Super Mario 64 Critic Reviews

Its greatness holds up almost ten years later. It's a treat having an enhanced (both gameplay-wise and visually) version of the game that you can toss in your pocket and play on the go. This is easily the best launch title in the DS lineup.

The minigames are easily one of the high-lights of the game.

From the unlockable minigames to the multiplayer mode and the new stars to find, this latest installment in the Mario series is a shining example of gaming at its best.

I can't tell you how impressed I am with the quality of sound, not only that this game produces but from the DS itself. It rivals anything your television can put out and it even has a surround sound option.

Who would have thought you would be playing a portable version of this game with better graphics, more levels, more characters, wireless gaming and new bonus games. Nintendo took a great game and added more greatness to it.

A hoot of a game.

With a huge adventure that will take dozens of hours to complete, along with 36 different mini-games and single-card multiplayer, Super Mario 64 DS is easily the best title on the Nintendo DS right now.

Control worries aside, I found tons to enjoy from the many mini games available to even the weak multiplayer mode.

With 30 extra stars to collect, a few new levels thrown in, unique power-ups and characters, addictive mini-games, and even a multiplayer battle mode, the game truly delivers a great experience for Nintendo’s new handheld.

THE must-own launch title. There are a couple of issues keeping it from being a definitive killer-app for the system, such as the problematic control scheme, but it’s as close as any of us could have hoped for, and certainly close enough to warrant a purchase.

It makes rather poor use of the dual screen displays (the map feature is largely useless), the touch screen control isn't exactly perfect, and it runs the risk of establishing a long trend of N64 ports that might crowd out original games on the system. Yet, on its own merits, SM64DS is an exciting, revamped version of a monumental game.

Even pointlessly simple card matching games like Luigi's "Pair-A-Gone" and "Memory Match" had us playing relentlessly, whiling away Tube journeys and whiling away stolen moments at all manner of the day and night.

As much a joy to play now as the original ever was. What it now lacks in the single player adventure (but in all honesty, it’s not lacking much at all) is more than made up for thanks to the competitive multiplayer whilst the minigames alone make this game a must-have.

It's the game we all fell in love with when the N64 launched - and it's looking extremely likely to happen again this holiday season. Unmissable.

Takes an excellent original game, loses some ground on control, but gains it back with variety.

All the extra and different stars, compiled with the new playable characters, multiplayer, and the dozens of mini-games makes Super Mario 64 DS THE launch title to pick up, hands down.

Even today it's an absolutely essential gaming experience.

The fix, a touch-screen Analog Stick emulator, is a good idea that's entirely functional...if just a little flawed due to the lack of physical restraints.

The developers at NCL have done a lot with the original game to give players a considerable amount of new content to keep the experience of playing a title that originated back in 1996 still feeling fresh and fun.

Could have been titled Mario 64 Plus. Plus new characters. Plus new stages. Plus new mini-games. Plus touch screen controls. Plus new music, not to mention incredible sound quality that blows Game Boy Advance out of the water.