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Review : Super Mario 64 DS

Now that the Nintendo DS is out and the hardware is no longer a mystery we can turn out sights to the actual games that one will play on the wee thing. Nintendo know that they needed a really good game at launch to sell the system and even though it is not the freshest game out there Super Mario 64 DS delivers

This is no where near a new game. It is probably the first Nintendo 64 game ever made and I know that development started back before the hardware prototype of the N-64 was finished. Miyamoto and his team started to design and build in emulation before the software developer kits were finished on the N-64. Back when this was a launch title for the N-64 it sold on almost the same ratio as the hardware. The same thing is probably going to happen again. Super Mario 64 is still considered to be the greatest 3d platformer game ever made and it influenced generation of 3d games after it.

Super Mario 64 is a pretty straight forward port. The Graphics seem a little bit more higher resolution than the n-64 version and the animation is just cartoony enough. The biggest problem is that since it is authentic to the original for the most part it also has the some what sparse selection of textures and simplistic 3d graphics but it works for the animated world of Mario. Hell even the fact that you can pull of a nice fluid 3d game on a handheld game system is still pretty cool.

The control works with the analog stick simulated by the D-Pad or the Touchscreen via the pen or thumb nub. I can play with the pen and thumb nub but I usually end up going back to the tried and true D-pad for tough situations.

There is some multi-player action via the wireless networking that requires only one copy of the game but until I know other people in my town with an actual Nintendo DS I will have to wait to try it out. I hope BBQ gets one for Christmas.

Nintendo included some new levels, new starts and a whole selection of mini-games. Probably the biggest thing is that there are other playable characters besides Mario in the game. Luigi, Yoshi and Wario are all playable when you unlock them. In fact you start out the game as Yoshi and you unlock the ability to play as Mario later on. There is also hats for each character on certain enemies allowing you to temporary transform into another character to help you at a certain puzzle. The map on the lower screen helps you from getting lost on the larger levels. The mini games are all Nintendo DS specific and take advantage of the two screens and the touchscreen. My favorite is one of the Wario games that is a clone of Missile Attack and you launch cannon balls with a sling shot. You aim and stretch the sling shot cannon via the touchscreen and it is pretty fun. I can't wait for Warioware DS.

If you have never played Mario 64 than I envy your chance to play it for the first time. It is one of the truly great games of the 90s. I would love for Nintendo to have a fresher game at the Nintendo DS launch but most of my time playing the system is trying to unlock even more stars all over again in Mario 64. If Nintendo can get twenty bucks a pop off a 15 year port of Super Mario Bros for Nes it is entirely believable that gamers will gladly hand over thirty bucks for a portable copy of Mario 64. I think it will tide me over until newer DS games hit the market. If you have never played Mario 64 than I envy your chance to play it for the first time. It is one of the truly great games of the 90s.

Jake at November 23, 2004 Reviews

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