Dr. Mario 64

Dr. Mario 64
North American box art
Developer(s)	Nintendo
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Director(s)	Hitoshi Yamagami Yoshiyuki Kato
Producer(s)	Genyo Takeda Junichi Yakahi
Designer(s)	Hitoshi Yamagami Kazushi Maeda Yohei Fujigawa
Composer(s)	Seiichi Tokunaga
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64, iQue Player
Release date(s)	Nintendo 64 NA April 8, 2001 iQue Player CHN November, 2003
Genre(s)	Puzzle
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E

Dr. Mario 64 is a puzzle game based on the original Dr. Mario. It was developed and published by Nintendo, released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001, and is an enhanced remake of the original Dr. Mario, which was released for the NES and Game Boy in 1990.

Originally, it was released only in North America. It was re-released along with Panel de Pon and Yoshi's Cookie in a GameCube video game called Nintendo Puzzle Collection in 2003, which was only released in Japan.

Due to the appearances of many characters from Wario Land 3 (including Wario himself), Dr. Mario 64 is by extension a part of the Wario sub-series of the Mario universe.

Plot

A screenshot of Dr. Mario 64 gameplay.

The flu season has come about, and it's Dr. Mario's duty to use his Megavitamins to heal the people of the land. However, Wario, wanting to have the fame that Dr. Mario has, attempts to steal the Megavitamins, but to no avail. Afterwards, Mad Scienstein and Rudy the Clown (from Wario Land 3) steal the Megavitamins, and both Dr. Mario and Wario give chase. Throughout their adventure, both of them meet up with many creatures from Wario Land 3. Most of the time the fights that emerge are really misunderstandings; for example, the player may accidentally bump into a creature, who gets angry and retaliates. Dr. Mario and Wario follow Mad Scienstein to Rudy's castle, where they fight Rudy to take back the vitamins. If the game is completed on Normal or Hard mode without using a continue, one last battle occurs after defeating Rudy; the opponent is Metal Mario for Wario and Vampire Wario for Dr. Mario.

Gameplay

Dr. Mario 64 plays the same as its predecessors for the most part. Dr. Mario throws Megavitamins into a jar full of Viruses, and after lining up a combination of Viruses and Megavitamins (four at minimum), they disappear. There are three types of Viruses - the Red Virus (Fever), the Blue Virus (Chill) and the Yellow Virus (Weird), with a Megavitamin color designed to kill them. It includes the main songs from the original Dr. Mario, Fever and Chill, but it also includes two new songs called Cube and Que Que.

There are several single-player modes present in the game:

1. Classic - This mode features a similar set-up and design to the original Dr. Mario game.
2. Story - In this mode the player may take control of either Dr. Mario or Wario to track down the stolen Megavitamins, battling computer players on the way.
3. Vs. Computer - In this mode the player may battle against the computer as any character the player has played as or fought against.
4. Flash - In this mode the player must eliminate three particular flashing viruses faster than the computer can.
5. Marathon - This mode consists of a never-ending rising field of viruses which does not end until the player quits or loses.
6. Score Attack - In this mode the player is given three minutes to clear all of the viruses as well as get a high score.

Some modes are available for two players to play simultaneously:

1. 2-Player Versus - Two players can battle against one another.
2. Flash - Two players race to eliminate three particular flashing viruses before the other player can.
3. Score Attack - Two players try to get the most points in a three-minute time period.

A "Multiplayer" mode exists as well which allows four people to play at once.

Reception

Dr. Mario 64 in all of its various permutations was voted #76 in the Top 100 Games of All Time poll published by Game Informer Magazine in August 2001.

External links

• Dr. Mario 64 at MobyGames
• Dr. Mario 64 at GameFAQs