The story is that Mario is taking a well deserved holiday; he, Princess Peach and Toadsworth are visiting the tropical resort of Isle Delfino. As their plane glides towards the landing strip a video advertises the Island. Mario and Toadsworth are too busy drooling over the food to notice a shadowy figure in the background of the screen. Peach does, but dismisses it. Just as the plane lands however the pilot has to slam on the brakes, because the runway is blocked by a large pool of paint! Being hero of the Mushroom kingdom, Mario begins to look around the area, and discovers a strange little back pack, called FLUDD.
FLUDD identifies Mario and then begins a short tutorial on how to use the water cannons. Once equipped and briefed Mario then goes to sort out the problem on the runway. After clearing up the mess a massive piranha plant made of the gloop appears and attacks. Once this is defeated a shine sprite appears and Mario and Peach prepare to enjoy their holiday, but then the police show up and arrest Mario! It turns out that someone has posed as Mario, and framed him for covering the Island in graffiti! Mario must clean the Island up, or he will not be allowed to leave!
One of the things Myamoto commented one was the fact that he did not want every game to be the same, so he introduced the water cannon. This really adds a new dimension to game play, as you can use FLUDD to jump higher, run faster, glide across gaps or activate switches. The game has received a graphical over haul since the N64 days, with everything a lot sharper, and the game generally throws more polygons around. The lighting effects are very good, but what really stands out are the water effects. They spray from FLUDD looks superb, and the ripples are a sheer master piece. Despite some people saying that it borrows heavily from Wave race, is this really a bad thing?
The basic layout of the game is similar to that of Mario 64, with Delfino Plaza acting as the hub area like the castle did in the old game. Each level has 11 shines to collect in it, but the face of the levels changes depending on what episode you choose. The levels are much larger now, and look absolutely stunning. The first level really sets the scene, with the tropical palm trees lining the paths, and beautiful blue streams gushing down the hills. Every level also features some �retro� sections, where you must cross a series of platforms, but without FLUDD. These are quite challenging, and possibly annoying, but then you must revisit them and do it over again, this time collecting 8 red coins within the time limits. These sections add a lot of challenge to the game, but are also really annoying.
As you collect shines certain things happen in Delphino Plaza, such as Shadow Mario appearing, the boats starting to move again, the area brightening up, or even a Yoshi Egg appearing! Throughout the game you will have to chase Shadow Mario around, squirting him with water until he drops whatever he is holding, whether it is a nozzle power up for FLUDD or a Shine.
There are a total or 120 shines to collect in the game, and the red, yellow and blue coins return, but this time blue coins are collected separately, and fro every ten you collect you can trade them for a shine in Delphino Plaza. Unfortunately, that means if you want all 120 shines you have to get every single blue coins!
This is the game that was missing from the launch line up. Despite seeming a little easy, it does take a while to collect all 120 shines, and you will get stuck along the way. The game looks and sounds brilliant, and the bosses are much more impressive than before. There are plenty of things to do and places to explore, and FLUDD adds a new element of Gameplay. However, this is not revolutionary like Mario 64 was, and when you beat it you might go back and do it over again once or twice, but not much. Overall however, this is well worth buying, and despite not being perfect it is a brilliant addition to any collection.
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