Gameplay sends Mario on a quest to clean up an island and clear his name.

Nintendo's mascot finally makes his debut with a totally new adventure on GameCube.

It's not perfect by any means, but fun-factor rules all, and by our gauge Nintendo delivers up one of its best games in years. Mario Sunshine is simply the most entertaining and well-done 3D platformer we've ever played. Bearing that in mind, we must ask, has Mario turned into an aging hipster or does he still have what it takes to captivate millions again? After spending innumerable hours with the new platform-based adventure, we have our answer. Nintendo's Mario series was responsible for breeding a thriving culture of gamers, and now, all grown up, many still can't unglue the controllers from their hands.

From Konami's platinum-selling Metal Gear Solid series to Rockstar's explosively successful Grand Theft Auto III, the industry has changed. Next-generation technology and the usual evolutionary progression of game design have yielded a great deal of impressive software. Since his revolutionary 3D debut, though, the industry's old friend has missed a lot.

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