23 years ago, I sat down to play Super Mario Sunshine for the first time. I was utterly entranced by its tropical vibes, dancing Piantas, and Flash Liquidizer Ultra Dousing Device (FLUDD), otherwise known to me as water blaster. That game ruined me, left me broken and humbled to the point that I still have self esteem issues to this day. Was I really just that bad at playing video games? Maybe, but having finally beaten the game just recently, coincidentally right around the time of its 23rd anniversary, I can confidently say: Mario Sunshine is representative of a golden era of Nintendo platforming, and it's the game I most want to see remastered for the Switch 2.
There's a reliability, a consistency to first-party Nintendo games that I've come to depend on, particularly when it comes to its most beloved IP like Mario, Zelda, and Donkey Kong. This year's Donkey Kong Bananza is just the latest example of Nintendo's very distinct ingenuity, lagging behind competing software makers by generations in terms of visual fidelity but completely redefining 3D platforming conventions with a core mechanic that makes you think, 'why hasn't anyone done this before?'
