"Super Mario Sunshine" is a super-fun blast worth buying two times over

My last Super Mario Bros. game was the super classic Super Mario World. This game was my first serious foray into serious 3-D gaming. (I missed out on Super Mario 64, fool that I am. But it made me dizzy. This game did not.) I finished the game just a couple of weeks ago.

I've heard many complaints that the game is too hard. I have to disagree. It is certainly very challenging in a few places (most notably the Secret levels which you'll come to abhor or adore), but overall, the challenge level is just right. I'm only an occasional gamer, but if I was able to finish the game (in a few weeks' time), then any fairly competent gamer should also be able to do so too. I was able to pass the few super-difficult sections after a few tries. (Fortunately, the game is very generous with its 1-Ups!)

You've probably heard the story of the game: after the events of Mario 64, Mario and Peach (grrr ... no Luigi) take a vacation to Isle Delfino. But a mysterious Mario-clone has framed Mario. The islanders (funny-looking folks, all, but you get used to them) think Mario has sprayed sludge all over the island and made their power supply, the Shine Sprites (or Shines, for short) leave, enveloping the island in gloomy darkness. Just who is this other Mario? You won't find out from me, and I suggest you don't find out at all. Be surprised. And believe me, you will be surprised. (You won't have to wait too long to find out.)

Delfino Plaza serves as the hub of the game. You'll start there and warp (via various means, including pipes of course) to other levels around the island. Each level has 8 "episodes." Basically, you'll be playing the same levels repeatedly, which generally minor differences. (That is, your goal each time changes from episode to episode.) The final, brief area is Corona Mountain. (The end of the game comes a bit unexpectedly. Just know you're close when you enter the mountain. And have your skills sharpened!) Your ultimate goal in each level is to collect a Shine. Exactly how you do so is wildly varied. I never got bored.

Controlling Mario is a breeze. He runs whichever way the control stick is pushed. Simple enough, eh? If you played Mario 64, then the controls, I'm told, will be familiar to you. Mario has many more moves than he did in the old 8-bit days. His most helpful jump is the Side Somersault, which is performed by pressing the control stick in the opposite direction that Mario is standing in and press A to jump. (So if Mario is facing the camera, then press Up and then A immediately after.) This jump will be used often. Use the B button to grab items (such as vegetables in the Plaza). The L button performs two functions: the first is to center the camera directly behind Mario; the second, if Mario is in the air, is used to do Mario's Ground Pound (known in 64 as the Butt Slam, I believe). The Z button accesses your map (which you'll obtain very early on).

FLUDD, Mario's water-pack partner (it seems to be sentient), is tough to use at first, but you get used to it, and the water-spraying is a fun part of the game. The R button squirts water. As I hinted at above, if you press R lightly, you can squirt water while running around. If you press R all the way in, you'll stand still and then the control stick can be used for aiming the water. You'll rarely do that, though, because it's pretty difficult. What's much easier is to use the Mario Cam, by pressing Y, and then shooting water, using the control stick for aiming. Yes, much easier. You'll be doing it a lot, no doubt.

Also, pressing the X button will switch FLUDD nozzles. You always have the regular squirting nozzle, and you can carry one other special nozzle. In total, there are 3 special nozzles you can use, and you start with one of those -- the Hover Nozzle. (With it, you can (of course) hover in the air for a short time, which can get you valuable extra distance or height on jumps.) The other two will become available in time. And boy, can they be useful, even necessary.

FLUDD does not have an unlimited supply of water. (That'd just be too easy!) To refill FLUDD, you have to find a body of water (which, since this is an island, is not difficult to do), jump in, and press R to refill.

The camera is controlled with the C-stick. Some say the camera is horrible, but I disagree. There were only a handful of places where it caused any significant trouble. (The worst was at a specific climbing area. You'll have to be a camera master to get through that easily.)

The music is perfect -- islandy and tropical. I would buy a soundtrack, or download it. All the tunes are totally appropriate. And there are of course plenty of classic Mario melodies too, including the exciting remake in the Secret levels. (No Starman in this game, though.) And the graphics are totally wonderful, beautiful. Things happen everywhere in a level, not just in your immediate vicinity, which adds to the realism of the game. The colors are bright, the models are sharp, and everything just looks just right! (I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed to see that the hyper-detailed character models from Super Smash Bros. Melee weren't used, but it's totally understandable consider the hugeness of the game. Still, everyone looks good. And Peach looks cute with her new hairdo later in the game.)

Of course, the goal is too collect as many of the 120 Shines as you can. Along the way, you'll encounter three different types of coins. Gold coins, the old Mario classics, are back; this time, 50 in an episode will you a 1-Up, 100 a Shine! (They also refill your health meters.) Blue coins are found throughout the game. For each ten you get, you can claim a Shine! And red coins appear only in specific episodes. Collect all 8 to get -- you guessed it -- a Shine Sprite!

Here are a few spoiler-free tips: (1) No matter how hard or impossible something may seem, there is often one specific method to use to pass the area. You might have to stop to think, "How can I possibly do this?" But it's possible. (2) One of the first really tough level gives you eel troubles. Try your Hover Nozzle and stay near the water. (3) The Secret levels are super fun and also super evil. "Man, Nintendo were drunk while they made this!" is what I often jokingly exclaimed to myself. The toughest one is one of the last. It will drive you stark raving mad. But remember: when you hear those hated words, "I'm a chucker," the direction is not random. (4) Yoshi is back! He shoots juice needed for specific obstacles, and you have to keep him fed so that his juice meter stays high. And of course, he eats almost anything, including some bigger enemies. If he runs out of juice, he disappears. And big thing -- Yoshi cannot not swim; he will disappear and return to his egg. He can be sprayed (which would only be done unintentionally, as it does nothing) and wade in shallow water. Yoshi appears about halfway through the game and only in certain levels. (5) Spray Shadow Mario, and follow him wherever he goes. You can take your time, if need be, and track him using the music. (6) Explore everywhere. If it looks like you can go there, you likely can. This goes for the plaza too.

And lastly, enjoy the game! It's a five out of five stars easy, and a true Nintendo masterpiece.