Mario Sunshine - Your opinions please!

[Fstuff]

Hopefully we'll get some discussion going on this quiet board..

Basically, whilst it beats the hell out of most 3d platformers, I can't help but be disappointed. I think it's cool that they made a game in a different part of Mario's world, but I wish there were a few more of the old enemies here and there, just for nostalgia's sake as much as anything.
Next up, I played through Mario 64 again only a few months back and never once got frustrated with the camera, even though it has it's flaws. Mario Sunshine has had me tearing my hair out because of the camera on more than one occasion.. And this on a more powerful console. Since Mario's known for being easy to pick up and play, I can see having to constantly babysit the camera as being offputting to a lot of people.
I can't really put my finger on this one, but the game seems to be far more frustrating than Mario 64 in many ways. Often your tasks are undefined and sometimes what you have to do to complete them is kind of abstract (can't get to a high platform? Make Yoshi eat a yellow fruit because naturally, fish sprayed with yellow fruit turn into platforms which move vertically rather than horizontally..). Also, it's annoying that when you fail to complete a task but you don't die (a timed task for example), you get spat back out of the world with one life lost. Fair enough, it's not hard to get more lives, but still. Oftentimes staying alive is pure luck rather than skill (the pinball secret world for example).

Don't get me wrong, I do love the game and many of the new things in it, but I can't help wishing for more. I guess that's Mario's high standards for you.

 

[Onnichiwa]

Alltough you are correct in most off your points, I do enjoy this game very much. It's the first game since Advance Wars which I don't have to force myself to play.

Been a few years since I last enjoyed a game as much as this one. It would almost be since Mario64 I'd say.

I do find this game a bit more difficult than Mario 64.

 

[Omar]

I agree with most of your views, especially that bloody pinball level which I still haven't completed.
The retro levels are a very cool edition as suddenly being fluddless is quite a scary experience.
I personally enjoyed sms more than sm64

 

[Karny]

I've only just ordered it today, so my opinions are not those of someone whose played it, but those of someone that has a lot of respect for the series, its designer and it's role in all things Nintendo.

Personally, I'm a bit disapointed by the sales of Mario Sunshine. Sure its selling pretty well, but its Mario for crying out loud! It should be selling through the roof!

Hopefully it'll have the staying power to do well over Christmas and I'm sure it'll be a title that people will be playing for some time to come...

... but it makes you think, what will the BIG GC title be? It wasn't Resident Evil, it wasn't Mario... Zelda?! Metroid?! Mary-Kate and Ashley?!

Okay, so I'm kidding about the Mary-kate and Ashley

 

[Fstuff]

Yeah, it sort of seems like Nintendo might almost be going the way of Sega.. Loyal fans who lap up the goodness, but not having the power they once did. Maybe the all new Resident Evils (0 and 4) will sell better than the last one.

Although I think it's better that they have a lot of consistent solid sellers than relying on one or two titles, it would be cool if there was a game that came along and inspired more people to get a Cube in the first place (how many Xboxes would be sold without Halo?). Nintendo really needs a new franchise, or a really amazing return to an old one.

Final Fantasy is bound to shift a few consoles when it comes out, and Square will obviously prefer the Gamecube to the PS2 in terms of development. Square was a pretty massive factor in the PSX's success, maybe they'll do it going back the other way.

 

[Karny]

Thats all correct, however there are some things that we need to consider.

Square is partially owned by Sony, so something tells me Sony might have its way and intentionally cripple the GC's FF. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but its a move that wouldn't surprise me, its not like Sony is known for playing nice...

Nintendo already has a much stronger 3rd party support this round that its had in the last. Hopefully we'll start seeing system selling software coming from 3rd parties, rather than ports which will always look slightly better on the Xbox.

One wonders is things like Pokemon will have a huge role in the GC's future.

I personally would like to see more software come from Silicon Knights. Eternal Darkness blew me away (if you hadn't noticed that by now ), I can't wait for Too Human and whatever else they might have brewing. I think Silicon Knights could quickly become the next "Rare" to Nintendo if given the chance.

And lets not forget the strong relationship between Namco, Sega, Capcom and Nintendo at the moment, not to mention that rumoured "big announcement"