Having finally received my import copy of Super Mario Sunshine, I must start off by saying that I’m not going to hold back on much of anything here. I’m going to try to describe just about everything I’ve seen, including things that you might consider spoilers. If you don’t want to know anything about the game, I highly suggest you stop reading now.

For those of you following the great debates over this game on the internet, let me spell everything out for you. First, yes, there are camera issues. Any 3D game is going to have them. Mario Sunshine’s camera issues are fairly glaring, but for the most part, there isn’t a lot that can be done to mitigate that. Gamers are going to try to do some goofy things sometimes, and not all of that can be accounted for by even the best camera work. That’s clearly the reason why you don’t have dual-analog control (one stick to move, one to control the nozzle) in this game … giving the user the option to move the camera was imperative. The only way you get a better camera is by going to fixed angles (a’la Eternal Darkness).

The game’s story is told through the inexplicable use of FMV clips. (Why these couldn’t have been done in engine, I have no idea.) All FMV in the game is spoken, so following the basic story without English knowledge should be simple (and is what is behind the quick conversion time for the US market). Mario, Peach, and the Mushroom King are all off on vacation to Isle Dolphino. When they arrive, they find that the Shine Sprites have all been scared off and the island is becoming polluted by a fiend looking very much like a watery Mario … not to mention the creepy red eyes. Mario is accused of committing the heinous act, and ordered to clean up his act … and the island.

No sooner does Mario get started than this watery demon whisks off Peach, leading Mario on a chase around the island. Once you manage to rescue the princess (which is not the only homage to previous Mario titles), you unlock the first area of the game. It turns out that Dolphino Isle is to Mario Sunshine what the Castle was to Mario 64, a sort of hub that allows you to access the other areas. But before I even entered this new land, I spent quite a fair amount of time just playing around the Isle.

The game encourages you to explore and try out your new equipment, a device made by Gadd Industries (presumably the same Professor E. Gadd from Luigi’s Mansion) called FLOOD. This water pump can actually talk to Mario and give him tips along the way. Initially, the pump has two modes, a standard spray mode, and a dual-nozzle jet pack option. The spray can be used to clean up muck, erase graffiti (the red umlauted ‘M’s, or the other symbols), or even explore for coins and other items. For instance, you can spray into windows and receive coins, spraying a hanging sign or “Wanted” poster might yield a coin or two, but more clever usage can uncover other items. Putting out a campfire yields a 1UP Mushroom in one place on the Isle.

Once you’re ready to progress, you’ll find a rainbow colored tag left by your aquatic nemesis. Get close enough to it and it well being to glow, showing a flyby of the area beyond. Jump, and Mario dissolves into tiny colored spheres to materialize in the new area.

Levels are, unsurprisingly, set up similarly to Mario 64. In order to get a “Shine”, you need to achieve some sort of goal, killing a boss monster usually. In typical Miyamoto fashion, the game teaches you to how play as you go along. Techniques used to kill bosses early on are combined with new techniques for bosses later. Targeted spraying, “Butt-Stomping” … all are used to a great extent. The goals are actually pretty easy to figure out, but sometimes getting to them is a challenge.

Speaking of challenge, the game is certainly not easy. 3D platformers are a tough bunch, and Mario Sunshine is definitely not for the weak-willed. Admittedly, I’m hardly a videogame savant like some of my PGC brethren. Annie (my lovely wife) has been having a great time, but she’s certainly struggling.

There are a lot of these nice touches in the game, somewhat of a Miyamoto trademark. If you leave the controller alone too long, Mario will hitch up his belt, stretch, yawn, and sit down to catch some Zzz’s. A little longer, and Mario will actually lay down on his side, head tucked in his hard for some serious shut-eye.

The music is, to put it succinctly, delightful. Remixes of old Mario staples, for sure, but the instrument sets and catchy beats make them feel both fresh and familiar. I’m not a big fan of video game music soundtracks, but I think that even I would buy this one. I just can’t get enough of that calypso beat!

I’d estimate that I’m about 6-7 hours in, and I’ve found 15 Shines. I’m certainly not blazing through the game, but I do feel like I’m making progress. I’ve exhausted all of my lives on several occasions, but that makes my successes that much more rewarding. But even with this limited amount of time, I can tell you that this is my favorite Mario game since Super Mario Bros. 3, and anyone that doesn't buy it on August 26th is either broke, or a communist. Don't listen to the doubters, the ones that haven't played it. The game is GREAT!

Come back tomorrow. I’ll have more impressions from a more prolonged amount of time with the game. That is, if I can put this thing down. :)

Now over 15 hours in, the game is really starting to get interesting, and VERY difficult. I’ve collected 38 Shines, and am starting to run into some downright devious puzzles. There are some sadistic bastards on Miyamoto’s development team.

I’ve managed to open up six areas total …

Area 1 – Bianco Hills

Area 2 – Mamma Beach

Area 3 – Ricco Harbor

Area 4 – Pinna Park

Area 5 – Mare Bay

Area 6 – Monte Village

I’ve unlocked Yoshi and both additional Water pack attachments, though they didn’t come until over 30 Shines. The attachments seemed to be triggered in Mamma Beach, with them becoming available in the Hub after snatching them from Water Mario. (You need to earn the attachments in every area to be able to use them). Yoshi was triggered in Pinna Park, after finding what looked like buried Yoshi eggs. Alas, they were Turtles in disguise, but finishing that Shine story gives you the opportunity to rescue Yoshi from your liquid doppelganger.

A quick note about Pinna Park … I had a great deal of trouble in this level, mainly due to holes in the geometry (around the masts in the pirate ships) and other bugs. In fact, after getting shocked by an electric beetle of sorts, I found myself hanging in space with everything around me gone. I let go, and fell … and fell and fell and eventually needed to reset the machine. Do not be surprised if you run into some problems in this level.

All in all, Super Mario Sunshine is one of the most satisfying games I’ve played in a long time. Six years since his last solo adventure was well worth the wait.

Addendum

So as it turns out, I'm a complete idiot. Ever since I unlocked Yoshi, I've had access to another area, and didn't even realize it. See, there's this gigantic pineapple sticking out of what looks like a chimney on a rooftop. It looked too big for Yoshi to eat, so I never even tried. Today, bounding past it, trying to eat birds, I accidentally latched onto it, and voila. I felt like a moron.

The game has an amazing capacity to make you feel like a moron. The puzzles are very straight forward for the most part, but the way you accomplish them can sometimes be a bit circuitous. Also, while the game borrows heavily on Mario 64 for some elements (staring into the sun in an area opens Mare Bay), sometimes the game doesn’t do things the way you’d expect it to for the same reason. Every time I’ve been stuck so far, it’s either due to my own ineptitude and lack of skill, or because I assumed something about the game mechanics to be true that wasn’t.

I’ve got 63 Shines now, and I must say that hell is a huge expanse full of rotating platforms where some watery jerk steals your backpack. For the uninitiated, that translucent double of yours shows up and takes your water shooter in some areas, usually resulting in you jumping through space over rotating blocks trying to reach a shine without the safety net of your hover ability. These levels will truly try your patience, and you fall repeatedly to your death only to have to do it all over again. They all look daunting and impossible at first, but once you learn the mechanics and patterns, you’ll wonder why you had such a hard time. (I’ll give you a hint, it’s the never-perfect perspective that’s killing you.)

From the looks of things, I should be able to tackle the end boss in the next day or so. It turns out that getting to the end is no longer linked to your Shines (as many assumed), but happens after you catch Water Mario in a chase in each area. I’ll post more impressions once I’ve managed to tackle that final battle.