DS Old and dead?

Not in the slightest. In fact, I think the touchscreen-only setup is friggin' brilliant. The only honest problem with the game is that it's relatively short if you just want to beat it. However, the whole point of the game is that it's a pick-up-and-play title, intended to be replayed constantly for higher scores and such.

Using the touchscreen does take some getting used to, but in all fairness, so did analog joysticks. Give it time and you'll eventually have no issues with it. I actually had less problems beating the DS version than the N64 game. It takes some time to adapt, but once you do, it will grow on you.