Story: 8/10

Most remakes feature the same stories of their original versions, but not Super Mario 64 DS. Anyone who's played Super Mario 64 will notice that the story has changed significantly in the DS. Mario, Luigi and Wario go towards Peach's Castle to try out a cake she's baked, but after they enter the castle, they never come out! Lakitu gets worried, so he goes to find Yoshi to see if he can solve the problem. Upon hearing the news, Yoshi decides to go inside the castle to find his missing friends. As you can see, the story is much different, and I think it's better to, even if Peach does get kidnapped in her own castle again.

Graphics: 9/10

Though they look similar to the graphics of Super Mario 64, I personally think the graphics look way better on the DS. The characters certainly look less blocky. Some features that appeared in the original version look a lot better, so if you ask me, most of the game's graphics have been improved for the best. Still, some backgrounds and enviroments look kind of glitchy, and those certainly don't look good at all. Overall, this game sports some decent graphics, but I still thinks the DS can do better than this with its capabilities.

Gameplay: 10/10

Collecting Stars has never been this much fun! There are well over a hundred Stars hidden in the paintings of Princess Peach's castle just waiting for you to find them, and doing so is a lot more fun than you'd think. Seriously, you just won't want to let go until you have found them all! Aside from the Stars, there are still plenty of other things to collect, such as coins, 1-Ups, and even mini-games! Yeah. One of the most interesting new features in this game is that it now includes a mini-game wonderland where you can play TONS of cool and fun mini-games! These provide you with various ways to play and have fun!

Controls: 5/10

I've got to admit, the controls seemed pretty easy to me on the N64, but on the DS, well, let's just say it took me a while before I could fully adapt myself to them. The controls have all been changed, so you're going to have to press different buttons to perform long jumps, ground pounds, etc, and if you've played Super Mario 64, the controls can get a bit confusing for you, and you'll be constantly pressing the wrong buttons. Once you get used to the controls they're not so bad, but it just feels weird. Another thing that bugs me is the control pad. I think it was far easier to guide Mario with the control stick. Using the control pad feels slower and... weird.

Music: 7/10

This is the exact same music from the original N64 version, so if you played Super Mario 64 a lot, the music can get repetitive and even irritating. I despise the music from Shifting Sandland and Lethal Lavaland, but not as much as I hate the music from Wet Dry World and Hazy Maze Cave, though I enjoy the catchy tunes from Bob-omb Battlefield. The music would've been better if they had remixed it. Didn't they even think about that?

Sound: 4/10

There's really not much sound in this game. Mostly, all you hear is Mario and the others saying ''Yah", "Wahoo","Yippey", and so on, and yes, it is kind of annoying to have to hear them all the time. Also, I hate the sounds that the bosses make. All they say is "Urr". Aack! What an annoying sound. And Bowser, all he does is "Bwahaha". That's annoying too. He should talk like in Super Mario Sunshine. And have you noticed that Peach's voice is, umm, less girly in both Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS? What's up with that?

Camera: 1/10

Aaaaaaaargh! I hate this stupid camera! It's VERY hard to control and VERY annoying! Sometimes I kill myself by accident because I can't see what I'm doing thanks to the stupid camera! Why didn't Nintendo do something about it? That camera has got to go.

Characters: 9/10

One of the things that dissapointed me the most in Super Mario 64 was that I couldn't play as Luigi. Then, the same thing happened to me in Super Mario Sunshine. But now on the DS, not only can I play as Luigi, but I can play as Yoshi and Wario too! How cool is that? As painful as it may be to have to play as Wario, I still think it's cool that you can. The reason why I docked a point is because of the absence of Waluigi. Come on, Nintendo, when are you going to give the poor man his 15 minutes of fame? Waluigi needs his own game, almost as much as he needs a background. I'm not that much of a Waluigi fan, but I think I'm stating the obvious when I say that he desperately needs his own game. They could've at least made him a secret character in Super Mario 64 DS.

Mini-Games: 10/10

All I can say is that the mini-games here are GREAT FUN! I could play them for hours! It's a lot of hard work to get every single mini-game in the game, but it really pays off! The mini-games are just that much fun! Now that I've beat the game, the mini-games are one of the only reasons I still play the game. I love playing them to beat my old records or simply for the fun of it. Treust me, the mini-games alone are reason enough to buy this game.

Difficuly: 10/10

Like I said before, getting all of the Stars is no easy task, and there's much more to do. You still have to collect the coins and mini-games. Even if you were a veteran at Super Mario 64, there are now new Stars to provide a challenge for you, so we have quite a difficult game here.

Fun Factor!:10/10

You have an adventure mode, a mini-game mode, and even a battle mode. What else could you possibly want? This game is great fun!

Replay Value: 9/10

Even if you beat the game, there are still the mini-games, so you can keep playing this game for a long time. There's also a battle mode where you can fight against your friends, though it's not as fun as the mini-games are. This game can keep you entertained for a while, but not forever. As fun as it may be, you're boumd to get bored sometime.

Recommendation: 10/10

BUY! BUY! BUY! If you own a DS, you have just got to get this game! Even if you're not a Mario fan, you're bound to enjoy it. So, what are you waiting for, DS owner? Hurry up and buy it!

Overall: 9/10

Despite my numerous complaints, Super Mario 64 DS is both a great game and an exellent remake that should not be missed. Overall, this is a great game!

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