9.10.2005

Super Mario 64 DS is testament to Nintendo's strength and skill as a games developer. Super Mario 64, which was the first game of its kind when it was released way back in 1997, broke so many boundaries, and was a real joy to play. So, with the release of a powerful new handheld, what better than to rejuvenate the classic for a new generation of gamers?Well, I ain't in the new generation of gamer. I remember playing this when I got my Nintendo 64 back in Christmas '97, and so like many others, am compelled to compare this to the original, or at least the impact the original had on us. So, how does the game hold up? The short answer is remarkably well, and I would still rather play this than most games available today.In truth, it has lost little of its magic over the years. Whilst in many ways better than the original (notably through improved graphics and the inclusion of new playable characters and levels), it doesn't have the same oomph as the original - maybe because it gaming formula is so tried and tested these days.For me, playing this was like a walk down memory lane, although a little has changed. Basically, Princess Peach has been kidnapped by the evil Bowser, and it is up to Mario and company to rescue her, through capturing the stars littered throughout her castle and the Mushroom Kingdom's various worlds. This time round, there are 30 more stars to collect (bringing the total up to 150), although disappointingly, these are to largely to be found in the games existing worlds, rather than any all-new environments. That said, a couple of new worlds have been included, and these are where the playable characters are to be unlocked. Initially, you begin as Yoshi, who, after waking up on the roof of the castle ( a nod to the second ending of the original), discovers that Mario, Luigi and Wario, as well as Princess Peach, have also been kidnapped. Despite initially controlling Yoshi, gameplay is almost identical. Each character has their own set of basic moves, although through the use of magic caps, can either morph into another character, or use a special power. The special powers are Mario's cap powers of the original (metal Mario, invisible Mario and flying Mario), and it is a little annoying that you have to repeatedly change characters to find stars that require use of them.On the gameplay front, whilst I was a little rusty, I could still remember how to collect certain stars. People who played this before should not find it too taxing. Moreover, Nintendo have jigged the game a little by making some stars easier to collect. despite this, the game can still be quite unforgiving, in that there are not many hints as to where specific stars can be found. Instead the gamer must explore the vast castle and game worlds until they have discovered them, and this can be quite rewarding. The biggest gripe with this game seems to be with the new control method. Obviously, digital touch screen control and Mario 64 don't go hand in hand, seeing as the Nintendo 64 controller and its analog stick were specifically designed for the game. Controlling Mario and the others does not feel as intuitive as before, and camera control can become a pain. That said, the 'thumb stick' that is included with the DS makes a pretty good substitute for the N64 analog stick, and with three control schemes available, there is surely something for everyone.Super Mario 64 DS is as amazingly addictive as the original, and it has been tweaked just enough for those who played the original to enjoy it. The graphics see a marked improvement on the original, and the surround-sound capabilites of the DS do the chirpy soundtrouck justice. It is obviously a must-have for the DS, and given the star-collecting nature of the game, it is suitable to play in bit parts either on the train or bus. Interruptions will not deter from the overalll gaming experience. Additonally, the new touch-screen mini-games are fun to play, although aside from this, the game does not make much of the DS' unique capabilities.Children and adults alike will enjoy this, and for those who missed it first time round, there is an even bigger reason to buy it now!

25.7.2012

I must do a disclaimer here; this review is NOT going to do justice to this iconic game.This single player game is a wonderful example of the evolution of technology. Using polygon and multi camera views, this game brought a new 3D era in video games. Games now were starting to be more realistic and set in a 3D world as opposed to a 2D one. Large landscapes were also possible, and use of analog controls for greater accuracy were also attributed to this platformer game. Yet despite all of this, its very easy to use the controls (with lots of in game help!) and easy to pick up what to do, but still challenging enough for any level of video gaming ability.What makes Super Mario 64 stand out is its brilliant music,excellent level design and challenges (and re-playability) with the power ups that are familar to Mario fans whilst introducing new power ups that would be become familar in future Mario Games such as; Super Mario Galaxy, Super Mario Sunshine and New Super Mario Bros (DS). One of the power ups is winged Mario (as seen on the Amercian cover art) where Mario takes to the skies! Personally I love the music from Dire Dire Docks. After the first star is gained, the game is no longer linear, the player chooses where to go and when- they have complete control of level selection.The story begins with a letter from Princess Peach (aka Toadstool) inviting Mario to the Castle for some cake. However when Mario gets there he finds that Bowser has kidnapped Peach, the 120 Magic Stars that give the Castle its power and trapped her servants (Toad- mushroom people) inside the walls. To gain stars, players must explore the castle and surrounding area to find themed games where a variety of stars can be won.There is also a "Rec" room that can be accessed to play mini games for fun. To access this, Mario (and characters in DS) must capture rabbits. Each one unlocks a mini game, and in the DS version, the different characters have their own themed games and their own coloured rabbits to catch.In the DS version the game added 30 more stars and 4 playable characters; Mario, Luigi, Wario and Yoshi (in honour of the N64 ending once all 120 stars are collected) who each have different abilites. Yoshi can swallow fire and enemies, fire eggs and flutter. Mario can become a hot air balloon and float, as well as wall kick. Luigi has the ability to become invisible whereas Wario has a heavy punch and becomes a man of steel.This version cannot be completed with just one character. This remake with 4 characters was also used on Yoshi's Island DS (the remake of the SNES game).Also in the DS version, you start as Yoshi, who has the additional task of rescuing Mario, Luigi and Wario from their locked rooms. You can also only play as one character at a time, but can changed into another character within a game via special caps, with the exception of Yoshi who can only start the game.There is no excuse to play this excellent classic of a platform game as it is available in 3 formats, and still retains its place as a must have, must play game status that gives enjoyment for hours. It is an excellent introduction to Mario, if you haven't played Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins on the Gameboy Classic or 3DS Virtual Console. Most fans use this game as a benchmark of future Mario games. Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube) doesn't offten make the grade. I cannot stress what a must have or must play game proving that not games are not required to have the most photorealistic graphics to be simply brilliant. Ask any retro fan.

13.9.2013

I've been a Mario fan for quite a long time, and yet I never did get the chance to play Mario 64 on the N64 (despite owning one... ;-/)So this has been my only (affordable) chance to play what is considered a benchmark in gaming as well as a classic, and I can't say it wasn't all that bad at all but there's a few issues i'll go into later.There's quite a lot of unlockable content on this game, all you have to do is catch the rabbits and they will give you mini-games to play (which can be played on title screen and even mid-game but you have to unlock the mini-game room first. The mini-games themselves are the same as whats on Super Mario Bros DS and all are quite enjoyable but you'll find yourself favoring one more than the other (I like Luigi's card match game the most).Other characters like Luigi and Wario can be unlocked too (and they have their own attributes and abilities too). Although they are unlocked after playing certain levels. Even Yoshi is a playable character (you play as him/her first). The gameplay is a progression from sidescroller and more like an open world play game with the main point being to get a star from each stage you play. Stars can be obtained through various ways (coin collecting, boss beating etc) and the more stars you collect can help you progress to more stages littered through the castle. There is an exploratory element to this game too and hidden stars and stages can be located through the castle too and some levels were playing as a certain one of the roster of characters you have is essential to gaining more stars.Musically its just like many other mario games before and after it. Graphically, its a little dated now. The colours don't look as vibrant (quite murky now) and the characters and stages can look a little blocky (this was a launch title for the DS I think, so its a good 8yrs on) next to say, Super Mario Land 3D. But the gameplay more than makes up for this shortcoming.The biggest letdown of this game is the controls. The N64 controller had an analog stick for smooth movement and the DS just doesn't have that and I can imagine a game like this would have been extraordinary on the N64. A lot of the time you will lose a life just because of the control (I found myself falling far down to be my biggest killer as opposed to goombas). The 3DS sort of rectifies this problem (it has an analog stick) but it doesn't feel as smooth as it should (but at least better than the DS). The other control options available just don't seem to be as versatile as the button controls (touchscreen is only good for movement but even then you tread gingerly in case you fall) and only comes into its own for the minigames.Despite these faults its still an excellent game to enjoy playing and I'm looking forward to an update of this (hint, hint nintendo execs...)

29.3.2019

*SKIP THIS SECTION TO SEE THE ACUAL REVIEW ON THIS GAME*This game was my childhood. Let me share a little story. When I was 8 years old, my mom drove me to a Walmart to buy any game on a cold Christmas morning. This game looked interesting so I picked it up and was super excited to play it. Even with all the hype I built in the car, this game was amazing. I loved it and it’s my 2nd favourite game of all time for all it’s done for me especially during the harder parts of my childhood; and for that Nintendo, I am eternally grateful...*REVIEW STARTS HERE*This game is still awesome with the nostalgia goggles aside! It expands upon the original, and gives a new generation access to such a classic which is always a welcome addition to me.

19.3.2005

I will agree with everyone here -- the control is a bit nasty to get used to but, personally, I find it fine...The multiplayer side of this game is EXCELLENT! I don't actually own the game myself but two of my friends do. We regularly have four-player games of Mario 64DS on the bus on the way to college (it takes about an hour so we get a lot of playing out of it) every game starts with us all attacking each other as Yoshi, trying to be one of the two who survives being eaten first; on the Princess's Secret Slide level it's the most entertaining thing: eating a friend's Yoshi, then spitting them out down the slide as you grab the Wario hat and chase after them!Three and Four player games are more fun than two,

3.1.2006

This game has some serious design problems. Firstly, the controls are terrible. Nintendo circumvented the problem of not having a analog stick, by giving you the choice of using SNES style hold Y to run which is passable, or using the touch screen as an analog stick which is beyond bad. Both of these systems are made worse by the fact that the controls are relative to the camera position and not the charactor. This wouldn't be so bad if you had decent control over the camera, or its position was predicatable, but the sad fact is that at some point in the game you will inevitably be killed by the camera randomly going round a corner, when all you wanted to do was run in a straight line.Secondly,

22.4.2007

Prepare to take a sharp intake of breath old school game fans:I never liked Mario 64 much.I bought this for the mini games, and they are well worth it. There's a great selection of games here that will keep you playing for hours. Now most of them have been slightly improved and reissued as multi player games on the New Super Mario Bros cart. So this isn't worth buying for the mini games anymore, but it's still my favourite game on the DS. Here's why:The classic game design - OK I admit it, they broke the mold when they made Mario 64. There are no 3D platform games on any system that have improved on the levels and challenges in this game. Most similair games don't even come close.

20.6.2014

I was a bit skeptical of this release at first. I wasn't sure whether I'd like the new additions to the story such as different playable characters and new rooms/challenges/mini games as I was of the opinion that if it isn't broken then don't fix it. I've changed my mind since playing though as it would have been a bit strange to release an old game at the time and to not add any bonus content, and it doesn't take anything away from the experience, and it does indeed add to it. I would have maybe had the player start as Mario instead of Yoshi so as to not add any confusion or put any players off but that's just my opinion. I feel that in some levels, namely the first one Bob-Omb battlefield,

25.10.2008

The days of playing Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64 owed largely to the quality of my childhood. Setting aside my mother's exceptional parenting skills and the endless fun I had adventuring into great outdoors, Mario 64 was the equally important indoor component to my life as a youngster.Of course I was being facetious. But having played this game on my (late) Nintendo DS, all the memories just came flooding back. It is important to remember of course that in its heyday Mario 64 was cutting edge in terms of its game play and visual quality. It's the template of the perfect adventure, unrivaled and unbeaten to this day, in my opinion. It would seem therefore that Nintendo have carefully picked this game up and placed it onto a DS cartridge,

29.12.2011

I first played this in a shop on an Japanese Import N64 many many years ago, and it was seriously tempting even at £600. By the time the UK version came out much cheaper I had moved on from television based consoles. By the time I decided to get a DS, this game had sold out and was really difficult to get a-hold of (it has been re-released since). Finally getting a copy in May 2010 have loved it since playing it in two main stints with a 3-6 month gap inbetween. Getting stars is so rewarding; sometimes surprisingly easy and other times seemingly impossible. Over a period of about a year I have nearly all of them. There is real fun to be had, like racing giant penguins, flying through the air,

14.2.2005

If you loved the original Nintendo 64 version of Mario 64 then you really wont be dissapointed in this version for the DS ( if you never played Mario 64 then you still wont be dissapointed as the game is so good it stands the test of the 6 or 7 years since it was originally released). All the freedom of movement of the original game is still here but the DS version gives this game a wonderful new edge. If anything the DS version takes some decent new twists on the classic platform game by adding Yoshi, Wario and Luigi into the mix as additional characters and using each ones' particular skills to allow various parts of each level to be accessed.The DS port uses the lower screen as a combined map/movement control (

16.3.2005

This is a great game. Firstly, let me establish what a great game for ppl who want a "pick up 'n play" kind of game 'cos this is the one. U can just turn it on to collect one or two Power Stars and the put it away. It really surprised me once it came across as that 'cos i don't remember thinking that as a child 'bout the original.Anyway, this game has great graphics, much sharper and clearer than the fuzzy ol' N64's. The sound it really good too, stirring virtual surround sound and foot-tapping and moody Nintendo choons that will be logged in your brain for years to come.The gameplay is fantastic, as good as it always was, and controls brill with the D-pad.

4.5.2009

I love, and always have loved this game. I played it on N64 in the past, and although it is slightly different, for example you used Yoshi, Mario, Luigi and Wario instead of just Mario, the DS game is equally as good or even better!You begin the game as Yoshi, this can be annoying at times and he is 'less able' that Mario and Luigi, but it gives you more determination to unlock mario, and also he is quite the sweetie.The game layout is almost identical, although there are extra tasks that each hero can do, and also extra 'switch stars' where you jump on a switch and have to get to the gold star in time, this may seem easy, but sometimes what seems simple isn't.

13.11.2005

Although I used to play computer games a reasonable amount in the 1980s, I've really not played them much since. Mainly I tended to feel that games have gone for flashy graphics at the expense of game play - my favourite game ever is probably Jet Set Willy on the ZX Spectrum.Anyway, this game has completely changed my mind. I realise it's an old concept, but it is so fantastically well executed. The graphics are very good, but they need to be in order to make the game playable. At first I found the controls a little confusing, particularly in relation to moving around in the 3D world, but I soon got used to it.The game-play is so incredibly varied, and the non-linear nature of the story means if you get bored of a section,

28.12.2006

I loved Mario 64. I had an N64 and always either mario 64, Ocarina of time, or lylat wars was in it. Unfortunately, i gave the N64 up after seeing the next-gen consoles. After getting a gamecube, and seeing the awesomeness of Super mario sunshine (if anybody says the gamecube had bad graphics compared to the PS2 or Xbox, show them that), I wondered where the mario series would go next. Then the goodness called the DS came out, and two solid mario games out for it, this and new super mario bros. I was overjoyed. After a wasted childhood on Mario 64, an all time favourite of mine came out for the best hand-held console ever. This game just as good as the original, but with new characters added to the mix.

Super Mario 64 (DS) - Reviews

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