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Super Mario 64 DS Review
Written by Modojo Staff on Sunday, January 30, 2005
User Score
Extra levels of the greatest game ever? Manna from heaven.
The control easily trips what could have been a world class title.
...Continued From Page 1 The reason why I scored Mario 64 so low (and it was hard, believe me), has to do with one of the worst things that can go wrong with a game: the controls. Unfortunately for us (and Nintendo), the main game just isn't much fun to play because none of the control schemes work well. The problem is simple. The original Mario 64 was built from the ground up to work with the system's analog controller and vice versa, and (as I'm sure many of you agree) it controlled beautifully, so when the game hit the Nintendo DS (which is sans analog stick), the result is a title that's a mere shadow of its former self. The best way to control the game is with the d-pad, but it doesn't offer precise control. As for the other schemes, using the stylus to walk makes jumping awkward depending on which hand you're using, and the ghetto thumb strap that comes standard with every DS system (in other words, you're thumb becomes the analog stick) is horrendous.
Mario 64 DS is without question the only must have Nintendo DS launch title, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a blast to play. While it's a fun pint-sized game that packs an enormous punch in terms of features, its controls make playing it a less than thrilling experience. If you buy the system this should be the first game you pick up for it, but it is by no means as tight as its big brother, which is still to this day the picture of great control in a 3D environment.
