A port from console to handheld gets some new additions to give a console classic a fresh feel.
The story starts as Mario and pals come to visit Princess Peach at her castle, but disappear while a concerned Yoshi waits outside. Eventually Yoshi goes into the castle to discover that Bowser is up to his old tricks, and has captured not just the princess, but Mario, Luigi, and Wario. Starting by freeing Mario, you travel to 15 worlds to rescue Luigi and Wario, obtaining enough power stars to open the final door and the showdown with Bowser to rescue the princess. Along the way, you're also able to capture rabbits to unlock a number of cool minigames.
The DS makes good use of the second screen, by constantly displaying an overhead view map with camera rotation controls, meaning it's easy to maintain your bearings while adventuring. They also added the ability to control the characters via the control pad, or by using the stylus on the touch screen.
The game has added to the original 120 stars (8 in each of the 15 worlds) by including 30 new castle secret stars, that give you a bit more to seek out for those inclined. Each character has their own moves, and while you'll likely have your own favorite, many levels will require use of all three in order to get all the stars. The ability to use Yoshi, and have him put on a cap to transform into one of the three heroes is a neat twist. The difficulty level is near perfect: while you may have to sit and think how to get something/where for several minutes, nothing necessary is overly difficult to accomplish, and be done without consulting a FAQ. The mini-games also add a lot of fun, as some are quite addictive.
The camera is the main gripe in the game, and while you can mostly manipulate it the way you need, a few times it lets you down, and in the last world the poor viewpoints actually become a true hindrance to success. The sound does take the odd metallic twang on occassion, but is mostly forgivable coming such tiny speakers. Some early boss battles are almost too easy, often being easier than it was to get to them.
While the actual game controls work well and the story progresses smoothly, handling the camera can be a distracting chore, and even the best viewpoints available sometimes aren't all that great. Graphics look just as they do in the original Mario titles, handling the transition to a smaller screen quite well. Sound, while still having the occasional tinniness, is well done, and in the surround mode has an impressive ability to "throw" itself, often having sound effects seem to be right next to you, not coming from the DS unit. The added mini-games increase the value of the game, as you'll likely find yourself coming back every so often to top a high score even after you've finished the main game. Overall, Nintendo's done a splendid job porting a console mainstay over to their new DS unit.