Super Mario 64 DS Review
Super Mario 64 DS was one of the first games released for Nintendo's portable system, DS (which is an acronym for "Dual Screen", a disputed addition to the gaming world). Someone knowing the typical Nintendo would consider this a direct port of the Super Mario 64 game for the Nintendo 64; however, it's not a direct port, with thirty-six minigames, three characters, thirty new Power Stars, and many changes in Star collecting methods added. Just as Super Mario 64 was, this is truly a great game, but even coming from someone who was extremely hyped about this game and system, it certainly is not perfect... Nor does it take my spot for favorite game, as I had hoped. It has its problems, which you will see in the ratings and in this review...



Story
The story and plot of Super Mario 64 DS is basically the same as the original. The game starts you off with a letter from Princess "Peach" Toadstool, telling Mario that she'd baked a cake for him and for him to come to her royal castle. Unlike the first game, however, Mario arrives with Luigi and Wario. The game starts you out playing as Yoshi, and Lakitu the cameraguy tells you that Mario, Luigi, and Wario went in ages ago and have not come out. Yoshi heads off to investigate. Once you're in the castle, if you promptly talk to Toad inside you will find out that Bowser stole the Power Stars, which can grant power to individuals, and that the Princess is once again in his possession.

As your game progresses, you can "unlock" (literally) other characters. Each of the other three is sealed behind a door which you unlock with a key. This key is acquired from a sort of boss; each boss gives his own reason for locking up the character, adding ever so slightly to a side plot. However, nothing ever happens again with these side plots, so the main storyline of this game is the same as its predecessor, which is not a big part of the game itself.

Perhaps to some this plot will seem a bit overused, as well. Big players of Mario will notice that almost every Mario game, at least somewhere (even as a side plot), Princess Peach is captured. However, it does get the job done; it just plays no big role in the game.
Story Grade- 7/10



Controls
Controls are probably one of the biggest issues with the DS itself as well as in Super Mario 64 DS. On a more specific note, for instance, in the battles with Bowser, you have to either wear that little strap on your thumb to spin around the touch screen (which I don't really advise) or pull out your stylus and spin it around the touch screen. You have to do this to spin Bowser around and toss him into the deadly mines he conveniently has located around his battlefield. This method can quite easily make for inaccuracy, which can therefore cause you to redo the battle a myriad of times, and so on. (Although nobody ever said you could be really precise with your throws even in the first Super Mario 64.)

The controls themselves, typically, are A to do a type of attack like punch or kick (exempting Yoshi, who sticks his tongue out), B to jump, Y to build up a run, X to zoom in or out with the camera, L to center the camera to Mario's back, R to crouch, and jump-R to do a ground pound. There are several other jump techniques you can do as well with button combinations used at the appropriate times.

Also in complaints, there are some cases where you have to be holding Y to run, B to jump, and A to attack. Trying to hit all the buttons at this time can be difficult for a while, and at any rate this causes your thumb to be at an awkward angle. I have also found that the controls do take a bit of a learning curve, especially if you're new to the DS system. Eventually, though, they become second nature.
Controls Grade- 7/10



Gameplay
Ah, the most important part of the game. The game's gameplay is very good and much like that of the original. Your environment, like in Super Mario 64, is three-dimensional-- something new to handhelds. Of course, the game has had additions, like for instance, there are thirty new Power Stars. Each of the fifteen "worlds", which you typically enter through paintings or some sort of wall or hole, has been given one new Star episode, bringing the episode total to seven and a 100-Coin Star (simply for finding 100 Coins in a level). Additionally, one level has gained a "level-in-a-level", which is where you rescue Luigi. The Stars you find there, however, count toward your Secret Stars, which there are thirty of.

To put it very simply, the main thing in this game's gameplay is to run around and complete some sort of mission, which is usually fairly obvious by the episode's title. Often you have to find something like eight Red Coins or five Silver Stars, but there are some boss fights, which are typically extremely easy, some levels where you have to complete a puzzle, or just some levels where you have to make it from Point A to Point B to get the Star. Secret Stars are most commonly located around the castle. A lot of them require a certain character to get, but some are open to even Yoshi.

Now then, focusing on the add-ons of the game: three new characters. Mario is a well-rounded character, suited for virtually any generic Power Star episode. Wario is a slow character, but packs a good punch and can bust a frequently found black brick that nobody else can. Oftentimes, Wario is needed to demolish one of these bricks or some other large object to get a Star. Luigi is a fast swimmer and can walk on water for short periods of time. Yoshi... well, to be honest, Yoshi is an almost worthless character. The only time he's needed, which is about twice or thrice in the game, is to eat fire. Mmmm... fire.

This fact brings me to another addition and alteration in the game. No more are the Metal Cap and the Vanish Cap. Instead, you get Power Flowers! This is where a lot of character switching goes on. The Wing Cap does still exist in its old red "!" box. The Power Flower is also in one of these boxes, which I believe is the same color (definitely something I feel should be altered, but it's very minor). Now, the Flower grants different abilities to each character. Mario inflates like a balloon. He moves very slowly, but he can float up and down. This is good for reaching higher places or to get across very large gaps. Luigi's Flower is where the Vanish Cap disappeared to (no pun intended, by the way). Luigi can turn invisible and walk through things like cages or specifically, the ghost paintings in Big Boo's Haunt, the fifth level. Wario gets heavier with his Power Flower. He is the one who can become metal. And as for poor dear Yoshi, his Power Flower lets him spit fire. This he needs to do about two times, or maybe three. I recall having to do this once in Snowman's Land to unfreeze a Star and once to get Red Coins in Cool, Cool Mountain.

Another new idea to this game is the Cap system-- and no, it has nothing to do with the Wing, Metal, and Vanish Caps. When playing through a level, there are several instances in which you need to be more than one character throughout the same level. This is solved by there being Caps of the other characters (exempting Yoshi once more) located around the level. Mario would see on his touch screen map, little graphics of a Wario Cap and a Luigi Cap. He could pick up said Cap and become that character. He will, however, lose the Cap if it gets blown away, he gets hit, and so on. The only flaw in this system is that you can't (or at least I don't think you can) take the cap off on your own. So, consider this scenario: if you've either killed all the enemies or there are no enemies in some area, and you can't be hurt or anything, and you need to switch back to the character you were before you put the Cap on, what are you going to do? There's nothing you can do. This is the flaw in the Cap system. However, unless you're nitpicky about details, you won't find much problem with the mechanics of this game.
Gameplay Grade- 10/10



Music/Sound Effects
I will come right out and admit I'm a video game music freak. For those of you that know me in real life, I'm sure you've all heard me humming some catchy little tune before. In fact, people have probably heard me humming songs as of late from this game. Many of the tracks are very catchy or very nice. The music always helps set your scene. For instance, the final battle's music is a mainly church organ piece that sounds very dark and sinister, but it's fast-paced. Each song is well-written for its purpose. Some music is also rather beautiful. The water levels' song is a slow-paced, calming song, as an example. There's two or three tunes which can get on the average person's nerves, but nothing is very nerve-racking.

The sound effects are nice, especially when first seeing the transition between the Game Boy Advance and the DS. We get the occasional voiceover text, like Peach in the beginning, and this speech does not seem full of static or incomprehensible. Also, like some may recall being somewhat added to Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga for the Game Boy Advance, Mario and his comrades always make some sort of noise when they move, like the traditional, "Whop!", "Whoohoo!" "Oof!", "Yippee!", and "Whaaa!". These all sound clear as well. The sound effects for other things like running, diving, or even the coin collection noises are decent as well. Nothing is gratingly annoying.
Music/Sound Effects Grade- 10/10



Graphics
I'm in hopes that this game will set a good standard for DS graphics. While some colors have been made lighter, like the dirt from Bob-Omb Battlefield, most things look as good as if not better than the first Super Mario 64. When comparing to the Game Boy Advance, the DS's graphics are much better. This game's graphics certainly get the job done and provide for a good experience.

A few thoughts I have are, first of all, that some things appear too pixelated when viewed from up-close-- in particular, the trees. If you hold the DS away from your face while Mario is reasonably far from the tree (or if Mario is pretty far off you can look normally), the trees appear in three dimensions, but as you approach, they turn into a blob of pixels. I rather doubt, though, due to the nature of the graphics, that this could really be helped a whole lot. These graphics are wonderful for a handheld system.
Graphics Grade- 10/10



Challenge
Even though I was pretty young when I played the Nintendo 64 version of Super Mario 64 DS, I do recall it being pretty difficult. I really did not find this game quite as trying as some of the levels in the original, although that might be because my sense of tactics and what to do when was extremely undeveloped then. Nevertheless, some levels may get on your nerves with challenge, and others will make you scoff, laugh, chortle, guffaw, or whatever silly act you do when you are amused by something being extraordinarily simple, like an amoeba or some other simple organism. You get the picture.

When I said that, you may have assumed that this game was pretty easy. No, no, and no, my good reader, you think wrong! You really will spend a while playing and beating this game. It is neither too hard nor to easy, save a few Stars to not make everything the same difficulty in the game.
Challenge Grade- 10/10



Fun Factor
In addition, I recall having an indescribable amount of fun while playing this game's predecessor, although I was probably a bit more fascinated by this game at the age of seven or eight than now. At any rate, here in the present, I still have a great amount of fun playing this game. Even with a whopping 150 Power Stars to find, it was extremely rare that I sat and thought, "Ugh, this game is so tedious!". That's something that's pretty uncommon in an RPG/adventure like this one. If RPGs, action games, and adventures are not your type of game, though, you may get bored with it. But with so much to do and so many other things added to the game, you'll be playing it a while! Even though the Fun Factor's score depends purely on the type of gamer you are and some traits of your personality, this game can be fun for all ages and is worth a try by most.
Fun Factor Grade- 10/10



Replayability/Extras
It's just fact that there is a huge amount of stuff to do in this game. As much as there was in Super Mario 64 to do, the DS's version has amplified that. I will state the truth, which is that I beat this game in about nine days. If you consider that short, consider the amount of time that I played it. I would guess that I played a good fifty hours, if not sixty or even more, to get everything. And think a bit... while that's certainly not the longest game ever, it's pretty long. If you loved this RPG (or action/adventure game, it's a bit inbetween I suppose) as much as I have, you'll also probably want to replay the entire game.

As for extras, there's a lot you could call extra that was added to this game when put on the DS system. The addition of thirty new Power Stars is one. The thirty-six minigames are another extra feature. A few of these minigames are very fun, but about half of them are either hard or just not fun. Nonetheless, I have probably played with the minigames for two or three hours at least. To get a minigame, you have to find a rabbit with one of the characters and catch it when it runs from you. Your requirements to beat the game and complete its plot are only to have eighty of the possible 150 Power Stars, as well, leaving you nearly half of the Stars to find after the plot is over. If that's not a lot of extras, then there's not a lot in video games that are extras! (In simple terms: There's a ton of extra things and a good replay value.)
Replayability/Extras Grade- 10/10



Pros and Cons
Pros:
-Great graphics
-Catchy and nice music
-Nothing is very annoying
-Tons of extras and replayability
-Very good additions to the original Super Mario 64
-Just an overall fun game for all ages
-The whole character switching idea
-Not tedious

Cons:
-Semi-lame story
-Sometimes bad controls
-Several minigames are worthless
-Yoshi can't do anything very useful
-Finding all 150 Stars, when getting down to the last few, can take a while
-Slight switching-back issues with the Cap system



Rent, Buy, or Leave it on the Shelf?
I recommend you at least rent this game, for everyone. This really is a game people of all ages can enjoy. If you rent it, however, you can more than likely count on renting it again, as you certainly won't get it done that fast unless you play 24/7. It's a very fun game and definitely worth getting.



Overview of Scores (out of 10)
Story- 7/10
Controls- 7/10
Gameplay- 10/10
Music- 10/10*
Sound Effects- 10/10*
Graphics- 10/10
Challenge- 10/10
Fun Factor- 10/10
Replayability- 10/10*
Extras- 10/10*
*: Separate categories in the Overview, but are listed in the same category in the actual review. When changed into two categories from one, they are subject to slight change in some cases.

TOTAL SCORE- 94/100 (or 9.4/10, which I will round down to 9/10)



Overview of Scores (out of 100) (This may be a slightly different score!)
Story- 70/100
Controls- 65/100
Gameplay- 96/100
Music- 98/100*
Sound Effects- 98/100*
Graphics- 100/100
Challenge- 100/100
Fun Factor- 95/100
Replayability- 100/100*
Extras- 100/100*
*: Separate categories in the Overview, but are listed in the same category in the actual review. When changed into two categories from one, they are subject to slight change in some cases.
TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 100- 920/1,000 (or 9.2/10, rounded down to 9/10)

And finally, a quick note on my grading system. All sections combined, such as Music/Sound Effects, will be separated in the Final Overview. Each score is added up to make an "out of 100" score, since when separated, there are ten categories. Then I just change it to a fraction out of ten, and round the numerator to the nearest whole number for a final grade out of ten. For when every score is out of 100, the same method is essentially used, just with an extra place to the right (i.e. 1,000 instead of 100).



***More info to come on multiplayer.***