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11 years: that's how long it took Nintendo to top Super Mario 64 with Galaxy. For over a decade, this astonishing, genre-redefining game reigned supreme, towering above all its peers, an influence not only on every other 3D platformer but on every game with a three-dimensional world. How do you follow that?In 2002 Nintendo's answer was to send Mario on holiday - and fair enough, the guy probably deserved a bit of a break. The result was one of the most divisive Mario games ever, one that was swiftly consigned to a footnote in Nintendo's rich history: I've read many interviews with Miyamoto, Yoshiaki Koizumi and other Nintendo execs over the years, and Sunshine barely warrants a mention when the subject turns to the publisher's most famous creation.
11 years: that's how long it's been since I first played Super Mario Sunshine for the first time. Times have changed, and Mario's moved on, but this curious anomaly still remains as dangerous and exciting as it seemed when I slotted that tiny disc into my GameCube and closed the lid with that gorgeous, satisfying clunk. Because, when it comes down to it, there's not really been anything quite like Sunshine since.
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