I recently played through super mario 64 DS for the first time and I think the issue with it isn’t the d-pad (that’s a minor inconvenience, at least with a pro controller) but just how slow movement can feel at times. Yes the original was pretty slow but it feels much more fluid and faster than the DS version and easier/more fun to just run around and jump. Just moving around in 64 DS doesn’t feel inherently fun like it was in, uh, 64 64.
It is a phenomenal remake though and I wish more were like it, I don’t think it’s better than the original but if it controlled just a little bit more like it then it absolutely would be