To properly explain how hype ruined Mario Sunshine, we must first talk about Super Mario 64, a game that not only lived up to the hype, it bought Hype dinner and took it home for a nightcap. Mario 64 literally defined the third dimension for console gaming - introducing analog stick controls, adjustable camera angles and wide-open levels with a litany of challenges to the masses. Everything about Mario 64 has become iconic, not only because it because it set the template for 3D console titles, because it was so good at being a great game while doing so. Because of its predecessor's nearly infinite impact on the landscape of gaming, Mario Sunshine always existed in Super Mario 64's shadow. Sure, it added updated graphics, a water-gun, rideable Yoshis and some realllllly bad voice-over work, but it felt like an iterative entry in the series, content to polish up some rough edges, add a couple of new ideas and hope for the best. What else could Nintendo do? All the revolutionary elements from Mario 64 were now commonplace in gaming. As a result Mario's water-gun ended up feeling like a bit of a gimmick, the world Mario inhabited wasn't nearly as magical as Peach's castle, and the idea of fighting Bowser Jr. felt like a let-down all the way around. In hindsight, Mario Sunshine is pretty fantastic with lots to explore, jump over, jump on and dive into, but at the time there was no escaping its predecessor's legacy.
