Notice how it's better appreciated after Mario Galaxy came out...

User Rating: 9.5 | Super Mario Sunshine GC
It doesn't matter that Mario is using a "stupid" water cannon in this came. The point is, this is a game, it is not meant to be serious (how can walking mushrooms be considered serious- goombas?!?!?), or to be taken seriously. If anything, the water cannon, the water effects, the new enemies, the novel setting (Tropical island) and baby bowser all add on to the default Mario gameplay you can expect (running and jumping).

Although I think that squirting gastric juice out of Yoshi's guts seems gross, Nintendo had to find a way of letting the player squirt water while riding Yoshi.

In all, this game's technical specifications (gaphics, sound etc.) are awesome, it's gameplay is engaging, although the parts where dark Mario steals your water pack and you have to run around blocks in space seems tedious. In conclusion, this game is worth spending money on, even if it wasn't on sale for only $19.99.