The gimmick of the game (F.L.U.D.D.) is unusual and can take some adjusting to if you’re used to more traditional Mario games. But it makes for some unique challenges and is quite fun to play around with. Tasks can be repetitive and at times feel like filler. For example, a shine in every world that involves nothing but chasing down Shadow Mario. But the majority of shines in the game are creative. Most of them are significantly more challenging than other Mario games, although this is in some part due to the game’s occasionally wonky physics that can make it difficult to land the precise jumps necessary for this type of platformer. When you do finally get a difficult shine, though, it’s very satisfying. Visually, the game is gorgeous. Especially the water, which wouldn’t be out of place in a modern Mario game. The story mostly follows the typical Mario storyline we’ve come to expect. But it is special in the fact that it features one of the very few instances of fully voice acted cutscenes in a Mario game. Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The mechanics can initially seem polarizing, and gameplay is sometimes repetitive. But the pros outweigh the cons and once you get the hang of it, it’s pure Mario fun.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This was regarded as one of the greatest Nintendo games of all time. I can see how this might have been amazing in 2002 but it hasn't aged well at all. The camera is very frustrating. It is either too close, too far, wrong angle, or just trapped in a wall. The controls are sluggish which make using the water canon difficult. The story is wonderful! I especially liked all the characters. The levels are very small by today's standards but well built. Overall, unless you just want to play all the Mario games and this one is on the list I honestly don't recommend it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As a big fan of Super Mario Galaxy i had to give its predesessor a try, and i must say that i think they got it right after Sunshine. That is not to say this isn't a good game, ive had alot of fun with it so far and it feels alot like a blend of Mario 64 and Galaxy. But there are a few issues that makes the game harder/annoying for the wrong reasons. For instance, the x-axis camera control is inverted, and you can't change it, might not be a problem for some but its annoying if you are used to pressing right to rotate the view to the right and not the other way around, but i guess you get used to it. Another issue i had was with lava, in Mario 64 when you hit lava you would fly high into the air, taking damage but being able to stear to a safe palce to land your scorched behind, but in Sunshine when you hit lava there is only one thing you can do, pray. Because here you get no high air jump and no control over Mario at all, not even being able to use FLUDD to clear the ground for you. You just bounce up and down, moving forward slightly in the complete opposite direction that you fell into the lava, taking damage every time you bounce until you get to safe ground, if there is any... This can lead to countless of annoying deaths. Thankfully enough its only used in one world, as far as i have gotten anyway. One thing i noticed is that the game has a realy wierd dificulty curve, you could do a chapter that might take you alot of tries before you are able to make it, and then the next one might take you about a minute to complete, and it happens more than once throughout the game. Quite a few times in the game you will have to run through obstacle courses without help from FLUDD to get to a Shine Sprite, this game's equivalent to Stars, and these parts are where the game really feels alot like Galaxy and are alot of fun, and hard at times, but the good kind of hard. There are also always 1ups to be found so that dying while trying to complete the course you wont lose too many lives. The music is nice and catchy, as it is in most Mario games, however it doesn't feel very memorable for some reason. I myself can only remember one song and thats mainly because you hear it so often. Overall i think its a very fun game, i don't think its as good as Galaxy, but this is its predesessor after all. I would have to say that if you like Galaxy and/or Mario 64 and haven't tried this, i think you should give it a shot.Read full review
I always desired this game as a kid, but never acquired it. But I sure am glad I made up for lost time, as it gave me a lot of fun! It has the same appeal as my favorite Super Mario 64, as it is a 3-d platformer with large environments to explore, and fun challenges! I think it is more advanced than Mario 64 due to better graphics, more voice acting, more actions due to flood etc. All in all, it's a pretty fun game! One of my new favorite Mario games!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
A bright, colorful and open level design compliments smooth (albeit a little frustrating at times) controls for a fairly relaxing 3D platformer that lets you set your own pace. The camera, as with many 3D games of the era, is not perfect, and the different environments can occasionally blend together in a sort of tropical paradise soup, but these are more nitpicks than anything.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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