mario Sunshine wasn't too bad from what I remembered.

I remember that I absolutely loved that part at the hotel where you had to fight a Shadow Jellyfish or something, and when you sprayed it it kept breaking off into smaller jellyfish. That was freaking AWESOME. But then again, I also remember the very lame and anti-climatic
bathtub
battle, and I didn't like the final jungle-ish level.
 
Mario 64 = 15 Levels of pure imaginative fun and accomplishment
Mario Sunshine = 7 Levels and Lots of stupid fucking annoying blue fuckin coins.

Nuff said. Don't shortchange a Mario game Nintendo!
 
I'm seeing a lot of bitching about blue coins.. Is there some arbitrary shine number you need later in the game, which requires you to go back and search for coins? If so, I think I'll just quit now, since I really don't like this game enough to do that. If not, wtf do you care? Just don't collect them, end of problem
 
mrkgoo said:
Is it just me, or did I play the packless levels with the pack?
You are able to play the packless levels with your water pack once you beat them. In fact you need it for the red coin challenges.
 
I didn't expect SMS to be as good or better then 64, I just wanted a fun Mario game and I had loads of fun.

There were definitely some problems with the game. The blue coins should have been used better, first they all should have been available no matter what shine you are on and they should have given clues to each one. There were to many of them also.

Inside the hotel wasn't very good, I missed the long jump a lot, and the final boss was a bit disappointing but it wasn't a big deal, and the camera going bad climbing that wall in the amusement park.

I liked the water pack idea, it was cool just to run around playing with it just like in 64 it was cool to run around in 3D, although not quite to the same extant. It also helped give the game a fresh feel and help differentiate it from 64.

It's probably still my favorite game this gen. :D
 
I actually didn't like it all when I went for a second play through...it was a good platformer,just no where near Mario 64 for me.Bring back the varied worlds please,kthxbye.
 
Whats really fucked up is that Nintendo wouldn't have to break their backs to make an awsome 3D Mario sequel because they already have tons of quality 2D elements to build upon. It's just that stupid need to do something "different" when different doesn't neccessarily mean better. Build off Mario 64 level design throw some SMB3/SMW powers in there with maybe some koopa kids as sub-bosses with a possible Wart cameo and you got a friggin winner. I know I make seem effortless but what I described would of been better than Sunshine.
 
Ramirez said:
I actually didn't like it all when I went for a second play through...it was a good platformer,just no where near Mario 64 for me.Bring back the varied worlds please,kthxbye.
While Mario64 was a much more polished game, I like to think of SMS as just a different take on the genre from Mario64, rather than a worse one. SMS tighter (and with that, smaller) levels that focused more on sheer platforming elements, where as Mario64 had significantly larger levels and much more of a sense of 'adventuring' in it. That's one reason I liked Mario64 so much....it felt almost like an adventure game at points, without getting too bogged down in wandering around like in a lot of the Mario64 clones that followed.
 
Loved it but those blue coins were just too damn much. I got up to 116 stars and just gave up because I really didn't feel like scouring the entire game in random places for 40 blue coins.
 
I still say that the primary problem with SMS was the forced progression... you had to complete each level's objectives in a specific order, and you had to complete the first 7 objectives of all the levels to reach the final boss. SM64 allowed a lot more freedom, and that added to the replay factor.
 
Sunshine is so much better than Mario 64. Yes, I've played both recently, and I think in Sunshine the controls are better, the camera is better, the warp zone levels are better than any mini-level in Mario 64, the overworld (Delfino Plaza) was way better, the enemies are better (Shadow Mario), the waterpack was a fun addition...

Neither game is perfect, but Mario 64 is quite dated today, IMO. I'm not talking about graphics, but things like the challenges and controls. I hate to give a few specific examples, because they would be disputed and I think it's an overall issue with the game, but the challenges for getting stars are much cruder than Sunshine. If Mario 64 came out today with visuals that would be impressive by today's standards, I would be rather disappointed in the game.

Obviously Sunshine suffers from the blue coins (though optional), a poor final boss, a dumber story, and a weak level (hotel), but it's otherwise a fantastic improvement over Mario 64 for me.
 
I was talking about this the other day with my friend. He's only played it briefly and wants to rent it. I'd like to play it again myself, but I own the fucking Jpn SMS and don't have a modded Cube anymore. Blech. Anyway, awesome game.
 
jman2050 said:
It grows on you. I suppose that was the problem I had with it. Whereas with SM64, I was like 'OMGWTF' the moment I moved Mario for the first time, it took a while for the fun to sink in with SMS. A fun, fun game though once you get past the fact that SM64 is much better. Too bad a lot of people aren't willing to go that far...
Thing is, once you've played Mario 64 it's hard to go back to a poorer, diluted Mario 3d game.
 
Mario 64 is a far better game than Mario Sunshine.

Where 64 had areas that were completely different from one another and were fun to explore, Sunshine had generic same-ish looking levels everywhere you went (and the cleaning aspect didn't help much).

Seeing 64 in motion for the first time ultimately floored me and convinced me to not buy Donkey Kong Country 3 that day (it was coming out) and put my money into doing whatever it took to get a Nintendo 64.

I honestly found Sunshine painful. I cannot even sit down with the game anymore, it's probably the only GameCube game I've bought and not been able to go back to.
 
There were three moments which had me screaming at the television:


* the manta ray of goo, on the beach outside the Hotel.

* the pachinko level

* one of the missions on the level with all the mushrooms underneath


I thought everything else was blissful genius. I thought the waterpackless levels seemed like a no brainer for a minigame collection too. I'd of paid full price for a few levels. A level editor would be hot, but they'd be hard to make. All of the bricks, walls, floors etc seem so precisely placed.
 
Seriously, Super Mario Sunshine is one of the best 3D platformers I have ever played. Regardless of how it stacks up to previous Mario games, it's an awesome game. Along with Sly 2, you have my favorite pair of platformers this gen.
 
SMS is an excellent game. Best platformer this generation, easy; I like it more than Super Mario 64 too. The controls were tighter and the camera better (mainly due to the analog stick and the behind shadow). Level design was generally better, the stages were bigger with more gameplay variety in them, though some of the goals got repititive.

I think the game's biggest problem was its lack of nostalgia. There were only two returning characters (outside of the main characters), with the rest being look-a-likes. It wasn't the Mushroom Kingdom, nor did it have the variety of it. The setting really hurt the game.
 
Instigator said:
An average game, in a sea of overated and ever similar 3D platformers.

There has hardly been a 'sea' or platformers this gen, hardly any decent ones either, which is why I felt that platformers has been one of those genres that gets left behind in each successive generation of consoles.
 
Timbuktu said:
There has hardly been a 'sea' or platformers this gen, hardly any decent ones either, which is why I felt that platformers has been one of those genres that gets left behind in each successive generation of consoles.

Nowhere as near as 16-bit platformers back in the day, but 3D platformers are in no way a rare breed. They tend to play and even look the same, especially on PS2.

When playing SMS, I got a feeling that Nintendo just didn't care anymore and threw this incomplete game to market. A long wait for a SM64 sequel (and lots of teasing with mythical direct sequel on 64DD and now more teasing with SM128) and it's not even more of the same, it's less in many respects.
 
Yes, the levels without the FLUDD were the best and near perfectly executed. Those levels alone make Sunshine a worthwhile play experience. Best thing about them were that the physics were great and they were over pretty quickly making you want to see what the next type of level like that would be like.

It would be grand to see them expand those out and include more of the traditional Mario play mechanics for a future title.
 
SMS needed more levels variety: this is the key unfortunately. I regard this as Mario goes on Vacation and I appreciate to have the common Island theme, but having such a limited variety levels-wise also meant a restriction on the soundtrack and the feel of each level since they all had to work around a common theme.

SM64 felt more complete thanks to that: it had much more variety and I enjoyed that.
 
Super Mario Sunshine is a very good B list title. I was able to get up to 115 Shines before stopping. The other 5 were just too tough, including the tough as nails Pachinko level. The game appears very well done, until you start getting the tough to find Shines. Then it goes from fun to annoyingly average:

- Say what you want but the camera sucks. There were times when you couldn't even see what the hell was going on, no matter how much camera angling you did.

- Bowser's final battle was shit. The level was poorly done too. The first level gave me more challenge than the final level. Sad.

Well, there's not too many flaws. The levels are better designed than Super Mario 64 but 64 still won because it had a variety of levels. The game was easier than SMS but you enjoyed it. SMS was much less fun and therefore a weaker game.

Since its $19 or lower, its worth buying at that price. You were a sucker to pay for it for any higher.
 
I'll throw my two cents in.

I skipped N64 for PS, subsequently missing out on Super Mario 64 in its heyday. After buying a PS2, I decided to get a Cube for Metroid Prime (very wise decision) then got Super Mario Sunshine next. Having never played a 3D Mario before, I found it pretty darn cool. I really liked the controls, the colors, the waterpack mechanics, everything. Later on, I decided I should give Super Mario 64 a shot, after reading so many glowing reviews and mini-reviews. Once I got into it, my jaw hit the freaking floor, it was so awesome. Never mind the slightly dated graphics, the f-ed N64 controller, I absolutely adored it. The overall experience was something rarely duplicated in gaming. I stayed up WAY too late every night for a week, eventually nabbing all 120 stars. Every aspect of the game was one giant cohesive package of awesomeness. Super Mario Sunshine was very good, but Super Mario 64 was utterly awesome.

SM64 is one of those games where you feel sorry for people who don't play video games, knowing they're missing out on it.
 
Super Mario Sunshine is excellent. I don't understand why it gets so many haters - it's superior to Super Mario 64.
 
The Experiment said:
Super Mario Sunshine is a very good B list title. I was able to get up to 115 Shines before stopping. The other 5 were just too tough, including the tough as nails Pachinko level. The game appears very well done, until you start getting the tough to find Shines. Then it goes from fun to annoyingly average:

- Say what you want but the camera sucks. There were times when you couldn't even see what the hell was going on, no matter how much camera angling you did.

- Bowser's final battle was shit. The level was poorly done too. The first level gave me more challenge than the final level. Sad.

Well, there's not too many flaws. The levels are better designed than Super Mario 64 but 64 still won because it had a variety of levels. The game was easier than SMS but you enjoyed it. SMS was much less fun and therefore a weaker game.

Since its $19 or lower, its worth buying at that price. You were a sucker to pay for it for any higher.
Wait, you couldn't beat the pachinko level? :lol
 
This was a great game RUINED by something really REALLY STUPID. How Nintendo fucked this one up will be a mystery forever.

In SM 64... one of the best games ever... you had to get 70 stars to win. ANY 70 stars.

In SMS, you have to get the water Mario in every leve to win. And it's the 7th of 8 goals in every level. FREEDOM GONE.

Stupid, and it ruined the game for me. I beat the Import, and had fun. Stressed fun, but fun. Then I planned on really beating the US version 100%... I got 4 shines in, and had a massive wave depression rush of ... oh yea, I HAVE TO get the red coins... I HAVE TO do the stupid water race, climb inside the chain link hell stage... etc.,etc.,etc... stopped and never played again. WHY NINTENDO... why not keep the "any 70" genious of M64??? Was that somehow broken???
 
One thing that I really miss in the 3D Marios are the secrets. I was just replaying SMW today, and it struck me just how open ended the game is. There's alternate paths in levels that will either get you to the end faster (i.e. the bonus room in the second castle), get you to one of those switch palaces, take you to a new level (i.e. Top Secret Area) or take you to a new world (Star Road). I feel that Mario 64 had this to a small extent, but SMS didn't have it at all.

To be fair, they were structured much differently (hub world with different levels and challenges rather than a linear world map), but I can't help but feel that because of this (on top of the lack of classic Power-Ups and block smashing), that the 3D Marios are in some ways inferior to the 2D ones.
 
demon said:
I'm sorry but this is bs. There were moments when the camera was simply horrid and out of your control (like the pinball minigame or whatever that was), and in general it required more manual control and attention than it should have.
Funny enough, I never had any problems with the pachinko/pinball sublevel. In fact, I only ever had camera problems with the behind-the-Ferris-Wheel glitch... which is way less than any other 3D platformer (Mario 64 included). That right there's a testament to Sunshine's manual camera being only as capable (or incapable for some evidently) as the player.
 
No, I didn't beat the pachinko level. To be honest though, the game kept pissing me off.

0-80 Shines: Hey, this is fun
80-90 Shines: Ok, getting a little tough
90-100 Shines: WHY WON'T THE FUCKING CAMERA MOVE!?
100-110 Shines: I HATE THESE FUCKING BLUE COINS!
110-120 Shines: GOD DAMN IT, WHATS WITH ALL THIS CHEAP ASS SHIT!?

Then all of it for a fucking icon by your save file. I didn't get that far but many have. They should have done a Sonic Adventure 2 and remade an old Mario level in 3D.

Like I said, a good budget title but not up to Mario standards. I also recall Miyamoto saying this was the appetizer and Mario 128 was the main course.
 
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