Dom Robinson reviews

Distributed by
Nintendo

Price: £39.99 Players: 1 Widescreen: No 60Hz: No Mario games are usually the first thing to arrive when a new Nintendo console is unleashed, but Super Mario Sunshine was a fair while coming. Graphics alone, it's been time well spent. You arrive on Isle Delfino for your dream holiday with Princess Peach, unsure that she's seen you in a promotional video for the same, and even the inhabitants have some recollection too. Upon touchdown you find the airstrip covered in an icky goo, to which you attempt to clean up with your super-powered water shooter, but as soon as you're seen using it to great effect and revealing the first Shine Sprite, a source of power on the island that hasn't been seen much lately, you're dragged up before the beak, accused as the graffiti artist and sentenced to clean up this town, reveal all the Shine Sprites and you'll have to stop whoever's making this mess.

Of course, you know there's going to be more to the game than that, as coins must be collected in order to progress - not to mention the mini-tasks that can get you special blue ones - and that your princess companion is just bound to be taken hostage at some point. What has surprised me is not only how easy it is to get into the game, but also how enjoyable it can be. I figured it would be just that too much on the cutesy side in order to be a worthy contender, since my two favourite games recently have been Hitman 2 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but this one provides an inviting atmosphere that you can't fail to have some fun with.

Graphically, the damn thing's an absolute stunner. Crisp, clear and colourful, with the only downer being the times when your camera angle is turned the wrong way and needs adjusting. Other than that, even when attempting the same jump several times on the run in an attempt to get it right, it can be quite a liberating experience to be able to try it from any angle you choose and realise you're able to be in relatively full control at the same time. I did notice one glitch when trying to kick a durian fruit from here to the middle of next week and it would appear to stay on the original stall, but it's a very minor point so I won't mark it down for that. The sound in a Gamecube won't go above Pro Logic II, but the twee music sits well with the theme and the special effects are effective enough with a "Yippee!" from Mario, or the squelchy sounds as you shoot your load over the brown stuff in a bid to clear it up.

As I write, I'm not far into this particular game but I can see it being one that I'll return to often. Where Hitman 2 is my Xbox favourite of 2002 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City my PS2 fave of the year, even though Super Mario Sunshine isn't the most original thing I'll play for a while - especially given the touches you can see left over from previous Mario outings, it's going to take some doing to find a game so engaging, inspirational (e.g. after rescuing the princess you have to go *through* the graffiti that the bad guy Mario creates in order to chase after him through the Bianco Hills), so much fun and - most of all - a game that really takes your mind off all the things that the world throws at you.

GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ENJOYMENT
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2003.