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Gaming, In My Opinion
Has it really been six years... SIX YEARS since a fat Italian took the world by storm again? Has it been over half a decade since Nintendo proved their platform-gaming genius? Has it been half a dozen turns around the sun since he was doing his thing, and not karting, partying or golfing? Well, yes it has, but fret not! The latest Super Mario game is finally here!!!
Super Mario Sunshine is the traditional Super Mario platform game, which sees our portly friend being framed by an evil version of himself. Can it be that Nintendo haven't resorted to the old 'rescue the princess' plot? Well, no, because an hour into the game and Peach is yet again taken away. Still, she survived a while. Framed for messing up Isle Delfino, Mario is sentenced to clean up the island using his brand new water-backpack-pump...er...thing. Naturally, the controls are impossibly useable. Whether you have played a Mario game or not, you will easily be able to get up and running within a few seconds. Best of all, the fiddly old moves from the plumber's N64 adventure are even easier to perform this time around. And the rewards for jumping around like a man in need of the toilet? Blue coins, secret areas, shines (the replacement for stars), the list goes on. Yet again Nintendo perceive EVERYTHING you want to do and let you do it. Mario's universe has never looked better either. The visuals have come leaps and bounds beyond the blocky lands of Mario64. Mario is rounder, smoother and more realistic than ever and the beautiful Isle Delfino possesses what can only be described as Zelda-like beauty. See the cascading wonder-fall waterfalls (geddit?) of Noki Bay, the beautiful coral reef of Gelato Beach and...well, there are no words to describe the sunset of Sirena Beach. The realism is also blended seamlessly into the cartoony world that is Mario. The piranha plants, the boos and the bullet bills all return looking just like we remember them as well as brand new species and characters, like the distinguished Toadsworth. There's an incredible amount of detail throughout the game and far more interactive characters, giving the impression of a hustling, bustling holiday island. The sounds haven't been ignored either. From the moment you turn on your Cube and you hear that familiar chime of the Nintendo logo, you know this game will be a feast for your ears. The new music, like the old classics is impossibly catchy, but the old tunes have returned as well (including, much to my delight, various cool renditions of the ORIGINAL Bowser theme. I wanted to leave the first level on forever). The most nostalgic is the vocal Super Mario Theme, played in the brand-new retro (huh?) warp worlds. The new interactive characters all talk back (well, they mumble a la Zelda: Majora's Mask) and all of the main cut-scenes are VOICE-ACTED, though our red-capped friend doesn't talk much. Peach and Toad(s) sound exactly like you'd imagine, as do the true villains of the game (but I’m not telling you who! Muhahahahaha…that’s enough of that!). The levels are a bit different from previous Mario games. Whereas you used to have to wander around large, unrealistic playgrounds comprising of blocks, hills and walls, SMS is set in ‘true’ environments. So rather than leaping from block to block over a bottomless pit, you explore villages, towns, beaches, a harbour and a theme park. This makes the levels seem much more connected and realistic, though it does mean the lack of traditional ‘ice world’ and ‘fire world’, and ‘desert world’. All of the levels are roughly the same, so it doesn’t have the variety Mario64 had. Within these levels, however, are the Warp Worlds, which transport you to a retro-style block jumping challenge, which you must complete without your pack. This is great for die hard Mario fans and veterans as it is a trip down memory lane, using Mario’s wide variety of jumps to navigate the long course and reach the shine at the end. It’s here that the game’s first niggle comes into view. The difficulty on some of the challenges, most notably the Warp Worlds are known to bring on levels of frustration that are only seen in rampaging gorillas. However, something indescribable compels you to finish it. I don’t know what it is…call it ‘The Nintendo Difference’ if you like… but you’ll want to finish it and, bizarrely, you won’t mind backtracking for the fiftieth time. But as I said, completing Super Mario Sunshine is a labour of love, literally. And since we’re on the subject of niggles, the game itself seems to have quite a few. On more than one occasion, you will find yourself stuck between a wall and a repelling object, causing you to freeze within a cloud of cartoon stars. While these can be avoided, you can’t help but feel that it looks like the programmers forgot to iron a few things out. Also, the way the game progresses is a bit disappointing. There are seven main levels and you can open half of them within two to three hours, having only got twenty of one hundred and twenty shines. This ultimately leads to the opening of the final level and around fifty stars and so you can complete the main games in less than a week. This is truly disappointing as many Mario fans no doubt preferred to play for months and months in order to reach and beat that final boss. And the final boss battle is considerably easier than past episodes. After all, I haven’t even completed Mario64 after four years, and not through want of trying either….ahem. Still, this doesn’t sour the experience too much, and no doubt that was only changed to ‘appeal to younger audiences’. Finally, as insignificant as it seems, there are nowhere near as many moves as Mario64. This is not a problem as such, but it does bring the game into perspective. Unlike its predecessor, this will not change the world. It is merely a sequel…but what a sequel! VISUALS: The best yet. Harks back to every Mario game imaginable and yet has a slightly cartoony look. 10/10 SOUNDS: Catchy new tunes, nostalgic old tunes, the traditional sound tracks and great water effects. It’s all here 10/10 PLAYABILITY: Impossibly brilliant. Newbies and veterans to the Mario universe will be collecting shines before you can say ‘Toadsworth’ 10/10 LIFESPAN: Slightly shorter than the previous Mario games, but you’ll still come back to it to beat your times and relive your favourite moments. And it will take months to get everything. 9/10 VERDICT: It’s a Mario game. Need I say more? Nintendo has done it again, proving themselves to be King of Platformers. Let’s hope it’s not six years for the next one. 97% |