Super Mario Sunshine: New shots and Info
by Julius Bautista

Sunday, March 31, 2002

A few new tidbits on its storyline and more thought-provoking screens.

Aiming for a little change of pace in Mario's adventure franchise, Nintendo revealed a few new details about Super Mario Sunshine's storyline. Instead of the tried-and-true formula of "Bowser kidnaps Princess, Mario saves the day," it seems Mario and Peach went on a much needed vacation to a remote island where the locals are friendly and the sky is always sunny. Upon arrival, they notice "ugly scribbles" decorating the walls of the neighborhood. The real trouble is, a Mario imposter is the perpetrator behind the graffiti with our hero being falsely accused by the townsfolk. Seeking justice as always, Mario equips a water-pumping backpack and sets off to clean up the community and discover who the true vandal is. I agree, the story's as off-the-wall (by 'Mario' standards) as our new screenshots, but we can assume there may be some interaction with NPCs and information gathering -- fairly new stuff compared to the old run & jump formula.

We've got six new screens to present. The first screen sees Mario surrounded by Pokey-like (the Cactus dude from Mario 2) creatures on a rooftop. Next we have Mario climbing a chain link ceiling in a huge area, monkey bars-style. Also included is a chat with a giant Piranha plant with polka-dotted underwear, interviews with the funny-looking townsfolk, and more water-pumping action beside that odd metallic paint we've previously seen. The island world is vibrant and spacious, and a nice depth-of-field effect is apparent in all the screens, making the foregrounds stand out quite well.

Things are getting much interesting (and bizarre). Super Mario Sunshine is set for a July release in Japan and late August in North America.

---Julius Bautista, VGLN Staff


SCREENS
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