Super Mario 64 2 was a real game! Or...Super Mario 65, or Mario 128, or whatever you want to call it. Super Mario 64 DS was a remake of Super Mario 64 for, well, the DS. Shockingly, this is one of the only 3D games on the DS, but also one of the older ones for it as well! It really showed what the DS was capable of. And...Nintendo completely forgot about it, and moved on to New Super Mario Brothers. But what about this forgotten gem of the DS? Was it any good? Well, yes, yes it was. Let me tell you about it!

Graphics: 7/10

The graphics haven't aged well. But for the DS, these are the best 3D models you're going to come across. It's impressive how much work went into how everything looks. I mean, sure it doesn't look great anymore. But in it's time it was mind blowing! Although I never liked how the shading was actually just certain areas with the shading just stuck on them because they are part of their models. But that small bit of obvious effort to pretend there was shading really killed this game getting a higher grade.
Like it's predecessor; the graphics haven't aged all that well. But it still doesn't look TOO bad. Although it is certainly becoming dated. But Diddy Kong Racing DS, Mario Kart DS, and other 3D games on the DS are much worse.
The levels and backgrounds all look amazing! It's not exactly mind blowing, and like in the 64 version, you can clearly notice reused assets. It's something that sort of kills the sense of all these levels being totally different. But they did a good job with what they had. It's just that everything begins to look very familiar near the end of the game.


Sound: 9/10

The sound in this game is fantastic! The music is more or less exactly the same as the original. There are a few new songs thrown in there too. Those are just a bit rarer however. But the music from the N64 sounds just as great as it did back then. And even by today's standards it's still great. The new tracks are very nice as well. Just...Not as memorable, and they don't play in the main levels and areas.
The sound effects are a broader mixture of old and new. The sound effects in the levels are recycled just like the music. You'll hear a lot of familiar sounds. Although Mario sounds like they brought his voice actor in to re-record the lines from the original. But what's this? You can play as three other characters?! Yes you can! And I'll get more into that a bit later. But Luigi, Yoshi, and Wario all have original lines and sounds for this game. And sadly...Not many of them were to be used ever again. At least in Luigi and Wario's case. I am convinced that Yoshi has been recycling voice clips ever since Yoshi's Story.
So to sum it up, both in the realms of sound effects and music, you will find a delightful use of old and new material.


Addictiveness: 9/10

I have played this so many times over! Although I'll admit I've spent about half of my time just goofing off than actual serious playing. But the pure fun factor alone adds a lot to the addictiveness factor. Although the fact this is a DS game also helps boost the addictiveness as well. But even playing seriously will make you stuck on this game for hours if you're not careful!


Story: 5/10

This story is essentially the same as Super Mario 64. It's just "Save the princess from Bowser, again." But this time the beginning is...different?
Who comes out the pipe in the beginning is still Mario...Followed by Luigi and Wario. I guess this time Peach decided that Mario shouldn't eat that entire promised cake by himself. Then we take the reins of...Yoshi? Yes, Lakitu sends Yoshi (who was chilling out on the roof of the castle, bravo for that reference to the original) inside the castle to see if everyone is okay. Apparently it's been quite some time since they entered. And you begin the epic quest of Mario 64 all over again! Only this time, in every new segment of the castle (Basement, Upstairs, and main floor) has a hidden painting of each missing buddy. (Luigi's was the most well hidden though...) Entering these brings you into a whole new area. Each with it's own new boss! And it's own set of hidden stars to collect. And each character brings new gameplay elements to the table. Although we'll dig more into that here shortly.

Depth: 8/10

This is shockingly deep! Probably one of (if not the) deepest Mario games ever. While the original game has 120 stars to collect, this one has 150! And a lot of them are very well hidden too. A lot of these come from collecting 100 coins. Which can be quite the challenge for some of these areas. Then there are some that you flat out won't receive any kind of indication for. So you'll need to be doing a lot of exploring by yourself in this game, as well as following the hints given to you at the beginning of each level's events. It managed to somewhat-accidentally made a sense of depth and exploration that Triple A developers today still can't even touch! Needless to say, this game will make you work for your 100% rating. Although it won't feel like some daunting chore most of the time.


Difficulty: 6/10

This game isn't TOO hard. It's actually pretty easy to get the hang of! The D Pad moves you around. (If you're on the 3DS; both the circle pad and the d pad work.)B jumps, A attacks, while X and Y will let you run. R makes you crouch, while L will put the camera behind you. This all makes for quick and easy controls that anyone can get the hang of. It just goes to show you that you don't always need forced touch screen controls. Although you CAN use the touch screen to move. It's just the overall inferior option. Mainly because it requires more of an effort to do, while taking your attention away from the actual top screen, and will require you to take your other hand off of where the A, B, X, and Y buttons are.

The gameplay and level design aren't exactly complicated. In fact, your first time in each level will honestly be the hardest time you have in each level. Well, unless you don't know what to do. Being lost does happen, and it is infuriating. But it never gets too horrible. If anything, just leaving and coming back to a level will give you enough time to figure out what you need to do. Although I can confirm that building up speed for 12 hours will not solve all of your issues. You'll need to 3D platform like a real plumber!
Anyway, the levels are essentially the same as they are on the N64. And the new areas look and feel like they could have been in the original. They aren't too hard, but they aren't exactly a cakewalk to go through either.


Overall this game is honestly one of the best that the DS has to offer. With hours upon hours of pure fun, an immense amount of depth, and the fact it is a remade version of one of the more beloved Mario games of all time, there's no reason to not try it out! I'll admit that outside of Professor Layton, I've never been this addicted to a DS game.

Overall: 9/10

Your review was excellent! You made abundant comparisons with the original Mario 64 game, showing what changed and what stayed the same. You also kept in mind when this was made, saying how awesome-ish the graphics were for the time. You even made some comparisons to other DS games to show how the metrics compare. High 5!

janus : Thanks dude! This was one of my favorite games from long ago, and it's still one of my favorites. Although tragically, I've lost the cartridge a few months back. But this was one game that I really wanted to review for awhile now.