Itsa Me - MARIO!

DATE: 2002-06-04 23:07:15

Mario needs a vacation. After nearly 20 years of saving Princess Toadstool from the clutches of King Koopa, competing in just about every sport imaginable, and most recently being kidnapped by ghosts and trapped inside a painting - Mario just needs a break. As luck would have it, the tropical isle Mario decides to make his vacation hideaway is overrun by blobs of a brown paint-type substance that is ruining everything. Being the heroic plumber he is, Mario decides to strap on a water squirting backpack and clean up the island.

Mario Sunshine is one of those games that I was really interested in seeing at E3, but not because I wondered if it was any good or not, but simply because I knew it was going to be a fun game and wanted to see it first. I was not disappointed.

Whenever I first approach any game, there's always that feeling of trepidation about the control scheme. How do I do this? What does this button do? Most games shown in kiosks (at E3) have a little card attached telling the player what everything does. Surprisingly Mario Sunshine didn't have a card. Obviously, this made me nervous, especially with the crowd that was amassing behind me, just waiting for me to screw up and die so they could get a chance to play. As things turned out, the set-up is so intuitive that I just knew what things did. I'm usually a little hard on the GC controller - it's comfortable, but has an odd layout. After playing Mario Sunshine and Legend of Zelda, I realize why the layout is like it is. These are the games the controller is built to play.

Mario games are always known for introducing some kind of new play mechanic to the game. Mario 2 introduced picking up items, Mario 3 flying, and Mario 64 gave us 3D worlds. Mario Sunshine is no different. The newest play mechanic is the water shooting backpack. Not only is it Mario's prime means of attack against the paint, but with a quick button tap it can switch from a single to double nozzle mode and used as a jetpack that allows Mario to hover for a few seconds.

At first glance, Mario isn't all that spectacular to look at. It looks like a high res, heavier textured version of Mario 64. Once you see the game in motion it's a whole new game. Trees sway in the breeze, clouds move in the sky, water moves realistically when disturbed - it's all very cool. One of the coolest details is that Mario gets dirty. As he slips and slides during battles with the paint, it gets all over him until he jumps in water to clean himself. It's nothing that is vital to the game, but it's still a fun detail.

The future is looking bright for Mario Sunshine, see for yourself in August.

Starscream aka Ricky Tucker
"...know, I really don't. I have no idea how they got there in the first place. The thing is, they weren't right. -They just weren't 'right', you know - l#ke from ##i# pla##t or su#pin'... They was way too quick and they looked like they were out of one a those 'Terminator' movies or sumpin' only with cameras and sh*t insteada guns... They moved real silent and then 'zshwishzz' - they was gone. Just like that..."
- H##ry ###ler, LACC Facility Services