Wow, Super Mario Sunshine is bad.

[Zing]

Super Mario 64: One of the best games ever made.

Super Mario Galaxy: Possibly the best Mario game ever made.

WTF happened with Super Mario Sunshine?

I have given it my best and I just can't take it anymore. It is boring as hell. The controls are overly sensitive. The level designs are horrible. The blue coin collection is arbitrary and annoying. The original Super Mario Bros has a more immersive story. The game just doesn't feel worth playing.

I would sit down and collect all 120 stars in Mario 64 right now. I am 80 stars into the Luigi mode of Super Mario Galaxy and its still fun. I got 10 shines into Mario Sunshine and I just cannot force myself to go on.

Am I missing something about this game or is it a game destined to sit on my shelf unplayed?

[Blanka789]

I found it to be fun, just more about exploration than Mario games traditionally are. A lot of people hate this game, but I think it's ok.

[noname11]

i found it to be hit and miss, some great levels, a lot of boring ones

[Superman]

Super Mario Sunshine didn't seem that exciting to me either. However, I should note that I haven't played it that much. The most I have played is a few minutes when it was at the store kiosks. I spent most of the time trying to figure out why you were shooting people (or animals) with water. It was humorous, but it wasn't a Mario game to me.

I have a copy now, but I have had it for a little over a year and I just haven't found the motivation to try it again.

[kupomogli]

I've only played Mario 64 to finish and never any of the other 3d ones. Never understood why people think it to be one of the best games ever made, much less one of the best Mario games ever made.

The only good thing about Mario 64 is that it has aged very well. Overall though. It's got a terrible camera which helps give the sense of difficulty to the games relatively poor level design. The castle itself is designed really well and there are a few stages that are designed well, but half the stages are overall boring and everything is extremely small that you're doing nothing more collecting all the starts which is the only reason it has any sortof replay value.

I've heard good things about Super Mario Galaxy, but with everything wrong about Mario 64 and how much it's praised, then I don't think I'd ever try that one.

I'll atleast agree with everyone's praise on Zelda Ocarina of Time. While not the greatest game ever made, it's definitely one of the best Zelda titles. More praise needs to go towards Zelda Wind Waker aside from the crappy sailing.

[c0ldb33r]

Both my wife and I really enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine. There were a few levels that were kind of crummy (chasing Dark Mario around the city drove me bonkers) but I thought most levels were really fun. Plus, I loved the graphic, music and being able to use the water pack.

I should note that I'm not the 100% completionist type in 3D mario games. I'm sure that there are levels that I never bothered with that could drive a man to drink. I played enough to beat the game, went back and played a bunch more levels just for fun and just stopped there.

[RPG_Fanatic]

I have given it my best and I just can't take it anymore. It is boring as hell. The controls are overly sensitive. The level designs are horrible. The blue coin collection is arbitrary and annoying. The original Super Mario Bros has a more immersive story. The game just doesn't feel worth playing.


Sunshine is the worst Mario game so far.

[Tupin]

I personally really liked Sunshine, it was a departure from the series, but it was good.

In ten years, it will be looked upon as the Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) of the 128-bit generation. I guess you could say it's a "love it" or "hate it" game.

[maxlords]

I rather liked Sunshine myself. Thought it was kind of fun and different. However....I absolutely HATED Mario 64 with a burning passion. I cannot stand that game at ALL. Just seeing it makes me angry. I've never understood why people rave about it all the time. IMO that and SMB 2 are the worst Mario games. My favorites are 1, 3, 4, and Galaxy.

[Nebagram]

I loved Sunshine, the water pack was a fun gimmick once you got the hang of it. I can't understand people saying 'it's not Mario'- so what if it's different? It's still a seriously fun game.

[carlcarlson]

I really liked it. I thought it was just a light-hearted, fun game. I'll admit I didn't complete all of the blue coin levels though. Once I beat Bowser I pretty much shelved it.

[scooterb23]

I liked Sunshine way more than I liked Mario 64.

[fahlim003]

I rather liked Sunshine myself. Thought it was kind of fun and different. However....I absolutely HATED Mario 64 with a burning passion. I cannot stand that game at ALL. Just seeing it makes me angry. I've never understood why people rave about it all the time. IMO that and SMB 2 are the worst Mario games. My favorites are 1, 3, 4, and Galaxy.

We Canadians think alike. I too enjoy Sunshine since it for the most part didn't leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. I found the atmosphere to be very cohesive and the FLUDD element was actually fairly easy to work with. Mind you, I've never owned a GameCube and surely spent less than 10 hours in game but I've watched around 40 hours of my friend go at it and I can honestly say not much wasn't interesting. I'll say some of the later shines per area weren't terribly executed but on the whole I look back at Sunshine and feel good.

Mario 64 on the other hand I have no compassion for, possibly due to the fact I have a strong dislike for the 64 in general. I will say it's a game that fared extremely well and broke ground in it's day but I think I'm at the point where I'm in no position to try it out again for a long time to come. Compared to Sunshine, 64 was very sparse and it seems some of the early levels have similar elements that are found in Sunshines bonus stages, which are actually quite fun. As for Galaxy, no Revolution so whatever goes. Apparently it's good but what do I care.

[aclbandit]

I enjoyed it. I mean, there's certainly no comparison for Mario 64, and Galaxy is better than Sunshine, but it was still a solid game.

[Kyle15]

I don't mind Sunshine or 64 at all, they are both pretty good. As for Galaxy? I found it a complete rehash bore-fest 20 minutes in.
If I could pick a favorite, it would be Sunshine. Its a great example of a Mario adventure game done right. 64 and Galaxy were too much of the same thing, so that's probably why I didn't like them as much.

Anybody else a fan of the Mario RPGs? I find them a lot better than Mario's recent fare.

[heybtbm]

I thought Super Mario Sunshine was great. No idea why people continue to bitch about this game. It's fantastic. Sure, it's not quite as good as SM64 or Galaxy...but it's still an A-list first party classic. How many of those came out during the Gamecube generation? (crickets chirping).

[Melf]

Sunshine was the first Mario game I never felt compelled to complete.

[Aussie2B]

I don't think it's as instantly appealing as most Mario games, but it's worth a time investment. When the game first came out, my boyfriend picked it up, and I casually played for about 30-some Shines before I grew tired of it and quit. It didn't leave that huge of an impression on me, but a summer or two ago I decided to sit down and seriously play through it. I collected all 120 Shines, and in the end, it became a very memorable experience. I really adore the atmosphere of the game. From the bright sun, glistening water, sandy beaches, and the joyful music, few games capture that lovely summertime feeling better.

[Zing]

Compared to Sunshine, 64 was very sparse
Interesting that you say this, since something that bothers me about Sunshine is how cramped and cluttered the levels feel. Combine this with an even worse camera than Mario 64 (which I honestly didn't find that bad) and touchy controls, and it makes me want to just turn the game off.

It just feels like there is no direction, which is weird considering there is intended to be more "story" than Mario 64 and it also has the scrolling text along the bottom. It just seemed so obvious in Mario 64 what to do. You gather stars to open the next door. In Sunshine you are gathering blue coins for whatever reason and there doesn't seem to be any explicit drive to gather shines, other than to eventually complete the game, of course.

I am currently playing through Wind Waker, which is very enjoyable. After I complete that, maybe I will try to give Sunshine a quick playthrough. I can't imagine tolerating it enough to gather all the shines, though.

[c0ldb33r]

Anybody else a fan of the Mario RPGs? I find them a lot better than Mario's recent fare.
I own Mario RPG but have never played it. My wife has a save file at the last boss, so that's kind of neat. I love the Paper Mario series, except for the Wii version, which I detest. But the other two are excellent.

[importaku]

Sunshine is the worst Mario game so far.

Nope that award goes to new super mario brothers on ds that game feels nothing like a mario game to me theres hardly any secrets & the levels for the most part are just plain dull the only saving thing in the entire game is the giant mushroom powerup.

[fahlim003]

It's been a few years since I last handled Sunshine so you might be on to something. Although I can say I never had too many issues or gripes back then how it handled, perhaps it's something comparable to 64.

As for Stars versus Shines, perhaps it's very obvious what to do in basic terms what to do and why in 64 but because Sunshine is more dynamic and larger (not to mention trying to change the formula so slightly since it is a "new" game) which makes it seem less obvious or important. 64 could be the epitomy of simplicity perhaps while garnering great depth while Sunshine has lots of variety but perhaps not as much focus.

Wind Waker is another GameCube generation that really impressed. I cannot tolerate OoT and Wind Waker, like Sunshine, has fantastic atmosphere which really helps getting into. Not only but it is pretty diverse and handles quite well.


Interesting that you say this, since something that bothers me about Sunshine is how cramped and cluttered the levels feel. Combine this with an even worse camera than Mario 64 (which I honestly didn't find that bad) and touchy controls, and it makes me want to just turn the game off.

It just feels like there is no direction, which is weird considering there is intended to be more "story" than Mario 64 and it also has the scrolling text along the bottom. It just seemed so obvious in Mario 64 what to do. You gather stars to open the next door. In Sunshine you are gathering blue coins for whatever reason and there doesn't seem to be any explicit drive to gather shines, other than to eventually complete the game, of course.

I am currently playing through Wind Waker, which is very enjoyable. After I complete that, maybe I will try to give Sunshine a quick playthrough. I can't imagine tolerating it enough to gather all the shines, though.

[Eric]

I own Mario RPG but have never played it. My wife has a save file at the last boss, so that's kind of neat. I love the Paper Mario series, except for the Wii version, which I detest. But the other two are excellent.

Personally, I liked the Wii version, although I have to admit I haven't played any other Paper Mario game. But...remember that Super Paper Mario was originally scheduled to be released on the GameCube, not the Wii.

[Nesmaster]

I enjoyed what I played, but for me it's still like this:

64 > Galaxy > Sunshine. 64 is one of my favorite games of all time.

[Eric]

Nope that award goes to new super mario brothers on ds that game feels nothing like a mario game to me theres hardly any secrets & the levels for the most part are just plain dull the only saving thing in the entire game is the giant mushroom powerup.

Really? I liked New Super Mario Bros. a lot...it reminded me of the earlier Mario games, only with better graphics. Admittedly, the game was a little short though...but if you replay every level and try to find the hidden coins and secret exits, you'll easily double the amount of time you'll spend playing the game.

[chicnstu]

I thought Super Mario Sunshine was great. No idea why people continue to bitch about this game. It's fantastic. Sure, it's not quite as good as SM64 or Galaxy...but it's still an A-list first party classic. How many of those came out during the Gamecube generation? (crickets chirping).

Exactly, Mario Sunshine is a quality, well-developed game. Why can't people see that about it and other games? I HATE Mass Effect and every other Bioware game I've tried (Baldur's Gate II, Star Wars: KotR, Jade Empire, MDK II) because the battle systems feel....cheap...to me, but I see that the games are well made with some of the best stories of any game.

It's like how so many GTA fans didn't find GTA IV as fun as the previous games in the series, because it was "serious", so they moved over to Saints Row 2. But I hope they at least see that GTA IV is so obviously a more technically quality game.

[ShinobiMan]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I personally LOVE Super Mario Sunshine. Very innovative gameplay that makes great use of atmosphere. Summer time fun all around. Changes things up without losing that Super Mario "feel".

I've been a fan of all the 3D exploration Mario titles. Beautiful games.

[Nature Boy]

We Canadians think alike.

This Canadian disagrees.

I liked Sunshine when it was new. I've since gone back to it recently (my kids discovered I had it and like 'playing' it) and find it way too frustrating and don't enjoy it one bit. I play it only for so long then tell my kids daddy needs a break.

[Snapple]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. I loved Sunshine. I thought the controls felt great, and I loved exploring the levels with jumping and hovering. Felt very natural to me. I think if the game weren't a "Mario" game, people would like it more. Like, if it was the exact same game, but with some original hero instead of Mario, and they called it "Super FLUDD Patrol" or something. People seem to hold the Mario name against Sunshine, in much the same way some people hate Chrono Cross simply because it's not like Chrono Trigger.

[Rickstilwell1]

Both my wife and I really enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine. There were a few levels that were kind of crummy (chasing Dark Mario around the city drove me bonkers) but I thought most levels were really fun. Plus, I loved the graphic, music and being able to use the water pack.

I should note that I'm not the 100% completionist type in 3D mario games. I'm sure that there are levels that I never bothered with that could drive a man to drink. I played enough to beat the game, went back and played a bunch more levels just for fun and just stopped there.

The funny thing is that in order to get to Bowser in this game, you have to get a pretty high percentage of the shines.

[misfits859]

Loved Sunshine. Great atmosphere and I had a lot of fun with it. One of the few games for the GC that my wife liked beyond Galaga and Animal Crossing...

[c0ldb33r]

The funny thing is that in order to get to Bowser in this game, you have to get a pretty high percentage of the shines.
really? I honestly can't remember. I did make it to Bowser and beat him. I can attest firsthand to the HORRIBLY SLOW framerate. LOL

[Aussie2B]

To open the final stage, you only need to beat Shadow Mario in each stage, which can be done in about 50 Shines. That's actually considerably less than Super Mario 64, in which you have to get 70 Stars to take on Bowser.

[Rickstilwell1]

really? I honestly can't remember. I did make it to Bowser and beat him. I can attest firsthand to the HORRIBLY SLOW framerate. LOL

And wouldn't you agree, this was one of the easiest final boss battles in the history of video games? At least from what I have experienced. You get through all these hard frustrating parts and then the final fight with Bowser makes him look like a pushover.

[DKTheArcadeRat]

Super Mario Sunshine and Paper Mario: The 1000 Year Door, have to be two of the best, if not the two best, GameCube games. They are reason enough to own a GameCube or a Wii(only to play them, totally makes sense......)

[c0ldb33r]

And wouldn't you agree, this was one of the easiest final boss battles in the history of video games?
I don't remember much about the last boss, except:
(1) the last boss was very easy, and
(2) the frame rate was so pathetic that it made me wonder if it was still beta

[j_factor]

I'm not a huge fan of Sunshine, but I thought it was much better than Mario 64. The water pack, both with the moves it gives you and the "cleaning up" aspect of the gameplay, is at least different and interesting. Mario 64 has nothing analogous; it's very rudimentary and bland.

[Princess-Isabela]

Super Mario 64: One of the best games ever made.

Super Mario Galaxy: Possibly the best Mario game ever made.

WTF happened with Super Mario Sunshine?

I have given it my best and I just can't take it anymore. It is boring as hell. The controls are overly sensitive. The level designs are horrible. The blue coin collection is arbitrary and annoying. The original Super Mario Bros has a more immersive story. The game just doesn't feel worth playing.

I would sit down and collect all 120 stars in Mario 64 right now. I am 80 stars into the Luigi mode of Super Mario Galaxy and its still fun. I got 10 shines into Mario Sunshine and I just cannot force myself to go on.

Am I missing something about this game or is it a game destined to sit on my shelf unplayed?

you're getting old.
sunshine is fantastic, I got it the day it came out back in 2002 and loved it, give it some time, it will probably grow on you.

[chrisbid]

im so old, i dont really like any of the 3D super mario games. its too easy for me to get lost

and i will agree that the controls on new super mario bros are mushy and it nearly ruins the game

[Baloo]

I liked Sunshine, I played though the whole game and enjoyed it. Always liked running around the square and airway after I beat it. Some of the levels are meh, it's not a traditional mario game. I thought it was decent enough though.

[Shaq-Funaki]

I thought Mario Sunshine was ok Not the best Mario and definitely not the worst (everyone forget about Hotel Mario?). I just could not get over the fact that Mario was a glorified janitor. If they wanted to make the game a little different he should have been a :king: or a :pimp: or :rockets: the hell out of that little mushroom punk toad.

[Malon_Forever]

I actually like Sunshine more than Galaxy. I thought Galaxy was too linear. It's probably what they were going for, but it just didn't work for me. I like to explore, especially in a full 3D Mario world.

It's funny, I actually like it more and more, the more I hear people talk down about it. It's really underrated to me.

[Game Freak]

Are you serious? Sunshine is great, one of my favorites. Its music is freakin awesome, and the idea is original and fun.

[jdc]

I found Sunshine to be brutally difficult. I've bought it on two occassions, fully intending to finish it, but there's no way that I can.

[Malon_Forever]

I found Sunshine to be brutally difficult. I've bought it on two occassions, fully intending to finish it, but there's no way that I can.

The Blue Coin's are the biggest pain in the game. It's definetly a challenge, but who doesn't love a good challenge.

[j_factor]

I found Sunshine to be brutally difficult. I've bought it on two occassions, fully intending to finish it, but there's no way that I can.

I didn't think it was that hard, but then, I think most Mario games are too easy. New Super Mario Bros. was so easy it just about put me to sleep.

[heybtbm]

I didn't think it was that hard, but then, I think most Mario games are too easy. New Super Mario Bros. was so easy it just about put me to sleep.

Some of those "red coin" levels that you have to do twice can be brutal. I've gotten all the shines in the traditional stages, but getting all 120 is a true video game accomplishment.

[chicnstu]

Some of those "red coin" levels that you have to do twice can be brutal. I've gotten all the shines in the traditional stages, but getting all 120 is a true video game accomplishment.

Really? I didn't think it was that hard, I've completed Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros. 100% and plan to 100% Galaxy sometime. Go back and try it again, maybe it's not as hard as you thought.

[aingevt]

Count me with the group that didn't like Sunshine. I didn't like the controls, camera, blue coins, unskippable cutesy cutscenes and much more. I hated the fact that there were different amounts of coins in the level for every different shine. I'd spend a half hour trying to get 100 coins only to realize it wasn't possible on that particular shine. Plus a lot of the shines felt like chores rather than fun adventures. I hated having to cool off the chomp chains and clean that stupid eel things teeth and so on. Oh and Yoshi was useless too.

Bottom line, I got enough enough shines to beat the game and haven't picked it up since.

BTW, there is a difference between a good challenge and a bad challenge.

[Snapple]

I didn't find Sunshine to be that hard. I got all of the shines except for a couple on the rollercoaster level.

[CDiablo]

I like sunshine a hell of a lot more than Galaxy.

[makaar]

Loved Mario 64, loved Sunshine, loved Galaxy...all great titles in their own merit.

New Super Mario Bros. was pretty boring, I must admit, though...didn't bring enough 'new' to the table for me...when I first heard "NSMB" was coming out I was expecting a remake of 1, 2, and 3 all combined...not just 1...

[Berserker]

There was another thread on here about this game several years back, and I remember I was one of the ones arguing that the game was basically horrible. After it ran its course I decided to go through the game again and see if I could finish it.

So I did end up finishing it. I remember thinking that the game got more enjoyable as you got further into it, and got the hang of the different water items. I still found the "platform" levels maddening (that was my main complaint previously), but I remember eventually getting better at those also, but still with the occasional stupid death due to weird camera angles and whatnot.

It's not one of my favorite mario games, but I don't hate it as much as I originally did.

[Icarus Moonsight]

I don't dislike it, but considering the other Super Mario games, I haven't given it much time. It's probably my second least favorite SMB game, next to the US Mario 2. That said, the worst of the Mario platformers are still pretty decent IMO.

Oh, I forgot about Super Mario Land on Gameboy... Sunshine is better than that one too.

[obesolete]

I had a copy given to me and i played it for maybe 5 mins? My brother liked it so i gave it to him with an extra cube. and a few other games. I think i'm falling out of love with nintendo.

[makaar]

Actually now that I think about it, the absolute stupidest thing about Sunshine (even though I still like the game as a whole) was how Yoshi was handled. He touches the water and fades away...capital lame. Otherwise, it was still fun even though Yoshi was a letdown.

[Emuaust]

+1 for the Sunshine better then galaxy vote.

[emceelokey]

I tried to give Sunshine a chance but nothing felt fun about the game. I hated the water pack gimmick. I remember giving it a try, not liking it but tried to put in another hour in it just to see if it would pick up or not and to me it did'nt so I have'nt played it since then. Galaxy on the other hand. That blew my mind. It was fairly "small" but it was just a completly brand new experience and it didn't try to crutch itself on the motion controls.

[BHvrd]

It wasn't nearly as intuitive for sure. Had to fight the controls too often and yeah the stages were kinda layed out in a dull way.

[Zing]

I just revisited this game again since last posting in this thread. I decided to not stress about the blue coins and just get them as I see them. They are, by far, the most annoying and badly thought-out aspect of this game.

The most immediate problem I noticed with the game is the control feel. I had no problem with Mario 64. Mario Galaxy controls are like a third limb and never fight you. The controls in Sunshine are absolutely horrible. Little taps of the control stick send you flying. Jump at the wrong point in your movement and you won't end up where you wanted. It exacerbates the problem with the platform levels. These levels would otherwise be pretty fun if they were presented in Mario Galaxy.

The second major beef I have is that both the story and gameplay direction are bad. Very bad. It's like there was no one in particular in charge of the pacing and layout of the worlds. The voice acting and animation is grating. The story is ridiculous even for an abstract Mario game.

I am going to try to plod through this game. There is no way I will be able to tolerate getting all of the shines, which will be a first for me, since I am the guy who gets all 120 whatevers in each Mario game.

[Voliko]

Way too many people hate on Sunshine. I thought it was great, It was more than just a rehash of Mario 64

[buzz_n64]

Beat SMB, SMB2, SMB3, SMW(97 PERFECT), SMW2(97% I think), SM64(120 stars PERFECT)

With Sunshine, I just lost enthusiasm to beat it, and stopped trying. It's an ok game, I don't hate it, but SMB2 is better.

Super Mario 64, greatest game of all time.

[BetaWolf47]

I agree with you Zing. It's a good game, but the mechanics are horribly flawed. Remember the hidden level with the slope you have to slide down? Nearly impossible. Getting onto the small island with Yoshi, using the boats that have surfaces made of ice? Frustrating as ****.

[Sonicwolf]

With Sunshine, I just lost enthusiasm to beat it, and stopped trying. It's an ok game, I don't hate it, but SMB2 is better.

I felt the same way. I cant explain exactly why but it didnt keep me as attached as games like Super Mario World and Mario 64 did.

[Zthun]

I agree with the poster awhile back that said sunshine is the worst mario game. I'd rather play mario hotel or mario fun with numbers than mario sunshine. Mario sunshine really sucked; it was all nice graphics with horrendous controls and camera.

[VG_Maniac]

I couldn't stand Mario Sunshine. I hated how most of the levels had a "tropical" theme, I thought the water gun was lame, and I didn't like the soundtrack. I still do not own Mario Sunshine to this day.

I could be wrong...but I remember hearing somewhere that Mario Sunshine is Shigeru Miyamoto's personal favorite Mario game.

[Baloo]

I played through Sunshine. I didn't think it was really that bad, but it wasn't all that fun. It lacked that Mario-style gameplay.

I loved Luigi's Mansion though.

[Zthun]

I could be wrong...but I remember hearing somewhere that Mario Sunshine is Shigeru Miyamoto's personal favorite Mario game.

It wouldn't surprise me. Mario sunshine reminds me of Starfox Adventures. EVERYBODY loved star fox adventures..........right?

Replacing Peppy with Krystal = FAIL! :bawling:

[Icarus Moonsight]

Call me strange if you want to... But, I liked Sunshine more than 64. Then, 64 is my least favorite SM title. It was neat, but it just failed to resonate. Might have been for the fact that it butted right up with the awesome 2D games. Sunshine still had some of the problems that 64 had, to my taste, but it was getting better. Then Galaxy... I really enjoy that one.

[Flippy8490]

I've never finished SMS, but it was fun to play back when it came out.

[Garry Silljo]

With Sunshine, I just lost enthusiasm to beat it, and stopped trying. It's an ok game, I don't hate it, but SMB2 is better.


I third this notion. I tried several times but always managed to lose interest. Blue coins have a lot to do with it. Some aren't hard enough to find but some of them are hidden in ways that you wouldn't ever possibly think to spray this are that or go here or there. I remember quite a few I found by accident and was angry when I did, because it was such a BS place/way to hide a coin. I knew I'd never be able to do it without a faq, and I generally dont like using them.

[YoshiM]

I never liked SMS and I really, really tried to like it but it just totally turned me off. The thing I disliked the most was the cleaning concept. To me it threw the pacing right out. If the cleaning was at a bunch of context-sensitive parts, that'd be ok to me but don't make it so central to the game. Super Mario 2 felt more like a "Mario" game than Sunshine did.

The next biggest gripe was the camera control. Loathed it. I had very little problems with SM64's camera. It wasn't great but it was "smart" enough to let me see where I'm going and allow me some room for adjustment. But Sunshine? Ugh. Nice that you had more control to adjust but I ran into many situations where I fell into an area I had to quick adjust for while I was getting walloped by something or I missed a ledge. Thankfully Galaxy is more of an "in the middle" in regards to camera control.

And like others said, it just wasn't that compelling. Cleaning aside, I just didn't care to complete the game. If there's a catch there and it grabs me, I can put up with stuff that bothers me to keep playing (Psychonauts comes to mind). Sunshine didn't have "it".

[N 2 Nintendo]

I would agree that the completion of the blue coins was much to difficult, as well as obtaining some of the shines. Last time I played (little over a year ago, in order to try to get more shines) I think I finished with 108-112, somewhere in that range. I remember the last one I got was getting over to that island with Yoshi, I think I spent 8-10 hours on that one damn level, to finally add one more shine to my count, was it worth it? Yes, the satisfaction of finally overcoming that challenge felt great. Not as good as the feeling of getting the last 2 stars in SM64, after a long 7 year absence of playing.

Regardless, I think the game was great. One of my best experiences from the game is the extra level stages. There you are with what I think are some of the coolest levels I have ever played (Resembling much like a Tick Tock Clock environment). All kinds of spinning platforms, of all shapes and sizes. You have to utilize wall jumps, etc. at some points. That is truly Mario 3-D platforming in its greatest. I had a great time playing those parts of the game. With Galaxy, I felt shorted. Not that it wasn't a good game, in fact it was a great game.

Still I felt it lacked in that department. I get one good platforming challenge with the Luigi's 8-bit block level, then I have to do some stupid 100 purple coin thing? (In which you fling yourself around a circle frantically enough to get all the coins before the timer runs out and not kill yourself in a matter of 15 seconds or less) I asked myself, why the HELL is this in a Mario game? Still have yet to get all the stars from Galaxy, because of THAT damn level)

[Zing]

I give up on this game once and for all.

I recently gave it yet another serious try since my daughter loves to watch me play Mario games. I am up to 40 shines and I can't force myself to go on.

The controls are borderline broken. I lost count of how many times I did backflips without trying or slightly tapped the controller only to fly off the edge. Wall jumps are broken, as you can't do them if you are actually next to the wall. The "control" while underwater is a joke.

The level design is horrid. It's like they put a bunch of interns to work making maps and slapped the results into the final game.

Mainly, the controls are what have broken my back. I have no problems at all with the controls or camera in Mario 64. The Mario Galaxy games have flawless control.

This is one of the worst games Nintendo has ever made. No wonder the GameCube floundered. I plan to never touch this disc again.

[NayusDante]

I like sunshine a hell of a lot more than Galaxy.

Oh good, I thought I was the only one...

Mario 64 is what it is. For its time, it was great, and now it's a matter of how well it meshes with your expectations of what a game should be. I still replay it from time to time, and it's held up very well for me. The controls still feel magical, and few games carry the same sense of "weight" when you move the analog stick.

Sunshine, I really didn't bother with at first. I saw a store kiosk and thought it was alright, but it took me a while to actually sit down and play it through. I normally hate that bright and cheery island aesthetic, but Sunshine's gameplay and challenge kept me glued.

I loved Mario RPG, but never played Paper Mario. I just never had the cash for it back when it released, and Final Fantasy was satisfying my RPG needs. When I picked up Thousand Year Door, I don't think I enjoyed it for more than an hour. The battle system felt second-rate and the game just never held my interest. Super Paper Mario looks neat, but I don't think I'd really enjoy it that much.

Galaxy, I was looking forward to. I played maybe halfway through, but didn't really enjoy it beyond the first few worlds. The setting just isn't interesting, and it's too scatterbrained. For some strange reason, paintings make so much more sense to me than planets, in the context of a Mario game. I'm not saying Galaxy is bad, but it just isn't interesting the way Sunshine was. I never bothered with Galaxy 2. If any game was deserving of a direct sequel, it's 64. Or maybe 2, which would have the awkward title of Super Mario Bros. 2 2.

I finally played NSMB Wii not too long ago, but I wasn't really impressed. It's essentially "more Mario." If you want "more Mario," there it is, but I'd rather play something original.


If I had to rate the past decade-and-a-half of Mario, it would be:

64 > RPG> Sunshine > Galaxy > Everything else