Super Mario Sunshine

Nintendo just keeps delivering the goods. While this may debate-ably fall slightly short of later outings like Super Mario Galaxy, this game seemed to make for bigger and better things in the 3D Mario gaming sector. Mario Sunshine came out on a system which it helped boost install-bases for: The Nintendo GameCube, which would remain Nintendo's worst-performing home-console, sitting at 22 million + units, until the Wii-U under-performed the GameCube in 2016 (13.5 million+ total). It's amazing that Mario Sunshine managed to sell over 6 million units worldwide, because this game is one of the best Mario games in the character's 32 years of history. Even an under-performing console doesn't keep quality games down from getting the attention they deserve.

This game was effectively the true successor to Mario 64, and it shares a lot of the same sound effects, jumping mechanics and feels like what would have happened if that game got polished up and thrown into a different environment to the Castle. In this case Mario is at Isle Delfino and the setting is an emphasized tropical and sunny paradise that feels like everything basically takes place at, or near the beach. The only time the beach aesthetic doesn't come into play is when you enter the areas where Shadow Mario takes your squirt nozzle away. Some of the time those levels feel like they could be outside the world of the game itself, like in the far reaches of space.

Taking everything into account, Mario Sunshine is a fine piece from Nintendo's massive gaming library. Give this one a shot; it deserves it.