Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic., 20 Mar 2003
I won't go into details about the plot of this game, FLUDD or the occasionally problematic camera because you know all that from other reviews. This is a supremely polished game, no matter what anyone says. OK, there is the occasional texture that looks a bit N64 but does real life, on the whole, look as good as Super Mario Sunshine? No. It's the perfect extension of pure Nintendo escapism- a beautiful holiday island. Sliding flat on your belly down a chalk-white pathway drenched in the water spraying from a nearby fountain in Bianco Hills is the second most fun thing that can be done in the privacy on your bedroom. The first, of course, is pulling a giant squid's tentacles until he dives into a nearby harbour. Mario's movement is more bouncy than ever and he can kick his way up walls! The continuity on this game is excellent- you can see the complicated series of scaffolding in Ricco Harbour from Bianco Hills, for instance. Such is your belief in the immersive environment that you feel throughly disappointed when you hit an invisible wall, such as that in the middle of the sea. It's like the closing scene of The Truman Show- the realisation that there are still boundaries in Mario's world and a world beyond video games. Sorry if I'm getting a bit too philosophical but this game makes you get like that. So what's wrong with the game? Well, the Corona Mountain level is thoroughly short and feels rushed. It's linearity might be deliberate, though, on a par with the old-skool levels where FLUDD is taken away from you. There is too much repetition, like chasing Shadow Mario. And the warp pipes, while handy, mean that Ricco Harbour is easier than it could have been. But the water effects are wonderful, on a par with Wave Race: Bluestorm, and the game is alive with movement, such as birds that perch on the elasticated ropes and fly away when you come close. Just look up at the clouds in Delfino Plaza too- they are the PERFECT cartoon clouds, putting Disney to shame. Contrary to popular opinion, I also think that many of the tunes ARE memorable, especially those of Delfino Plaza and Pinna Park. Cutscenes and voice acting are largely ignored after the opening scenes too. Conker's Bad Fur Day was built around brilliantly funny cutscenes but, in fact, this game shows Mario doesn't need them quite as much. The amount of freedom you have is amazing and it is one of the main reasons why I love this game- it really is like being on holiday- you can work, rest or play. Fantastic Nintendo brilliance.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Still in the shadow of Mario 64, 2 Nov 2002
I bought this game thinking i was going to get the best gaming experience on any console. For the 1st week i truly thought I had found just that but the novelty began to wear off. Superb graphics and sound make this game very good indeed but a true classic needs more than just these 2 crudentials. As lots of other people said the camera can be a real pain in the neck as you usually find that your view is being blocked by a wall or other object.The missions are very well thought of but very repetetive. For instance you have to race this little elf thing called piantisimo about 4 times which is annoying after a while and in the 1st level you have to defeat the same flower about 3 times. A very crafty way of adding missions me thinks. Onto the good things now and there are indeed a few but not enough. The obstacle courses are very challenging and fun to play, you'll find yourself pulling your hair out at not being able to do one, i was. Some of the missions are fun and also very challenging (the balloon popping one being very annoying). The game overall is quite good but far to short, i've had it for about 3 weeks now and already i'm onthe last level which is very short itself. I thought mario games just kept getting better but this one is a long way from being a true classic like Mario 64.
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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent game! 9/10, 15 Sep 2006
I'm really annoyed. I'm annoyed at the fact that Sunshine has had some terrible reviews, causing its average score to plummet to an average 4 stars! First of all, the people who have given this game a 1,2 or 3 star review are not providing a lot of detail and aren't really conveying their opinions to the best of their ability- this automatically should cause their reviews to be ignored, and maybe even deleted.
Sunshine's an excellent game, offering beautiful sceneries and worlds, filled with lots of colour and water! The graphics are amazing, especially as it was released very early in the gamecube's lifespan. The water may very well be the most realistic looking water ever in videogames, and i'm not using the word "ever" in vein at all. It's wonderful and amazingly fun to splash about in the deep oceons that Sunshine provides, and also rewarding as you can find hidden treasures and mini-games, resulting in Shine Sprites! By the way, Shine Sprites are the new Stars, and they look so cool, believe me!
The game mechanics are similar to 64, except that this time around you have a new compadre, Fludd! This doesn't ruin the game at all, but merely improves it. For example, if your simply running around with mario, you could spray a bit of water in front of him and slide down the path with sprays of water rushing from mario's sides. This is both, fun and visually stunning. Sunshine offers everything you could want from a platformer. Cool, unique bosses, big and bright levels and simple controls. This results in a game that is, without a doubt the best platformer of this generation. I've played lots of platformers, jak and daxter (all of them), ratchet and clank (all three) and even that platformer on the xbox based around a stupid racoon. Jak and Daxter and Ratchet and Clank are amazing games, flawless on the PS2, but compared to Sunshine they're nothing. I'm not a nintendo boy, but Sunshine is the best. I can understand people complaining about the fact that its worse than Mario 64, but be realistic, no game is going to have the same impact Mario 64 did, ever! Bottom line, this is the best this generation is going to offer when it comes to platformers. 9/10. It's not a 10 because the background characters are simply annoying, and because it's not mario 64;) Just give it a chance.
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