Dr. Mario Online RX

""The prescription for fun" jokes aside..."

Dr. Mario finally makes its way on to the Wii, not in Virtual Console form, but in a shiny, brand-new WiiWare form. So, how is it? How does it stack up to the legacy of the original NES game? Here, I'll attempt to present a quick and dirty run-down of what to expect from Dr. Mario Online Rx.

Now, I must note that, even though I consider myself an avid fan of Dr. Mario, I've only played the NES version before. I never played the SNES or the N64 versions.


Gameplay: Dr. Mario/10

The core Dr. Mario gameplay remains intact. Manipulate an endless stream of colorful pills falling from above, form rows of 4 to clear blocks, clear all the viruses to beat the level. Form combos and chains to score high, and the falling speed increases every 10 pills. if you know Dr. Mario, you already know what to expect.

There have been a few updates to the control scheme, all of which make the game easier and smoother to play.

Like some modern versions of Tetris, you can press the up button to instantly slam the current pill down to the ground. It's cool and classy, it really picks up the pace of the game. If you're prone to accidentally hitting the up key, you can always turn off this feature. The only main thing to note about this new control is how it drastically changes the nature of multiplayer- you've really got to pick up the pace if you want to win.

Also, like some modern versions of Tetris, there is now a "ghost block" that shows you where your pill will land. You might find it distracting at first, but work with it for a while. It might grow on you. If not, it can always be turned off as well.

Another interesting change is the ability to see the next THREE pills, rather than just the next one. This also does wonders to speed up the pace of the game, and makes setting up big combos a lot easier. A major plus.

The basic pill controls are much smoother than before. Even though the basic flipping mechanics of the pills have been unchanged (pills will only flip clockwise, but they'll change orientation if flipped counter-clockwise), it's somehow much easier to flip pills into tight places. Also, you no longer have to mash the d-pad if you want to quickly move a pill sideways (Say, to get it on top of that high tower on Hi speed), the controls are responsive enough that you can now just hold down the button and have the pill do what you want. Due to these renovations, it might at first seem like you've been gypped on difficulty at the higher levels--but no, it's just easier to control!

So, the score in this category could range anywhere from a 3 to an 11 depending on whether or not you like Dr. Mario already. If you like the simple joy of making up solutions to levels as you go, forming impressive complex chains, and overcoming insurmountable odds to claim victory, it's all still here for you. Dr. Mario Wii makes a great pick-up-and-play game.


Presentation: 4/10

I'm sorry, but this really must be said: it's obvious that the developers simply wanted to make a basic port of Dr. Mario onto the Wii, and not much else. Yes, the controls are great, the gameplay is tight, the online multiplayer is amazing, but you can tell that nobody really poured their heart into this game. Thankfully, this doesn't ruin the game--you'd have to try really hard to ruin Dr. Mario--but you should be made aware of the issues beforehand so you'll know what to expect.

Where to start? Well, first and foremost: the color scheme. If you recall the NES Dr. Mario, there was an excellent contrast between the background and the actual field of play. The back of the screen had alternating squares of black and dark shades of color, making the viruses and pills pop out. But in this game, you might find it extremely difficult to focus on any one point on the screen: everything's bright! Even the back of the bottle is blue, rather than black. One thing's for sure: it's going to take a long time for a serious player to get used to the new eye-popping visuals. With some training, you might be able to see the next piece out of the corner of your eye, but good luck trying to glance up at the 2nd and 3rd pieces. You'll need it.

Secondly, the scoring system was absolutely ruined. You still get a higher score for playing on higher speeds, and you're still generously rewarded for performing combos and chains, but there's a major problem: your score is reset at the end of every stage! If you were like me and used to have tons of fun starting at level 0 and aiming for a huge score by the time you'd crash around level 18 or so, you can't do that anymore. To me, this made up a fair deal of the single-player experience. This might have been better if a separate high score for every level were saved, but still only one high score is saved for an entire profile. Yes, this means that, whether you're playing on low, medium, or hi, or whether you're playing on level 0 or 24, your high score will always be the same. If you've played on the higher levels, your high score simply will be unattainable at the lower levels. It's a shame that the points have become... quite pointless.

Next on the problem list: the models. The 3D viruses are cute and well-made, and the Miis are neat, but it's just another thing to get used to when you have 3D models on the screen while playing a 2D puzzle game. You'll find it quite distracting at first. What's even more disappointing is that these models are the only surprise this game has in store. The congratulations screens at the end of every 5th level on Medium and Hi speeds feature an uninteresting scene of Miis and viruses popping out of 3D pills, and the credits roll at the end of Hi level 20 features the same models randomly floating through space. They definitely could have done something to make the game feel more rewarding, rather than just showing off the same models over and over again.

Another problem that annoys me to no end is the way every match starts out with a "3...2...1..." countdown in the middle of the screen. It wouldn't be bad, if the number were transparent. But it covers up a bunch of viruses on the screen, but not others. If you want to use those 3 seconds to start planning where to drop your pills, you can only see the viruses at the sides and the bottom of the bottle. The ones in the center of the bottle--the ones that will really matter at the moment--are hidden from view by the number. Very poor design, if you ask me.

Even though the developers really dropped the ball with many aspects of this game's design, there are actually a few positive aspects to speak of. For example, playing as your Mii is a lot of fun, and so is seeing all the Miis stored on your Wii cheering for you at the end of certain levels.


Sound and Music: 7/10

Simply put, the music is okay, but not great. Fever, Chill, Sneeze, and Cough have been brought back as remixes, plus the famous title, menu, and victory tunes. They're nothing to put on your iPod, but they do well to get you pumped up for the game. The single player intermission tune has been cut, the song "Fever" has been toned down, and Fever and Chill have both been given a second remix for the Virus Buster game.

The sound effects are particularly cool. They're all digitized, updated versions of the old NES sound effects--even the sound when you destroy a virus, which is my personal favorite. No complaints here.


Multiplayer: 10/10

This is the reason Dr. Mario Online Rx was created in the first place (I dunno, the title of the game might have tipped you off...).

Online matches are random, or you can play versus friends with friend codes. When you find someone to play with, you can play with them as long as you want until one of you decides to quit. You can exchange simple pre-defined messages between games such as "Good game!" or "You got me...", which are even translated into foreign languages should you happen to play with someone in a different country. Your opponent's Mii will be displayed during the game along with yours, a really nice touch. There's also a ranking system based on your win-lose ratio and your number of wins.

As for the gameplay: fantastic. Games are completely lag-less. Victories are based on the game's internal timer, so lag will never screw up your controls (although it could delay your attacks on your opponent or even the end of the game). By the way, online matches will be set at Medium speed, on level 3, 4, or 5. There's also a second game type which is played online, called "Flash", in which you must destroy only a few specific viruses on the board instead of all of them.

There's just not too much to say here. 2-player Dr. Mario matches against random people are loads of fun. Think you're good at Dr. Mario? Put your skill in perspective by playing others from all over the world—the result may surprise you. Of course, you can always play 2-player locally as well, and even versus bots if you really want. If you're a Dr. Mario fan, this is worth the $10 in and of itself.

The only downside to the multiplayer is the lack of 4-player multiplayer, but I don't feel like taking off points because of that.


Virus Buster: 10/10

Included in Dr. Mario Wii is a brand new game mode called Virus Buster. Imagine standard Dr. Mario, but with the following changes:

* Instead of moving pills around with the D-pad, you drag them around with the Wii remote.
* Pills fall VERY slowly.
* Pills can be dragged sideways through other pills, provided there's room for them on the other side.
* ANY pill or piece in free-fall can be manipulated.
* The game screen is a lot smaller, and you die if any pill hits any part of the top of the screen (Rather than just the top center)
* As you play longer, pills will start to fall 2 and 3 at a time.
* Up to 4 people can play cooperatively.

Sound fun? It is. It's a great twist on standard Dr. Mario, and very amusing to play, especially with more than one person. My personal favorite part of this game is taking two Wii remotes in hand and playing as two people. And you'll probably need all the help you can get on the higher levels, which really cranks the difficulty. They've also included two unique new music remixes for this game, Fever and Chill, which will change tempo depending on how well you're doing. You'll also get to see your Miis battling against the viruses as you play, and you can click on them for random quotes.


Overall: 7/10

Despite some really disappointing design problems, Dr. Mario Online Rx is a decent port of Dr. Mario.

* For fans of the series, the online multiplayer alone is well worth the $10.
* The score aspect of the single-player experience has been pretty much removed, but the gameplay is all still there for those that enjoy it.
* Virus Buster is a great addition which will keep you (and friends) amused for quite a while.

If you like your Wii, and you like Dr. Mario, get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/09/08, Updated 11/30/09

Game Release: Dr. Mario Online RX (US, 05/26/08)