Super Mario 64 DS

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Super Mario 64 DS

Developer(s)	Nintendo EAD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Designer(s)	Shigeru Miyamoto
Release date(s)	November 21, 2004 December 2, 2004 February 24, 2005 March 11, 2005 June 29, 2006
Genre(s)	Platform game
Mode(s)	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	CERO: All Ages ESRB: E (Everyone) OFLC: G8+ PEGI: 3+
Platform(s)	Nintendo DS
Media	16MB; 8KB EEPROM
System requirements	None

Super Mario 64 DS is an enhanced remake of the 1996 video game Super Mario 64, produced by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It was released in the United States on November 21, 2004, in Japan on December 2, 2004, and in Europe on March 11, 2005 as one of the launch titles for the Nintendo DS handheld game console.^[1] The game drove initial success, selling 4.22 million copies, which makes it the sixth highest selling game for the DS.^[2] The remake includes various new characters, levels, modes of play and minigames, as well as updated graphics to take advantage of the capabilities of the DS system.

1 Story and characters
- 1.1 Story
- 1.2 Characters
2 Gameplay
3 Production and release
4 Reception
- 4.1 Awards
5 Trivia
6 References
7 External links

[edit] Story and characters

[edit] Story

Princess Peach sends a letter to Mario, inviting him over for nice cake. Mario pops out of a warp pipe in front of the castle. Luigi and Wario soon pop out of their pipes too and tag along with Mario. After a little event they go running into the castle. Yoshi is seen on the roof of the castle sleeping with a big bubble on his nose. Later, Yoshi somehow ends up in front of the castle, still sleeping. Lakitu, the game's "cameraman", wakes Yoshi and tells him Mario is not back yet. Yoshi then finds the main doors locked. After getting the key from a rabbit, he learns that Bowser cast a spell upon the castle and has kidnapped not only Peach but Mario, Luigi, and Wario too! Yoshi then begins his unexpected journey to break the spell, collect power stars, and free his friends. (Note: Mario, Luigi and Wario are unlockable characters, and Nintendo supposedly made Luigi unlockable after the rumor that he was unlockable in the original Super Mario 64)At the end of the game you save Princess Peach, but you can still continue earning power stars.

[edit] Characters

Super Mario 64 DS features Mario, Yoshi, Luigi, and Wario as playable characters. Each character has unique abilities and move sets. Yoshi can swallow enemies and turn them into eggs. He can also perform a flutter kick which allows him to gain extra height while jumping. Mario can perform the famous wall kick and so reach places which others can't. Luigi has strong jumping abilities, such the flutter jump which allows him to fall slower than normal, and the special back flip which makes him spin around, allowing him to traverse certain gaps. He can also run on water for a short time. Wario's strength allows him to break large blocks that others can't. There is also a Power Flower, the effect of which depends on the character that uses it, and a Feather which can only be used by Mario.

[edit] Gameplay

An early screenshot of Wario, Mario, and Luigi standing in the courtyard outside of the castle.

[edit] Power Stars

The goal of Super Mario 64 DS is to collect Power Stars hidden throughout the various worlds within the castle, in order to reach Bowser. The game has a total of 150 Power Stars to collect, 30 more than in Super Mario 64. If a player collects 150 stars, Bowser says a secret message when he is defeated for the final time, and a cannon will be opened in the front of the castle. The player can use the cannon that is opened to launch a character to the top of Peach's castle. If Luigi is used, a green rabbit can be found which will unlock one of Luigi's minigames.

[edit] Power-ups

Power-ups in this game are in the form of special hats. Mario, Luigi, and Wario all have unique hats that are available in some levels. Wearing another character's hat will change the character into the corresponding character (although their voice stays the same). The hats fall off if the character is hit physically, but can be reacquired before disappearing. Hats are shown on the touch screen map. Yoshi comes with the ability to start a level wearing the hat of any of the unlocked characters. Luigi and Wario hats don't usually appear until the player unlocks that character. The Power Flowers are also a form of power-ups. Each character has his own Power Flower ability, and a few of them are the same as in Super Mario 64. Mario can acquire the ability to blow up like a large balloon and float around a level. With Mario, some of his power-up boxes contain feathers, which have the effect of the Wing Cap from the original game, transforming Mario into Wing Mario and allowing him to fly. Luigi can become Vanish Luigi, which allows him to run through enemies, take no damage from enemy attacks, and run through certain walls (like Vanish Mario in the original game). Wario becomes Metal Wario and can destroy nearly all enemies simply by running into them and walk underwater without breathing (like Metal Mario in the original game). When Yoshi grabs a Power Flower, he can blast a scorching wave of fire. Also available is a Mega Mushroom (which also reappears in New Super Mario Bros.), which causes a player to grow to enormous size and plow through enemies. Mega Yoshi can punch and kick, which is impossible in his normal form.

[edit] Rabbits

At the beginning of the game, Yoshi cannot go into the castle as the doors are locked. A Lakitu then points out a rabbit hiding in the hedge maze outside of the castle. Catching this rabbit will give Yoshi the key to the castle. More rabbits are found throughout the palace. There are seven rabbits for each character to catch, and their color and location changes based on the character that is being used. When a rabbit is caught, a key is earned which unlocks a minigame. There are also eight "glowing" rabbits which will provide the player with a Power Star when they are all caught.

[edit] Multiplayer

In the game's multiplayer mode, up to four people can participate in a capture-the-flag style game. Everyone runs around the level collecting stars and coins, and the player with the most stars at the end of the allotted time wins. All players start off as Yoshi (all four are different colours so each player can recognize his or her Yoshi), but Mario, Luigi, and Wario caps can be found in the stages, allowing players to switch. Only one game card is necessary for multiplayer matches; other players' DS units must download the necessary data. Also, it is possible for all four characters to fly in multiplayer mode.

[edit] Mini-games

One of the new features of Super Mario 64 DS are the mini-games. It offers nine mini-games for each character. These mini-games largely take advantage of the touch screen of the Nintendo DS. The player starts with eight mini-games in total (two for each character), and the rest are unlocked in the single player adventure by catching various rabbits. Each rabbit gives the player one key to the drawer in the castle's Rec Room, which allows one more mini-game to be played. Some mini-games have the same way to play but have different game play. Some mini-games also appeared in New Super Mario Bros.

[edit] Production and release

When the Nintendo DS was first revealed, Super Mario 64 DS was an early production demo. It was later confirmed as a Nintendo DS release game. In its early stages, the game was referred to as Super Mario 64x4. Early screenshots show all four characters playing at the same time, flying around with the wing cap.

Voice acting was used throughout the game. Charles Martinet returned as Mario, Luigi, and Wario, along with Kazumi Totaka as Yoshi, Leslie Swan as Princess Peach and Frank Welker as Bowser. Although Jen Taylor is in the credits for voicing Toad, her voice only appears in one of the minigames.

During June and July 2005, Super Mario 64 DS was included free with the purchase of an 'Electric Blue' Nintendo DS system in North America. Many retailers also honored the deal with the original 'Titanium' Nintendo DS.

[edit] Reception

Reviews were almost universally positive, and it quickly became one of the top-selling games for the Nintendo DS. However, there have been criticisms regarding the D-Pad and touch screen not being as easy to use as the N64's control stick, and Luigi's backflip move (which allows him to descend slowly while spinning like a helicopter, similar to the spring platform in New Super Mario Bros.) giving him an unfair advantage over the other characters and making some segments of the game too easy. Also, criticism has been leveled at the removal of some of the more challenging segments of the original game. The Star and Red Coin locations can be viewed on the map. Plus, many platforms have been added or removed, and as a result, the player's objectives become substantially easier.

[edit] Awards

IGN: Editors' Choice Award^[3]

[edit] Trivia

All characters reflect their new looks which they have adapted since the games after the original version of this game.
There is a glitch in the European version of the game concerning the Silver Stars in Snowman's Land. If the player enters and exits the igloo, the stars will re-appear, even after he/she has all five. Collecting a sixth one will freeze everything except the player.
Just as Luigi was rumored (but never found) to be in Super Mario 64, similar rumors about Waluigi have been spread about in the DS version. A source behind a number of rumors is a black box (or possibly a small aperture) visible on the castle wall on the adventure select screen.
The number of power stars needed to fight Bowser is higher than in the original game (from 70 to 80). Also, only Mario is allowed to fight Bowser.
Several minigames in SM64DS are also included in New Super Mario Bros.
When playing the level Big Boo Battle, the key to Luigi's room does not reflect in the giant mirror. However, everything else but the boss does.
The room in the castle containing the character select doors contains a sign that says, "Find the Secret Star! It will help you on your quest." This may be a reference to The Legend of Zelda.
Some parts of the game are based off of the Japanese version of the original Super Mario 64. For example, the painting for the third course, Jolly Roger Bay, which was painted with a sunken ship with a golden border in countries outside Japan. In the Japanese version, as well as this version, the painting is of a group of bubbles, with a blue border.
Mario does not say "So-long-King-Bowser!" but instead says "Bye Bye!" when he throws Bowser. This is identical to the Japanese releases of the game , as Bowser is known as Koopa in Japan.
Every level now has seven named stars instead of six (in addition to an eighth star in each level for collecting 100 coins) and there are now 30 secret stars instead of 15. The total number of stars is now 150 (meaning that the player must collect all 150 stars in order to unlock the cannon in front of the castle now).