Starting with the elephant in the room, I do not think the D-Pad is a dealbreaker. This is especially so with multiple modern workarounds to enhance the controls, thanks to the built-in analog controls on the touch screen.
Now, regarding the game itself, this version is GREAT! I love the swathe of minigames they added, over 30 new Stars to get, and all the new playable characters. I might be saying this due to this being Wario's (my favorite fictional character of all time) only playable appearance in a mainline game, but they're all such great additions.
The textures and levels are all updated to be more (at the time) modern designs and I don't mind it. Both this and the original have lots of charm to spare. Worth the time to play, at least with multiplayer, since it's so fun.
Now, regarding the game itself, this version is GREAT! I love the swathe of minigames they added, over 30 new Stars to get, and all the new playable characters. I might be saying this due to this being Wario's (my favorite fictional character of all time) only playable appearance in a mainline game, but they're all such great additions.
The textures and levels are all updated to be more (at the time) modern designs and I don't mind it. Both this and the original have lots of charm to spare. Worth the time to play, at least with multiplayer, since it's so fun.