Super Mario DS

Gamecow’s Price	RRP $69.95     Save $7.00 $62.95
Availability
Genre	Action Adventure
Platform	Nintendo DS
Release Date	24/02/2005
Rated

Super Mario DS Product Information

Super Mario 64, the genre-defining Nintendo 64 classic, arrives on the Nintendo DS with all-new features that take full advantage of the new portable system's dual screens, touch screen and wireless multiplayer capability! Each of the four main characters has multiple jumping moves that cover great horizontal and vertical distances. Each has unique moves: Yoshi can eat enemies and turn them into eggs that he can throw; Mario can punch, kick and wall-jump to great heights; super-strong Wario can break certain blocks; and Luigi can jump incredibly high. Power Flowers give each character even cooler powers, like invisibility, fire breath or the power to float through the air. Answering an invitation, Mario, Luigi and Wario set out for a royal party with Princess Peach.

When they arrive at the castle, though, they find it strangely empty. Meanwhile, Yoshi awakes from a rooftop nap to find the castle eerily silent, with Mario, Luigi and Wario nowhere to be seen. Yoshi soon discovers that Bowser has pilfered the castle's Power Stars and imprisoned the Toads in the castle's immense collection of paintings. It's up to the dynamic dino to figure out what happened to Mario, Luigi and Wario and save the day.

Features:
• Play as Mario, Yoshi, Luigi and even Wario. You'll need to use each one's unique abilities to find 150 Power Stars hidden in the castle and grounds.
• Play through Adventure mode and try your stylus-wielding hand at tons of new touch-sensitive min-games.
• Battle up to three friends in Wireless Versus mode, which you can play with only one Super Mario 64 DS game card.

Super Mario DS Review

In a rather surprising move, Mario isn't even the main character anymore. From the very start you take control of Yoshi, who's job it is to rescue Mario, Luigi, and Wario - all of which have been captured by Bowser's forces after having been invited to Peach's castle for cake. When you've managed to rescue them throughout the game, each character is then available to use at any time. Each character is suitably different with their own attributes and abilities that are needed for certain tasks inside many of the 15+ levels in the game.

The most significant addition to Super Mario 64 DS is the all new 'Rec Room', home to huge bundle of mini-games. Each of the four characters starts off with two mini-games unlocked, then by finding all the rabbits that are hidden throughout Peach's Castle you'll eventually unlock 36 mini-games. These are all touch screen controlled and really show off the abilities of the DS. Each character has their own category of mini game. Yoshi's are based on memory, Mario's require quick thinking, Luigi provides a selection of card/gambling events while Wario's games are based on pure action. While there's a few dead donkeys in here, there are some real gems on offer. A lot of Mario's games are highly addictive, whilst Wario's Bomb slingshot game is an absolute classic.

Graphically, Super Mario 64 DS looks great on the DS’s small screens. Due to the DS hardware, the blurriness of the N64 version is now gone in favour of a much harsher, crisper look and due to it being at a much lower resolution, with jaggies at minimum. The colours themselves have been slightly altered in places with the dark greens of Bob-omb Battlefield replaced with more brown/yellow tones. Some will like these changes, some won't; it's a matter of preference but as something that doesn't really effect the game it's not something that matters in all honesty. One change that everyone will like is the character models, which are now smoother and have a far higher polygon count than before.

Super Mario 64 DS is something all DS owners should look into. This game is great for those gamers who were huge fans of the original Mario 64, while those people that missed it the first time around will finally get a chance to see what all the fuss was about. With a lengthy single player adventure and 3 dozen mini-games to enjoy, Super Mario 64 DS is well worth the cash, despite its minor control issues.

Full review PALGN