4/5 ★ – Diluted_Thought's review of Super Mario Sunshine.

So I totally missed this game back in 2002. Luckily Nintendo re-released this game as part of the Super Mario 3D collection. So its been a whole 18 years since it released. I never purchased it initially due to its ratings and the fact that it's a Nintendo title, therefore it never came down in price. But here we are 18 years later and I'll readily admit, I really enjoyed this game a the beautiful Gamecube graphics still hold up. I about shed a tear when I got to Isle Delfino and the first level Bianco Hill's. Seriously, the Nostalgia hit HARD. Smile inducing for sure. But while I fell in love with the look of the game I had to get used to the controls since I had recently played Mario 64. Once I got used to the F.L.U.D.D. things went smoothly and traversing the stages was a blast. There wasn't a stage I wasn't in love with, but that's not to say they were all great. While I love a lot about this game it did have some platforming flaws. There are certain challenges that are RAGE inducing. So much so that I almost caught myself shouting at the television. One particular Yoshi challenge comes to mind. And then there are the hidden shine challenges that range from fun to nightmarish. These stages gave me terrible anxiety and I busted a hard sweat to get to those damn shines. For casual players this game can be fantastic, but for a completionist, it'll definitely put your patience to the test. All in all the game was great and I had a lot of fun with it. I played this right at the start of Summer (as one should) and it will live on as a sweet memory. I may play it once more but I might wait a few years...