Dr. Mario is kinda the last game I expected to have a story, but having 2 stories to go through was a surprising development. You can play as either Mario or Wario in the main campaign, basically on a constant chase to the next area to get the miracle cure that was established in the beginning. But really it's not a story to write home about, but it does provide you with two new characters to play with if you are able to beat both campaigns without using continues. A feat I can't say I really accomplished...
Again, I honestly was just expecting for more of the same Dr. Mario from the original NES days, but they really did step up what the game had to offer by also providing multiplayer matches, score attack, and a few other neat modes. These are all things I didn't really know I wanted in a Dr. Mario game, but honestly feels like a no brainer after seeing games like Puyo Puyo, Magic Drop, and heck even Tetris.
The game is honestly the same as it ever was, and really you couldn't ask more from the gameplay when it was already so well established in the early NES days. Gameplay is the standard matching 4 of the same color either vertically or horizontally to either clear a row or eliminate a virus(es) of the same color. Sure there are now multiplayer ways to screw with your opponents, but if you're like me you're really just focused on eliminating the virus in a battle before time runs out. Which, Ill be honest, isn't the best when you could be properly doing combos to help screw over your opponent. Dr. Mario is particularly a puzzle game that can get really out of hand when things don't go as planned due to the way viruses are structured into a play area; leaving little room for error to begin with. If this sounds particularly hard for you, which it did for me, I strongly suggest playing with save states ala Nintendo Switch Online or OTHER.
I don't think Dr. Mario is really a must have game by any accounts as a lot of the newer Dr. Mario games probably have a lot more going for it in terms of multiplayer, and features, but 64 is clearly a sign of Nintendo stepping up the series as a whole. Absolutely a solid 64 title back in the day, and even has some merit with a story campaign attached to it too.
Again, I honestly was just expecting for more of the same Dr. Mario from the original NES days, but they really did step up what the game had to offer by also providing multiplayer matches, score attack, and a few other neat modes. These are all things I didn't really know I wanted in a Dr. Mario game, but honestly feels like a no brainer after seeing games like Puyo Puyo, Magic Drop, and heck even Tetris.
The game is honestly the same as it ever was, and really you couldn't ask more from the gameplay when it was already so well established in the early NES days. Gameplay is the standard matching 4 of the same color either vertically or horizontally to either clear a row or eliminate a virus(es) of the same color. Sure there are now multiplayer ways to screw with your opponents, but if you're like me you're really just focused on eliminating the virus in a battle before time runs out. Which, Ill be honest, isn't the best when you could be properly doing combos to help screw over your opponent. Dr. Mario is particularly a puzzle game that can get really out of hand when things don't go as planned due to the way viruses are structured into a play area; leaving little room for error to begin with. If this sounds particularly hard for you, which it did for me, I strongly suggest playing with save states ala Nintendo Switch Online or OTHER.
I don't think Dr. Mario is really a must have game by any accounts as a lot of the newer Dr. Mario games probably have a lot more going for it in terms of multiplayer, and features, but 64 is clearly a sign of Nintendo stepping up the series as a whole. Absolutely a solid 64 title back in the day, and even has some merit with a story campaign attached to it too.