Scot checks out the miniaturisation of a gaming legend.

Think back nine years to when you first got your hands on Super Mario 64. It was a technical marvel. One of the - if not the - greatest platform games ever created. Now, back then, did you ever imagine you'd be playing it on a handheld? Nearly a decade on, the game that was adorned with many coveted awards for its importance in the genre has arrived on the Nintendo DS, in extended and enhanced form. For most of you buying the console, this will be the desired accompanying game. There'll be no questions about that.

Not that it doesn't deserve to be, of course. It remains one of the most influential games of all time, and if you're one of the few who hasn't experienced Super Mario 64 before, this is the way to do it. The addition of the new characters, new challenges and the wonderfully absorbing mini-games just improve the game further, taking it to a level of greatness very rarely seen in the genre today.

The DS Difference...

Controlling Super Mario 64 DS isn't as daunting as it may first appear, but it's certainly going to require a firm amount of patience and practice before you're handling the stylus with the same proficiency as the analogue stick it was originally created for. It's a worthy system once you get to grips with it, and above all, it's incredible fun. Even when the novelty of controlling your character with the touchpad wears off, you're still left with an instinctively simple alternative to an analogue stick.

The biggest difference between the two versions of the game though is the addition of new playable characters. The game starts like it did on the N64 but instead of controlling Mario, you take control of his faithful prehistoric companion, Yoshi. This immediately introduces a new aspect to the game, even if the levels are identical to their console counterpart. Bosses and enemies must now be defeated in different ways, and certain stars can only be accessed with specific characters - which are progressively unlocked throughout the game - thanks to their unique powers and different attributes.

Then there's also the issue of how it looks. Those of you who have fond memories of Super Mario 64 will love how it looks now, with the visuals sharpened and smoothened somewhat thanks to the console's smaller screen and impressive hardware. The audio is familiar, ported directly to the Nintendo 64, but once you hear it emitting from the DS speakers, you'll realise just how good it was back then and how well it's managed to hold up now.

It's also massive, even more so than it was on the N64. Rather than simply port the existing game straight to the handheld, Nintendo have included another 30 stars to collect in addition to the 120 included beforehand, as well as a selection of thoroughly entertaining mini-games that, with a little more depth and selection, could have been marketed as a separate game themselves. In fact, many of them are so exceptionally thought out, you'll find yourself playing them just as much as the main feature itself.

Review by: Scot Bennet
Review Published: 12.04.05