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"First released for: GameCube (2002) Now available on: N/A  The GameCube really was an unconventional console, wasn&amp;#039;t it? There were those tiny discs and the cute but frivolous handle, but the strangest turns came with the games themselves, especially from the house of Nintendo. Luigi finally got his own adventure in ghost-hunting launch title Luigi&amp;#039;s Mansion, Link took to the cartoonish seas in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Donkey Kong went musical with Donkey Konga, and Samus bravely (and brilliantly) shifted into first-person in Metroid Prime. All great games, most definitely, but unusual for a company that until then was quite conservative with its biggest names. And then there was Mario. The follow up to N64 entry Super Mario 64, a seminal platformer that showed the gaming world how 3D games should be made, wouldn&amp;#039;t be an easy feat. So Nintendo perhaps wisely went a rather different direction in both theme and gameplay. Super Mario Sunshine swaps out the traditional Mushroom Kingdom setting for an island holiday resort, plagued by a mysterious Mario doppelg\u00E4nger that&amp;#039;s causing a spot of bother for its residents. With sticky graffiti everywhere and the blame on our dungaree-clad hero&amp;#039;s shoulders, it&amp;#039;s down to Mario to clear up the mess and his name. Holidays from Hell would have had a field day, no doubt.  It was still an open platformer like its 64-bit predecessor but it was that graffiti problem that gives Super Mario Sunshine its central characteristic. The FLUDD - or Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device, naturally - is a water hose strapped to Mario&amp;#039;s back, used to clear away the gunk residing in most stages. Enemies lurked within the ink, which itself was a rather slippy substance that got in the way of general platforming, so it was wise to clear it away before perusing the collectable Shine further along the way. Unfortunately the hose wasn&amp;#039;t the most tactile or enjoyable item to use, and having to clean areas before exploring them bogged down the game&amp;#039;s pacing. FLUDD did, however, have other powers, such as hovering and a rocket boost, providing some neat platforming moments to make up for its occasional sluggishness elsewhere. Super Mario Sunshine followed a similar structure to Super Mario 64, with an explorable hub that expanded as the story progressed, and was filled with little side riches to discover between stages. The levels themselves stuck to simple tropical themes but were all cheerfully strung together and full of life, with white beaches, haunted hotel resorts, a harbour and even a theme park to explore. It also ditched the FLUDD during its special stages, providing stripped-back gameplay as well as some nostalgic moments, and almost certainly inspired Wii smash Super Mario Galaxy in sparse level aesthetic and design.  Outside of its contentious water-spraying mechanics, however, Super Mario Sunshine&amp;#039;s biggest gripe was its difficulty. It was an incredibly tough game in parts, with some demanding high-rise platforming and obnoxious optional mini-stages (the pinball machine, anyone?) to contend with, not to mention the lunacy of collecting every Blue Coin littered across its many nooks and crannies. Like the console it was released on, Super Mario Sunshine is a black sheep in Nintendo&amp;#039;s esteemed back catalogue, struggling to meet the high expectations set by its predecessors, but it still remains a novel and wholly enjoyable entry in its own right. &amp;gt; Wii U could play downloadable GameCube games? &amp;gt; Retro Corner: Super Mario World Do you have many fond memories of Super Mario Sunshine? Add a comment to the space below!      "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/retro-corner/news/a331212/retro-corner-super-mario-sunshine/>