Gaming Target - GameCube: Super Mario Sunshine

Written by Matt Swider on August 05, 2002

Final Glimpse: Mario has a wet vacation. Thank God the plotline wasn't about a dream.

While Luigi finally received time in the spotlight last year with his haunted mansion adventure, there has been a void left for the plumber in red. Since the need for Mario is still present, it didn't take long for Miyamoto to return the limelight as he displayed footage from the upcoming adventure at Spaceworld in September of 2001. From that fateful day last year, it seemed like the wait for Mario would be endless. Well, those months and days have been flying by and are about to come to an end. Super Mario Sunshine has already hit Japan and with only a month's difference between that version and the U.S. adaptation, the August 27th release date is just about here.

Super Mario titles have always sparked innovation and lead players to amazing gaming plateaus. Like Super Mario 64 and earlier 2D adventures, Super Mario Sunshine looks to build on that trend. However, instead of using that recurring plot where the princess is kidnapped and Mario must defeat Bowser in order to save her, we are going to be greeted with a new and unique adventure that is more surreal than we have seen in the past. It's been about six years since our last adventure starring Mario, yet the plumber is still on vacation, or at least that's how the storyline begins. In taking a trip to Dolphic Island along with Princess Peach and Grandpa Toad (to make sure those two don't get into any funny business), Mario will stumble across his next challenge.

Upon landing on the shores of Dolphic Island, Mario will be confronted by the locals. It seems as if a vandal has polluted the once peaceful island with paint-like goop. Unfortunately for Mario, the perpetrator is the spitting image of our Italian pipe monkey. Although falsely accused, Mario's vacation comes to a halt as he's sentenced to clean up the mess and plans to search for the mysterious impostor that framed him.

The familiar castle grounds that are often used as the central world in most Super Mario adventures are gone. Instead, we find Dolphic Town leading to the level areas in the game. Each area is going to provide a number of goals for players to complete in order to collect shines. From this, new areas around the island can be accessed. The tasks are setup much to the likeness of Super Mario 64. Everything makes a return from collecting 100 coins, to obtaining 10 red and blue coins, performing various tasks from level to level, and defeating bosses along the way. It won't take an experienced Mario fan to get comfortable in the settings of this new adventure.

Several Mario moves are returning to complement a handful of new abilities. Jumping, diving and grabbing are still key, however, punching and kicking moves remain absent to make room for the innovative new tool that Mario is coming equipped with. To clean up the goop that is overpowering the island, he has been outfitted with a water-pack containing four different nozzles. The regular spray will simply wash away the goop in front of you, however the hover ability with lift Mario up off the ground and the Rocket Jump will send him soaring. Both also will clear out any goop beneath him.

Not only can Mario use his water-pack to clean away the goop, but also several other techniques are available like the Propulsion nozzle, which enables players to thrust Mario across the ground with intense speed. Mario will also be able to use his water-pack to move about by driving him in any direction while on top of a lily pad, swinging his overweight body back and forth when hanging from power lines, or any number of other situations that occur throughout the game. This will create interesting gameplay depth with many facets, all of which will be manipulated with a simple stream of water. Plus, if you think that sounds awesome, just wait until you've gotten the chance to ride Yoshi in three dimensions.

Like the name Sunshine implies, Mario's latest adventure is full of bright colors that are making the tropical settings come alive. On top of that, the frame rate is looking speedy and solid at all times to assure that the fun nature of this Mario adventure isn't spoiled. Although the initial impressions of some people have been that the visuals fall short of what is coming to the GameCube in the next year, the deeper effects found in the game will surely amaze any gamer that picks up the title. The amount of detail put into the goop is extraordinary. Enemies are molded from the sludge and whenever Mario comes into contact with the substance, he will slide above the slick surface and leave footprints as he walks about. After this happens, Mario will be covered with goop and be able to wash it off as well as refill his water-pack in any body of water.

Just like the C-buttons on the Nintendo 64, the camera in Super Mario Sunshine is controlled using the C-stick on the GameCube controller. While the tendency for the camera to get stuck is still going to be present at times, f it is going to be less problematic than the N64 predecessor ever was. This is being achieved by Mario taking silhouette form when in a tight space. Also brought back from Super Mario 64 is the use of a first person perspective. Here, you can see far into the distance with incredible clarity in far off objects.

Interaction is going to stem from the surroundings of each world with a ton of objects that you will have ability to move or control with the water-pack. Also, Mario has the ability to talk to dozens of non-playable characters in the game. Many of the characters are going to speak for the first time, thanks to Nintendo utilizing voice actors. As always, you can expect some classic sound effects to make a showing and a suitable soundtrack to complete the Mario game.