9. Delfino Plaza
Super Mario Sunshine
Ah yes, it’s vacation time. Feel the ocean breeze as you lounge around on the beach and ward off the giant paint monsters. The Delfino Plaza theme from Super Mario Sunshine really feels like the perfect tropical music. It has the upbeat string music that usual beach songs have with just a bit of accordion thrown in for some Italian flair. After all, Mario is Italian and many locales on Isle Delfino have Italian names. And then when Yoshi shows up, his signature percussion kicks in, making the song even more upbeat (around the minute-and-a-half mark in the video above). Delfino Plaza also pretty much defines the entire soundtrack of Super Mario Sunshine, as many level themes are variations on the music of the hub world.
I’ve always thought Super Mario Sunshine was a much better game than many gave it credit for. It’s hard to shine (geddit?) when you’re living in the shadow of Super Mario 64, but regardless of your opinion of Mario’s first GameCube outing, you’ve got to admit that the soundtrack has a nice sound and a good thematic consistency to it.