Dr. Mario & Virus Buster Preview
Exterminate Bacteria Online in New Downloadable WiiWare Puzzle Game
The classic NES game Dr. Mario is making a comeback, this time as a $10 downloadable game on Nintendo's Wii which can be played with up to four players or even online.
On March 25th in Japan, Nintendo officially launched WiiWare, a service which allows gamers to download inexpensive games on to the Wii. One of the service's first launch titles was Dr. Mario & Bacteria Extermination, a remake of the classic Nintendo puzzle game that will be known as Dr. Mario & Virus Buster when it releases in North America sometime in 2008.
The Game Modes
The main mode in Dr. Mario & Virus Buster will be very familiar to those who played Dr. Mario games on the NES, N64, or Game Boy Advance. Essentially, the game features Dr. Mario on the side of the screen throwing out red, yellow, and blue pills that will fall from the top of the screen. The point of the game is to stack up similarly colored pills together, so that when four similarly colored pills are lined up, they will clear from the screen. This not only earns the player points but, as more and more pills are cleared, speeds up the rate at which pills fall from the screen.
An alternate "flash" mode features a screen already filled up with viruses, but containing certain flashing virus pills that are currently buried beneath all the others. Players must clear out the viruses surrounding the flashing pills in order to reach and clear out the actual flashing pills to finish the levels.
Finally, the Virus Buster mode takes advantage of the motion-sensitive Wii remote. More than one virus will now fall from the top of the screen, and players must controls the viruses by pointing at the screen, grabbing a pill with the "A" button, rotating a pill with the "B" button, and then situating a pill somewhere on the screen.
Optimized for the Wii
The original and "flash" modes described above can be played with up to two players, with each player taking a side of the screen and controlling their own playing fields. However, the special Virus Buster mode can be played with up to four players, in which each gamer points their Wii remote at the same playing field and helps maneuver the multiple falling blocks.
Taking advantage of the Wii's features, the game can also be played online with other gamers from around the world. Even those who don't own a copy of the game can join in on the fun, since owners of Dr. Mario & Virus Buster can actually send a demo of the game to their friends that can be played online.
And an additional Wii-specific feature involves the special 'Mii' characters that can be created on the Wii console -- those who tire of Dr. Mario throwing out pills can import their Miis into the game.
Outlook
No doubt about it, Dr. Mario is one of the most addicting puzzle games around (next to Tetris, of course). And at a price of only $10 (or 1,000 Wii Points), Dr. Mario & Virus Buster seems like quite a steal, especially since owners of the game can send their friends a demo of the game for free, and since the game contains new modes that weren't even available in previous $30 or $50 versions of the game.
Those interested in downloading the game can do so now in Japan, or at an undetermined date in 2008 for those in North America. Until then, gamers may be interested in reading more about Nintendo's WiiWare service or reading about an alternative games download service on Xbox.
