adventure

This game is annoying. It is an insult to the genius that was Mario 64.
The level designs in Mario 64 were absolutely brilliant. They were original, imaginative, and designed in such a way that a 3D platform game can easily take advantage of.
This was sadly not the case in Mario Sunshine. The levels on Sunshine were given an almost Zelda-like aspect to them, in that they were semi-realistic. I.e. things looked normal. Towns were designed like towns, and objects were placed as objects would be, like in Zelda. The only problem was that these were RPG elements being used in a platform game, which simply doesn't work. Therefore these levels were awkward to navigate, and simply not that fun to explore.
Other faults include those annoying "secret" levels (the ones with the classic Mario theme playing). These are 3D levels designed in the classic 2D Mario style - BIG MISTAKE. It means you are trying to apply 2D physics to a 3D environment, which leads to annoying gameplay and contantly falling from the level.
The fact that loads of people are around Mario eliminates the classic "Mario is the only one, and therefore the last hope" sort of feeling. The lonliness that Mario often felt added to the atmosphere of the game.
I won't even get started on that ...thing, it drives me up the ... wall.
It may look like Mario 64, but it most certainly is NOT. Lets hope Mario 128 fairs better - a LOT better...

Link's new cel-shaded PaRappa-paper appearance; Metroid reinvented as an FPS; Mario's latest stint as an Earth-cleansing Greenpeace spokesman; the mere fact that Pikmin even exists-many gamers have taken these as sure signs that Shigeru Miyamoto's sanity meter has finally hit rock bottom. Here's hoping the entire video game industry contracts a crippling case of mad cow disease. In Super Mario Sunshine, paradise turns into a public relations nightmare when a beloved Italian is falsely accused of dirtying up an island resort with ugly magic gloop, chasing away the island's magical Shine Sprites and making things dark and dirty for vacationers everywhere. Now, in order to make reparations, he has to clean up the island using his patented F.L.U.D.D. water cannon and enter a variety of surreal island sub-worlds to explore, jump, dive, race, hover, and squirt his way to the missing Shines. If Mario Sunshine seems a lot like Mario 64 with a water cannon, that's not too far from the truth. Yes, the Shines are the equivalent of Mario 64's Stars. And yes, Delfino Plaza, much like Mario 64's castle, acts as a "hub" that connects the sub-worlds together. The levels are even structured in the same episodic fashion-one level contains eight "episodes" or missions-though the objectives are often less vague (thanks to a quick pre-mission "fly-through"), the changes to the level in between each visit are much more visible, and it's much harder to "accidentally" stumble upon a Shine you weren't supposed to just yet. Levels are crafted with endless care, and each stage is its own preposterous superplayground-and a single level is packed with more gameplay variety than the entire length of your standard Mario-free 3D platform adventure. The "challenge types" are easily categorized, and you'll quickly recognize a pattern for the episodes in each sub-world: Fight a boss; collect eight red coins; explore a complex maze; win a race; fight the boss again in weirder circumstances; find a hidden cave that leads to a trippy obstacle course; chase down Shadow Mario; etc. But even though you may be collecting eight red coins for the eighth red time, you're never doing it quite the same way-and unthinkably clever level layouts mean things rarely get tedious or annoying.
Rest assured, Mario's new ability to squirt water isn't merely a gimmick so Nintendo can say, "Look, it's different"-here, it's as natural and integral a part of Mario's move list as his wall jump, butt stomp, or just good ol' fashioned ability to walk forward. There's hardly a moment when you aren't hovering or squirting or executing some sort of hover/squirt combo maneuver, be it to hose down an enemy, land a tricky jump, water a plant in the hopes of revealing some sort of pleasant surprise, or just giddily annoy the endlessly agreeable citizens of Delfino. The GameCube controller seems specifically designed for the task-double jumps, triple jumps, wall jumps, and backflips are executed with supernatural ease; narrow pathways are navigated effortlessly; and the analog shoulder button makes water cannon control a brainless affair. This is one of the tightest-controlling games you'll ever play. Mario Sunshine's graphics are best described as larger-than-life and absolutely alive. The smooth animation constantly delights, and a curious peek in the distance reveals an entire world of bulbous happy things hopping and bopping and glooping about. The sheer sense of scale is astonishing-sometimes you can see entire levels looming way out in the distance-and often leaves you with the overwhelmed, overjoyed feeling that there may, in fact, just be too many things to do in this damn game. The effects are glorious-the water (squirted or swum-through) is gorgeous, and the mirror effects are mind-bogglingly cool. The voice-acting in cut-scenes is weirdly understated and a bit rushed, but the garbled villager-speak is great, and the music is classic Mario. The one shortfall is the close-up graphical detail, where the primitive textures stand in sharp contrast to the rest of the game's polished glory. In summary: Yes, it's much bigger than Luigi's Mansion; yes, it's very, very much like Mario 64; no, you don't spend the whole game scrubbing dirt off walls as some sort of interactive environmental message; and yes-oh, hell yes-Mario Sunshine is exactly the brilliant, enormous, endlessly fun GameCube purchase-justifying Miyamoto supergame you were hoping it would be. Shine on, you crazy designer.

I recently bought Mario Sunshine and at first I didn't like the game because i didn't really understand what to do. But I figured it out fast and it was awesome! My friend and I would play all the time and we usually aren't that addicted. Mario Sunshine is a huge leap for the better from Super Mario Brothers which I used to love. This is a farely old game but very fun. I encourage you to go out and buy it, it's only 20 dollars. A much better price than the new ones which are 50 dollars!