Super Mario Sunshine and Wind Waker Doomed the GameCube but Saved Nintendo

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I wouldn’t say I was disappointed. I remember the game fondly, although I haven’t revisited it often, and I agree with most of Gio’s points about it. Mario has always been about tactility for me, and there are few game mechanics more tactile and satisfying than using FLUDD to wash away goo with sparkling gushes of clear water (even if I view Mario using mechanical assistance in his jumping as borderline heretical).

But, man, being a Nintendo fan in the GameCube era was a tough beat. Not because the GameCube was being trounced in the market by PlayStation 2 (I’ve always been interested in comparative sales figures, but never invested as a fan). But because Nintendo was being so stubbornly awkward and bloody-minded, even by the company’s lifelong and legendary standards of stubbornness.

“Ugh, we really have to use discs?” I imagine Nintendo’s engineers and planners saying. “FINE, we’ll make weird tiny ones. And no, the console won’t be able to play DVDs. And it won’t fit under the TV or look like hi-fi equipment. It will be purple and have a carry handle.

“PlayStation has created a new standard for twin-stick analog controls, promoting easy control of both character and camera in a 3D space, you say? Screw that! We’ll have one stick and a giant button, because giant buttons are fun.

“Our last two consoles have launched with epoch-making Super Mario games? This one will launch with a funny little haunted house game starring Luigi, a jetski game, and a Sega game about monkeys in balls. When we eventually give you a Mario game, it will be about Mario doing cleaning jobs on vacation.

“Oh, and you know how everybody loved the epic, lyrical style of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and was blown away by our SpaceWorld tech demo? We’ve thrown all that in the bin. In our next Zelda game, Link will look like a cartoon toddler.”

Image: Nintendo

I adore The Wind Waker‘s visual style, and I did back then. I will defend these decisions to the hilt (or most of them; not the single analog stick, though). But there’s no denying that Nintendo was acting like a troll during the early 2000s, or maybe a sulky child throwing a tantrum. The company spent the GameCube’s short life kicking hard against every expectation set by the video game market and its own fans. It was commercial suicide.

A lot of wonderful stuff came out of this obstreperousness. The GameCube was doomed by it. But maybe Nintendo was saved by it. Not long after the GameCube was released, Satoru Iwata became the company’s president, and he channeled the company’s deep desire to follow a different path into the creation of the DS and the Wii. By the time those consoles came out, everybody else was ready for something new, too. Sometimes, denial of the status quo is exactly what’s needed.

eShop game of the week: Future Knight

Future Knight, by Studio Koba and Aeternum Game Studios, is a fantastically eccentric retro action game with a wild, Satoshi Kon-inspired narrative and a unique look emulating the cheap Tiger LCD handheld games of the 1990s. “While it’s not boldly original gameplay-wise and more variety would have helped, it certainly feels unique thanks to its design work and oddball energy. If you’re looking for an arcade fix with real personality, this will serve you well,” says Nintendo Life’s review.

Nintendo Classics game of the week: Super Mario Sunshine

It’s often true that Nintendo’s worst day is any other developer’s best, and Sunshine is pretty far from its worst. It’s a joyous, slapstick riot, a carefree holiday from the mighty expectations that had already coalesced around Mario by 2002. It’s very uneven, but viewed kindly from this distance, its imperfection is part of the fun.

Nintendo Music track of the week: “Delfino Plaza (Super Mario Sunshine)” from Mario Kart World

This gypsy jazz vacation island jam is one of the sunniest and most iconic pieces of Mario music, which is saying something. I’m torn between listening to it in its original sound chip form — “Isle Delfino” from the Super Mario Sunshine soundtrack, which has just been added — for its superb accordion lines, or this live cover for the immaculate musicianship of the Mario Kart house band. Take your pick. (There’s a playlist of all of Switchboard’s music picks here.)

This week’s most interesting releases

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered

• Aug 11
• Switch 2
• Remake of the classic Bethesda RPG reaches Switch 2

Future Knight

• Aug 13
• Switch
• Retro action game with unique handheld LCD visual style

Duskfade

• Aug 13
• Switch 2
• Fantasy action platformer paying tribute to the likes of Jak and Daxter

CloverPit

• Aug. 13
• Switch, Switch 2
• Port of the satirical slot machine roguelike that was a hit on Steam

BlazBlue: Entropy Effect X

• Aug. 13
• Switch, Switch 2
• Action roguelike spinoff of the Arc System Works fighting game series