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Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: Platform
Region: NTSC
Format:
Release Date: 20 Nov 04
User Rating
9.8 (77 votes) -
- Can't get enough of the lovable plumber and his goofy gang? Get nostalgic in the DS's port of the N64 classic.
Overview
Well who would have thought a Nintendo gaming handheld could be released without one of its main characters? Of course our favorite plumber is back on the job again in a game that might ring quite familiar with many people. For those of you want to get reacquainted with the lovable plumber, Nintendo serves up Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo DS. So does the transition to the dual screens do well for the game? Read on to find out!
Gameplay
Hey I will admit I was with a lot of the Nintendo fan boys that ran out and bought the Nintendo 64 right away so I could get my entire Mario fix on right away. When Mario 64 was released, I must admit that although I am not the biggest fan of the game, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It's been quite a few years since that release and one thing that I really was wondering was how would this bright game is translated to the smaller DS?
For the most part if you remember Mario 64, the DS version isn't going to throw any surprises at you, as it is essentially the same game. With that said, there are some differences, one of which is right from the get go. You see, instead of starting out as our favorite plumber, we actually start with his friend Yoshi, who begins the journey after Mario, Wario, and Luigi have been captured and put in the castle. I must admit starting with Yoshi was risky and I just didn't like the idea of not playing as Mario from the get go. Throughout the game you do have the ability to play with all four of these characters, each of them having their own strengths and weaknesses.
The game does add some new stars and levels that do add some extra "spunk" to an already solid formula. This should present some more entertainment for previous fans of the series, but it is nowhere near enough. For those of you who were hoping for some major improvements/additions to the games, that just aren't there. To be quite frank about it the game hosts some new stuff but nothing makes a big enough impact on the overall outcome of the game to make a big deal out of it.
The game does offer mini-games that pose as rabbits throughout the game, and as you discover these you will unlock more mini-games. These games range quite a bit, but after awhile can tend to get pretty old pretty quick. The game also hosts four-player multiplayer, where only one person has to actually own the game. Although the concept of only having to own one copy of the game is a pleasant one, the multiplayer games aren't really worth coming back to.
So once you get over the fact that there are some more stars and you can play as different characters, the game is still the same game from quite a few years ago. The one problem I had with it just doesn't work as smoothly on the DS handheld, as it did with the N64. The first problem I had was the controls, which just didn't feel right without the joystick, and the use of the touch pad really didn't offer any relief either. So basically you still have the great game of Mario 64, but that same game on a system that I believe doesn't really do the game as much justice as I think it really had the potential to do.
Graphics
Of course for a game that is a remake from quite a few years ago, you got to know that the graphics were going to look dated. You can see that the developers attempted to spruce things up by adding more color and detail to the character models, but for some reason the environments don't match up as well. Somewhere in the translation the game just doesn't seem to have the same great style of color that we found in the first.
Not only that but the bottom screens map support really isn't the easiest on the eyes, as it really looks fuzzy and lacks the sharpness that we have become so accustomed to in Nintendo games. This is not to say our favorite plumber's game looks bad, I just don't see the developers taking full advantage of their new system's hardware.
Fun Factor
Of course what made Mario 64 such a great game in the first place was how much fun it was finding all the stars, and of course that is still alive and well in Super Mario 64 DS! Although at times the controls can be an annoyance, and the tough task of finding stars can make people lose their cool, this is a game that really does carry the Mario franchise well. For those of you who had fun with Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS will still bring back some great fun times.
Overall
Is Super Mario 64 DS as impressive as Mario 64 when it was released? No. But is Super Mario 64 DS a worthwhile purchase and my answer to that is yes. For those of you who never got the privilege of playing the original, or want to relive those fond memories, the game is a good purchase for you!
- Gameplay
8.0 - Graphics
7.0 - Fun Factor
9.0 - Overall
8.0
