GAF, Which Version Of Mario 64 Is Best?

Golgo 13

Golgo 13

The Man With The Golden Dong
Looking to finally play Mario 64 -- and looking to do so via the Wii U (I'm sure there's an insane 4k emulation on PC but that's not an option for me).

The two available options are the Nintendo 64 version and the DS version. I'm open to either, but I've noticed in past DS games on Wii U, the screen is bordered and there's touch-screen functionality that doesn't translate well into using the Wii U touch pad. What are the big differences? Is the DS version higher resolution? Are there cool extras that make it worth it despite the smaller screen space?


Any and all feedback is helpful!
 
The DS one has minigames, yoshi, luigi and wario as extra characters and it also has 30 extra stars.

But the 64 game is better since the movement is analog instead of digital.
 
DS Version has really fun minigames and more characters. However, "Run" is mapped to a button. It controls very poorly.

N64 is I guess the "pure" version, but damn I love playing as Yoshi. I wish they could merge them together. Basically the N64 one with the features of the DS one.
 
It's Mario 64(RumblePack Edition) on the 64, or the Digital Version on the Wii. The WiiU version has some noticeable lag that effects reaction time.

51KEDH4K9FL._AC_SX215_.jpg


Ds version should be avoided at all costs. It's not great with the d-pad and has some additions and better textures in some places.

If you want to play it in "high resolution", It plays super well in Open Emu and other emulators.
 
I can't imagine how the Wii U version of the original DS port, which was truly hampered by the lack of a physical analog stick which they replaced with touch screen faux-analog, which actually did support the analog nub that came along with the 3DS... controls as well as an emulation mapping the N64 analog stick to the WiiU analog stick.

But honestly, I don't know for sure, because I'm not sure if that 3DS analog stick support was kludgy.
 
Wii VC - 480p vs 240p and better controller support. Wii U is dark as fuck and has no GameCube support or it's adapters either. DS is neat game that's worth playing too.
 
The 64 version, especially if it's your first time. I don't think the minigames and extra characters are worth it, or at least worth playing the DS version first. Also, movement is superior in the original which is a big deal in a platformer, among other things. I do like the additional stars in the DS version but forcing the player to play as the other characters is annoying.
 
mavo said:
The DS one has minigames, yoshi, luigi and wario as extra characters and it also has 30 extra stars.

But the 64 game is better since the movement is analog instead of digital.
Click to expand...

So if you play it on the 3DS it would be the best version since you can play with the analog stick.
 
So the consensus seems to be that the controls sort of make the DS version inferior, despite more content. Ok got it.

So playing with the Wii U gamepad, I'd be restricted to using the d-pad? Or the controls are just more fluid on the DS version?
 
I played the DS version with the infamous thumb stick and I can tell you, it's not worth it. Take the N64 version instead.
 
There is no contest here - 64 is massively superior.

The entire raison d'etre of the game was to use the analogue stick to control Mario so beautifully in a 3d space. No amount of added content can come close to making up for taking that out.

Honestly I thought the DS version was close to unplayable compared to the original - and I loved the DS and was hungry for games at the time.
 
Don't get Mario 64 on Wii U. The timing is off, and I noticed it right away. Just try doing triple jumps - you'll notice that you have to press the jump button again before Mario even lands on the ground because of the weird timing
 
Until we get a n64 mini (in which case, good luck getting one btw), I'd say go for a N64.
WiiVC I can vouch for as well, it's pretty great too.

The DS version is great but not for Mario 64, it's for the fabulous minigames that come along with it.
 
Wii VC version. N64 version has very poor image quality, and you have to play with that monstrous controller. Wii U VC version has the infamous "dark filter", and looks horrible, plus no GameCube controller support AFAIK (GameCube controller feels awesome for SM64). DS version has lots of cool extras, but the graphics are a mixed bag (character models look better, but environments look worse, IMO), and the controls are complete garbage. It's a port of a game where the primary appeal was it's smooth, responsive, and revolutionary analog controls, and... It no longer has analog controls. It's one of the worst ports Nintendo has ever done, IMO.

Wii VC has great image quality, great controls, and you can use the God like GameCube controller as well. The only downside is that, sadly, it doesn't have customizable controls, save states, or rumble like the Wii U VC version, but it isn't worth dealing with the darkening filter just for those features, IMO. So yeah, go for the Wii VC version. Best experience, overall.
 
N64. The DS version has some additions like minigames and 30 extra stars, but you can only run in 8 directions and you only have two different speeds (running is mapped to the B button). The N64 version has full analog controls and the levels are visibly built around this.

The additions are nice, but the N64 version is the best way to play.

Edit: yeah, preferably from the Wii VC.
 
Original, preferably on Virtual Console. The DS version controls pretty poorly, since there is only either a D-pad or a virtual analog stick on the touch screen.

And before anyone says it, because someone always does and believes it: playing the DS version on a 3DS and using the circle pad DOES NOT actually make it analog. It irritates me more than it should every time people believe that.
The Lamonster said:
I prefer the DS version on a 3DS for the slide pad.
Click to expand...
Like clockwork..
 
I actually got used to using the thumbstrap in DS, which allowed me to play with analog controls, so I loved the DS version. I get that it's not exactly easy to like those controls though.
 
This is a great video that does a really in depth comparison between the two versions

He touches on the DS version making some pretty strong improvements in many areas, and the controls actually being adapted better to a dpad than you'd expect. It's a surprisingly nice upgrade overall, though I'd personally still give the nod to the 64 one.

In any case, I really hope we get a good version of it on Switch, presumably in Virtual Console form. Portable Mario 64 w/analog would be neat :D
 
The original N64 version is the best way to play the game. The DS version was a neat proof of concept for the system when it launched. They could do 3D fairly well but with PS1 level texture filtering (but to be fair, a bit more detailed). There's a video comparing all the different 3D Mario models used throughout the years and a fun little highlight is that the DS version of Mario 64 uses fewer polygons than the N64 original but with better texturing/modelling.

Anyway. The DS version just doesn't control right. There was a thumb pad that came bundled with the original DS that was part of the wrist strap which helped simulate some of the analog functionality but it was nowhere near as good as using an actual stick.

and while some newer games do use B to run like 3D Land and 3D World ... the lack of true analog compatibility (even on the 3DS) with 64DS still doesn't feel right.
 
The Real Abed said:
The DS version changed way too much stuff. It's not even Mario 64 anymore. You even start the game as Yoshi.
Click to expand...

Playing as Yoshi is so fun! I love every single change they made to the content in the DS version.

That control scheme tho... ick. They need to do a rerelease combining them so badly.
 
The DS version is fine but the controls took a major hit when compared to the N64 version.
The controls being one of if not the most important part of the 3D Mario games, you should go with the N64 version. Some of the moves that are really easy to do in the N64 version become a complete cluster fuck in the DS version like the dive jump.
 
I think the DS version completely butchered the game by making it less free and all the additions made aren't really interesting. The new characters have certain abilities and in order for them to be useful, some stars are now hidden being new obstacles that can only be broke using them.

It's really not that well made. And if you add the horrendous control on DS (better on 3DS i hear) there is nothing to see here.

Play the N64 version... I dont know about how the VC versions hold up, i can't think of it as being worst than the DS one anyway.
 
I'd recommend buying it on the old Wii Virtual Console, not Wii U, if it's still possible.

It's the same as the Wii U VC version (N64 @ higher resolution) but it's not darkened like the N64 VC titles on Wii U eShop.
 
DS version is the best. If you don't care enough to put in the effort to emulate it, then you might agree with me.
 
DS Version. More characters, extra levels, and the minigames. The controls are inferior to the N64 version, but it is by no means unplayable.
 
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