The game that single-handedly changed the platform genre.
Mario 64 is undoubtedly one of the greatest games of all time; you would find few people who would argue. Back in 1996 when the original game was released it took the gaming world by storm, just like the original Mario games did; it completely changed the way we played platformers. Everyone I’ve met who played Mario 64 still remembers where they were when they first played it, who they were with when they beat Bowser for the first time and how they felt when they collected every star and blasted themselves onto the castle top. Now you can relive all those memories once again anywhere you please with the release of Mario 64 DS, the pixel powered portable with its favourite catchphrase of “touch me”. While this game doesn’t take advantage of the DS’s touch screen whole-heartedly it does add bits and pieces to keep things fresh.
The game gives you various control options and with a little test of each you will find the setup that best suits your gaming style. You can choose the default option with the d-pad and the face buttons at your disposal or opt for the less conventional touch screen methods. Each one plays completely different but unfortunately none of these will ever compare to the original analogue stick. You just never feel entirely in control, there’s always that niggling doubt that you could fall off that ledge and go plummeting to your doom all because the controls let you down. The camera system isn’t the best either, you will constantly find yourself adjusting it because the game feels like showing you the wall rather than the action.
This game is essentially Mario 64, that’s true. However there are small tweaks that do just enough to keep things fresh and shouldn’t leave the gamer feeling like they’re playing the exact same game all over again. Perhaps the biggest changes are the additions of the new playable characters. No longer are you limited to Mario, you also have the option of playing as Luigi, Wario and Yoshi. Each equipped with their own unique move sets and abilities that to a certain extent change the way you play through the game. Mario has his trademark triple-jump; Luigi is faster and has higher standard jumps. Wario is a lot more powerful than the others and can smash through larger objects with minimum effort and lastly Yoshi who has the ability to consume his foes and further use them as missiles.
Each character also has their own special abilities that can be triggered through power blocks; these replace the classic switch boxes you may have been used to. Mario will inflate to the size of a balloon and begin floating upwards; Luigi becomes invisible and gains the ability to walk through certain walls for short periods of time. Wario will transform into a metal counterpart reminiscent of Metal Mario from the original game, granting him super strength and the option of walking under water. Yoshi will gain the ability to breathe fire which will not only help take down a multitude of enemies but also grant him the option of melting blocks of ice that stand in your way or hold a precious secret vital to your quest. As you can imagine these unique powers create many possibilities in terms of how you approach certain levels and how you obtain previously inaccessible secrets.
You actually begin your adventure with the loveable Yoshi this time around, again I think it more about the developers mixing thing’s up for the gamer and making it a slightly different gaming experience. The other 3 characters are trapped behind locked doors and as you play through you will stumble across hidden keys vital to unlocking those characters and doing missions that were previously impossible. Some of you may be curious as to who or what is now on the castle top now that Yoshi is down on the ground and taking part in the adventure, well you will have to buy the game and find out for yourself
Some of the other new additions include secret areas; while these don’t come close to what the game already had in place they do make for welcome additions to what is already a big game. They have also threw in a compendium of simplistic mini-games for you to get your touch on with, while these won’t really challenge you some of them can be rather fun. You will start off with a handful and as you progress you will begin to notice rabbits popping up all over the place, every time you catch one of those little critters you unlock a new mini-game. There are also a few special green rabbits floating around; although these are much tougher to get your hands on given the fact the rewards are much greater. The game also includes a somewhat limited multiplayer mode, ok I’ll be honest it’s completely half-assed. If you have a few friends you can wirelessly link all of your DS systems and play an exclusive mini-game through the one cartridge. This will pit you against each other in a frantic rush to collect as many stars as you can, the key is to steal your opponent’s stars and keep them until the time runs out. It doesn’t really have much depth and should see you giving up after about an hour or so.
The graphics haven’t been enhanced to any great extent but the game does look considerably better on the high quality DS screen. There have been enhancements to the main characters, there’s a huge difference between the Mario featured here and the one you knew way back when. They have also eradicated many of the rough edges the original possessed but in all honesty they could have done a much better job here, it still holds up fairly well though and runs smoothly. The soundtrack is still amazing as it ever was; the game is littered with classic tunes that would make any Nintendo fans ears bleed. Most of the speech and sound effects are still relatively the same unfortunately; perhaps they could have made a little more effort in this department.
No this game hasn’t made radical changes from the original but let’s not forget just how good the original was. Personally I believe Nintendo do just enough to keep thing’s fresh and most importantly keep the fans happy. A worthy purchase for any owner of a DS, if you’re looking for the game that changed your childhood or the game that changed the platform genre for all time: with the added portability factor then this is most definitely the game for you.
