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Many of you have seen
the newly released Mario Sunshine images out of Europe. They
demonstrate little improvement in terms of graphics over what was
previously shown seven months ago at Space World 2001. When considering that Mario
Sunshine is supposed to display the true power of GameCube with
stunning graphics and revolutionary gameplay, something seems wrong.
The are a number of plausible explanations for the quality of the
screens released - including one so remote that it has yet to be
considered...
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Note:
The following is complete speculation. GameCubicle.com makes no
guarantee to the reliability of the following information, which
may prove correct or incorrect. Please read with
your own discretion.
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The
Theory:
After much analysis of all Mario Sunshine images released, the
following theory was formulated in consultation with GameCubicle.com associate, Adrian
Ebrahim. The recently released
screens may actually be from a build of the game that is many months
old - possibly pre-Space World. The new video was displayed
more to reveal additional game elements than to show current
development progress. The low profile setting of the recent European
Nintendo events would indicate that no breakthrough media releases
would be offered. Nintendo would likely hold the latest look of
Mario Sunshine secret until the Electronic Entertainment Expo in
May, 2002. Evaluating the recently released images yields convincing
evidence that would support this theory.
Shadow
Comparison:
One element noticeably missing in the latest Mario Sunshine image
release were real time shadowing effects. Compare one newly
released image (to the left) to the real-time lighting in the Space
World 2001 images below. You'll notice in the Space World images
that characters, plants, and buildings all have shadows. In contrast
the boss enemy in the recently released image is without a shadow.
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General
Graphics and Display:
The overall design of the game appears unchanged since Space World
2001. Seven months of time and such little difference? Given that
the Japanese release of the game is estimated to be just six months away, one might
expect the game to have been significantly further along in
development.
The European screens were captured so sharply that comparing them to
those from Space World is quite difficult. However, serious
anti-aliasing issues can clearly be seen in these new images -
something that was less noticeable in Space World captures. Also
textures, lighting, and poly-counts, all appear degraded.
The interface has seen the most significant changes over the
previous shots. While the previous images had a very creative
display with sun tokens, the new images have a very plain gold coin
display. The stylish sun meter now has an unusual look and the water
meter has been replaced with an uninspired obtrusive water
container.
Sky
Comparison:
 Once
more a contrast is seen in the quality of images between some
European screens and those revealed at Space World 2001. Notice a
sky devoid of color range or clouds to the right. In clear contrast,
virtually all of the screen captures from Space World had cloud-filled skies as
seen below. Of course it could have been a cloudless day but
something just doesn't add up.
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Image Flaws:
The image consistency of at least two of the recently released
images is also flawed. As a number of viewers have pointed out,
Mario's backpack appears "wrong" in the blue enemy screen
- along with the hill to the left. In the Mario on tight rope image,
a vertical misalignment is also seen just beneath Mario. These image
errors may indicate a few possible explanations but the most likely
is that these images are not from a six-month-to-release build.
Compare the images for yourself...
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European
Screens, 2002
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Space
World 2001
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| Under
Tree |
Beautiful
Sky |
Mario
Runs |
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Images courtesy IGN Cube & NintendoWeb
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