The other day, I went to a local FuncoLand (now called GameStop) and saw a demo version of Super Mario Sunshine! I began playing it and...oh my sweet merciful Lord... it was so amazing! Super Mario Sunshine is the TRUE sequel to Super Mario 64!
First of all, I was amazed by the sharp clear graphics. They may seem a bit bland at first, but once you see Mario using his water pump to swivle around a rubbery wire and cascade over a field of grass, you will be amazed at what this new game can accomplish. The water effects are simply beautiful. When Mario jumps into the water, the splash created from his impact looks and acts like real physics of water.
The sound was also very crisp and clear. Although I didn't really hear much music, I did find a secret hidden underneath the town level: if you do a Butt Stomp (A button + L trigger) onto a sewer grate, you will fall into an underground pit, with the underground music playing from Super Mario Bros. 3! When you are underground, however, the camera pans above the position you are standing. Your position is represented by a gray sillhoette, and the underground paths are simply corridors.
I tried some of the playable levels that were in the demo. One level I played was set in a harbor, with the wire structures similar to the ones found in Super Mario World. You just jump at them to grab onto the grating, and then move around with the Control Stick. If you climb over the rotating panels, just press B to flip around to the opposite side of the grating. For ones above you, press A to flip up top of the grating.
Another level I played must have been a secret mini-game. It was a simple jumping-on-blocks platformer. You had to navigate the constantly-moving sets of blocks and platforms to try to get to the opposite side of the stage where the Shine Sprite (Star) was. I didn't make it--I kept falling out of the stage when I misjudged a jump. I also fought the giant sludge-gushing Piranha Plant boss, but I kept dying when it spit sludge at me.
Mario kept most of his moves found in Super Mario 64, such as the Wall Kick (which is ALOT easier to do in this game), the Butt Stomp, and the Triple Jump. Mario could also do his Belly Dive move by jumping and pressing B to dive onto enemies or into the water.
Mario DID NOT, however, have the ability to crouch down. This is surprising, since two of his vital moves--the Backflip and the Long Jump--cannot be performed without crouching.
Mario kept the same Italian-falsetto voice that he had in Super Mario 64, and yes it is still supplied by Charles Martinet. Mario still shouted his trademark "woo-hoo's" and "yahoos" whenever he jumped, only they sounded a bit higher this time...
Super Mario Sunshine was a very easy game to learn, with very simple controls. The water pump device was particularly cool, since you could use it as a flotation device as well as a weapon. Simply press the R-trigger to shoot water out of the pump's nozzle. To switch between the two modes--hovering and spraying--press the Y-button. The camera was simple and effective also. All of the camera controls are done with the Yellow C Stick. Press left and right on the stick to swivel the camera around Mario. Tile the C Stick up to zoom the camera closer to Mario--pull it back to pan the camera away from Mario. The X-button was used to switch to first-person perspective, where you can look around at your environment using the Control Stick.
By the way, the sludge Mario has to clean up is poisonous, so don't think you can just dive in and have fun--the sludge gradually deplenishes your health meter (represented by a sun icon on the upper right corner of the screen).
All in all, Super Mario Sunshine was a great game with tons of imaginative features. I am seriously considering buying it as soon as I can afford enough money to buy a GameCube.
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