Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It's hard to believe that it's been almost six years since we got the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. That physical release brought Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy together, and it felt like the ultimate way to experience 3D Mario history. But quite frankly, now this is kind of obsolete with the latest update from Nintendo, at least for Switch 2 owners. See, Mario 64 is available through the N64 online classics edition side of things, and you can get Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 as a separate cartridge. And they just recently added Super Mario Sunshine to the digital library! Naturally, I had to download the update and see exactly how it performs.
The digital download for this update took about ten minutes to complete, so it is not insignificant. To get the best Super Mario Sunshine experience, we are actually using an original GameCube controller thanks to the Retro Fighters Battle Dock. Using an original GameCube controller is basically mandatory for Mario Sunshine to get the proper analog trigger tension needed for accurately controlling the FLUDD water mechanics. Testing out how classic hardware accessories interface with the latest consoles is something I always enjoy doing for RoXolid Productions, and this Battle Dock is an absolute game-changer.
However, once the game finally booted up, my excitement completely vanished. The visual quality of Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo Classics service is shockingly bad. As soon as the opening cutscenes started, I was blown away by how incredibly blurry and pixelated the video quality is. If you look at Princess Peach's face during the intro, it is an absolute pixelated mess. I do not know what file compression or emulation they used for this digital release compared to the 3D All-Stars version, but it is terrible. I will say at least thus far, Mario All-Stars looks significantly better, sharper, and much more vibrant than this new digital release.
Now here that we are out of the horrendous cutscenes and jump into the gameplay at Delfino Plaza, things improve slightly. The actual gameplay visuals look okay, but I am still noticing a persistent blurriness across the environments. It simply does not look as sharp as it should. While exploring and looking for FLUDD, I did notice a neat Easter egg that I had not caught before: in the lower thumbnail on the interface, it actually shows Mario throwing Bowser by the tail from Super Mario 64! That is a very cool little detail, but it unfortunately does not make up for the glaring visual downgrade of the main game itself. Using FLUDD to do the hover basically with them is still incredibly fun, and the GameCube controller via the Battle Dock works flawlessly.
But I am genuinely surprised and heavily disappointed that Nintendo released Super Mario Sunshine in this blurry state. Exploring Isle Delfino was such a monumental part of the early 2000s, and preserving that sharp aesthetic is important. Seeing it reduced to a blurry mess on next-generation hardware is a massive letdown. I'm going to probably do a full-blown video on this to kind of compare the original with this, to really highlight the differences. Have you played the Nintendo Classics version of Super Mario Sunshine? I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in it. I think that the cutscenes look terrible, and I think overall the game deserves better.
Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments! Do you think the convenience of having it digitally on the Switch 2 outweighs the massive visual downgrade? And if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you check out the Battle Dock from Retro Fighters. It's letting me use an original GameCube controller on Super Mario Sunshine on the Switch 2, which is pretty dang cool. I highly recommend picking one up if you plan on playing through this classic title again.
Order the Retro Fighters Battle Dock At castlemaniagames.com/products/retro-fighters-battle-dock-for-switch2?ref=RoXolid
#SuperMarioSunshine #NintendoSwitch2 #NintendoClassics #SuperMario3DAllStars #RetroGaming #GameCube #NintendoSwitch #MarioSunshine #RoXolidProductions #RetroFighters #BattleDock #GameCubeController #SuperMario64 #SuperMarioGalaxy #Nintendo #Switch2 #MarioBros #GamingCommunity #RetroGamer #GameCollector
It's hard to believe that it's been almost six years since we got the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection. That physical release brought Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy together, and it felt like the ultimate way to experience 3D Mario history. But quite frankly, now this is kind of obsolete with the latest update from Nintendo, at least for Switch 2 owners. See, Mario 64 is available through the N64 online classics edition side of things, and you can get Mario Galaxy 1 and 2 as a separate cartridge. And they just recently added Super Mario Sunshine to the digital library! Naturally, I had to download the update and see exactly how it performs.
The digital download for this update took about ten minutes to complete, so it is not insignificant. To get the best Super Mario Sunshine experience, we are actually using an original GameCube controller thanks to the Retro Fighters Battle Dock. Using an original GameCube controller is basically mandatory for Mario Sunshine to get the proper analog trigger tension needed for accurately controlling the FLUDD water mechanics. Testing out how classic hardware accessories interface with the latest consoles is something I always enjoy doing for RoXolid Productions, and this Battle Dock is an absolute game-changer.
However, once the game finally booted up, my excitement completely vanished. The visual quality of Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo Classics service is shockingly bad. As soon as the opening cutscenes started, I was blown away by how incredibly blurry and pixelated the video quality is. If you look at Princess Peach's face during the intro, it is an absolute pixelated mess. I do not know what file compression or emulation they used for this digital release compared to the 3D All-Stars version, but it is terrible. I will say at least thus far, Mario All-Stars looks significantly better, sharper, and much more vibrant than this new digital release.
Now here that we are out of the horrendous cutscenes and jump into the gameplay at Delfino Plaza, things improve slightly. The actual gameplay visuals look okay, but I am still noticing a persistent blurriness across the environments. It simply does not look as sharp as it should. While exploring and looking for FLUDD, I did notice a neat Easter egg that I had not caught before: in the lower thumbnail on the interface, it actually shows Mario throwing Bowser by the tail from Super Mario 64! That is a very cool little detail, but it unfortunately does not make up for the glaring visual downgrade of the main game itself. Using FLUDD to do the hover basically with them is still incredibly fun, and the GameCube controller via the Battle Dock works flawlessly.
But I am genuinely surprised and heavily disappointed that Nintendo released Super Mario Sunshine in this blurry state. Exploring Isle Delfino was such a monumental part of the early 2000s, and preserving that sharp aesthetic is important. Seeing it reduced to a blurry mess on next-generation hardware is a massive letdown. I'm going to probably do a full-blown video on this to kind of compare the original with this, to really highlight the differences. Have you played the Nintendo Classics version of Super Mario Sunshine? I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in it. I think that the cutscenes look terrible, and I think overall the game deserves better.
Let me know your thoughts down below in the comments! Do you think the convenience of having it digitally on the Switch 2 outweighs the massive visual downgrade? And if you haven't checked it out yet, make sure you check out the Battle Dock from Retro Fighters. It's letting me use an original GameCube controller on Super Mario Sunshine on the Switch 2, which is pretty dang cool. I highly recommend picking one up if you plan on playing through this classic title again.
Order the Retro Fighters Battle Dock At castlemaniagames.com/products/retro-fighters-battle-dock-for-switch2?ref=RoXolid
#SuperMarioSunshine #NintendoSwitch2 #NintendoClassics #SuperMario3DAllStars #RetroGaming #GameCube #NintendoSwitch #MarioSunshine #RoXolidProductions #RetroFighters #BattleDock #GameCubeController #SuperMario64 #SuperMarioGalaxy #Nintendo #Switch2 #MarioBros #GamingCommunity #RetroGamer #GameCollector
