Title :Tetris & Dr. Mario
Platforms :Super NES
Publisher :Nintendo
Game Rating :n/a
Review by :Ken Gagne

What do you get when you combine the two most addictive action-puzzle games of all time? Nintendo's new Tetris & Dr. Mario game for the Super NES! 

The single cartridge contains both the hits Tetris and Dr. Mario, games which have seen almost every gaming platform. Move falling blocks to form complete lines in Tetris, and destroy viruses with color-coded capsules in Dr. Mario. Sounds easy enough, but you'll soon learn that it's not! 

The games themselves have not changed much in the move to 16-bit. Dr. Mario is unchanged, while Tetris now has player-vs-computer and player-vs-player options. The most notable addition is the new Mixed Match, in which two players go head-to-head in a timed combination of both games. 

Graphics have been updated, but only to a necessary minimum. The colors for the Tetris blocks range from colorful to disgusting, with bright pink everywhere. A bit more animation has been added to Dr. Mario. Music has been revised directly from the originals, and is noticeably improved with a few exceptions. A choice of music is always included, or you can just turn it off. 

Control handles well, but Tetris is more touchy than before, making it easier for mistakes to happen. 

Only players with no need for sleep should touch Tetris & Dr. Mario. Great fun for one or two people, it'll hook you for hours.


This article is copyright (c) 1995, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Boston Herald, 06-Feb-95