Gaming Super Mario Sunshine (Caution if using narrowband -- big images inside)

[James]

[color=royalblue]As mentioned in the addictive games thread, I'm a massive Mario fan. And I'm sure many of you here are also big Mario fans. :)

I think I posted some information about Super Mario Sunshine back when E3 was occurring...but since then, so much more information has been revealed to the public, that I thought I'd share some of it with you.

Firstly, I notice that the level of anticipation has sharply increased over the last couple of weeks in particular. During E3, the hype was slowly building, but many commented that Super Mario Sunshine's textures were "bland and blurry" and that overall, the game didn't look very good.

Indeed, some of the original shots seemed to reflect some fairly poor texture work, but I believe this was down to bad screen captures rather than bad graphics.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_062802_7.jpg[/IMG]

However, the most recent images of the game actually show some very sharp, high resolution texture work. And given how smoothe the framerate is, this game actually looks pretty damn stunning in motion.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_062102_1.jpg[/IMG]

So what can Mario do in Super Mario Sunshine?

Well, as most of you already know, the key aspect to Mario's movement and environmental interaction is his water pack. The pack contains a small tank for water as well as a large spout at the top.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_gcn_ss38.jpg[/IMG]

Initially, it was believed that the pack was used primarily for spraying away a black gunk, which has been liberally splattered around the beautiful tropical island where Mario is staying on vacation.

However, it turns out that the pack has several very different capabilities.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_062802_5.jpg[/IMG]

Mario can use his water pack to hover whilst jumping in the air (when jumping, the pack sprays jets of water directly downward, allowing Mario to gently over over the ground. This technique is useful for hovering over enemies [or gunk] to kill 'em).

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_062802_3.jpg[/IMG]

Secondly, Mario can execute a kind of "rocket jump", whereby he jumps waaay up into the air, leaving a huge trail of smoke/gas behind him (I'm not exactly sure what it is). I'm not sure how the move is activated and it seems so far that it can only be activated at certain times and not all the time.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_062802_1.jpg[/IMG]

The third action described so far is the ability to "water ski". Basically, Mario stands on a big leaf that floats on the water and the nozzle of his pack points backwards. When activated, the pack fires jets of water backward and effectively pushes Mario along like a speedboat. It looks like a [i]lot[/i] of fun! :)

The fourth action is the basic "spray" action, where Mario stands still and sprays a stream of water forward. The steam can be manually aimed and can be used to attack certain enemies. Interestingly, there are some "balloon-like" enemies that require you to shoot water into their mouth. Some shots show them attached to the nozzle of the water pack itself. When you've filled the creature with water, it eventually "bursts" and goes flying off into the distance -- exactly as a burst balloon might.

[IMG]http://cubemedia.ign.com/cube/image/mariosunshine_gcn_ss53.jpg[/IMG]

Some images also show a strange "imposter". If you'll remember reports of the story of Mario Sunshine, the villagers in the tropical town believe that Mario is the one spraying all the gunk everywhere because someone who [i]looked like him[/i] was seen in the area. Could this mysterious blue Mario be the imposter?

Who knows. (~_^)

Anyway, I hope that answers some questions regarding the game. Feel free to use this thread to discuss everything related to Super Mario Sunshine. :)

Lastly, I want to show some images from the latest Japanese commercial. They are very poor quality images (as they were taken from a moving AVI), but they [i]do[/i] show some very interesting stuff, including the hover and rocket jump actions.

Enjoy. :)

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/nozzle.JPG[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/2.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/1.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/3.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/4.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/5.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/7.jpg[/IMG]

(How cool is that rocket jump?!) ^_^

[IMG]http://www.nettendo.com/com/91.jpg[/IMG][/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]I do have to admit that I've been getting more and more excited about this game as the release date draws ever closer. It's not up to the point of making me scream/yell whenever I see new screen shots, like I did with Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but it's got me pretty dang excited nonetheless. :toothy:

The rocket jump is news to me, though, I hadn't heard about it before. It sounds very interesting, and something that sounds very fun to play around with. Another thing that's got me excited is finally being able to ride Yoshi again! If there was one thing missing in Super Mario 64, it was the ability to ride Yoshi! Super Mario Sunshine lets you do this, and I'm very anxious to see how Yoshi performs in 3D.

Also, if you subscribe to Nintendo Power, you get access to more art on [url]www.nintendo.com[/url] than normal. One of the subscriber only pictures is of the imposter, and it looks really cool:

[img]http://images.nintendo.com/nintendo/contents/gamepage/gamecontent/images/m/mariosunshine_gcn_art10.jpg[/img]

From that picture, we see that the imposter is clear, and it almost looks like it's made of water... This has left me wondering if the imposter is actually human, or if it's a monster...[/color]

[Guest Solid Snake]

[color=teal]I, too, am very excited about this game.

Although Super Mario Sunshine is an evolution off of Super Mario 64, rather than a revolution, it's still very much a change from it's prequal.

The most noticible change, perhaps, is the environment as a whole. It is very extensive and enteractive, making for a more intense atmosphere, which happens to be an extremely sunny place (note the title). It is said that you can be over on one area, and see things moving around way in the distance.

Also new, as Desbreko said, is riding Yoshi, which originates from the old Super Mario World. This will deffinitly include much faster rides for Mario. ;)

The last big change that I can see is, obviously, Mario's waterpack. This allows Mario to do many different things that he was never able to do before, depending on the situation. James notes each of these more in depth, so I need not to explain them myself.

As for the story line, I heard that this game is an enhanced version of one where they were going to have some spraying graffiti and Mario cleaning it off. The result of this was astounding. Cleaning off the graffiti did have a major place in the game, but now it deals with fighting monsters, finding the identity of the graffiti sprayer who looks like him, and other stuff of a notable Mario game.

As for the imposter, I think he looks really cool. Although, I'm not quite sure why others would think he looks like Mario. I mean, he's blue for goodness sake! ;)[/color]

:blah:

[Sephiroth]

the graphics seem jagged to me, burnout also suffers from this problem....

[Guest Solid Snake]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sephiroth [/i]
[B]the graphics seem jagged to me, burnout also suffers from this problem.... [/B][/QUOTE]
[color=teal]Graphics being jagged are usually due to still framed pictures. I'm quite cirtain that Sunshine does not suffer from this in motion, in fact, it's most likely one of the most in depth games, as far as smooth polygons go, that Nintendo is currently working on. If you still do not believe me, you should download clips of it from [url]www.nintendo.com.[/url] :) [/color]

:blah:

[Schrat]

Mario Sunshine looks amazing!!! I must get a Gamecube!

::Runs to store carrying $149.99::

[Ninjaman]

Wow, Mario Sunshine looks cool. The graphics are very stunning and the moves look cool. Now I have more things to look forward to the game, even though a Mario game has rarely ever disappointed me. :D

It's funny isn't it? Mario has been a plumber all these years, and they now create a game for him that has ever used his plumbing skills(besides the pipes).

[Guest Solid Snake]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Schratn9 [/i]
[B]Mario Sunshine looks amazing!!! I must get a Gamecube!

::Runs to store carrying $149.99:: [/B][/QUOTE]
[color=teal]Heh, all these great games makes me want to do the same thing. But, alas, I never have any money.

Oh well, at least I still have my Playstation 2! ::crash in background::[/color]

:blah:

[Schrat]

Yea, I bought one today!!!( a gamecube) Im now saving for mario Sunshine


ahhhhhh I want it now!!!!!!!!!!!!

-ummpaloompa song plays-

[Semjaza]

You can really never complain about jaggies when looking at shots. Sometimes it just happens, and Nintendo in particular seems horrible about capturing still frames. The game has always looked great in motion though, and the newer shots are finally showing that.

A lot of the textures in this game look like handpainted watercolors and such, I wonder if they actually are.

The imposter seems to be made of water... And in that one shot he is holding something that looks like a sword. It would be pretty cool if he was like the bad guy in Terminator 2 (I think he was called the T2-1000 or something), and could morph and turn his hands into weapons. Looks like they decided to go along with red eyes too :).

[Charles]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Semjaza Azazel [/i]
[B]

The imposter seems to be made of water... And in that one shot he is holding something that looks like a sword. [/B][/QUOTE]

Nah, it's a paintbrush. But, it's cool nonetheless.

My opinion on this title is that it's never looked particularly noteworthy from a visual standpoint. When Mario 64 launched, there was less competition in regard to visuals. Mario Sunshine's graphics aren't necessarily bad, but they just fail to stand out as much as Mario 64 did, due to the condition of today's market. Other touches, such as a reflective surface that Mario does battle on, captures the surrounding environment in such a brilliant manner that is must be seen to believe. Most importantly the character design is always .

The texture work is certainly appealing though. Their colorfulness reminds me of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. The visual flair of this title is subtle. Mario Sunshine won't have insane polygon counts, but the sheer size of the environments, smooth animation and pretty scenery give Mario's latest outing an artistic edge that is quite appealing. I just can't forget the lovable character design either.

On that note, I'm not the least bit concerned about the visuals. The ingenious level design and gameplay mechanics will make this title. Miyamoto has definitely been focusing on the gameplay mechanics surrounding the water pack, and the device will most certainly add layers of depth.

Furthermore, this new villain is a welcome addition. Fighting Bowser repeatedly was becoming old.

[Semjaza]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Crazy White Boy [/i]
[B]Nah, it's a paintbrush. But, it's cool nonetheless.
[/B][/QUOTE]

Ah...It's hard to tell from that shot. Guess he's holding it upside down :). I guess some of the morphing stuff is still possible.

I also think it's important to remember that this game seems to be using lots of motion blur and even depth of field...something that hurts the quality of the shots quite a bit. It always seems like things in the background are very blurry in any SMS shot Nintendo puts out. I'm glad that they at least bothered to fix the shadows, which were just simple circles before.

It would be nice if this game had the graphical quality of Ratchet & Clank, BG&E and countless other platformers coming out soon... but it doesn't look [i]bad[/i]. Really all I care about is that it runs well and is fun. Even movies of it seem to convey that it would be a blast to play, something I don't see too often.

As for Bowser... I dunno. A new villian would be nice, but then again I don't want another Wart. Bowser was always the standard in Mario games, so I'm sure he is in this game in some way. That video shows off some sort of mechanical Bowser, so I wonder what that's about.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]You know one thing about Super Mario Sunshine that I've been wondering about for awhile now? The Shine coin things... What exactly are they, and what are they for? Are they kind of like the Power Stars in Super Mario 64, or what?[/color]

[James]

[color=royalblue]Shines (the little sun things) are exactly the same as Stars from SM64, to my understanding.

Though it's possible that getting more Shines not only unlocks levels, but extra moves as well...

Oh and Desbreko...since I can't buy Nintendo Power in Australia, would you be interested in emailing me some of that artwork? ;)

I'd be more than happy to discuss my plans with you (as to why I want the art).[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Sure, which address should I send them to?[/color]

[color=seagreen]Edit: Oh, wait a minute... That picture of the imposter was the only subscriber-only picture...[/color]

[James]

[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Desbreko [/i]
[B][color=indigo]Sure, which address should I send them to?[/color]

[color=seagreen]Edit: Oh, wait a minute... That picture of the imposter was the only subscriber-only picture...[/color] [/B][/QUOTE]

[color=royalblue]Umm...ok, well, if anymore subscriber-only pics come out, could you send them to [email][email protected][/email] ?

OtakuGamer might be dead, but we have other plans up our collective sleeves. :)[/color]

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Ooo! Mysterious! :toothy:

But sure, if you ever want any subscriber-only stuff off there, just ask. And if any more do become available, I'll be sure and send them to you. :)[/color]

[Semjaza]

I found what seems to be another SMS commercial. It's 30 seconds, and starts just like the older ones...but shows a lot more of the game.

[url]http://www.nettendo.com/711comm.mpg[/url]

It's only 1.45 MBs.

[Desbreko]

[color=indigo]Ooooo! Must... have... Super... Mario... Sunhine! :drool:

I have to say, the part that most jumped out at me was Yoshi's jump, where he kind of floats a bit by kicking is feet, or whatever it is that he does... Somehow, I didn't think they'd include that, for some reason... But anyway, it looks absolutely amazing! I'm also kind of wondering what that big Bowser-looking like thing was. It must be the same as in those pictures James posted, but I'm wondering where it came from and why it's there.

Ah, well, I suppose all will be answered in... *counts* ...46 days... :toothy: I can't wait![/color]

[Treble]

Interesting video of Mario Sunshine you got there Semjaza Azazel, I noticed a few things that caught me eyes.

The first thing that caught my eyes was at the beginning of the commercial, it showed the liquid-looking Mario stealing Mario's water equipment, could this mean that Mario would have to fight him without his water equipment, or perhaps even maybe Mario would have to chase him, who knows? If it was true, then it'll probaly be fun fighting the liquid Mario while he uses Mario's own weapon on Mario.;)

Lets move on to the other thing shall we? The second thing that caughted my eyes was somewhere near the end of the commercial, as Yoshi does his cool jump take a look at the bottom right corner, you'll see what looks like the word [i]"hungry"[/i], could this mean that Mario would have to feed Yoshi throughout the game? I could be wrong though, perhaps it could have been another word, the video wasn't that clear enough for me to see it correctly.

Anyhoo, perhaps both of the things I noticed would turn out to be something different from what I have pointed out, but one thing I do know is that I'll be at one of my local gaming store when the game releases.:)

[Schrat]

Yea, it does say hungrey.....

hmmm interesting

[Krillen]

Well all I have to say is that Im getting more and more anxious to buy this game and I already have the money saved up for its release in Augast....It is in Augast right??? The graphics do look crappy from the pictures, but the graphics always look that way when they give a still shot. And I doubt that Miyomoto would let crappy graphics and jagging get by him. This is his top priortity abd hes going to make this game count. Mario is Nintendos Mascot people! He wont let us down.

[RicoTranzrig]

Yeah...just d/l the movie and you'll probably forget about those little jaggies they'll probably mess around with the Anti-Aliasing code last just to surprise us...but that's just me...

[Schrat]

I dont think there Crappy at all, the japanese commercial shows its true colors! Its great, cant wait

[Red]

[b]I am [i]very[/i] excited about Super Mario Sunshine, it looks like it's going to be another Nintendo classic.

The in-game footage I've seen looks [i]amazing[/i], very smooth and slick, showing that the GC can certainly pull it's weight in the graphics division.

From what I've heard there's a lot more adventuring/exploration going on in this incarnation of Mario, which sounds very exciting indeed. Especially with the new Water Pack, which adds a nice fresh touch to the formula.[/B]