Nintendo have a way of doing the most annoying things possible. I don’t know what it is about their marketing strategy, but they seem to think that their back catalogue can make them just as much money as their current projects. Often, the case is proved correct, with serious makeovers sending early Pokemon and Metroid titles racing to the top of the charts earlier this year and now, the finest of Nintendo makeovers has taken place – the greatest platform game of all time, still heralded as an example of near-perfect gameplay nearly nine years after it’s original UK release - Super Mario64 has been through the re-working mill specially for Nintendo’s “revolutionary” new handheld console, the NintendoDS.

            At a glance, the game is instantly recognisable. All the original levels remain intact, with minor alterations to the castle’s interior and added characters including more Toads to chat to, and scurrying bunnies. Further inspection will hold the possibility of new abilities and four playable characters.

            Yoshi is forced into the fray this time, as Mario has been trapped within the castle. You begin, as previously with the Nintendo64 counterpart, by entering Bob-Omb Battlefield, but things are a little different. Although the level design remains identical to the original, the missions within each world vary somewhat. The Red Coin collecting, amongst certain others remain, but somewhere in the region of eighty percent of the objectives throughout the game have been remodelled slightly. As an example, you now have to return the regular Bob-Ombs that the King throws, rather than having to run behind him and throw him onto the ground as in the original.

            The other three characters; Mario, Luigi and Wario are unlocked as you progress by entering their specific arena - once found – and completing the objective. You can then switch between characters at will, but only from the hub. Mid-level character changes are possible by finding a specific character’s cap within a level (marked on the map on the bottom screen) when playing as Yoshi. Each character has a unique attack as will as jump distance – Yoshi can also execute his air-kick hover move. The special abilities gained when using the Red Box power-ups also differ between characters, Mario now has the ability to inflate, as in Super Mario World, Yoshi can breathe fire, Luigi has the metal ability and, well, I don’t want to spoil it all…

            I mentioned bunnies earlier. Yellow bunnies… purple ones too… As another new addition, catching these bunnies will unlock some seriously stylish mini-games. With over 30 mini-games to unlock, each using the touch screen to brilliant effect, it’s no easy challenge to hunt them all down.

            The default controls for the game are quite basic; there are three options on offer, of which I found the best to be the Dual-Hand Mode. In Dual-Hand Mode, Jump, Attack, Crouch and the Center Camera function are on the D-pad, up, down, right and left respectively, whilst your characters’ movement is controlled by moving the stylus over the touch screen with your right hand… yes, this is the first platform game that’s easier to control with your right hand! The controls may seem a little strange on paper, but in practice even the Nintendo64’s analogue stick and angular control pad which were reportedly built around the design of the original Super Mario64 don’t hold water when compared to the pin-point accuracy of the NintendoDS’ touch screen.

            The graphics of the launch title are truly remarkable. The top screen is fully 3D as with the original, with the touch screen displaying a map. Slightly less competent with textures than the Nintendo64, but pushing all the effects such as mist and water with no slowdown or pop-up ANYWHERE. Already developers are showing that more can be done with the system, including the stunning Metroid Prime Hunters: First Hunt demo that comes packaged with the US console, but as the earliest release for Nintendo, no more could possibly be expected. Even the intro screen mocks the original shot at ingenuity – the Mario head now changes to all your unlocked characters, and can be pulled about the screen in a semi-wire frame effect. What’s more is you can now also draw your own pictures, and pull them about in the same way!

            The sound comes available in stereo as well as a virtual-surround option, and a headphone adapted mode. Again, as a shock to the system the handheld produces sound quality equivalent to any MP3 player currently available, far surpassing the Nintendo64 but falling short of the current generation of home systems.

            To enthuse about remakes is not something that comes all too regularly, especially when the original comes with such respect as this, but there is little I can say about this release that would truly explain the creativity and ingenuity crafted into the title. With the first play it becomes easy to understand the stateside sales of the system breaking records left, right and center. An additional 30 stars, 150 in total, over 30 mini-games, multiplayer and a whole host of mini features, the closet thing to a complete package possible comes in the form of Super Mario64 DS.

Kev J.                                                                                                                   Reviews Score Table Interpretation.

28/11/04

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