Mario 64 on the DS contains the same memorable characters and gameplay elements you loved from Mario's 1996 debut.
The Bad: Multi-player is rather pointless, control can be rough during some moments.
Introduction: Mario 64- Probably the most revolutionary platforming game of all time; it introduced new dimensions into the gaming world as we know today, and it game the birth to a new genre as well- 3D Platforming. Well we have come a long way since Mario 64 released in 1996- but hey, its been almost eight years and now it has been re-released; except on a hand held we all know and love, the Nintendo DS. This game has already sold millions of copied world-wide, and really does follow in the hard to follow path of the original. Presentation: The presentation in this game is absolutely wonderful. The menus are extremely Mario-ish, and there is all the old charm that made the original Mario 64 such a classic. There is nice voice work, some easy and entertaining dialogs, and this game boasts a little extras for its hand held platform. Truly wonderful.
Story: The story in Mario 64 DS is similar to that of its Nintendo 64 counterpart, however this time, there is a little twist. Princess Peach instead of only inviting Mario to the castle, also invites Wario and Luigi- all excited and ready for there own little party. Yoshi, who has been sleeping on top of the castle, decides to pass on the little invitation. Yoshi wakes up eventually, and finds that neither of the heroes have returned, so he sets off into the castle to find them. I think the old Koopa King is up to something now eh?
Graphics: Now the graphics in Mario 64 DS are similar to the Nintendo 64's; except for the sense that the DS version has better looking models, and the small sharp screen holds up well into making everything run smooth and without any slowdown. The character models are actually MUCH better than they were in its eight year old version, and are quite impressive 3D renditions on such a limited platform. Mario looks a lot better, and there is more depth in his style, and is more fresh and new. But it was truly Bowser that caught my eye; he looks more like the Bowser we are seeing and are really used to; just picture Super Smash Bros. Melee and Mario Tennis; not the small handed, large shelled Bowser we saw in Mario 64. The graphics though, are not perfect. They could have been better, more variety- but hey, and its not really that gorgeous in comparison to some games, such as Nintendogs, but hey; its an eight year game gone new right? Sound: I really enjoy the sound in this game. The music is very catchy, and is truly some of the trademark Mario themes we all recognize today. The voice work at the end (and briefly throughout) the game is done nicely, and truly takes advantage of the DS's stereo speakers. It can turn up pretty loud, and its nice and smooth. There is a lot of variety in the works being implemented in the game, and it all sounds great. Gameplay: We all loved Mario 64, and I guarantee you will love this one too! Everything is almost exactly as you remember from the old classic game. Everything in the world is all the same, but with a few secrets, and updated graphics. The worlds, on a small platform, somehow seem much more massive, and you will feel like you are playing a new game all over again. This game is wonderful. But there are differences, and the largest one being that you can control four different characters. Now you start out as Yoshi, and he is the biggest different from his Italian counterparts. As Yoshi, you cannot punch and bash enemies/objects as you can with your buddies. Instead, Yoshi can use his tongue. He can swallow enemies, and either spit them out or transform them into an egg. He can then of course, hurl his eggs at his opponents. Classic Yoshi gameplay there. Yoshi also has a flutter jump, in which he can soar high above his enemies, and even his other partners. Yoshi is the best jumper in the game, and can even hover for a few moments. However, since Yoshi cannot punch, he cannot break some blocks, so that puts him at a slight disadvantage; but he is the quickest, the highest, and the greenest (Luigi may have some stiff competition!). The second character you have is Mario; which is as always the average around guy. He jumps good, runs good, and is just; good. He can punch, and is the second strongest character so he can break all the blocks in the game, except for Wario's Black Blocks. Mario is the only character in the game that can take upon the final challenge, and the only character that can fly- what a joy! The third character we have is Luigi. Luigi is an average Puncher, and is weaker than Wario and Mario. But he is an extremely high jumper, with his own spin move that also lets him hover great distances. He may not be as green as Yoshi, but he sure has the spirit! The final character you can control is the overly sized Wario. He is slow, cannot jump high, but has fists as hard as rocks. He sends enemies flying far enough across the screen that even his buddies wouldn't even dream of doing. As well, he has a special move that lets him hurl away his opponents; but this is only available in Multiplayer mode so the move it self is a bit pointless. Those are your four characters, but they all have one more move available: Flower Power. With this powe rup, each character gets there own special move that is available over a certain amount of time. Yoshi can blow fire, Mario can blow up like a balloon and fly (again), Luigi can turn invisible, and Wario can turn into metal. With this, each character gets there own special move in which they can use to avoid and get past obstacles blocking there path.
Now the whole point of this game is to collect Stars, and Keys. By doing this, you unlock new levels, and eventually the last way to reach the captured hostage (hmm.... Princess... never mind). There are 150 Stars in the game, and that is 30 more compared to the last game. There are new bosses as well, and boy are these ones great! There are also about five new levels added to Mario DS, and they all are fresh and new. Another add on to Mario 64 DS is Mini games. In total, there are 36 stylus oriented Mini Games, all of which are addicting to play. You only start out with about eight, but you catch rabbits roaming around the Single Player adventure to unlock keys, which unlock Mini Games. They really add to the Mario experience, and make this game even worth more the money.
Multi player: Wow- The first 3D Mario game with a Multiplayer. In this mode, you try and collect.... Stars. Its a rather average option, but could have been more. You basically run around and try to pummel your opponents from collecting more Stars than yourself- but it isn't really much of a task. They could have had Multiplayer Mini Games, but its better than nothing right? Value: This game is great. Still one of the best DS games on the market. Fresh and original as its predecessor, this game is to be remembered for generations to come. It is well worth you money, and if you have a DS and don't have this game; you dont know what you're missing out on.