The game looks kiddy, it looks boring, but it's really, REALLY fun. I went into it thinking the game would be all bubblegum and sunshine, and even though I was partly right, I've never had more fun with the happy-go-lucky but borderline insane gameply. So what drew me to the game? What made me enjoy the game so much? Why did I have SO MUCH FUN with it?

Firstly, the game is really intense. Within an hour you'll be scared of falling off of EVERYTHING. And even though there aren't many enemies to fight in the game, the few that can take you out are huge. The game scales Mario really well, a little Italian plumber against the odds. Without that watergun on your back, you're really helpless, because just about everything can only be hurt by water or cleaned up by water.

And the cleaning up? You were probably dead on with your judgement on the cleaning up. There's a LOT of it. There's tons of mud and lava and other gross splattered things all over that you have to clean up in the levels, but, if you're like me, you feel a sense of satisfaction after cleaning up a level. And the plot, though it's obviously oriented towards the younger crowd, is really pretty interesting and you have a reason to want to continue.

A mysterious Mario clone with a powerful paintbrush has been messing up Isle Delfino, drawing graffiti everywhere, and, most importantly, has taken away all the shine sprites! The sun is blocked, and now all the muck and dirt is coming out!

So yeah, the game is really fun and engaging, so play it. It's probably REALLY cheap now since it was a launch title for the Gamecube.

8/10.

So, grab a mop and clean up for real.