******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* DR. WARIO IN-DEPTH FAQ Version: 1.32 Last Updated: October 20th, 2003 Author: Paul Byrne/consummate gamer E-mail: consummate_gamer@yahoo.com AIM: consummate gamer WARIOWARE INC: MEGA MICROGAME$ Platform: GameBoy Advance Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Action Compilation ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* This FAQ is for the North American version of Dr. Wario on WarioWare Inc: Mega MicroGame$. [Version History] Version 1.00--initial public release (June 30th, 2003) Version 1.02--corrected the color ratio error, added a few more differences to section 4.C, and included WarioCompany as a host for this FAQ (July 1st, 2003) Version 1.10--corrected some grammatical errors, elaborated on the viruses under the Magnifying Glass and the TOP/SCORE clipboard, added a paragraph to help make the diagrams less confusing, added a list of all the characters from Wario Land 3 that are in Dr. Mario 64, added a list of all the special scenes for certain virus level and speed combinations, added a few more differences in section 4.C, and gave credit to a few more people (July 5th, 2003) Version 1.20--corrected some grammatical errors, separated each section with a few additional blank lines, added some terminology from Dr. Mario instruction booklets to section 2.B, corrected example 8 in section 3, reorganized section 4.A, added a "statistics" sub-section to section 4.C, and added two more differences to the last sub-section in section 4.C (July 12th, 2003) Version 1.30--corrected some grammatical errors/altered a few minor things, added a terminology section, expanded upon survival strategies in section 3, added the arcade Dr. Mario to section 4.A, and corrected and elaborated on a few more differences in section 4.C, and included Neoseeker as a host for this FAQ (August 30th, 2003) Version 1.32--changed a few minor things here and there, corrected an error in example 1 of section 3, added another example to the statistics sub-section in section 4.C, and included GameNotOver as a host for htis FAQ (October 20th, 2003) I don't plan on updating this for awhile. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Introduction A. Unlocking "Dr. Wario" B. Dr. Mario's Story C. Preface D. FAQ Terminology 2. Rudiments A. Controls B. Menus/Screens C. Game-Play Mechanics 3. Strategies 4. Miscellaneous Information A. Dr. Mario's History B. Score Algorithm C. Interesting Stuff 5. Credits 6. Copyright Information ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You should be able to find almost any piece of information you want about this game. Hopefully, the Table of Contents and the next paragraph will direct you to the appropriate section, if there’s some specific information you seek. Section 4 is where a lot of loose ends are tied together and probably requires a little further explanation. Section 4.A covers the history of Dr. Mario (including release dates for each game) and points out the general pros and cons for every Dr. Mario game. Section 4.B shows how the score is calculated. Section 4.C contains some interesting tidbits of information about Dr. Wario. The first part describes each special scene that occurs when certain virus level and speed combinations are completed. The second part lists some statistical information (e.g., the most amount of viruses you can clear in one turn, how many viruses you would have cleared by the time you reach level 99, how many points you could have accumulated by the time you reach level 99). The third part points out every difference between the NES Dr. Mario and Dr. Wario. ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 1.) INTRODUCTION ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.A.) UNLOCKING "DR. WARIO" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When starting from scratch with completely cleared game data, Dr. Wario can be unlocked fairly quickly. Just make sure that you've already beaten the Introduction level and the first Jimmy level (Jimmy is wearing a blue wig and his games have a sports theme). Once you've beaten the first Jimmy level, you can play it again, but you'll continue playing after you clear the fifteenth game (the boss stage). To unlock Dr. Wario, clear at least twenty games on the first Jimmy level without getting a Game Over. Technically, you only have to clear seventeen games, as you can lose three of them and still progress (if you clear the boss stage, you'll earn a 1-up, and you'll only have to clear sixteen games). Once the requirements have been met, Dr. Wario will be accessible, and it will appear to the immediate right of the Introduction level. The High Score will start off at 10000. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.B.) DR. MARIO'S STORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After becoming a very popular hero in many video games (and many more that were yet to come), Mario took on a different role as the protagonist in one of the best puzzle games ever. Instead of fighting Koopas as a plumber in the Mushroom Kingdom, he was fighting viruses as a doctor in the microcosm of a pill jar. Using his megavitamins, Dr. Mario battles the legendary blue, yellow, and red viruses. Here's the story behind the Dr. Mario series, taken directly out of the NES/GameBoy instruction booklet: MY NAME IS DR. MARIO Hi everybody! I'm Dr. Mario. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital. Today, I'm about to begin my research as usual. "Dr. Mario, something terrible has happened!" "What's wrong, nurse Toadstool?" "One of the experiments has gone out of control. The viruses are spreading quickly!" "Oh No! We've got to do something! I have just developed a new vitamin that should be able to take care of it. I sure hope this stuff works!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.C.) PREFACE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dr. Mario" is a truly great and innovative puzzle game that was originally released for both the NES and GameBoy simultaneously on December 1st, 1990. Like many a great game, Dr. Mario's concept is very simple, but the freedom to expand upon it gives the opportunity to turn the game in a more complex and sophisticated direction. It features some catchy music and addictive game play. The game became a healthy obsession for me and probably for many others. Dr. Mario constantly challenged me to refine my skills, as I found increasingly better methods for completing levels and creating huge chain reactions. Performing these awe-inspiring combos is almost a form of art, as the game's random arrangement of the viruses allows for an incredible level in creativity. This game may get old after awhile, but when you begin to see all the different possibilities, you'll be able to appreciate the amount of strategy that can go into playing this game. Staying true to Wario's underhanded nature, "Dr. Wario" is a bootleg version of Dr. Mario (NES). Dr. Wario is just one of the many ripped-off games that can be played on "WarioWare Inc: Mega MicroGame$", which, incidentally, hosts a microgame version of the authentic Dr. Mario (NES). WarioWare, itself, is a farce on the electronic gaming industry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.D.) FAQ TERMINOLOGY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some of the ideas discussed within this FAQ are rather difficult to convey without actually using a visualization of some sort (even then, it's still limited to ASCII art). I've tried to be as descriptive as possible with some of the more ambiguous concepts, but, just in case, I've also included this section to define any confusing terminology: Turn--any events that occur between the time a pill enters the pill jar and the time that the next pill enters the pill jar Line--several consecutive units of space, running horizontally or vertically, that have just been destroyed and were all the same color "Anchored" pill segment--the pill segment that doesn't appear to rotate (this is the left pill segment when the pill is in it's horizontal position, and the bottom pill segment when the pill is in it's vertical position) Displaced pill segments--the pill segments that are left in midair after a line has been cleared Combo--two or more lines cleared in the same turn Sequences--multiple parts of a combo that are linked together after all displaced pill segments have come to rest Wedging--moving a same-color pill horizontally through a one-space-wide gap, so that it can then be directly rotated into another gap that connects two accordingly colored viruses (see example 8 in section 3) Piling--randomly placing pills in a somewhat controlled manner (this technique is usually used when there is only one virus left, and you're trying to receive a specific pill, or when you need to bridge the gap between the bottom of the pill jar and an inaccessible virus near the top of the pill jar) Stacking--a much more controlled version of piling used to setup a large assortment of pills that will clear many viruses once the combo is initialized Squares--two adjacent pairs of same-color viruses that form the shape of a square ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 2.) RUDIMENTS ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.A.) CONTROLS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The controls for Dr. Wario are simple to learn, and only a few of them are even used. The buttons have multiple functions, so I've numbered them based on where they are used: (1) During game play and (2) while in menus. The controls operate as follows: Control Pad--(1) moves pills in their respective directions (pressing up will have no effect though) and (2) highlights different options in menus Start--(1) pauses/unpauses game and (2) this also pauses/unpauses the menu, oddly enough Select--unused A Button--(1) rotates pill clockwise and (2) brings you to the next menu/screen B Button--(1) rotates pill counterclockwise and (2) cancels out of menus/screens L Button--unused R Button--unused ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.B.) MENUS/SCREENS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Just for the heck of it, I created a flow chart of the menus/screens in Dr. Wario: Games menu - Title Screen - Menu Screen - Game Screen \ | / ------------------------------ Pause Menu - Games menu [Games menu] The Games menu contains any stages, bonus games, or 2-Player games that have been unlocked in WarioWare. More importantly, it contains the Dr. Wario bonus game, which is located to the immediate right of the Introduction level. Highlight it using the Control Pad, and press the A Button to confirm the selection. This will take you to the Title Screen. Also, you can view your High Score from here whenever Dr. Wario is highlighted (any extraneous zeros will have been removed from your score). [Pause Menu] The Pause Menu can be accessed within Dr. Wario at any time by pressing Start. This is the same pause menu used for the rest of WarioWare, and, aside from just pausing the game, it allows you to immediately return to the Games menu. The only options are "CONTINUE" and "EXIT". Press the A Button or Start to confirm your selection and press the B Button to cancel out of the Pause Menu. [Title Screen] The Title Screen introduces you to the game with Dr. Wario tapping his foot and a blue virus dancing to the Dr. Mario theme. From here, you can either go back to the Games menu by pressing the B Button, or go to the Menu Screen by pressing the A Button. You can also view your top score ("TOP"), which is located above the start option. [Menu Screen] The Menu Screen gives you control of the overall difficulty and allows you to customize the virus quantity and the pill speed to your specifications. After using the Control Pad to configure both settings, press the A Button to go to the Game Screen. This is how each setting operates: [VIRUS LEVEL] The virus level reflects how many viruses begin in the pill jar at the start of each round. Raising the virus level will increase the amount of viruses in the pill jar and the area that they can occupy, while lowering the virus level will decrease the amount of viruses in the pill jar and the area that they can occupy. The virus level can be set anywhere from 00 to 20. Under default conditions, the virus level is set on 00. This is how each virus level operates: Remember--the pill jar is eight columns wide by thirteen rows tall. Level 00--3 viruses within the bottom six rows Level 01--5 viruses within the bottom six rows Level 02--7 viruses within the bottom six rows Level 03--9 viruses within the bottom six rows Level 04--11 viruses within the bottom six rows Level 05--14 viruses within the bottom seven rows Level 06--17 viruses within the bottom seven rows Level 07--20 viruses within the bottom seven rows Level 08--23 viruses within the bottom seven rows Level 09--26 viruses within the bottom seven rows Level 10--29 viruses within the bottom eight rows Level 11--32 viruses within the bottom eight rows Level 12--35 viruses within the bottom eight rows Level 13--38 viruses within the bottom eight rows Level 14--41 viruses within the bottom eight rows Level 15--45 viruses within the bottom nine rows Level 16--49 viruses within the bottom nine rows Level 17--53 viruses within the bottom nine rows Level 18--57 viruses within the bottom nine rows Level 19--62 viruses within the bottom ten rows Levels 20 through 99--68 viruses within the bottom ten rows [SPEED] The speed reflects how fast the pills will drop. It can be set on low, "MED" (medium), or "HI" (high) with low being the slowest speed, high being the fastest speed, and medium being an intermediate speed. Additionally, setting the speed on low or medium will cause the purple-checkered background to appear on the Game Screen, while setting the speed to high will cause the grey-checkered background to appear on the Game Screen. The speed also acts as a multiplier for your score when clearing viruses. Under default conditions, the speed is set on low. [Game Screen] This is where the actual game occurs. See section 2.C to see how Dr. Wario is played. The Game Screen is usually made up of five in-game displays, but at the end of each game, an additional display will appear over the pill jar (either the Clear display or the Game Over display). These displays have a variety of functions that provide supplementary details for game play. The displays operate as follows: [Pill jar] The pill jar is located in the center of the screen, and is where all the game play takes place. Again, check section 2.C to see exactly how it works. In various Dr. Mario instruction booklets, this is also referred to as the "bottle with viruses inside" or the "Game Field". [TOP/SCORE clipboard] This display is located in the top-left corner of the screen, and it shows two things at once on a clipboard (to go along with the game's theme). "TOP" is the highest score received while playing Dr. Wario, and you can also view it either on the Title Screen or the Games menu. On the Title Screen, it will appear above the start option, and whenever you have Dr. Wario highlighted on the Games menu, it will appear as "High Score" (and the extraneous zeros will have been removed). "TOP" is only updated (and saved onto the game) after you lose; it will not update at the end of each round, and it does not update, if you quit in any way. "TOP" starts off at 00010000 on new data, and can range from 00000000 to 99999999. "SCORE" is the current accumulation of points you’ve received from clearing viruses, and it will carry over into the next round. Note--your score does not increase through the elimination of pill segments. "SCORE" ranges from 00000000 to 99999999, but, unlike "TOP", you can see "SCORE" being updated. "SCORE" can never be greater than "TOP". "SCORE" will be reset to 0000000, if you lose. [Magnifying Glass] This display is located in the bottom-left corner of the screen. The Magnifying Glass shows a blue virus, a yellow virus, and a red virus, slowly rotating counterclockwise. These viruses show the status of their color group. When viruses are cleared in the pill jar, the viruses that correspond in color under the Magnifying Glass will fall to the ground and agonize for a few seconds (while this is going on, rotation will come to a halt). If every virus of a specific color is cleared, the corresponding virus(es) under the Magnifying Glass will be eradicated. Conversely, if you lose a game, the viruses under the Magnifying Glass will laugh at you. An interesting thing about this display is that if you're on the Title Screen or Menu Screen directly after playing a game of Dr. Wario, the viruses under the Magnifying Glass continue to rotate, as if a game is in progress (once you've completely canceled out of Dr. Wario, the viruses are restored to their default positions under the Magnifying Glass). [Dr. Wario sprite/next pill] This display is located in the top-right corner of the screen. The pills are generated randomly, but this display shows you what the next pill will look like, so you can use foresight and plan on where you’ll put it. If you lose, Wario shrugs in panic, which is similar to how Mario/Luigi would fall off the screen in a shrugging position whenever they died in "Super Mario Brothers" on the NES. In various Dr. Mario instruction booklets, this is also referred to as the "next capsule". [LEVEL/VIRUS/SPEED clipboard] This display appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen and shows three things at once on a clipboard (to go along with the game's theme). "LEVEL" indicates how many viruses you start with at the beginning of each game and what rows of the pill jar they can occupy. "LEVEL" can range from 00 to 99, but it will be reset to 20 on the Menu Screen, if you clear any level after 20 and lose. "VIRUS" enumerates how many viruses are left, and it can range from 0 to 68. "VIRUS" will be reset to the appropriate number if you lose. "SPEED" shows what speed you chose on the Menu Screen. The speed determines how fast your pills will fall. Check the paragraph above titled "Menu Screen" for more details on "LEVEL", "VIRUS", or "SPEED". [Clear display] This display appears over the pill jar when you've eliminated every virus in the pill jar. It prompts you to "PUSH A" (the A Button), so you can move on to the next round. [Game Over display] This display appears over the pill jar when you've blocked the entrance to the pill jar. It prompts you to "PUSH A" (the A Button), so you can start over from the Menu Screen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2.C.) GAME-PLAY MECHANICS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This section and others contain diagrams that may be difficult to follow, so I'll explain the meanings behind each symbol here. Uppercase letters represent viruses and lowercase letters represent pill segments. Each b/B is a blue pill segment/virus, each y/Y is a yellow pill segment/virus, and each r/R is a red pill segment/virus. Arrows (->) point to a progressive phase of an example, and the phases in an example should be viewed in the same order that words are read in English (left to right, from top to bottom). Asterisks (*) indicate where a pill segment or a virus was just destroyed. Pipes (|) or dashes (-) indicate that two pill segments are connected. Because of this I have left a space and a line in between each adjacent virus or pill segment. Essentially, I've just added a placeholder in between every space for these pipes/dashes. Continuous pipes or dashes show the boundaries of the pill jar. B--blue virus b--blue pill segment R--red virus r--red pill segment Y--yellow virus y--yellow pill segment Arrows (->)--follow them to the next step in an example Asterisks (*)--shows elimination of a virus or pill segment Pipes (|)--shows that two pill segments are bonded together vertically Dashes (-)--shows that two pill segments are bonded together horizontally Continuous pipes/dashes--pill jar's boundary To save space, examples made up of different phases will not show any pill movement, unless the pill is navigated through a narrow opening. In the phases where a pill suddenly appears resting on something, the pill is assumed to have fallen directly into that place after entering the pill jar. Again, to save space, some examples will already begin with pills/pill segments setup in the first phase. If the larger diagrams are too confusing, try going through the phases in the reverse order, and focus on the lines that were just cleared then the pills/pill segments that cleared the lines. Note--this section gives a very in-depth description of how the pill jar works, and it goes into a lot of detail. If you're just looking for a brief explanation of how to play Dr. Wario/Dr. Mario, here it is: Use the pills to line up the colors and clear the viruses. If you want to know how score is calculated, check section 4.B. [The pill jar] The pill jar is important because it represents your workspace, and you'll constantly be fighting for control of it. The pill jar is 8 spaces wide by 13 spaces tall: 1.) ---- ---- | |-13 | |-12 | |-11 | |-10 | |-9 | |-8 | |-7 | |-6 | |-5 | |-4 | |-3 | |-2 | |-1 ---------- |||||||| 12345678 [The entrance to the pill jar] The entrance to the pill jar is made up of two adjacent spaces (the two middle spaces in the top row of the pill jar--see example 1 above). These two spaces are where each pill enters the pill jar. Make sure to keep this two-space-wide area free of pill segments at the end of each turn. Otherwise, the game will end on the next turn, when the next pill can't enter the pill jar. Additionally, if a pill segment does block the entrance to the pill jar, the next pill will overlap the previous pill in an effort to try and occupy the same space. The new pill will replace anything within the two entrance spaces, but it will NEVER cause any lines to be cleared. [The viruses] At the beginning of each game, a predetermined amount of viruses will appear inside of the pill jar. Each virus only occupies one of the 104 spaces within the pill jar, and each virus will remain fixated to the space where it appeared: 2.) ---- ---- v = a random virus | | | | | | | | | | | v | |v v | | vvvvv | |vv v v | | vvv v| |v v vv | | v v vv| |vvv v v| ---------- Viruses are assigned to specific rows based on the virus level (see the "Menu Screen" paragraph in section 2.B for details). Simultaneously, the virus level also determines how many viruses can appear in the pill jar (again, see the "Menu Screen" paragraph in section 2.B for details). The appropriate quantity of viruses is randomly arranged within the appropriate rows. Viruses come in three different colors: Red, yellow, and blue. While the game is arranging the viruses at the beginning of each level, it will not try to maintain an even color ratio (1:1:1), although it does ensure that EVERY level has at least one of each virus color. This is why level 00 starts off with three viruses, but the next four rounds only add two viruses to each level. Viruses only follows one more rule; there cannot be more than two consecutive same-color viruses in a row or column: 3.) Y R Y Y Y R R Y R R Y Other than that, viruses can appear in any arrangement within the allotted rows. [The pills] Unlike viruses, pills do not begin in the pill jar; they gradually fall into it. Pills are made up of two segments, and both of these segments occupy adjacent spaces in the pill jar (each pill is just two adjacent pill segments, but two adjacent pill segments aren’t always a pill): 4.) ---- ---- v = a random virus | pp | | | p = a random pill segment | | | | | | | v | |v v | | vvvvv | |vv v v | | vvv v| |v v vv | | v v vv| |vvv v v| ---------- Pills also come in three different colors: Blue, red, and yellow. Since the pills occupy two adjacent spaces, they can be two different colors and usually are. This leaves the possibility of six different pill combinations: All-blue, blue-red, blue-yellow, all-yellow, yellow-red, and all-red. On every turn, Dr. Wario will throw a pill into the pill jar. You can check the Dr. Wario sprite/next pill display in the top-right corner of the screen to see what pill Dr. Wario will throw on your next turn. When a pill enters the pill jar, it will be in its horizontal position, like example 4 above, and it will fall towards the bottom of the pill jar. You will be given control of the pill from the time it enters the pill jar to the time it comes to rest on a virus or a pill segment or the bottom of the pill jar. When all pill segments come to rest, Dr. Wario will throw the next pill. While a pill is falling, pressing left, right, or down on the Control Pad will move the pill one space in the chosen direction. Also, holding down any of these directions will continuously move the pill in the chosen direction. Pressing the A Button will rotate it in a clockwise fashion, and pressing the B Button will rotate it in a counter-clockwise fashion. However, holding the A or B button will not rotate the pill continuously. When pills rotate, one segment will be tentatively anchored in the space it occupies (due to the fact that it is still falling), while the other segment will toggle between the space above the first pill segment and the space to the right of the first pill segment: 5.) |y | |b | || | || | |b |b-y |y |y-b | -> | -> | -> | | | | | | | | | |R R |R R |R R |R R ---- ---- ---- ---- This is a clockwise example. This might lead you to ask what would happen if a pill in its vertical position is moved next to the right-hand side of the pill jar and rotated twice in the same direction. Well, it would actually move the "anchored" pill segment one space to the left without even using the Control Pad: 6.) b | b| | r | | | || | | | r | r| b-r| b | | -> | -> | -> | | | | | | | | | Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| ---- ---- ---- ---- This is a counter-clockwise example. You may also be wondering what would happen if a pill in its horizontal position is moved directly underneath the top of the pill jar and rotated twice in the same direction. This will have a slightly different result because the top of the pill jar acts as a cutoff point; it allows the top half of a pill to pass through it, but if the pill comes to rest with the upper pill segment on the other side of the boundary, the upper pill segment will be truncated: 7.) y ------- ----- ------- ----- ---+--- ----- ------- ----- | y-b | y-b | b | b-y | -> | -> | -> | | b | b | b | b 8.) y ------- ----- ------- ----- ---+--- ----- ------- ----- | b-y | b-y | b | b | -> | -> | -> | | b | b | b | B [Clearing viruses] The general objective in Dr. Wario/Dr. Mario is to destroy all the viruses in the pill jar. This goal is reached by aligning pills next to viruses that coordinate in color. When a straight line of four or more spaces is occupied by same-color pill segments/viruses, each pill segment/virus in that line is eliminated. Note- this only works vertically and horizontally, not diagonally. 9.) b 10.) b 11.) b 12.) B b b b b b b 13.) B B b b b B b 14.) b b b b B B b [Combos] The two segments of a pill always enter the jar in a connected state, and they only break apart when one of them has been destroyed: 15.) y-r * r 16.) y y y y y y | | | -> y-b * b R r r r * * * * -> y-r * r Y * The interesting and pivotal twist to this game is that the viruses are fixated in their positions, while the pills must obey the laws of gravity. This gives you the opportunity to perform combos with any pill segments that are no longer resting on anything when a line is eliminated, (pill segments that have been displaced as a result of a combo will always fall at medium speed, but you will always be given points based on the speed setting you chose on the Level Select Menu): 17.) r-y * y b b b r-y b r-y b * y b y b * | | | | | | | b -> b r-y -> b r-y -> b r-y -> b * y -> b y -> b * B R B R B R B R B * B y B * Y Y Y Y Y Y * Combos can combine onto each other, creating incredible chain reactions, which are comprised of different sequences. 18.) b y b y b y | | | | | | b y b y b y b-b b-b r b-b * b y b y | | | | | y-b y-b r y-b * b y b y b | b-r b-r b * b-b b * b R -> R -> * -> y-b -> y * -> b -> Y Y Y Y Y Y b Y Y * Y Y y y Y Y | y-b y-b y-b y-b y * y y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y B B B B B B ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- b | b b * * * * -> -> * * b * | * * b * * * b * B B * ------- ------- ------- When displaced pill segments are falling, you can hold the down arrow on the Control Pad to make each sequence drop faster. Each sequence takes place after everything has come to rest, THEN the next lines are cleared, and THEN the next sequence begins. Make sure you plan ahead for this because an earlier sequence can accidentally affect a later sequence in the wrong way: 19.) b b b | | | b b b b b b | | | y y r y * b b | | | y-y y-y r y-y * b b y-r y-r y * b b b -> -> -> | -> | -> | R R * y y b Y Y Y Y Y Y y-y Y Y * * * * b | y * y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y * Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y * Y B B B B B B ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- Notice the difference between examples 18 and 19? However, arranging an impressive display of combos takes some practice and experience. You'll need to know exactly which pill you're looking for and exactly where to stack it. More importantly, you'll need to know how to deal with the unwanted pills. Even getting the pills from point A to point B can be difficult at times. [Winning] As you make your way towards clearing every virus, some noticeable changes will occur under the Magnifying Glass; after clearing every virus of a specific color in the pill jar, the corresponding virus under the Magnifying Glass will be eradicated. The instant you've cleared the last virus, the round will end, and the Clear display will appear (if any pill segments are left displaced, the round will still end before they can fall). You will, then, begin a new round on the next virus level. If you clear levels 5, 10, 15, or 20 on medium or high speed, you will view a special scene before starting the next level (check section 4.C). As long as you clear each round, the game will continue, indefinitely. Once, you've cleared level 99, you'll continually play it over again, until you quit or lose. [Losing] If, at the end of your turn, the pills are stacked up so high that they block either half of the two-space-wide entrance to the pill jar, you will lose. At this time, the viruses under the Magnifying Glass will begin laughing, and the Game Over display will appear. Keeping the entrance to the pill jar clear of pills may sound easy enough to do, but it eventually becomes a difficulty one way or another. Some levels will begin with only a few spaces between the viruses and the entrance to the pill jar. Another thing to consider is that your pills will gradually drop faster as you drop more of them. Specifically, every tenth pill you drop will cause a slight increase in the speed at which they fall. Once you've finished the round, the speed of the pills will be set back to whatever you chose on the Menu Screen. You can see how the game ensures that things will snowball out of control sooner or later. If the need arises, you can bring up the Pause Menu at any time by pressing Start. While the game is paused, everything on the Game Screen will disappear except for the text on the Pause Menu, so you can't cheat. When the game is unpaused, everything will reappear exactly as it was before pausing the game. ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 3.) STRATEGIES ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* Please read the first few paragraphs of section 2.C, so that you can better understand the diagrams in this section. Generally, strategies fall into two categories: Accumulating score and survival. Strategies for survival should always be used by default. If you're planning on getting a high score, you'll want to use strategies that increase the amount of viruses you clear on each turn because they exponentially increase your score. [Survival] Keeping the entrance to the pill jar free of pill segments doesn’t ever really get that difficult unless you're running out of room, or the speed at which the pills drop has increased to a ridiculously fast level. You should exercise caution on any virus levels past 14 because you'll have five or less rows between the viruses and the top of the pill jar. As your work space becomes limited to a bare minimum of three rows, your margin for error decreases drastically. For these higher virus levels, your number one priority should be to clear the viruses immediately below the entrance to the pill jar. A single mistake in that area could very easily cause you to lose the game. The longer those viruses exist, the longer they will be in the way and impede your progress. Sometimes, though, you really can’t avoid placing pill segments where they aren’t directly compatible with viruses. The viruses in the upper corners of the pill jar, however, are not as critically important. They can easily be cleared afterwards and do not block your access to many viruses. More importantly, making a mistake in the upper corners of the pill jar will not directly contribute to blocking the entrance of the pill jar. Although these viruses are not as vital as the topmost-center viruses, they should also be eliminated soon after clearing out a sizable workspace. If access to any of these upper areas should become blocked, I suggest clearing the pill segments/viruses horizontally soon after the problem occurs: 1.) ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- | | | | | | | | | | r-b| r-b| r-b| r-b| r-b| | | | | | r-b | b r-b | r-b | y r-b | y r-b | | -> | | -> | -> | | -> | B | b B | b-b B | b b-b B | * * * * | | | | | | Y B R R Y| Y B R R Y| Y B R R Y| Y B R R Y| Y B R R Y| 2.) ------- -- ------- -- ------- -- ------- -- | | | | | | | | | r-y | r-y | r-y | r-y | | | | | y-r | y-r | b y-r | b y-r | -> | -> | | -> | | -> | Y R | y Y R | y y Y R |b-y y y Y R | | | | | | | |B R B Y R |B R r B Y R |B R r B Y R |B R r B Y R | | | | |Y R R B |Y R R B |Y R R B |Y R R B ------- -- | | | r-y | | b y-r | |b * * * * R | |B R r B Y R | |Y R R B This allows you to take care of the problem right then and there instead of waiting until all the other viruses are cleared except for one long column. It will almost be as though you were never interrupted by the problem at all. Also, you’ll already have existing pill segments/viruses you can use as a platform to place pills on. By waiting until later, however, you’ll eventually have to pile some pills in order to reach the blocked area. If you do decide to wait until later to clear up the blocked area, you should first clear the viruses at the bottom of the column, then you should make your way up from virus to virus. If you haven't left a mess on the bottom of the pill jar, you’ll easily be able to clear the first few viruses horizontally. Once you’ve opened up enough room, you can begin placing the pills underneath the viruses and clear them directly from the bottom up. You might even just want to clear every virus horizontally. Either way, while piling these pills, be careful not to accidentally clear any part of the pile that you'll be using as a platform. Hopefully, you’ll see how much easier it would have been, if you had just fixed the problem when it was first created. One thing that I've come to discover about the Dr. Mario games is that the only real difficulty is deciding where to put unwanted pieces. It won't take long before you're given a pill that you have no idea what to do with. A lot of the time, though, seemingly incompatible pills have multiple places where they ARE compatible with viruses whether directly or indirectly (see the example 3 for indirect compatibility). Even if there is absolutely no good place to put a specific pill, put it as far away from the entrance to the pill jar as possible without disturbing anything you already have set up (and hope it never happens at the beginning of level 19 or higher virus levels). If an incompatible pill is comprised of two colors, try to put it somewhere where at least one of the segments will coordinate in color with another pill segment or virus. As you get more of those specific pills, you can pile them up in an orderly fashion, until a line is cleared. A similar strategy should be used if both segments of the pill are incompatible. Another thing you can do with an incompatible pill is place it above compatible pill segments/viruses with the intention of horizontally clearing the incompatible rows in between: 3.) | r| r| r| r| | | || || || || | | r| b r| y b r| y b r| r| | -> | -> | | -> | | | -> | -> || Y Y| Y Y| y Y Y| y y Y Y| * * * *| y b r| | | | | | | Y B R| Y B R| Y B R| Y B R| Y B R| Y B R| [Accumulating score] First off, your score will NEVER be saved, if you quit or power off the game. Whenever, you need to end the game and save your top score, make sure that you lose via blocking the entrance to the pill jar. This is the only way the data will be saved. Score is accumulated only through clearing viruses; clearing pill segments will NOT add to your score. The fastest way to accumulate score is through combos. As you clear more viruses in a combo, your score increases exponentially. A cap is placed on the exponential increase of your score, if more than seven viruses are cleared in a combo. However, it is more profitable to clear over seven viruses in a combo, than it would be to clear up to seven viruses, and, then, start on a new combo (see section 4.B for details). The idea is to clear as many viruses as you possibly can in one turn; if you can safely add another virus onto a combo, do so. Also, the speed setting acts as a multiplier for your score, so you should always set it on as high a speed as you can keep up with. Of course, increasing the speed will make producing a large combo even more difficult than it already is. If the speed is too much for you, then practice on a lower setting (if possible), until you feel that you're ready. While you, now, might want to incorporate a lot of viruses into a large combo, the opportunity may not always provide itself because of a cramped workspace. Usually, you'll need to clear out about five rows of workspace for what I would consider to be a large combo (10 or more viruses). Usually you can find a pair of same-color viruses next to each other in a row or column. These pairs of same-color viruses provide the best arrangements for creating large combos because they cut down on the amount of pill segments needed to clear a virus, and they double the amount of viruses that normally would've been cleared: Note--the examples in this section have many variations to them regarding virus color and arrangement, so don't bother looking for these specific examples. Also, these examples are just small portions of the entire pill jar and usually require a little work to locate amongst all the other viruses. 4.) y * | B B y B * -> -> Y Y * Y Y * Also, each method for clearing a virus has both a vertical and a horizontal counterpart. Here is the horizontal counterpart for example 4: 5.) B Y B Y B Y B Y Y Y -> y-y Y Y -> y-y Y Y -> * * * * R R R R If the same-color viruses are in the same column or row, but there is a gap between them, it requires one or two pill segments to fill in the gap. This is basically the same strategy as 4 and 5, except the pill is wedged between the viruses: 6.) R R R r-r R * * * * -> -> Y R Y Y R Y Y R Y --------- --------- --------- In example 6, there are two viruses that the pill is placed between, but sometimes there may be a pair of same-color viruses, like in examples 4 and 5, on one or both ends of the gap. This is a variant of example 6's vertical counterpart: 7.) R R R * R b R R * -> | -> -> r b-r b * R R R * I like to call this next tactic "wedging". It's a variant of example 7 and can be a bit tricky, but with some simple timing, it'll work wonders. A single virus is blocking your access to the two-space-wide gap between two same-color viruses. This creates a one-space-wide opening into the lower half of the gap. While moving the accordingly colored pill horizontally into that gap, you can rotate it, (in either direction) and wedge it between the same-color viruses before it comes to rest. If the obstructing virus were blocking the lower half of the gap, this strategy would not work. This situation is a little hard to come by and requires a specific pill, but, when it occurs, you'll be glad that you know it's possible to take out viruses in this manner: 8.) |R |R |R |R |R |* | | | | | | | B | B r | B | B |r B |* B | -> | | -> | -> | -> || -> | | | r | r-r |r-r |r |* | | | | | | |R |R |R |R |R |* This will NOT work, if you're approaching the same-color viruses from the left (see example 5 in section 2.C). Though, in "Tetris & Dr. Mario" and "Dr. Mario 64", you can wedge pills when approaching the viruses from the left. However, if two same-color viruses are not in the same column or row, you can intersect two lines to incorporate the two viruses in a combo. The only problem is that you may accidentally clear only one of them: 9.) b b | B b-b B b-b B b-b b B * * * * B -> y-r B -> y-r B -> y-r B -> y-r b Y R Y R Y R Y R Y R ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- This is how to clear both of them: 10.) B B B B b-b B B B B y-r B y-r B -> -> -> -> -> Y R Y R b Y R b Y R b Y R b | | | | b b b b --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- r r | b-b b B * * * * y-r B -> y-r * Y R b Y R * | b * --------- --------- As, shown in example 10, the best way to clear two intersecting lines is to place the last pill segment where the two lines intersect. This task is facilitated by forming a T out of them. If you've got just the right amount of spaces between the two same-color viruses, you can also form an L out of the two intersecting lines: 11.) y y | B B b-b B b b-b B * * * * R Y -> b R Y -> b R Y -> b R Y -> * R Y | | | b b b * B B B B * Sometimes, if you're lucky (and there is a great deal of luck involved in playing this game due to its random nature), you'll come by a very specific cross-shaped array of viruses that are all the same color. This cross-shaped group of viruses is a mixture of examples 6 and 7, coming to a total of as little as four viruses or as many as eight. The eight-virus version can produce one of the most lucrative combos possible with just two pills (four pill segments, one of which isn't even used to clear the lines): 12.) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y y | Y Y Y Y Y Y y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y y Y Y -> | -> -> -> -> r y-r y-r y-r Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Y * Y * Y Y y-y Y Y * * * * * * -> y-r * r Y * Y * ----------- ----------- If the viruses appear like this, you won't be able to incorporate the two lines into a combo without a lot of preparation that wouldn't really be worth it anyway. 13.) Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y y -> | -> -> Y Y Y Y Y Y y Y Y Y Y y-y Y Y * * * * * * Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- Usually, though, the best you'll be able to find is a T-shaped arrangement of same-color viruses: 14.) R R R R R * r-b r-b r r-b r-b * b | R R -> R R -> R R -> r R R -> r-r R R -> * * * * R B R B R B R B R B * B R R R R R * On virus levels higher than 10, you can usually find pairs of same-color viruses, like in examples 4 and 5, in adjacent rows or columns or even the same row or column. These pairs of same-color viruses provide great arrangements for creating combos: 15.) R R R R R Y B -> Y B r -> Y B r r -> Y B r r -> Y B -> | | | R R B B R R b B B R R b b B B R R * * * * R R r r ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- R Y B * * * * ----------- 16.) | |y-y |y-y r |y-y r r |y-y r r | | | | | | | | | | |B B |B B |B B b |B B b b |* * * * | r r | -> | -> | -> | -> | -> | -> | Y Y | Y Y | Y Y | Y Y | Y Y |y-y Y Y | | | | | | |R R |R R |R R |R R |R R |R R -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- | r r | | | | | |* * * * -> | -> | | | | |R R |R R r r |* * * * -------- -------- -------- Pairs of same-color viruses will even appear in the form of "squares", so that each virus within the square is the same color, or each row or column of the square is the same color. Nonetheless, either arrangement only requires two pills to clear the viruses. 17.) | | r-y| * *| | | | | | r-y| r-y| * *| | -> | -> | -> | R Y| R Y| R Y| * *| | | | | R Y| R Y| R Y| * *| 18.) R R R R r R R r r * * * * | | | R R R R r R R r r * * * * -> -> -> r-y r-y r-y * y R R R * Based off of the last two arrangements, examples 19 and 20 help lead to a myriad of large combos (you'll see the connection soon). An identical square of viruses is aligned with the first square, so that two pills can fit between the identical squares and clear every virus. However, it'll take some time and luck to get both squares to align. Though, you can always settle for imperfection: 19.) R Y| r-y R Y| R Y| R Y| r-y R Y| R Y| | | | | | | R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| | | | | | | | | | | | r-y | | -> | -> | -> | -> | -> | -> | | r-y | r-y| r-y| r-y| | | | | | | R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| R Y| | | | | | | Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| Y Y| R Y| * *| | | R Y| * *| | | r-y| * *| | -> | r-y| * *| | | R Y| * *| | | Y Y| Y *| 20.) R R R R R R r R R R R r r R R * * * * * * | | | R R R R R R r R R R R r r R R * * * * * * -> -> -> r-y r-y r-y * y R R R * The next method involves setting up pills to combo successively lower layers of viruses. "Stacking" is the term I use to describe this method, and, when employed correctly, it can easily clear over eight viruses in a combo. The idea behind stacking is to set up a combo, but, before you initiate it, place just enough pill segments on top of your setup to clear the next virus. You can expand upon your setup even further until you run out of room or viruses, although you should be cautious not to cut off your access to the initial line that you intend on clearing. If you look back to examples 15 and 16, you might get a small preview of what's to come. The process of stacking becomes increasingly time-consuming and necessitates a greater deal of foresight, as the scope of your ambition broadens. You'll constantly be waiting on just the right pill, you'll probably run out of room (which is why I originally instructed you to clear out some workspace), and you'll probably come close to blocking the entrance to the pill jar. When stacking, reserve a few columns for the pills that you can't use. Don't just randomly pile the unwanted pills; make sure that you're working on eliminating them, so that they don't pile up too high and jeopardize everything. Here are two examples of stacking: 21.) r-y r-y r-y r r-y r r-y r r-y r-y r-y | | | r r y r r y r r y r r-y r r-y | | | | | | | | y r b r y y r b r y y r b r r r y r r y | | | | | | | | | y b b-r y r b b-r y * b b-r r b r r * * | y-r b-b -> y-r b-b -> y * b-b -> b b-r -> * * * -> r-b r r-b r * b r b-b r * * * R B R R B R * B R y b B R * * * * | B R B R B R y B R * * R Y Y Y Y Y Y y y Y Y * * * * Y B R Y Y B R Y Y B R Y Y B R Y * B R Y r-y * y r-y * y r r * * y * | -> -> -> r R * * y * r y * y y * B R Y B * Y B Y B * 22.) ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- b b| b b| b b| | | | | || | || | || | | | r b| r b| r b| b b| b b| | | | | | || | || | r-b| r-b| r-b| r b| r b| | | | | | | | b r-y| b r-y| b r-y| r-b| r-b| | | | | | | | | | | b y| b y| b y| b r-y| b r-y| | || || || | | | | | b r| b r r| b r r| b y| b y| b b| | | | | | | | || | | || y y-r| -> y y y-r| -> y * y-r| -> b r| -> b *| -> r b| -> | | | | | | | y-y y | y-y y | y * y | y y-r| * * *| r-b| | | | | | | y-y R| y-y R| * y R| y y R| * * *| b r-y| | | | | | | | y Y R| y Y R| * R| y r y R| * r * *| b r y| | | | | | | Y R Y Y| Y R Y Y| Y R Y Y| Y R Y Y| * R * Y| b R Y| | | | | | | B R Y Y| B R Y Y| B R Y Y| B R Y Y| B R * Y| B R Y| | | | | | | Y R B| Y R B| Y R B| Y R B| Y R B| Y R B| -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- b b| | | | | | || | | | | r b| | | | | | | | | | r-b| | | | | | | | | | * r *| b b| b b| | | | -> | || -> || -> | -> | * r *| r r b| r * b| r b| r *| | | | || | * R *| R r-b| R * b| R b| R *| | | | | | * R *| R r | R * | R b| R *| | | | | | Y R B| Y R B| Y * B| Y b B| Y b *| -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- This is where the previous examples finally come together. To increase the amount of pills you can stack and, ultimately, the amount of viruses you clear in a combo, you should clear the first virus(es) horizontally. Additionally, for each sequence that clears a pair of same-color viruses, you will simultaneously increase the amount of pills you can stack and the amount of viruses cleared in the combo. As mentioned before, it takes a bit of luck to come across a bunch adjacent same-color virus pairs, but at least now you have a more specific idea of what you're looking for: 23.) | r-b | r-b | r-b | | | | | | | |y r-b |y r-b |y r-b | | || || || | | |y b-b |y b-b |y b-b | | | | | | | |b y-y |b y-y |b y-y |y |y || || || || || |b y-y |b y-y |b y-y |y |y | | | | | |r R R |r R R r |* * * * |b r-b |* r-b || -> || | -> | -> || -> | -> |r R R |r R R r |* * * * |b r-b |* r-b | | | | | |B B B |B B B |B B B |B b-b B B |* * * * * | | | | | |B Y Y |B Y Y |B Y Y |B y-y Y Y |* * * * * | | | | | | Y Y | Y Y | Y Y | y-y Y Y | * * * * | | | | | |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B | | | | | |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B |Y R B ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- |y r-b |* * * || | |y r-b |* * * | -> | |Y R B |* * * | | |Y R B |* * * ---------- ---------- 24.) b-r y-b b-r y-b b-r y-b b-r y-b b-r y-b b-r y-b r-y r r y r-y r r y r-y r r y b-r y-b b-r y-b | | | | | | | | | r-y r r y r-y r r y r-y r r y b-r y-b b-r y-b B B b B B B B b b B B * * * * * * r-y r r y * * * * * | -> | | -> -> | | | -> -> B B b B B B B b b B B * * * * * * r-y r r y * * * * * R Y b-r R Y R Y b-r R Y R Y * r R Y R Y r R Y * * * * * R Y B R R Y R Y B R R Y R Y * R R Y R Y R R Y * * * * * B R Y Y B B R Y Y B B R Y Y B B R Y Y B B R Y Y B B R R Y B B R R Y B B R R Y B B R R Y B B R R Y B ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- b-r y-b * * * * b-r y-b * * * * -> B R Y Y B * * Y * * B R R Y B * * R * * ----------- ----------- [Pointers] Here are a few isolated tips that should improve your overall skill: Don't forget that you can eliminate lines horizontally (or from the bottom up). Clearing lines horizontally usually takes a little practice, and, even when you're experienced at it, it usually leaves a small mess. A lot of great combos are overlooked because people tend to only clear viruses vertically. When people first start playing Dr. Wario/Dr. Mario, they almost always rely on clearing lines vertically. The fact that the pills FALL towards the viruses contributes to a vertical-oriented thinking style. Two other factors may be that the pill jar is about 1.5 times as tall as it is wide, and you'll usually only have access to the top layers of the viruses. One of the biggest problems that I had, when I first started playing Dr. Mario, was remembering which button rotated the pill clockwise and which button rotated the pill counterclockwise. To solve this problem, rely on one button for rotation, only using the other button when you've rotated a pill one too many times (or you could think of the other button as an "undo" button). Once you get used to that direction, switch things around and rely on the other direction. This should give you a sort of feel to pill rotation, so that you won't have to think about what to do; you'll KNOW what to do. Another problem I had with pill rotation was remembering which units the pill would occupy when rotating it into its horizontal position. Just try to remember that, when rotating a pill from its vertical position to its horizontal position, one segment of the pill always rotates into the column to the immediate right. Sometimes, you'll see a setup for a great combo, but it's buried under a jungle of viruses. Keep that setup in mind as you clear a path towards it, so that you don't accidentally eliminate any of the viruses prematurely. Keep an eye out for same-color viruses that only have a one-space-wide gap between them; they are a gold mine for gaining points, and they are great for quickly and efficiently clearing viruses. In this tip, I'm basically repeating the "Accumulating score" sub-section above, except I've reworded and abridged it, since I know a lot of you don't want to read the above sub-section. When scoring ("not like that you sicko!" --Colour Thief), go for as many viruses as you can in one turn. Each additional virus in a combo gives you more points than the last (until you clear more than seven of them). "Stacking" is the term I use to describe how one can systematically clear over ten viruses in a single turn. The concept involves piling pills exactly where they need to go in order to clear successively lower layers of viruses below the point at which the combo is initialized. Of course, this requires thorough experience (especially, if the stack is going to interchangeably clear vertical and horizontal lines). To start a "stack", place the proper pills on top of either a virus or a pill segment (this virus or pill segment will later act as the catalyst, so make sure you don't cut off your access to it). Make sure that accordingly colored pills align with the viruses that they will fall upon. Build upon this until you run out of room, then initiate the combo. The advice in this section should help you greatly, but don't expect to get better at Dr. Wario/Dr. Mario overnight. It takes time to familiarize yourself with these scenarios and the flow of game play in general. The one thing that always helps is practice. ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 4.) MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.A.) DR. MARIO'S HISTORY ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Although Mario's roots go further back to the days of Donkey Kong, for now, I'm only going to cover Dr. Mario. "Dr. Mario" came out about a year after "Tetris", another prominent puzzle game and probably the most widely known too. I can remember both games sparking a craze that carried on for years. In 1994, Dr. Mario and Tetris came together on the same game ("Tetris & Dr. Mario"), and after that, everyone kind of forgot about Dr. Mario. It wasn't until recently that Dr. Mario was redone ("Dr. Mario 64"), but it was, unfortunately, released at such a late period in the Nintendo 64's history that it received little attention, as Nintendo began shifting its focus to the GameCube. Releasing such an excellent game on a moribund system has probably caused Dr. Mario (the puzzle game, not the actual character) to fade into obscurity, though Dr. Mario (the character) has already made quite an impressionable appearance in "Super Smash Brothers: Melee". Two recent GameBoy Advance versions of Dr. Mario have already somewhat revitalized the series. Hopefully, with the future release of a GameCube version of Dr. Mario ("Nintendo Puzzle Collection"), the game's sensationalism will be restored. The following titles and release dates are North American unless otherwise specified. [DR. MARIO (GameBoy)] Dr. Mario was released for the GameBoy and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) simultaneously on December 1st, 1990. The GameBoy version hosts the original one-player ("Classic" mode) and two-player modes and the two original background music tracks ("Fever" and "Chill"). The most noticeable difference between this Dr. Mario and others is that this one is in black and white (blue viruses are grey, yellow viruses are white, and red viruses are black). Next, on the higher virus levels, viruses can appear in the second and third row from the top of the pill jar, yet, in every other Dr. Mario game, the top three rows are always devoid of any viruses. Interestingly enough, this Dr. Mario only has fifteen rows in the pill jar, while the standard seems to be sixteen rows (Dr. Wario is the only other exception). [Pros] --one of the most difficult Dr. Mario games, so it's good for practice --it's portable [Cons] --a very difficult Dr. Mario game, so it can get rather aggravating at times --lack of color makes it even more difficult to match the pills with the viruses --two-player mode requires two GameBoys, two copies of Dr. Mario, and a Game Link cable --under normal circumstances, it requires batteries (unless you're using an AC Adapter or an illegal ROM) --visually less appealing than all other Dr. Mario games [Japanese title/release date] Dr. Mario/July 27th, 1990 [DR. MARIO (NES)] Dr. Mario was released for the GameBoy and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) simultaneously on December 1st, 1990. The NES version hosts the original one-player ("Classic" mode) and two-player modes and the two original background music tracks ("Fever" and "Chill"). This Dr. Mario seems to have set the standard for the later Dr. Mario games. [Pros] --one of the easiest Dr. Mario games [Cons] --visually less appealing than later Dr. Mario games [Japanese title/release date] Dr. Mario/July 27th, 1990 [ARCADE DR. MARIO] The arcade version of Dr. Mario was released in 1990 and is an altered version of the NES Dr. Mario. Aside from being an arcade machine, the only other notable difference is the lack of a low speed setting and a general increase in the speed at which the pills drop (it takes less pills for the speed to increase, and the increase is greater than usual). [Pros] --probably the most difficult Dr. Mario game, so it's great for practice [Cons] --most difficult Dr. Mario game, so it can get very aggravating at times --can be difficult to find --costs money, if you're not using an emulator, or the machine isn't set to free play [TETRIS & DR. MARIO] Tetris & Dr. Mario was released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Aside from featuring both Dr. Mario and Tetris on the same game, it also contains a two-player game ("Mixed Match"), where you alternate playing between Dr. Mario and Tetris. Additionally, both games provide a two-player mode, a vs. computer mode, and redone background music tracks. [Pros] --Tetris --more two-player options than the original --slightly more difficult than Dr. Mario (NES), and it includes three difficulties of computer opponents, so it's rather good for practice --redone music tracks --better sound and graphics than the original [Cons] --slightly more difficult than Dr. Mario (NES), so it can get aggravating at times [WARIO LAND 3] "Wario Land 3" was released on May 31st, 2000 for the GameBoy Color. Fifteen characters from Wario Land 3 were put into Dr. Mario 64. These characters include Wario, Spearhead, Webber, Silky, Appleby, Jellybob, Octo, Helio, Lump, Hammer-Bot, Mad Scienstein, Rudy, Vampire Wario, Paragoom, and Spear-Bot. [Japanese title/release date] Wario Land 3/March 21st, 2000 [European title/release date] Wario Land 3/April 14th, 2000 [DR. MARIO 64] Dr. Mario 64 was released on April 10th, 2001 for the Nintendo 64. The most massive Dr. Mario game to date, it contains a plethora of game-play modes, including the original one-player and two-player mode and the later vs. computer mode. Even more amazing, it supports three four-player modes, three two-player modes, and saves your high scores and vs. records for each applicable game-play mode. This Dr. Mario also includes three new background music tracks (in addition to newer versions of the two original background music tracks), and its cast, except for Dr. Mario/Metal Dr. Mario, is taken directly out of Wario Land 3. [Pros] --twelve different game-play modes provide an unusual amount of variety for a Dr. Mario game --the most amount of multiplayer options in any Dr. Mario game --four-player mode --a wider variety of computer opponents than those in Tetris & Dr. Mario --the computer opponents with the higher skill levels provide probably the best multiplayer practice you'll find --redone (again) music tracks and three completely new music tracks --best sound and graphics of any Dr. Mario game --saves your records [Cons] --toughest computer players in any Dr. Mario game, so playing against some computers opponents can get aggravating at times [SUPER SMASH BROTHERS: MELEE] Super Smash Brothers: Melee was released on December 4th, 2001 for the GameCube. This mega-hit features many Nintendo characters, including Dr. Mario who attacks opponents with his "super sheet" and his megavitamins. This game also has an arranged version of Fever. [Japanese title/release date] Dairantou Smash Brothers DX/November 21st, 2001 [European title/release date] Super Smash Brothers: Melee/May 24th, 2002 [NINTENDO GAMECUBE PREVIEW DISC] This demo disc was released on May 20th, 2003 for the GameCube, and it allows you to download an altered version of the NES Dr. Mario onto the GameBoy Advance. This demo disc also contains a WarioWare Inc: Mega MicroGame$ download. The full version of WarioWare includes a Dr. Mario microgame and a Dr. Wario bonus game, but the download includes neither Dr. Mario game. The Dr. Mario download is pretty much the same exact thing as the NES version, except the download has no two-player mode. Also, the length of the screen has been shortened and everything appears squashed. Dr. Mario will only remain on your GameBoy Advance until it's powered off. [Pros] --it's portable [Cons] --you need to download it every time you want to play it --aside from the Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc, a GameCube, a GameCube AC Adapter, and a GameCube controller, it requires a GameBoy Advance and a GameBoy Advance Cable --no two-player mode --is slightly more difficult than the NES version due to the squashed appearance of the game --requires batteries (unless you're using an AC Adapter) --visually less appealing than other Dr. Mario games [WARIOWARE INC: MEGA MICROGAME$] "WarioWare Inc: Mega MicroGame$" was released on May 21st, 2003 for the GameBoy Advance. It hosts a Dr. Mario (NES) microgame and a Dr. Wario bonus game which is yet another altered version of the NES Dr. Mario. The microgame is nothing more than positioning an all-one-color pill where it will clear two viruses that are the same color (you don't even have to rotate the pill, and you can't anyway). Dr. Wario, on the other hand, is a parodied version of the NES Dr. Mario. The main differences are that there is no two-player mode, Chill is the only background music track, the pill jar is only thirteen rows tall (instead of sixteen), and that same-color viruses follow different arrangement rules. For a full list of differences see section 4.C. [Pros] --it's portable --it's the easiest Dr. Mario game due to different arrangement rules for same-color viruses --saves your high score [Cons] --no two-player mode --you can only listen to Chill --requires batteries (unless you're using an AC Adapter or an illegal ROM) --visually less appealing than other Dr. Mario games [Japanese title/release date] Made in Wario/March 21st, 2003 [European title/release date] Wario Ware Inc: Minigame Mania/May 23rd, 2003 [NINTENDO PUZZLE COMPILATION] Nintendo Puzzle Compilation is planned for future release on the GameCube, and will feature Panel de Pon (Tetris Attack/Pokemon Puzzle League), Yoshi's Cookie, and a direct port of Dr. Mario 64. [Japanese title/release date] Nintendo Puzzle Collection/February 7th, 2003 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.B.) SCORE ALGORITHM ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scoring in Dr. Wario is a simple process; you get a base amount of points (100 on low, 200 on medium, and 300 on high) for clearing the first virus, and for clearing subsequent viruses in the same turn, you get double the previous amount. Once, you've cleared more than seven viruses, the points you receive for clearing each virus stop doubling, but you'll continue to receive the previous amount of points for each additional virus cleared. Also, the speed that you have the pills set on acts as a multiplier for your score. Medium gives you twice the amount of points that low gives you, and high gives you three times the amount of points that low gives you. A piecewise function is required to make a formula out of this. The variable for speed is A, and the variable for the amount of viruses cleared is B. If the speed is set on low, A = 1, if the speed is set on medium, A = 2, and if the speed is set on high, A = 3. Don't forget the order of operations (parentheses, exponents, multiplication/division, then addition/subtraction), and that the caret (^) means "to the power of." If B is less than or equal to 7: 100A(2^B-1). If B is greater than or equal to 7: 6300A+6400A(B-6). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4.C.) INTERESTING STUFF ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Special scenes] Whenever you clear virus levels 05, 10, 15, or 20 on medium or high speed, you'll view a scene of the yellow, red, and blue virus standing atop a tree with an afternoon sky and some clouds in the background. Then, "CONGRATULATIONS!" and your virus level and speed are displayed. Afterwards, something ridiculous will fly across the screen for each combination of virus level and speed: [SPEED MED] VIRUS LEVEL 05--a book VIRUS LEVEL 10--a chicken VIRUS LEVEL 15--an upside-down can of spray paint VIRUS LEVEL 20--a dinosaur in an eggshell [SPEED HI] VIRUS LEVEL 05--a turtle VIRUS LEVEL 10--a pig VIRUS LEVEL 15--a witch VIRUS LEVEL 20--the afternoon sky eventually turns into a cloudless night sky, then flashes of light usher in a UFO which beams the viruses aboard and leaves, and then stars slowly fall down the screen Pressing the A Button will skip any of these scenes except for the UFO one; you must wait until the stars appear before you can skip this scene. [Statistics] Please read the first few paragraphs of section 2.C, so that you can better understand the diagrams in this sub-section. Also, keep in mind that most of these scenarios, which depict the best possible conditions, are VERY unlikely to ever occur. The most viruses that you can possibly clear with a single pill segment is four: 1.) B B B B -> B B b B B -> * * * * * --------- --------- --------- The most viruses that you can possibly clear with a single pill is ten: 2.) Y Y Y Y Y Y y Y Y * * * * * | Y Y Y Y Y Y y Y Y * * * * * -> -> Y Y * Y Y * The most viruses that you can possibly clear using two pills but without the assistance of a combo is also ten: 3.) R R R R R R R R R r R | R R R R R R r R R R R R R R R r R R R R r-r R R -> | -> -> -> -> r r-r r-r r-r R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4.) B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B b-b B B b-b B B -> -> -> -> -> b-b b-b b-b b-b B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B B * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The pill jar is made up of 104 units, and viruses can occupy up to 68 of those units, leaving as little as 36 units of workspace left. 24 of those units are already taken up through the three rows below the entrance to the pill jar. This leaves at least twelve empty units within the area that the viruses can occupy. While you will most likely never be lucky enough to come across this arrangement and a favorable pill order, the most viruses that you can possibly clear in one turn is 54 (though, you'd be lucky to clear more than fifteen): 5.) ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- |r-y b r y-b| |r-y b r y-b| |r-y b r y-b| | | | | | | | | | | | | | b b r r | | b b r r | | b b r r | | | | | | | | | | | | | | b r b r | | b r b r | | b r b r | | | | | | | | | | | | | |r r r b b b| |r r r b b b| |r r r b b b| | | | | | | |R Y Y y Y Y B| |R Y Y y y Y Y B| |R * * * * * * B| | | | | | | | | | |R Y Y y Y Y B| |R Y Y y y Y Y B| |R * * * * * * B| | | | | | | |B B B R R R| -> |B B B R R R| -> |B B B R R R| -> | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- |r-y y-b| |* y y *| | | | | | | | | |r b r b| |* b r *| | | | | | | | | | | | | |R b r B| |* b r *| | | | | | | | | |R r b B| |* r b *| | | | | | | | | |B B b B R r R R| |* * * * * * * *| | | | | | | | | | | |B B b B R r R R| -> |* * * * * * * *| -> | | -> | | | | | | |R R r R B b B B| |* * * * * * * *| | | | | | | | | | | |R R r R B b B B| |* * * * * * * *| | y y | | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B b B B R R r R| | | | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B b B B R R r R| | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R r R R B B b B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- | y y | | | |* * * * * * * *| | | |* * * * * * * *| | | |* * * * * * * *| ----------------- ...which would give you 313500 points on low speed, 627000 points on medium speed, and 940500 points on high speed. The most amount of points you can accumulate on any level (virus level 20 or higher) is 371000 points on low speed, 742000 on medium speed, and 1113000 points on high speed: 6.) ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- | r b r b | | r b r b | | r b r b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | r b r b | | r b r b | | r b r b | | | | | | | | y-y y-y | | y-y y-y y-y | | * * * * * * | | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| | | | | | | |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| |R R R B B B| | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| | | | | | | |B B B R R R| -> |B B B R R R| -> |B B B R R R| -> | | | | | | |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- | b r | | b r | | | | | | | | | | | | | | b r | | b r | | | | | | | | | |R r R R B B b B| |* * * * * * * *| | | | | | | | | | | |R r R R B B b B| |* * * * * * * *| | | | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B b B R r R R| | | | | | | | | |B B B R R R| |B B B R R R| |B B b B R r R R| | | -> | | -> | | -> |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- |* * * * * * * *| | | |* * * * * * * *| | | |Y Y Y B B B| | | |Y Y Y B B B| | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| ----------------- 7.) ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- ------- | y b | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | y b | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | y b | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | r y | | r y | | r y | | | | | | | | r y | | r y | | r y | | | | | | | | | | | | | | y b | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | y-r r-b | -> | y-r r-r r-b | -> | y * * * * b | -> | | | | | | |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| |Y Y Y B B B| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R Y R R Y Y B Y| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | r y | | r y | | | | | | | | | | r y | | r y | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | |Y y Y Y B B b B| -> |* * * * * * * *| -> | y b | -> | | | | | | |Y y Y Y B B b B| |* * * * * * * *| | y b | | | | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R * R R Y Y * Y| |R r R R Y Y y Y| | | | | | | |R Y R R Y Y B Y| |R * R R Y Y * Y| |R r R R Y Y y Y| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| | | | | | | |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| |Y R Y Y B B Y B| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | | y b | | | | | | | | | | | |* * * * * * * *| -> | | -> | | | | | | | | |* * * * * * * *| | y b | | y b | | | | | | | | | |Y * Y Y B B * B| |Y y Y Y B B b B| |* * * * * * * *| | | | | | | |Y * Y Y B B * B| |Y y Y Y B B b B| |* * * * * * * *| ----------------- ----------------- ----------------- Due to the cap on the exponential increase of your score (see section 4.B for details) and the fact that you can't clear more than 54 viruses in one turn, you could hypothetically clear one chunk of viruses with one, large combo and then clear whatever's left with one more combo and suffer little or no point loss at all (on any virus level past 17). In other words, since you'll have to perform two combos to get the most amount of points possible (on any virus level past 17), you could clear one half of the viruses with one combo and clear the other half of the viruses with another combo, and you wouldn't miss out on many points, if any at all. Of course, clearing such an astronomically large amount of viruses in a combo is unlikely in the first place. If you play from level 0 to 20, you'll have cleared 576 viruses by the time you reach level 20. If you play from level 20 to 99, you'll have cleared 5440 viruses by the time you complete level 99 (the first time). If you play all the way from level 0 to level 99, you'll have cleared 6016 viruses by the time you complete level 99 (the first time). All things considered, if you played through every level on low speed (0-99, and you've only completed level 99 once), you could have anywhere from 00601600 to 32690600 points (01203200 to 65381200 points on medium speed and 01804800 to 98071800 points on high speed). [Dr. Mario-Dr. Wario differences] Dr. Wario is almost identical to Dr. Mario (NES). The few major differences and the more subtle nuances either give the game a bootleg effect or personalize it for Wario. Here are all the differences in Dr. Wario that set it apart from Dr. Mario: [In general] --all music and sound effects sound slightly different [Pause Menu] --there wasn't a menu when you paused the game in the NES Dr. Mario, and it certainly wasn't accessible from the Title Screen or the Menu Screen [Title Screen] --a purple-checkered background appears instead of a green-checkered background --Wario is in the doctor's garb instead of Mario --"1 PLAYER GAME" option has been replaced by "START" (there is also the A Button icon and a diamond marking this option) --"2 PLAYER GAME" option has been replaced by "EXIT" (there is also the B Button icon and a diamond marking this option) --the dancing blue virus is animated completely different (though it still dances the same way) --"Dr. WARIO" is written where "Dr. MARIO" would've appeared (the M was just flipped) --the heart-shaped cursor has been removed, and menu items are selected via the A or B button --"TOP" appears above the "START" option (nothing appears in this area in the NES version) --your score can go to the ten millions place instead of the millions place --"Copyright 1990 Nintendo" has been removed --the demo has been removed [Menu Screen] --the "MUSIC TYPE" setting has been removed, causing Chill to be your only selection --purple-checkered background instead of a red- and yellow-checkered background --"GAME SETTING" appears where "1 PLAYER GAME"/"2 PLAYER GAME" would appear [Game Screen] --on the low speed setting, a purple-checkered background appears instead of a green-checkered background --Dr. Wario appears with your next pill instead of Dr. Mario, and he appears to be animated better than Dr. Mario is. --the larger virus sprites (the one used on the Title Screen and the ones under the Magnifying Glass) have all been redone (even the dying animation for the blue and red virus is slightly different) --"Dr. WARIO" is written where "Dr. MARIO" would've appeared (the M was just flipped) --while displaced pill segments are falling, you can press down on the Control Pad and make them fall faster (you can't do this in the NES Dr. Mario) --the pill jar is thirteen rows tall instead of sixteen rows tall which invariably leads to a difference in the amount of viruses on each virus level as well --Dr. Wario saves your highest score ("TOP") after being powered off --same-color viruses can appear with a one-space-wide gap between them (you can't do this in the NES Dr. Mario) --a 1:1:1 color ratio is not maintained among the viruses --when the game is paused, a menu appears and blocks everything out instead of just blocking everything out except for "PAUSE" --the music doesn't speed up at all (when three or less viruses are left in the NES Dr. Mario, the music speeds up) --the sound effect that signifies the slight increase in pill speed has been removed --the follow-up sound effect for clearing a virus has been removed (it's sounds like bugs crawling around) --your score can go to the ten millions place instead of the millions place --the exponential increase of your score reaches its maximum after clearing seven viruses instead of six --the UFO scene cannot be skipped (it can be skipped in the NES version) --some sound effects are added to the UFO scene in Dr. Wario --the viruses under the Magnifying Glass rotate in the right direction but the reverse order (blue-yellow-red instead of red-yellow-blue) --if you lose, any cleared viruses under the Magnifying Glass will not reappear (they did reappear in the NES version) --while you're on the Title Screen or Menu Screen, the viruses under the Magnifying Glass continue to rotate (once you've completely canceled out of Dr. Wario, the viruses are restored to their default positions under the Magnifying Glass) --instead of reading "START", the Clear and Game Over display prompt reads "PUSH A" --when you clear a level in Dr. Wario, the wrong victory music is played (in the NES Dr. Mario, different victory music is played based on whether you chose Fever or Chill) --in Dr. Mario, you can clear both a vertical line and a horizontal line on your last turn, but only lines that run the same way as those containing the last virus(es) will actually be cleared (in Dr. Wario this doesn't happen) Here's something to consider. Every Dr. Mario game thus far has traditionally featured both Fever and Chill as background music options. However, Dr. Wario only plays Chill, which seems to have been the less popular choice between the two, since Super Smash Brothers: Melee has an arranged version of Fever but not Chill. Apparently, Fever, with its cheerful tune, is more likely to be associated with Mario, so it's likely that Chill, which sounds a bit sinister, is naturally the opposite of Fever. This would make Chill perfect for Wario and explains why the rotation order under the Magnifying Glass is reversed (much like how the M in Mario is turned upside down to form Wario). However, Chill's victory music has been replaced with Fever's victory music. This is probably just because they did away with separate victory music in Dr. Mario 64 (which contains two additional background music tracks) and made Fever's victory music the only victory music. On a side note, combos in Dr. Mario are a slightly more complicated issue than combos in Dr. Wario. The reason for this is because all of the other Dr. Mario games have a two-player mode, where you can send junk pieces to an opponent every time a combo is performed, while Dr. Wario has no two-player mode and doesn't make any real use out of combos. You might be thinking, "What about when you use combos to rack up points?" Well technically, the number of viruses you clear on each turn is what gives you so many points, not combos; combos only help link sequences together, which is what allows you to clear so many viruses. Additionally, acknowledging the presence of combos is so unimportant in the one-player version of Dr. Mario (NES) that the sound effect for combos has been removed (which means that there is no sound effect for combos in Dr. Wario either). ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 5.) CREDITS ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* The following sources contributed to this FAQ and deserve due credit: [Colour Thief (GameFAQs screen name)] Colour Thief informed me that WarioWare would include a Dr. Mario microgame and a Dr. Wario bonus game. Additionally, Colour Thief corrected a bunch of mistakes I made in my original scoring algorithm for Dr. Mario 64 which is almost identical to the scoring algorithm for Dr. Wario. Colour Thief also brought the arcade version of Dr. Mario to my attention. [Morgasaurus (GameFAQs screen name)] Morgasaurus provided me with a quick reference to the NES Dr. Mario. [Shdwrlm3/Tyma (GameFAQs screen names)] I used their Wario Ware Inc: Mega Microgames FAQ to figure out how Dr. Wario is unlocked. I also learned of Dr. Mario 64's ties to Wario Land 3 through their FAQ. Shdwrlm3 also critiqued my FAQ which led to the addition of a paragraph that facilitates your understanding of the diagrams. [Denton Adkinson] Denton provided me with a quick reference to the NES Dr. Mario, and he also let me borrow the AC Adapter for his NES, so I could finally get my own NES working. [Rob McElmurray and Charlie Roland] These two rekindled my interest in Dr. Mario last summer. Rob also provided me with a quick reference to the NES Dr. Mario. [Harold Tessmann III] Harold brought an error in example 1 of section 3 to my attention. [GameFAQs] I acquired most of the game info/release dates from GameFAQs. [Various Nintendo sources (Dr. Mario instruction booklets, "Mario Mania" Nintendo Player's Guide, and Nintendo's official Web site)] I acquired the other release dates and the story behind the Dr. Mario series from Nintendo. [Everyone from the Dr. Mario 64 board (you know who you are)] They kept Dr. Mario alive (even though the board is always dead) and kept me playing the Dr. Mario games. Special thanks to CJayC for GameFAQs and Nintendo for both Wario Ware Inc: Mega Microgames and Dr. Mario ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* 6.) COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ******************************************************************************* ******************************************************************************* The following sites have permission to host this FAQ: GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com), WarioCompany (www.wariocompany.com), Neoseeker (www.neoseeker.com), and GameNotOver (www.gamenotover.com). This FAQ is copyright 2003 Paul Byrne. This guide is only for private, non-profit use and may not be distributed in any way without advance written approval. Use of this guide as a part of any public display or on any Web site other than those listed above is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. To avoid any problems, please contact me; there's a good chance I'll grant you permission to use my guide, IF you do not plan on altering it, distributing it, or hosting it in a disagreeable manner. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* *******************************************************************************