GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 11/02/2004
- Released on: 10/25/2004
- Originally published on GameSpot: Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario (GBA) Review
Dr. Mario was originally released in 1990 for the NES and the original Game Boy handheld system. At the time, Dr. Mario was one of many Tetris-like games that was released to ride the coattails of Alexei Pajitnov's puzzle classic, whose popularity was at an all-time high. Dr. Mario turned out to be one of the better Tetris clones, which is probably why it has been released for the Game Boy Advance as part of the classic NES series. And like any good puzzle game, Dr. Mario's addictive style of gameplay has stood the test of time; the inclusion of wireless networking capability adds even more value.
You must clear the viruses using like-colored vitamins that fall from above.
The GBA version of Dr. Mario is basically a straight port of the NES version. For those unfamiliar with the original, the gameplay centers on a medicine bottle-shaped playing field. This field is filled with small, wriggling viruses of three different colors: red, blue, and yellow. Dr. Mario stands off to the right of the bottle, tossing in vitamin capsules that consist of combinations of the same three colors. You must stack like-colored capsules onto the viruses in order to clear them out. Four or more of the same color vertically or horizontally will result in a clearing of the vitamins and viruses in that stack or row. The stage ends successfully when all the viruses in the bottle are cleared out, and you lose if you allow your pills to stack all the way to the top of the bottle. As you'd expect from a puzzle game of this type, you can rack up bonus points for chain combos.
The fun and challenge in Dr. Mario lies in the intense concentration it takes to clear ever-denser colonies of viruses using capsules that fall faster and faster. Does this remind you of Tetris? Dr. Mario also has the sadistic tendency to send you capsules of colors you don't need at critical junctures, in much the same way Tetris seemed to withhold the straight pieces at inopportune moments. Weathering these crises is all part of the fun.
Graphically, there isn't much to Dr. Mario, but a puzzle game doesn't necessarily need a lot of flash. You've got the playing field in the center of the screen with the wiggling viruses. Mario, in a doctor's outfit, stands at the top right corner of the screen tossing in the vitamin capsules. In the opposite corner is a petri dish with larger cartoon representations of the three different colors of viruses. Each one writhes in agony every time you clear one of its brethren. Scores and level information are kept in boxes that resemble clipboards, keeping in with the game's medical theme. Sound-wise, there also isn't much to the game, aside from blips and chimes. The game's two catchy music tracks, "fever" and "chill," are the highlight of Dr. Mario's audio.
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Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario (GBA):
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