Super Mario 64 DS is at the same time both an amazing choice as a launch title for Nintendo’s new DS handheld and a little strange. It immediately shows off how much more powerful the new DS hardware is over its GBA successor and is a game starring members of the Mario family, which have graced most Nintendo hardware launches. At the same time, we are talking about, with a few changes, a game that is eight years old and built to play with an analog stick (something the DS sadly lacks) nor does it take full advantage of the DS’s inherent strengths. But all and all, it is still a fun game and very playable.
Back in 1996 Miyamoto’s launch opus for the Nintendo 64 was one of only two games that came out with the console. Launching with such a thin catalog can be suicidal, but Super Mario 64 was instantly recognized as a gaming masterpiece and helped sell the system to skeptical gamers. The fact that Nintendo is using it again as the premier Mario offering to launch a new system speaks volumes for Nintendo’s faith in how well the game has held up. I think that faith is admirable but perhaps a little misplaced. The game is without a doubt the best 3D action/adventure ever to grace a handheld system, but it is looking a little long in the tooth when compared with newer offerings in the genre.
Nintendo did not do a straight port of Super Mario 64 to bring it to the DS. Instead of just being able to play as Mario, Nintendo has brought in several more Mario-world favorites: Luigi, Yoshi and Wario. Nintendo also added some new areas to explore and more stars and items to find. But somehow all the changes just don’t feel like enough to make the game really worthy of being trotted out again after eight years. Too much is the same and I don’t think many people are going to be playing over and over again to find every little thing in this new version like they did in the original.
The game also does not play well to the DS’s strengths. The lower screen is mainly used simply as a map screen in the game. There are different control modes that the player may choose. Standard mode uses the touch screen as a camera rotation control and the face controls for everything else. In the Touch and Dual-Hand modes the lower screen is used as a touch controller for moving your character; it fails pretty miserably. Nintendo was surly trying to give the player a feel of the original game’s analog control, but it just didn’t make it. Best to stay with Standard control mode even if it is a poor substitute for an analog stick.
Nintendo did make a couple of nice additions to better show off the DS’s strengths. There are some fun mini-games that make great use of the touch screen. They range from silly games like Love Me …? to memory and fast-action shooters. They show some variety and are well executed with the touch screen. There is also a multiplayer mode that lets up to four players compete with only one game card required – what Nintendo calls the DS Download Play mode. It is a simple game of racing to collect stars, but does show what the DS can do wirelessly.
Graphically Super Mario 64 DS may actually be better than its older console brother. I don’t know if it is just the smaller screen that hides pixels better or if the game’s graphics really were tweaked for the new edition, but either way, as I look at it I get the feeling that it just looks cleaner than it does on the Nintendo 64.
Audio is outstanding for a handheld game. The Nintendo DS shows a marked improvement over the Game Boy Advance in the audio reproduction department. Super Mario 64 DS takes full advantage of the improvement in both music and sound effects.
While the main game in Super Mario 64 DS does seem a bit dated to be a launch title for the Nintendo DS, it is still a fun action/adventure that will satisfy the handful of people that have always wished they could have Super Mario 64 on a handheld. At the same time Nintendo has thrown in mini-games and a multi-system play mode that shows off some of the neat things the system is capable of. If you missed Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64, you’ll probably be happy with this game. If you got your fill of playing Super Mario 64 on your N64 and aren’t real jazzed about having a version you can take on the road, you’re probably going to pass on this one.
© 2004 GameShark.com
