ButterCashier
Goomba
Yeah! After 64 I decided to re-visit Sunshine, to completion. I've played this game since I was about 7, and it's just fantastic. But I guess you all know that, this is a Mario board, it's probably quite positive to the Mario series. Anyway, I love it, the music re-using the Delfino motif in different ways (the first three worlds are all variations on it, structurally the same), the holiday atmosphere, FLUDD of course. Compared to 64, it has a noticeable emphasis on atmosphere and world-building rather than rushing through. I mean, 64 I beat in three days recently, the second time, and I came to realise a new fun of the game through getting really good at it. It's like, there's two ways of playing the games, in a spectrum from absolute beginner, like a child, where you're journeying out to discover this magical new world, full of weird creatures and characters, exploring to find stars. That's what the 3D games are fantastic at. And, at the other end, an expert's point of view, where you're playing the game just to beat it really fast, you know all the tricks and shortcuts. Mario games are great at allowing people to play at any level between those two, though they're particularly adept at allowing new players entry. Big open easy levels to start, then bottomless pits all the time near the end. So, Sunshine is more focused I think on the beginner-type player, or at least, someone interested in exploring and investigating rather than beating the game fast. It takes a lot longer than 64 in pacing, like how 100 Coins Shines have to be done individually, you can't collect two Shines Sprites in one go. The Blue Coins are all spread out, in several episodes in each world, that slows it down. FLUDD makes the game easier overall really, my favourite parts are the FLUDD-less secret levels, with that bopping music. Favourite world is probably Noki Bay, it's so calming and tranquil. Ricco Harbour is pretty rubbish though, I've always liked it less.
So, of course it's a great game, but interestingly, my opinion of it, especially compared to 64, has become more nuanced in a way. I used to always think, Sunshine's the best ever, 64's just not as good, it's smaller, looks worse, bad draw distance, the water in Sunshine is AMAZING, so yeah. But now I appreciate 64's speed of getting through the levels fast, whereas playing Sunshine to beat it, it's a lot more annoying. The absolute biggest problem really is the Blue Coins, in that, if you're missing one, good luck finding it! Could be literally anywhere in the world, in any episode. So you might enter the world and it isn't even in the episode you go in. The easiest way to fix this is to number them, like the stray beads in Okami, or have some menu checklist like they do with the Shine Sprites, so you can see how many are left in what episodes, at least to narrow it down a bit. It's generally easy to find about half of them but the other half, not so much, you just have to spray random things. How about, jump on the big golden mushroom and spray at the moon? I guess it's like the secret Shine in that world, Pianta Village. But unlikely to be found. All the Blue Coins are only used if you're going for 120 Shines, too, otherwise they're irrelevant. I think Sunshine and 64 are the two 3D Mario games made where, it was intentionally designed that most players wouldn't fully beat them, at least not for a long long time. Galaxy onwards, I think they meant for people to fully beat them more, they're more linear. But I like this open design more, I don't know, I like both, a kind of balance really. Galaxy did that quite well. Now I feel I have to play that again! But I did beat it five times, I mean, three times as Mario and twice as Luigi, so I know it pretty well.
Anyway, Super Mario Sunshine: It's great! I really love it, I love the Noki, the Piantas (yes, even the Chucksters! Haha), Bowser's voice acting, the bit where the balloon flies off and FLUDD says "No, not again", the general positive spirit to bumbling around Delfino Plaza with that great guitar. So that's that! Thanks for reading another excessively long post.
So, of course it's a great game, but interestingly, my opinion of it, especially compared to 64, has become more nuanced in a way. I used to always think, Sunshine's the best ever, 64's just not as good, it's smaller, looks worse, bad draw distance, the water in Sunshine is AMAZING, so yeah. But now I appreciate 64's speed of getting through the levels fast, whereas playing Sunshine to beat it, it's a lot more annoying. The absolute biggest problem really is the Blue Coins, in that, if you're missing one, good luck finding it! Could be literally anywhere in the world, in any episode. So you might enter the world and it isn't even in the episode you go in. The easiest way to fix this is to number them, like the stray beads in Okami, or have some menu checklist like they do with the Shine Sprites, so you can see how many are left in what episodes, at least to narrow it down a bit. It's generally easy to find about half of them but the other half, not so much, you just have to spray random things. How about, jump on the big golden mushroom and spray at the moon? I guess it's like the secret Shine in that world, Pianta Village. But unlikely to be found. All the Blue Coins are only used if you're going for 120 Shines, too, otherwise they're irrelevant. I think Sunshine and 64 are the two 3D Mario games made where, it was intentionally designed that most players wouldn't fully beat them, at least not for a long long time. Galaxy onwards, I think they meant for people to fully beat them more, they're more linear. But I like this open design more, I don't know, I like both, a kind of balance really. Galaxy did that quite well. Now I feel I have to play that again! But I did beat it five times, I mean, three times as Mario and twice as Luigi, so I know it pretty well.
Anyway, Super Mario Sunshine: It's great! I really love it, I love the Noki, the Piantas (yes, even the Chucksters! Haha), Bowser's voice acting, the bit where the balloon flies off and FLUDD says "No, not again", the general positive spirit to bumbling around Delfino Plaza with that great guitar. So that's that! Thanks for reading another excessively long post.