You won't find a more addicting and fun puzzle game on the Nintendo 64 than Dr. Mario 64.
The Bad: Story Mode is too short, Annoying sound effects, pills move slowly
Game-play: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 9/10
Value: 9/10
Tilt: 10/10
Average Score: 9.5/10
Dr. Mario on the Nes was hailed as one of the system's best classics, and it got ported to the Game Boy and then the Super Nintendo. In 2001, a sequel, Dr. Mario 64, was made. Released at the end of the 64's lifespan, Dr. Mario 64 remains one of the console's greatest gems.
If you're not familiar with the Dr. Mario games, here's how you play. Basically, you match the color of the pill with the virus of the same color. Do four pills vertically or horizontally. There's even combo's for you to do. The game control's using the D-pad instead of the regular analog controller. This may sound stupid, but really, the controls are tight on and extremely responsive. Moving left, right, and down is never frustrating or a problem to do, you'll always pull it off in succession.
The game's story mode is very interesting. Flu season has come and Dr. Mario starts healing the citizens with mega vitamins. Wario, everyone's favorite evil dude, wants Mario's fame as a doctor to become rich. He tries to steal the megavitamins with failure. However, the evil Madscienstein steals the megavitamins from Dr. Mario, and both Mario and Wario chase after the scientist. The stories are not really different, except Wario's path is different from Mario's. They face the same enemies that include a spearhead, a spider, a frog, some ocean creature, and even Rudy the Clown from Wario Land 3, and he's the main villain. Rudy is challenging as hell, even on the so called easy mode! The only letdown for Story mode is that it's too short.
The game has other modes too. In flash mode, you have to destroy the 3 viruses that flash. In classic mode, you destroy viruses until your chamber fills up. In Marathon mode, number's of viruses increase as you destroy them. In Score attack mode, you try to get the highest score. These modes are easy to use but hard to master, making it fun to try to.
But perhaps the game's best feature is FOUR PLAYER MODE!! If there's one thing this game got right that everyone who played this game can agree on, it's the four player mode. Not only is it an absolute blast to do, but it is one of the greatest ideas in the history of video gaming. Get three friends, and you're ready to go.
The game's graphics won't wow you, but they are charming and cute, especially that yellow guy who instructs you how to play the game. The game's sprites are basically Snes style sprites with 3D visuals in backgrounds, and they have a paper like feeling, similar to Paper Mario, another classic released the same year. Overall, these visuals work for the game 100%. The music is cool, too, providing nostalgia to both Dr. Mario fans and Nintendo 64 fans. The original Fever and Chill theme's are upgraded here, and they sound even better, and it includes two new songs that are mysterious and charming. The audio is okay, but I hate it when Rudy the Clown and Wario grunt. Mario sounds like Mickey Mouse, Rudy sounds like Bowser, and Wario sounds like, well, not Wario when he grunts. I do like the puzzle effects when you get combo's though.
In conclusion, you won't find a more addicting and fun puzzle game on the Nintendo 64 than Dr. Mario 64. It's fun to play and never frustrating. One of the system's most underrated games, if you claim there's a puzzle game on the 64 that's better than this, it's a lie. Better than the original, if you have a 64, you need to play this game.