When Dr. Mario was originally released in 1990, it was quickly regarded as yet another Tetris clone trying to cash in on the insanely popular franchise. As time passed, however, Dr. Mario gained notoriety as an addictive puzzler in its own right. Today, with a few consoles under its belt, Dr. Mario’s simplistic yet enthralling gameplay mechanics have endured where many other Tetris clones have failed. Nintendo is a company that knows the value of its game catalog. They’d be the first to tell you that reissuing old franchises, either as exact ports or with minor gameplay and graphical tweaks, is a very lucrative corner of the video game industry. As such, Nintendo invented (or rediscovered, rather) its Classic NES Series for the Game Boy Advance. With a release date MSRP of $19.99 per game and titles that include such classics as Metroid, Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., and The Legend of Zelda, the Classic NES Series yielded both critical and consumer success. Even with a rather hefty price tag for 20-year-old software, Nintendo proved that nostalgia alone could fuel game sales. The GBA version of Dr. Mario, like the other titles in the Classic NES Series, is a direct port of the NES version. Dressed in a doctor’s lab coat, Mario stands to the right of the playing field and drops two-colored medicine capsules into the bottle. As the pills fall, the player must stack them on top of similarly colored viruses scattered about the playing field. Throughout the game’s 20 increasingly fast and more densely populated levels, the players score is displayed on clipboards. To get bonuses and increase their score, players must create chain reactions of pills by dropping at least 3 pills of the same color on top of any of 3 different colored viruses. The stage is cleared when all the viruses in your bottle have been taken care of. Using the GBA link cable or wireless adapter, players can battle their friends in two-player mode. Much like the puzzle games of today, chaining combinations together yields random-colored blocks that fall onto your opponents screen. Players can set their own handicaps, and matches are usually played in a best out of five manner. The multiplayer feature is nice for those who have a friend with the game and a link cable, but this option was implemented more successfully in the original NES version. Musically, Dr. Mario doesn’t disappoint. The game’s two music tracks, “fever” and “chill” are so catchy that you’ll find yourself singing along in your head for hours after putting the game down. For an updated version of these classic tracks, you might want to listen carefully to Super Smash Bros. Melee on the Nintendo Gamecube. Dr. Mario’s graphics look exactly as they did on the NES. There aren’t many bells and whistles, which is as it should be for a puzzler like this one. If you’re looking for amazing visuals in a puzzle game, you’ve come to the wrong place. Although the GBA version of Dr. Mario is addicting and fun, it’s hard to justify the $20 price tag when a superior version, entitled Dr. Wario, is available as an unlockable in Wario Ware: Mega Microgames for the GBA. If you’re new to the series, pick up Wario Ware and unlock this amazing addition. But if you’re longing for that nostalgic feel that only Nintendo marketing ploys can fix, pick up the Classic NES version.
Other Helpful Reviews for Classic NES Series: Dr. Mario
Good old times, and addicting ones, since I got Dr Mario again, I've been playing it a lot. Of course graphics weren't its best part, but they did the job they had to do in that time. What I like, is that it was a mod... Read Full Review
Okay, Dr. Mario, though not as esteemed as tetris, is one of the best puzzle games I have played. There is just something so addictive with the simple play, I have gotten into many controller mashing games with my wife.... Read Full Review
