Welcome to our weekly open thread for the discussion of gaming plans, nagging questions, and whatever else we feel like talking about. No matter what the topic, we invite everyone in the comments to tell us: What Are You Playing This Weekend?
Other than playing “Try to stay up until an ungodly hour so you can watch the big Japanese pro wrestling show live,” I have a sneaking suspicion I’ll be coming back to Super Mario Sunshine if I get the chance. Earlier this week, I booted it up for research, and now I find myself hooked. This is my first time playing since its release in 2002, and while it’s far from the tightest of Mario games, there are a couple of things I’m loving about it. The main Delfino Plaza theme is still a delight. (Seriously, how great is that accordion intro?) Mario’s moveset is jarringly complex, with about a hundred different jumps and that cute thing where he dives onto any wet surface and takes off like he’s on an invisible Slip’N Slide. The levels are big, open-ended playgrounds—perfect for testing the limits of the hero plumber’s repertoire—and the game is so hands-off when you’re in them that it just feels like an easy-going summer vacation.
That last point gets to why I think I’m stuck on Mario Sunshine right now. Between that lightness and its tropical vacation motif, it’s a perfect summer game, and with a holiday weekend coming up, I couldn’t have stumbled into it at a better time. You see, it’s not very summery here on Long Island yet. It’s been relentlessly cloudy and I can probably count the number of days we’ve broken the 80-degree mark on one hand. Sad as it is to say, I feel like I’m living vicariously through Sunshine a little bit. In a few weeks, I’m sure I’ll be over this whole summer thing and pining for the frosty world of Skyrim, but for now, I can’t help but be a little jealous of Isle Delfino’s sunny skies and white beaches
What about you, Gameologerinos? What are you playing this weekend? And do you have an ideal summer game? Let us know, and then go enjoy your weekend. We’ll be off celebrating America’s birthday, so there won’t be a Keyboard Geniuses this week. Happy Fourth, friends. We’ll see you next week.