Super Mario 64 DS

Review - Mario wants 'touching', Ben obliges

The DS is with us. It's hard to believe really. It almost seems as if no sooner was the machine announced than we're sitting here with it in our laps. I do wonder though if Nintendo are almost as surprised as us by the speed at which events have unfolded. That at least would explain why at the time of launch the DS only had one first party Nintendo title on the shelves. No Yoshi's Touch, no Wario Ware - only Super Mario 64 DS. It's logical though, from Nintendo's point of view. After all, Mario 64 was the second most acclaimed title to appear on the N64 behind Ocarina of Time (fancy taking bets on when a DS version of that will be announced?) so what better way to showcase the power of your new handheld than by porting the moustached plumber's maiden 3D outing? There is one problem though - the DS may be able to run Mario 64 perfectly from a technical perspective, but it hardly makes use of all the DS's wonderful technological innovation. The answer - touch control and mini games.

The first of these is actually quite crucial. The DS is a fantastic piece of kit but the more I play it the more one question keeps occurring to me. When the N64 arrived and Mario moved into the third dimension it wasn't just a graphical transformation that occurred. There was also an evolution of control. The N64 bought with it the analogue stick for the first time on a standard joypad (the Saturn, remember, only boasted analogue control on the additional Nights joypad). Using the stick was vital in this new 3D world where precision control is necessary and despite my loathing of the N64 joypad it still managed to do the job. Now, there's no denying that the DS can effortlessly reproduce Mario 64 in graphical terms but the lack of analogue control is a real problem. Mario 64 wasn't designed to be used with a digital d pad, pure and simple. You also have to wonder: since the DS was designed to offer N64 power graphics then why did Nintendo not see fit to give it suitable controls to play 3D games? It's a question you'll ask yourself often as you play Super Mario 64 DS.

In truth though the game is still playable with the default d pad control setup, despite my dubious ponderings. You get used to holding down a button to run in the same way that you get used to taking more time when trying to accurately orientate your character. You can get the job done but there's no escaping the fact that the game is screaming out for some sort of analogue input. More specifically however it screams out for an analogue stick since using the touch screen as a substitute is a troublesome affair. As I discovered with the Metroid Hunters demo, touching the screen with one hand whilst supporting the unit with the other is a painful business. Add to that the need to press buttons with the supporting hand in combination with delicate stylus movements and overall, despite the fact that a great level of control is possible, it simply feels like a lot more effort than the default digital setup, despite its inferiority.

But perhaps to dwell on the controls alone is unfair because Super Mario 64 DS is not a bad title by any means. Nor is it a straight port; it is very much an enhanced version of the original featuring more stars to be found, extra levels to be played and more playable characters. You start the game as Yoshi and by attempting extra challenges not in the N64 version you can subsequently unlock Mario, Luigi and Wario. Also prominent too is the quest for rabbits. Each character has a set number that must be caught to unlock the quite exquisite mini games playable from the main menu.

Each character has two mini games initially available at the beginning of the game and a further four to be unlocked by catching the rabbits in the main game. Despite the fact that the games are a little hit and miss I've easily spent as much time with them as I have the main game itself. Some of these touch-screen-centric games are truly ingenious in their design and typically Nintendo in their boldness. The games are pleasantly varied and offer a variety of challenges; their requirements of the player too are equally as diverse. Some are tests of speed and accuracy, others of memory or mental agility. The quality of the DS hardware allows for some very precise control meaning that it's your own fault if you fail, not the machine's. Though some games you will maybe play only a handful of times there are some that you will return to again and again, much in the same vane as Wario Ware, in an effort to beat your previous high score. When out and about with my DS I found the Mario 64 mini games combined with the Wario Ware cartridge sitting in the GBA slot perfectly, proving to be an infallible tool in combating any potentially boring situation.

We all would have liked to have seen an original Mario adventure launch with the DS, taking full advantage of the hardware innovations but in the short time between development and release I guess this was a little too much to ask. At least we have that to look forward to. Until then Super Mario 64 DS is a must own title if you have the system. The DS's battery life is indeed impressive but the size of Super Mario 64 will easily see you through numerous charges. You'll have lots of fun on the way too, whether you're reliving past memories of the N64 incarnation or enjoying it all for the first time. It's just a shame that time and time again it's the controls that you'll be telling your mates about as much as the game itself.

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