Dr. Mario first appeared on the NES. A few years ago, he made a house call to the Gameboy. And now the doctor is in - again. Dr. Mario 64 comes to your N64 straight from Nintendo. But can this version stack up against its prequels?
Aesthetics:
Dr. Mario 64 looks about as nice as you could expect from a puzzle game of this type. The viruses and pills are all decent looking sprites, with the viruses showing some personality through their classic animations.
The real charm in the graphics comes from the intro to the game and the story mode. The cutscenes from each are presented in a style much like Paper Mario, and the effect is at least interesting.
Control:
Not much to say other than the control is dead-on. And that should be expected with as simple a scheme as rotate-and-drop.
The one addition to the controls is the option to toggle a shadow showing where the current piece will land. This is done with the C-Down button, and might often be triggered on/off accidentally when the action gets furious.
Gameplay:
And furious is a good word for it. In Dr. Mario the vertical playing field is littered with viruses. Pills with two-color combinations of red, blue, and yellow are thrown in by the good doctor. The player must stack these pills on similarly colored viruses to eliminate them in groups of at least four.
In classic puzzle fashion, a skilled player can learn to clear lines vertically, horizontally, and through combos.
Classic mode is simple. Clear a level and more viruses appear next time with the action getting faster as well.
Other modes include marathon where more viruses are always coming in from the bottom of the screen. There is also a story mode which puts Dr. Mario head-to-head with the bad guys (some familiar and some not).
This mode introduces the concept of the multiplayer mode as well.
Multiplayer:
Up to four players can compete against one another. Scoring combos will send extra pill fragments to the other players, making the game all that more furious.
The winner is the first player to clear all of his or her viruses... Or at least the person whose jar of viruses and pills doesn't overflow.
Sound:
The sound in Dr. Mario 64 leaves a little to be desired. The main area that is lacking is the music. There are very few songs to choose from; a bigger selection would have been nice.
There is a treat, however, for those who've played Dr. Mario before. Two of the themes are taken straight from the old NES cart, offering up a serious dose of nostalgia.
OVERALL:
Dr. Mario 64 is a great game with a fun multiplayer mode. Unfortunately, it may not differ far enough from the original to warrant a purchase by those who've already had their check-up.
The Lowdown on  Dr. Mario 64
| Aesthetics: Average |
Control: Above Average |
| Gameplay: Very Good |
Multiplayer: Above Average |
| Sound: Average |
Innovation: 2/6 |
| Lasting Appeal: 5/6 |
|
Overall: Above Average!
"A Quality Game"
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Dr. Mario 64
