1UP.com reviews Mario 64 DS: 7.5

Half the review is basically saying the DS is shit.

I'm having a blast with M64DS, Haters can eat shit and die.
 
GA gave it an A-, there is no need for other reviews anymore. Oh well at least the haters can have some fun :)
 
It's not shit; it's just a waste of cash. With all the great games out on non-Nintendo consoles right now, why would you spend your money on a DS if you aren't a jaded Nintendo fanboy?
 
See guys, this is the opposite of the Craig M review. Its a guy with an obvious hate ON the DS. CAnt you see whats wrong with this?!?
 
Because it's completely relevant to people looking for NEW handheld hardware, and because SM64 is (sadly) being touted as the launch game to sell the DS?
 
He leads up with what amounts to a shitload of praise, then knocks it down with "this isn't a reason to buy a system."

Point in case:

If I want to play Mario 64 again, I'll do it on the system it was designed for (and at about a tenth of the cost of a new DS).
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What's that got to do with anything? :P
 
I also found myself suffering a bit of eyestrain with Mario 64 DS. Even though the screen is brighter and crisper than that of the GBA SP, I found playing the game for more than half an hour at a time gave me a headache, regardless of lighting conditions. I'm worried that this is a sign that the DS's screens are slightly too small to facilitate 3D games of this variety, and it's likely that once the PSP arrives with its huge, beautiful screen Nintendo's new system is only going to seem worse in comparison. (Of course, the company claims that this isn't actually the GBA's successor, so hopefully developers will spend their effort creating new, original, wacky titles that take advantage of the DS's unique features and save their standard stuff for the real GBA successor.)
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Unlike many people, I don't think the DS is destined for failure at the hands of the PSP; but at the same time,I also don't think games like Mario 64 DS are ideal for the platform. There's little about the game that justifies having dual screens -- the bottom screen is used primarily for displaying a map of the current area, but you know, I did just fine without one all those years ago. The other function served by the second screen is to make up for the differences between the N64 controller and the DS: the lack of those little camera buttons (no bad thing) is compensated for by four tappable camera controls on the system's bottom screen, which admittedly works fairly well but certainly could have been achieved through other means.
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Greatest review ever!

I do not think Nintendo will learn their lesson tho. I bet the next big game they announce is a port, well after AdvanceWars, Animal Crossing, Mario Kart but those were announced before the luke-warm reception on ports.
 
SantaCruZer said:
yeah it's like bringing up Halo in a Metroid Prime review. dumb.
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How about if you're are a multi-platform agnostic consumer who wants to see how two products directly competiting for your hard-earned cash stack up?


Oh wait, I said platform agnostic and this is GAF. Nevermind.
 
Matlock said:
He leads up with what amounts to a shitload of praise, then knocks it down with "this isn't a reason to buy a system."

Point in case:



What's that got to do with anything? :P
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I think that was lending weight to his statement that this sort of game clearly wasn't designed with the DS in mind, and that if he wanted to play it how it should feel then he'd go the N64 route.

I generally put a lot of weight on 1Up Reviews (more than any other website), because they're far more critical and generally they end up being a lot more honest about titles. And although I don't agree with the sheer amount of criticism he heaped upon Super Mario 64 DS, I can see a lot of his problems as legitimate complaints from any given person.

That said, I don't think the controls are near as bad as he makes them out to seem. I've been getting along fine so far, although admittedly I have not moved on to the real difficult challenges yet.
 
This is why I hate reviews of launch games. They inevitably turn into a judgement on how great the new system is, are the graphics really pushing the system, is this the type of gaming we can expect on it, does this justify the purchase of new hardware. Useful for people trying to decide on whether the DS is worth buying now? Sure. Pretty annoying for those of us who have made up our minds one way or another.

I'm planning on getting a DS at some point next year. When that happens and I'm trying to decide whether Mario 64 DS is worth getting, this review will be of little help. Too bad, because Parish usually has something worthwhile to say.
 
SantaCruZer said:
yeah it's like bringing up Halo in a Metroid Prime review. dumb.
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Ya that would jive with the "We live in our own little world, there is no competition' Nintendo Power mentality.
 
Vibri said:
Oh wait, I said platform agnostic and this is GAF. Nevermind.
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Point in case: Your Nintendo hating :) Seriously, what are you trying to say? There is no other handheld that can be compared to the DS available right now, except for the GBA.
 
who cares about 1up reviews anyway, those guys gave driv3r 9 out of ten

(they changed it later to 8.5 with no shame at all)
 
Amir0x said:
I generally put a lot of weight on 1Up Reviews (more than any other website), because they're far more critical and generally they end up being a lot more honest about titles.
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You also have to understand that he and Sharkey, while being interesting bloggers, have their heads stuck up the ass of 10 years ago. 1up's a pretty good site usually, though.


Kseutron said:
who cares about 1up reviews anyway, those guys gave driv3r 9 out of ten

(they changed it later to 8.5 with no shame at all)
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That was fennec fox, a man whom I respect. HAVE AT YOU
 
Drinky Crow said:
Because it's completely relevant to people looking for NEW handheld hardware, and because SM64 is (sadly) being touted as the launch game to sell the DS?
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It'll be relevant when there's a better version of Mario DS coming out for the PSP
 
For a review of a DS game, there sure was a lot of PSP talk in it. :-\
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Maybe because the guy felt the type of the game was not fit for DS, which I believe is true. 3D platformers should be beter fit for PSP, or home consoles for that matter. DS is best suited for games designed around it (like Feel the Magic) not games ported on it for the sake of having more name recognition, and with controls that are forced onto it's completely different control input system.
 
Marconelly said:
Maybe because the guy felt the type of the game was not fit for DS, which I believe is true. 3D platformers should be beter fit for PSP, or home consoles for that matter. DS is best suited for games designed around it (like Feel the Magic) not games ported on it for the sake of having more name recognition, and with controls that are forced onto it's completely different control input system.
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Why did I ever disagree with you? :D
 
Marconelly said:
3D platformers should be beter fit for PSP, or home consoles
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Home consoles, yes. PSP? Mayyyybe. Nobody here's played a fully 3D platformer on the PSP, so we'll have to wait until then to compare. :P
 
I think this score is somewhat accurate given the learning curve to the controls. Digital doesn't work that well, while the analog touch screen works better, but it is much harder to get used to.
 
Seems like a personal thing, with the controls. Most acknowledge the issues, just weight it differently.

Look at EGM/1up...scores of 7.5, 8, 8, 9. And all had the same complaints, pretty well.

In other words...try it, see how it controls, if you don't like it, fine.
 
Matlock said:
You also have to understand that he and Sharkey, while being interesting bloggers, have their heads stuck up the ass of 10 years ago. 1up's a pretty good site usually, though.
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I honestly trust Jeremy Parish more than any other reviewer out there, although that may not be saying much. It's not that I always agree with him: Clearly I don't. It's that his criticisms are always well thought out and, even if I disagree with them, I see no reason to complain about them like I do in other reviews. He never criticizes something unless there's a reason for it, and I gotta respect that. He's way more harsh than other places, and I like that a lot because it's rare you get people that so willingly judge games on such a high tier.
 
Marconelly said:
Maybe because the guy felt the type of the game was not fit for DS, which I believe is true.
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It really helps if you don't want to like this type of game on the DS (or the DS) :) Just like Craig probably wanted to like it. And who cares. Haters are not gonna buy it anyway, Nbots are loving it. Everyone is happy.
 
Memles said:
Seems like a personal thing, with the controls. Most acknowledge the issues, just weight it differently.

Look at EGM/1up...scores of 7.5, 8, 8, 9. And all had the same complaints, pretty well.

In other words...try it, see how it controls, if you don't like it, fine.
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hammer_and_nail.jpg



Amir0x said:
I honestly trust Jeremy Parish more than any other reviewer out there, although that may not be saying much. It's not that I always agree with him: Clearly I don't. It's that his criticisms are always well thought out and, even if I disagree with them, I see no reason to complain about them like I do in other reviews. He never criticizes something unless there's a reason for it, and I gotta respect that. He's way more harsh than other places, and I like that a lot because it's rare you get people that so willingly judge games on such a high tier.
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To a point, you're right, but his reviewing modus operandi is a bit too high on the scoring scale. He and Sharkey are both the same way. They both have the tendency for writing a review of a game to make it out to be an 8 or so, and then rate it in the 5-7 range.

What good is a score in these circumstances, when their standard is inconsistent with either their text, or the standard set by others?
 
PSP? Mayyyybe. Nobody here's played a fully 3D platformer on the PSP, so we'll have to wait until then to compare. :P
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Well, in theory at least. There's an analog stick (of which quality I can't comment on before trying it myself, and there's a chance they changed the sensitivity again), the graphics should be good enough to accomodate something looking close to modern day platformers, and the screen size should be big enough so that anyone doesn't have problems with 3D motion perception.
 
Marconelly said:
Maybe because the guy felt the type of the game was not fit for DS, which I believe is true. 3D platformers should be beter fit for PSP, or home consoles for that matter. DS is best suited for games designed around it (like Feel the Magic) not games ported on it for the sake of having more name recognition, and with controls that are forced onto it's completely different control input system.
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Fair enough, though I'd figure since Mario 64 DS is the first DS game, and since the PSP isn't out yet, it wouldn't make sense to judge the game based on what one thinks the system should be able to do, as opposed to judging it based on what it does do right now. It seemed that the review railed less on the quality of the game, and more on the current perceived quality of the system versus the possible quality of the upcoming PSP or future Game Boys.

...meh, I dunno. I probably don't even make any sense. Good point, though.
 
mumu said:
It really helps if you don't want to like this type of game on the DS (or the DS) :) Just like Craig probably wanted to like it. And who cares. Haters are not gonna buy it anyway, Nbots are loving it. Everyone is happy.
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Come on, that's weak. We're not all fanboys trying to defend a purchase.

I bought a DS and am deeply disappointed with SM64. Since when has Nintendo launched a new system with A PORT as its flagship game? What the hell?

This is weaksauce from Nintendo. It says to me, we created and launched a system but couldn't think of a killer app to go with it. A historical new low for them.

At least FTM is pretty cool, and INNOVATIVE.
 
Matlock said:
To a point, you're right, but his reviewing modus operandi is a bit too high on the scoring scale. He and Sharkey are both the same way. They both have the tendency for writing a review of a game to make it out to be an 8 or so, and then rate it in the 5-7 range.

What good is a score in these circumstances, when their standard is inconsistent with either their text, or the standard set by others?
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Fortunately, the body of text is what matters. If you read that, you decide from that whether or not you think the game is worth getting. Review scores are truly meaningless. And on the case of Mario 64 DS, I think his review accurately mirrored the score he gave it, but that's beside the point.

Score is really irrelevant. What they write is what I tend to listen to, and for me I listen to Jeremy Parish more than anyone else from review sites.

Not that he changes my mind or anything. I purchased a Nintendo DS and am very happy with my purchase. I like Mario 64 DS, and if I had to score it I'd give it a 8.5
 
Absolutely - and I complained back then too. I mean, what happened to Nintendo?

This is far worse though. Iwata made a series of big statements in launching DS, how it was going to be innovative and give experiences like none before. And his launch game is an eight year old port, with worse controls.
 
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