Mario Sunshine draws ever closer
Now known as Super in Japan, from whence we stole a packshot
Some consoles might not need leading characters, but Nintendo's GameCube could do with one at the moment. Although sales in its homeland have rallied following a price drop, it's bound to slip further off the pace the world over in the absence of new releases. Which is where Mario comes in, nearly twenty years after his Japanese arcade debut. We have been waiting with bated breath for Mario Sunshine ever since Super Mario 64, and now, with barely a month left, the anticipation has reached fever pitch. The packshot on the right is the official Japanese packaging for Super Mario Sunshine - as it is evidently to be called in Japan as well as the States - leaked by the Japanese Toys R Us and reposted across the Internet. If you are not prepared to wait until Christmas for the PAL version, you can get your hands on your own Japanese copy of Super Mario Sunshine soon after July 19th with the help of importers. If you have a Japanese Cube, or a US Cube modded to accept Japanese games, then our recommendations are Tronix, National Console Support and Lik-Sang. Those of you willing to wait until August 29th can have it in English courtesy of the US release, but where's the fun in that? Related Feature - Super Mario Sunshine preview