We all loved Mario 64 and if you didn’t then I’m surprised you haven’t been tarred and flogged somewhere. It was an outstanding game on the N64 and made a near flawless jump from 2D platformer to 3D fully immersive platformer. With the release of the new Nintendo handheld, the DS, they’ve once more dragged out their favourite little plumber and given the old pipes a good clear out. Super Mario 64 on the DS is a brilliant game which isn’t just a port over from the N64 but rather a tour de force which brings over everything you loved about the first game and adds lots of lovely sprinkles on top, oh and a cherry.

This game really does have it all. The core idea is similar, you try to be the hero in a world filled with nasty Boswer traps and irritating Bob-ombs trying to blow you up. You make your way through numerous treacherous locations via the central hub of Princess Peach’s castle, always on the look out for hidden doors, stars and secrets. The aim is to collect stars and you’ve got to go back into rooms numerous times to obtain as many stars as you can. The cool thing about this approach is that you can only collect one star each time so you’re forced to go back and do different tasks and routes to get the rest of the stars that you know are lurking there someplace.

Don’t worry if you’re thinking this sounds a little too like the original game, it’s not. You start of by playing Yoshi this time and you have to work through the levels to uncover Mario, Wario and Luigi who have all been stashed away by big nasty Bowser. The great thing about being able to play all these different characters is that each of them have their own special skills and therefore there are particular tasks that only a certain character can succeed at. When you realise that the extent of this game has grown by another 30 stars (now 150 in all to collect compared to the N64 version of 120), you realise that this game is absolutely massive. You really can’t get bored of it because you’re constantly doing new tasks. There are a few that are likely to prove a little more difficult than others but this adds to the challenge and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself completely addicted to gaining stars.

One of the most brilliant aspects of this game is that it fits the DS so well. You can use either the normal controls to move your character or you can use the touch screen. It’s entirely up to you. Not only that but the touchscreen can be used as a map so it truly is difficult to get lost. Simply look down at the screen and it’ll show you where you are and most times where you should be heading.
Now for those extra sprinkles I mentioned before. This game has TONS of mini games on it. To be honest I think these are almost as good as the main game itself. They are so much fun and you win them by chasing and capturing rabbits in the main adventure. They provide you with a key to Princess Peach’s toy chest and you can play all kinds of games there. Each character has his own special games from card games, balancing games, sound games, drawing games and so on. A lot of companies would have released the mini games as their own stand alone game, oh, that’s right, Nintendo did already do something similar, it’s called Wario Ware; so it’s kind of them to give us all these mini games as part of the package.

So, now for the cherry on top. Super Mario 64 DS is multiplayer with only one copy of the game needed to satisfy up to four players. In it’s incarnation as a multiplayer game, you can enjoy racing your friends around the familiar castle setting and trying to catch as many stars as possible. You all start off as Yoshi but you can change to different characters if you manage to capture their hat. Brilliant fun made even more fantastic by the fact you only need one copy of the game and the other players need only download it wirelessly from you in under one minute. Sweet.

The sound on this title is top notch. You can hear that they’ve put in a lot of effort with it and the familiar sounds will lovingly caress your ears with all their retro appeal. The controls can take a little getting used to but adapt your own style and you’ll soon be collecting tons of stars without too much trouble.

This game is perfect for anyone, regardless of gender, age, creed, religion, sexuality and all those other boxes we get put into. It’s a brilliant fun title and it’ll appeal equally to the females out there as to the males. Sure you’re playing one of four male characters trying to be the hero but this is par for the course with Mario games and Princess Peach can still kick butt when she needs to.

This game doesn’t really require sound to play although it obviously adds to it. Words appear on the screen to give you instructions so you’re not at any disadvantage there. One problem I did have is that one of the mini games requires you to be able to hear otherwise you can’t succeed at it. This is unfortunate as the rest of the game is fine.

Overall this title is a great opener from Nintendo to really show the beauty of the DS off to it’s fullest. It’s fun, it’s quirky, it’s extremely long and detailed and you really will find yourself addicted to it. Have fun with the adventure but watch yourself sneakily heading into the ‘rec room’ so you can have a go at the mini games. Well done Nintendo for this brilliant version of Super Mario 64. For those of you who own a DS this game is a must have.