Graphics: 9/10, this game offers very nice graphics in game and in CG scenes. The water looks GREAT as does everything else in this game.
Sounds/Music: 10/10, can you say remix? Yes the old tunes from hits such as Super Mario Bros 1, 2 and 3 but with a special Super Mario Sunshine twist on them.
Storyline: 7/10, this is easily the most deep storyline ever in a Mario game but it doesn't reach the depth of an RPG (perfectly understandable). I like the storyline but I can see where a typical gamer wouldn't, especially an RPG Buff.
Controls: 10/10, the controls in this game are very simialar to those of Luigi's Mansion only with the addition of jumping. You can do special jumps doing joy stick and A button combonations, you need to be able to do these at some point in the game to reach higher places. F.L.U.D.D is controlled by the R button just like the Poltergeist 3000 in Luigi's Mansion but it is much more complex that its predecessor. With the F.L.U.D.D you can use up to 4 different nozzles (Regular, Hover, Turbo, Rocket) each one helps you in a different way to collect Shine Sprites.
Gameplay: 10/10, the most important part of any game comes through big time in this game. In any platformer your either gonna have great gameplay or crappy gameplay, it seems like that in between area is pretty much gone. The different Episodes have a challenging style to them that can make you mad, frustrated, and happier than hell all in one. This game keeps you playing somehow, it has this aura to it.
Replay Value: 9/10, collecting all 120 shines should prove to be great reason to replay this game even after the main story is beat.
Overall: 10/10, this is probably the best game I have played in quite a few years. This rivals Final Fantasy VII as my favorite game of all time because somehow it addicts you. You don't want to put the controller down because you keep telling yourself "One more shine and then I'm done" but when that goal is accomplished you repeat yourself....
Comments: I love this game. I think places like Gamespot that gave it an 8/10 are just completely full of themselves and are sucked to far into the RPG Conspiracy. After 6 years if anyone thinks that Mario hasn't evolved they really need to replay this game or get a cat scan. Mario puts himself in his own genre after this game, he truly is a gaming legend.