I’ve always said that if Super Mario Sunshine turned out to be nothing more than Mario 64 with different puzzles and prettier graphics, I’d be a very happy man.

I’m f’ing thrilled.

Super Mario Sunshine is beautiful. Brightly colored and highly detailed texturing abounds, the draw distance is incredible, and the game just has this “pop” to it that has yet to be seen on the ‘Cube.

Borrowing elements from both Mario 64 and Super Mario World, Mario’s puzzles this time are just as you’d expect from Miyamoto … complicated, but doable with patience and steady hands. While the main goal on each world-sized level is again to collect stars (“Shines”) and defeat bosses, the levels are very open-ended in nature, and non-linear.

The music is, to put it succinctly, intoxicating. More than a few times, people could be heard asking the “Team Nintendo” folks if a soundtrack would be available with the game. I’m not a big fan of video game soundtracks, remix CDs and what not, but if they release one for SMS, I’ll get it.

The control and gameplay are tight, as always. Mario has new moves with his watergun, using it to hose down mud and paint or to propel himself across a lake. Switching to a two-nozzle mode lets him use it like a jet-pack and hover for a bit. Miyamoto mentioned during the roundtable that there are more modes than we’ve seen as well.

I’m really at a loss for words, because there is SO much going on in the world of SMS that it’s really hard to quantify it all. The cities and landscapes are huge and populated, and just a lot of fun to mess around in. Come this August, I’ll be getting a little Sunshine of my own, from the comfort of my living room.