It's Me ... Mario ! (Super Mario 64 DS (DS))

Member Name: Recon

Product:	Super Mario 64 DS (DS)
Date:	18/02/08 (103 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fun, Great graphics, Good sound, Lots to do, Addicting mini-games!

Disadvantages: Same price as brand new games when this game was released years ago with the DS

Mario is back for more fun on the Nintendo DS! This excellent game is a remake of the Nintendo 64 version, and comes with a few extra features too! The gameplay is excellent with plenty to do, and you also have the added bonus of mini games! I find the mini games particularly addicting, and sit there trying to get high scores all night long! Unfortunately, this game doesn't support Nintendo Wifi, so you can only play by yourself. Having said this, you can actually play wirelessly against a friend using Nintendo DS wireless download play. It is a fantastic game, having been the very first to launch with the Nintendo DS. Therefore, mine actually came bundled with my DS, however you can buy it separately in shops now.

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~ STORY ~
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The game has quite a basic story to it, but it works well. At the invitation of Princess Peach, Mario who is accompanied by Luigi and Wario all enter the Mushroom Castle. After not coming out for a while, Yoshi decides to go in to see what's going on. After discovering that no one is there, Toad speaks to Yoshi and tells him that Bowser has stolen the power stars that guard the castle and he has locked Princess Peach in the walls and paintings! The other three are thought to be in the paintings too. It's now up to Yoshi to rescue Princess Peach, Mario, Luigi and Wario from the castle's paintings and walls!

It is rather a typical story, and follows the idea that Bowser is the 'baddie' and the others are the 'goodies'. The story leads to an excellent game with loads of different worlds, where you complete different missions.

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~ GAMEPLAY ~
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First of, you begin the game with a few cut scenes to set out the story. Whenever you continue the game, you can choose the saved file you want to play from, and there are three to save to. If more than one person plays the game on their own saves, then this is a pretty good feature. When the game starts, you will always begin outside the castle in the gardens. In the gardens, there are many trees, which you can climb as well as other places to visit. There are also bunny rabbits running around, that you unlock mini-games from if you catch them. They are quite hard to catch and run around back and forward, but once you realise the same rough path that they follow, you can trap them and catch them quite easily. Upon catching one, they hold a key, which is a key to Princess Peach's mini-game drawers, where all the mini-games are.

Upon entering the castle, you are faced with a large staircase with a couple either side. There are loads of doors scattered around, and they will have numbers on them. These numbers represent the number of stars you must have to enter the room. There are also bigger doors and other doors that lead to different parts of the castle. It is quite large, so explore it thoroughly! When you enter rooms with a painting on the wall facing you, you can run up to it and jump into the wall (no matter how mad it sounds) to enter the painting. A rather nice rippling effect occurs when you jump in, as you vanish into the painting.

Once you enter a painting, you get to choose a mission. There are quite a few missions for each painting or 'world', so plenty to do. Missions include things such as reaching the boss and killing it, or collecting something. Each 'world' has a different theme. Some may be underwater, some may be a large mountain and one of them is an icy snowy world with loads of penguins running around.

As well as missions, you can collect coins throughout level. Not only do they give you health when it isn't already full, but they contribute towards a highscore. There are also 10 red coins in each world, which must be found and collected. These red coins will normally be one of the missions - to collect them all.

Throughout the game, you get to play as Mario, Yoshi, Luigi and Wario, adding more fun to the game than ever! Each character plays differently, with different skills to use and they all have different powerups. As for difficuilty, it can get quite difficult, especially in some of the harder worlds such as Bowser's world. However, there are normally plenty of coins to regain health from enemies that hit you or lava that burns your ass. Overall the gameplay is quite fun with different levels to keep you interested. Some will require you to swim, whilst others will require you to keep moving! You can also learn different tricks for each character, and they all have their own abilities. The castle is full of secrets, so don't be surprised when you walk into a wall and vanish inside to find a secret room (hint hint).

Mini-Games
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There are loads of mini-games to keep you entertained. There are some already playable, but plenty more to unlock. As I said before, you must capture bunny rabbits in the castle grounds to receive keys, which unlock drawers of Princess Peach's dressing table, where all the mini-games are! Mini-games range from bouncing the characters in the air, and keeping them up to using the touch screen to roll up a snow ball and reach the finish as soon as possible without hitting the snowmen! Others involve hitting shells and earning points as well as many card games. Mario, Yoshi, Luigi and Wario each have their own games, and they all have slightly different themes. Most of Luigi's games are card games such as Blackjack and more. They are very addicting, and will certainly keep you playing for a good hour or so! It's quite fun trying to get the highest scores possible.

DS Download Play
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You can either do this with one game card or four. Using the DS wireless feature, other players can search for a game created by one person with one game card. Then, you can choose one of four games to play. They involve racing down a slope and collecting stars but they all are in different locations, so there is a bit of variety. You can also do the same with more than one game card, and I don't see the point really when you can do it with one. However, when you are both on the game next to each other, it's easier to both go to the wireless option and join one another's games there. It can be quite good fun and can support up to four players.

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~ REPLAY VALUE ~
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This game has excellent replay value. Considering that I first played it when I first got my DS near to the launch date, and I still play this game every week or two, I'd say it's pretty addicting. There are loads to do in the one player with all the different worlds to explore, as well as completing the missions. The gameplay is really fun too, and it keeps you playing longer. With the added bonus of the mini-games, this game has great replay value! I have sat there for over an hour JUST playing the mini-games! They are really addicting and very fun little games. If you have a friend with a DS too, there is no reason why you can't set up a wireless multiplayer game so you can both play together.

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~ GRAPHICS ~
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The graphics for this game are of superb quality. The colours are vivid and clear, and the general look is superb. Being the first DS game to be released, I was very impressed by the excellent look. It is a very colourful game and takes advantage of the cartoon characters to produce such excellent graphics. The shapes can be separated out from the surrounding shapes with no fuzziness. This game has an adorable look to it, which gives you a great feeling whilst playing. The worlds are all bright and full of different objects and enemies. With the top screen featuring the actual gameplay of your character, and the bottom screen with a map of the level, it looks great and is easy to play. The detailed effects such as a smoky trail effect when Mario slides down a slope or sharply changes direction are quite remarkable, and very well done. Overall, the game has a lovely look to it and this gives it a fabulous feel when playing.

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~ SOUND ~
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The sound is fantastic, and mostly features the classic Mario tunes. Each level is accompanied by its very own soundtrack, which is from the original game, but much improved in quality. The soundtracks are really good and catchy, but the quality of them is very clear and excellent too. Other sounds such as the noises the characters make in different situations suit their voices that are well-known to Nintendo Fans. Being made by Nintendo, you wouldn't expect anything different to their original noises and sounds, but they really are cute and good. The number of soundtracks is immense, with every world containing different music, and even different parts of the castle with their own music. The quality of this music is excellent and bright and bubbly. Other sound throughout the game pop up at every moment when something specific happens. From the squashing of an enemy to the aggravation of Bowser, there are plenty of sounds to admire and hear, and they all sound excellent!

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~ CONTROLS ~
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You can either use the standard button controls in the game, or the touch screen to control your character. Personally, I prefer using the buttons, but the touch screen works brilliantly. It gives you the ability to really adjust the pace of your movement and get it exact! You can differ from a slow walking pace to a sprint with use of the touch screen. In general, the controls are excellent and work very well. With the A button to jump and the trigger buttons to change the camera, all your needs are right at the click of a button. The controls are perfect, and suit their function very well. I do however find it easier to navigate through the menus on the touch screen using the stylus. With a simple hit of the stylus, you can select options in the menus and glide through them with ease. At first, I used the thumb strap to control the game, but I found it too hard and switched to the D-Pad to move the character with the opposite buttons to perform actions. The only reason I did this, was because I was intrigued as to what the thumb strap was and how it worked. It has a hard material where you wrap your thumb round, and when tapped on the touch screen, it picks it up very well. The thumb strap can also be tied to the back of your DS to stop you losing it!

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~ PRICE ~
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This game has retained a price just as high as the newest games, due to its excellent quality. For £24.98, you can buy this game off Amazon.co.uk. I feel this is a fair price, although it may seem a bit high considering it was released when the DS was released. However, being such a great game, I am pleased to see it has retained this price and I am sure it will for months to come. They are selling used and new from £20 by members of Amazon.co.uk. You can also buy the game offline for a similar price. I have seen this game for just £9.99 second hand in gamestation, so it is well-worth a visit to see if you can get it cheap.

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~ SCORE ~
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Story - 9.5/10
Gameplay - 9.5/10
Replay Value - 10/10
Graphics - 10/10
Sound - 10/10
Controls - 9/10
Price - 8.5/10

Overall - 9.5/10 - 95%

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~ CONCLUSION ~
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Overall, I feel this is an excellent game and was a great launch game for the Nintendo DS. The gameplay is excellent with plenty to do and it is very enjoyable at the same time, with the enhanced graphics and catchy music, accompanied by good sound effects. The replay value is very good, with the added bonus of mini-games that will keep you coming back to play more again and again! The mini-games seem to be very addicting and enjoyable. Overall, it is an excellent game with stunning graphics made from vivid colours with clear shapes and outlines - some of the best graphics for the Nintendo DS.

Thanks for reading,

- Recon -

Summary: A fantastic game to play as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi and Wario