On its release in 1996, Super Mario 64 changed gaming forever. The first truly 3D videogame, it revolutionised the way we play videogames, paved the way for countless 3D platform and adventure games after that – some of which were excellent, some of which were videogames travesties, few of which reached the dizzying heights of greatness that Super Mario 64 achieved. It's clear that a remake/update of Mario 64 for the DS is no coincidence – after all, Nintendo claim the DS will revolutionise gaming, so why not launch it with one of the most revolutionary games of all time (well, revolutionary eight years ago, at least). While an update of such a classic game may not be groundbreaking in itself, Nintendo certainly are on the right track with Mario 64 DS, which look set to improve (ok, so there isn't that much to improve) what went before. Making Mario 64 bigger, bolder, and multiplayer – will it work? Let's take a closer look…

 

Thankfully, this game is more than just a port of the N64 original. A lot more, in fact, so those of you who were worried that the Big N would just do what they did with the GBA titles, worry no more. The game apparently (and surprisingly) takes place just after the events in Mario 64. Mario is hosting parties around the palace to celebrate his defeat of Bowser. Wario and Luigi have arrived at the castle for the party, but get trapped inside the castle (three guesses whose fault it is), and presumably Mario's been taken with them. Yoshi, who's still up on the castle roof (he's been taking his sweet time up there, hasn't he?), realises that his friends are missing and valiantly sets off to help them out.

Of course, you play as all four of these characters in the game – Mario has the same abilities as he did in the 64 version, Wario can smash certain blocks and is the general heavyweight of the crew, Luigi can jump extra high, and Yoshi can do his hover-jump as well as turn enemies into eggs and throw them at other enemies. The 150 stars in the game (that's right, 30 more than before) sometimes require the use of a specific character's abilities, and you can change character through the use of hats (yes, I said hats) which can be found throughout the castle.

 

Nintendo has also included a few minor extras, like various power-ups such as the Mushroom (makes you giant and invulnerable for a short while) and the P-Balloon (inflates you and allows you to float up to higher places). There are also new bosses and areas promised (including one based on Super Mario Sunshine), and an extra room in the castle filled with casino-esque mini-games, many of which involve use of the DS stylus.

There are two promised control schemes in the game – one with the standard D-pad, the other using the touch screen and the DS thumbstrap (which has a pointed tip and allows for precise touch screen control) to control your character. The touch screen is also used to manipulate the camera and, as mentioned, plays a large part in the mini-games.

 

And then we have the multiplayer. Up to four players can participate, even if only one of the handhelds has a Mario 64 card in the slot. The aim of the multiplayer game is collecting stars strewn throughout the various maps, and being the first of the group to get to them – alternatively, you can attack your opponents and steal their stars. The multiplayer looks like great fun, and with only one copy of the game needed to play it, you can't really complain.

Overall, things are shaping up fantastically for Mario's DS debut – if you didn't think Mario 64 could have been improved, prepare for a very pleasant surprised. The first 'killer app' for the DS? Wouldn't surprise me.