This week marks the 20th anniversary of the 2002 GameCube classic Super Mario Sunshine. It's a significant part of Mario's 3D platforming history, and to this day is arguably one of the standout Super Mario adventures.
While we've already remembered this anniversary in more ways than one here on Nintendo Life this week, the voice of Mario - Charles Martinet, has now taken to social media to thank this game for the beautiful memories it's given him. Here's exactly what he had to say in this brief message:
"Hoppy Birthday to Super Mario Sunshine!!! #woohoo !!! It feels like yesterday! What an awesome game!!! And what beautiful memories…. Remember the Memory card stick ??? I used that to my advantage,,,"
Charles Martinet's voice work was also part of what made Sunshine such a special experience for many GameCube owners at the time. The clip below is the intro to the game - featuring some lovely voice work from the man himself (via DerfsonicGaming, YouTube):
Martinet has been voicing Nintendo's mascot since the early days of the Super Mario series. In more recent years he's continued to voice Mario in games like Super Mario Odyssey. He even does the voice work for other Mario characters, like Wario and Baby Mario.
Have you returned to Super Mario Sunshine at all in recent times? Do you have any fond memories of playing this game when it was originally released? Leave a comment down below.
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Brilliant game. One of my favorites.
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@UltraZelda64 Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi and the baby versions
I don't hate sunshine but it's still the weakest 3D entry as far as I'm concerned. It had alot of things i didn't like. No mushroom kingdom or familiar mario series enemies, bowser sounds like cookie monster and very few worlds to explore which was padded out by blue coins for filler. It looked really pretty though I'll give it that.
The best of the 3d Marios hands down, i love this game
No idea what he means by memory card stick. When I think about it, Sunshine did have a lot of the most funny Mario lines. I'm guessing they allowed him to do a lot of improvising. He also did Toadsworth. I could see why this game in particular would stick out so much in his mind.
Question : Have you returned to Super Mario Sunshine at all in recent times?
Me : I have sold the game (Mario 3D All Stars) several months ago.
Mario Sunshine was a mess in my opinion in term of weapon aiming (FLUDD control).
Ratchet & Clank PS2 games still way much better than Mario Sunshine in term of weapon aiming, platforming style, storyline and the diversity of the places.
This game is wack. I remember counting down the days waiting for this to drop on the GameCube way back in the day. Boy was I disappointed when I finally got my hands on it.
The levels were too big, and many of the challenges asked the player to do things that the game’s control simply weren’t able to accurately perform.
SM64 on the other hand was a master stroke. Nintendo practically nailed 3D platforming on their first try. Likewise, Mario Galaxy was near flawless. But this mess, nah. I still played through it again on the Mario 3D All-Stars package, but it’s a dog nonetheless.
Wasnt keen on this entry to be honest. Something was just off about it. I felt the same about Odyssey tho too. Apart from the camera, Mario 64 is the pinnacle of a 3d Mario game for me. Fantastic level and hub world design, memorable enemy and boss battles and a fantastic soundtrack. It just felt absolutely magical to play. I dont think that feeling will be recaptured again in a Mario game. With all these remakes that keep happening id love to see 64 remade from the ground up but using the 3ds version with the extra levels and characters. Whilst were at it do Pilotwings 64 as well.
@Truegamer79 I find the Mushroom Kingdom pretty boring as a setting. 64 had a few unique areas, but besides that, it's always been the same rolling hills, deserts, volcanoes, etc. One of the things I like about Sunshine committing to the tropical theme is that they had to make each area distinct without resorting to the same set of generic environments that had been used in the rest of the series, not to mention thousands of other games. And plenty of common Mario enemies show up in one form or another in Sunshine. Off the top of my head, there's a wiggler, boos, bob-ombs, bullet bills, koopas, bloopers, piranha plants, and chain chomps. The only major exception is goombas. I also don't really consider blue coins filler, since Sunshine sets a pretty low bar to actually reach the ending. They're only a problem for the people crazy enough to 100% a game they've already had their fill of. I will admit the voice acting can be pretty bad, though that just made it funnier for me.
Wow..... In my head when I think of a 20 year old Mario game I automatically think of Super Mario World on the SNES
Thanks for making me feel old on this Friday morning Nintendo Life
@mereel I've got to say I have never understood this mentality. Admittedly, Sunshine was my first Mario game, so the controls and camera in the rest of the series felt a bit off up until Odyssey, but the ones in 64 especially are just plain awful by comparison. I could never quite look or jump in the direction I wanted to, whereas in Sunshine I frequently felt like I was making jumps and finding shortcuts when the game didn't expect me to.
This reminds me that I need to play this. I've completed the main portion of Galaxy for the first time via 3D All Stars, but I haven't really played 64 or Sunshine to any real length.
Super Mario 64 simply hasn't aged that well though, and not having grown up with it, I don't harbour any particularly strong feelings of nostalgia for it either. I wish Nintendo had also included a repurposed version of the DS remake, which would look better than the original with a mere resolution boost.
This game still looks great today!
Not as good as Galaxy 2 though
@UltraZelda64 Come on, no need to be rude about it. You could have requested nicely or done a 10 second google yourself rather than accost the writer.
I played both this and galaxy for the first time on switch, in the collection.. I prefered sunshine 1000 times over galaxy.. much more challenging.. perhaps it's a matter of expectations.. I was always told that sunshine was terrible while galaxy was the best...
but 64 and galaxy are far superior than both imo..
I have yet to beat it, but there’s a big pool of retro gamers that have fond memories of this game !
This is the best Mario game in general. Nothing can match its uniqueness.
Not the worst Mario game out there (I've seen worse, such as Hotel Mario and Mario Is Missing!), but it has it's flaws that can hamper gameplay. Still, I do have fond memories of the game, and frankly, I don't mind the voice acting. Bowser sounds exactly how I imagined him, and Jen Taylor will always be the voice of Princess Peach for me (although she's more famous for voicing Cortana from the Halo series).
Love this game. My personal favourite mainly due to nostalgia. I remember replaying at finally completing it at uni and reawakening the love. The completing it again on switch. Pure joy but man did I suck as a kid haha!
I first played this game at a demo unit in a Sam Goody store in the mall in 2002. I didn't have a Gamecube yet, and I fell in love with this game. It was the first game I got when I purchased a Gamecube in 2005.
Perhaps my favorite 3D Mario ever.
Twenty years ago! Ahh I feel old. I remember playing this on my birthday the year it came out.
I remember that sunset in Sirena Beach, the water effects were so great for its time. I loved the setting and enjoyed that some of the levels could be played in the evening. The hotel was pretty good too, jumping into the statue of Boo’s mouth, it was very imaginative. Only thing I didn’t like was the boat mechanic where you needed FLUDD to manoeuvre around and that level where you had to get Yoshi to that island with the pipe. That level was awful
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You are strong and wise, and I am very proud of you.
I LOVE Super Mario Sunshine and would give anything for a sequel or another game set in Isle Delfino. With what they can do in games today an expanded Isle Delfino would be fun to see.
If Mario's VA makes a tweet on Super Mario Sunshine's 20th anniversary, it demonstrates the game its a great one and deserves its love. Also is one of my favorite 3D mario games.
I actually managed to talk with Scott Burns (the voice of Bowser in this game). Never talked with him about Sunshine, but I’m sure he has fond memories about it.
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