Dr. Mario 64
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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.
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:
Some modes are available for two players to play simultaneously:
A "Multiplayer" mode exists as well which allows four people to play at once.
Magazine in August 2001.
Dr. Mario (video game)
is an action puzzle game designed by Gunpei Yokoi and produced by Takahiro Harada. It was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy consoles and released in 1990 and 1991....
. It was developed and published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, released for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
in 2001, and is an enhanced remake of the original Dr. Mario, which was released for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
and Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
in 1990.
Originally, it was released only in North America. It was re-released along with Panel de Pon
Tetris Attack
Tetris Attack is a puzzle video game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System home video game console and Game Boy handheld game console...
and Yoshi's Cookie
Yoshi's Cookie
is a puzzle video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy, and SNES. It was re-released for the Virtual Console.- Overview :...
in a GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
video game called Nintendo Puzzle Collection
Nintendo Puzzle Collection
is a compilation of puzzle video games published and developed by Nintendo for the GameCube home video game console. It was released in Japan, and was intended to be released in North America and Europe until it was announced that it was cancelled in both regions. It contains three video games: Dr...
in 2003, which was only released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Due to the appearances of many characters from Wario Land 3
Wario Land 3
Wario Land 3 garnered tremendous critical acclaim upon release. GameSpot granted the game a score of 9.8/10 and stated, "As far as platformers go, Wario Land 3 is a game that fires on all cylinders." IGN gave it an outstanding rating of 9.0/10...
(including Wario
Wario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
himself), Dr. Mario 64 is by extension a part of the Wario
Wario (series)
The series is a series of video games created by Nintendo starring the character Wario. It started with Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, the first game with Wario as a playable character, and gained many sequels. The Wario series includes mostly platforming video games and minigame compilations,...
sub-series of the Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
universe.
Plot
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, WarioWario
is a fictional character in Nintendo's Mario series. The character was designed as another antagonist to Mario , and first appeared in the 1992 Game Boy title Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins as the main antagonist and final boss...
, 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
Wario Land 3
Wario Land 3 garnered tremendous critical acclaim upon release. GameSpot granted the game a score of 9.8/10 and stated, "As far as platformers go, Wario Land 3 is a game that fires on all cylinders." IGN gave it an outstanding rating of 9.0/10...
) 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. MarioMario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
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:
- Classic - This mode features a similar set-up and design to the original Dr. Mario game.
- 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.
- Vs. Computer - In this mode the player may battle against the computer as any character the player has played as or fought against.
- Flash - In this mode the player must eliminate three particular flashing viruses faster than the computer can.
- Marathon - This mode consists of a never-ending rising field of viruses which does not end until the player quits or loses.
- 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:
- 2-Player Versus - Two players can battle against one another.
- Flash - Two players race to eliminate three particular flashing viruses before the other player can.
- 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 InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
Magazine in August 2001.