The amazing Mario classic comes to the DS, bringing new levels, characters, and minigames that are sure to delight.
Super Mario 64 DS has a total of 150 total stars to collect. The original game only having 120. These 30 extra stars can be found hidden around the castle. The other 120 are found in 15 different courses, each one having 8 stars to collect.
You start the game as Yoshi. After going through the first few levels you eventually can unlock Mario. In levels with Yoshi, by putting on Mario's cap you transform into Mario. You still keep Yoshi's voice, but you now have Mario's abilities. As you go through the game, unlocking Luigi and Wario, Yoshi and whichever character you are using, can put on a cap and become that character.
You can go into levels as a pre-selected character however. Each character has their own room where you can switch out with the character you have and the one you want. Each one of the four different characters has their own special abilities:
Yoshi can swallow enemies whole, and can do a flutter kick for some added jump height.
Mario is the only character that can wall jump.
Luigi can jump higher than anyone else, swim faster, and walk/run on water for a short period of time.
Wario is fat and slow, but has a powerful punch. Big black blocks on certain courses can only be broken by Wario.
Each character also has their own power up. Once you find the secret switch in the castle, red "?" boxes on levels become usable.
The graphics in the game are remarkable. Almost as good as the original 64 version. Sounds are also good in the game, though some aren't that great. Also, some textures can be very fuzzy when viewed up close. For the most part, though, the graphics are superb.
There are three different control methods on SM64DS. Touch Mode, Standard Mode, and a combination of the two. Standard mode probably works best out of the three, but that's not to say the other two are bad.
Now the most infamous part of all Super Mario games: The camera. Most of the time the camera works good. by pressing the L button in standard mode most of the time you can center the camera behind you. Sometimes, the camera can get annoying. In small confined areas, with many walls and objects around, it can be hard to see what you are doing.
Overall Mario 64 DS is one of the best games on the system, and you are crazy stupid if you are a DS owner and don't have this game.