Tetris & Dr. Mario FAQ Copyright Nintendo 1987, 1989, 1990, and 1994 Written By Brian P. Sulpher E-mail: briansulpher@hotmail.com Version 1.7 Dates Written: November 24th to November 26th, 2002 I dedicate this to my brother Michael. We had many great battles in Dr. Mario. I won more than I lost, but I was never the Tetris player you were. I hope you know that this Christmas, we will lock up for a few rounds of intense gaming action! Also, for Cougar. I miss you, and I hope you are living it up in the afterlife as you did in this world. You will always be in my memories, and you will never be forgotten. Also, In memory of Howler and Koonce. You two never had a good start in your lives, but you had a good time when you spent your time at my house. It was oh so unfortunate that you both had your already tragic lives cut short, but I can only hope that I helped make your life a more enjoyable experience. You too will be missed, but not forgotten. ----------- Version 1.0 ----------- -Submitted guide on Novemebr 26th, 2002 ----------- Version 1.1 ----------- -Submitted guide on March 20th, 2003 -Edited format and grammar ----------- Version 1.2 ----------- -Submitted guide on November 17th, 2003 -Reformatted a few areas of the FAQ ----------- Version 1.5 ----------- -Submitted guide on October 22nd, 2004 -Reformatted a few areas of the FAQ, making it a lot easier on the eyes ----------- Version 1.6 ----------- -Submitted guide on March 11th, 2005 -I added in Honestgamers as a site allowed to use my FAQs ----------- Version 1.7 ----------- -Submitted guide on January 31st, 2006 -I added in Retronintendo as a site allowed to use my FAQs -Altered some format in a few areas ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Table Of Contents------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) Introduction 2) Tetris Controls 3) Tetris Rules 4) Tetris Pieces 5) Tetris Scoring 6) Tetris Strategies 7) Tetris Two Players 8) Dr. Mario Controls 9) Dr. Mario Rules 10)Dr. Mario Pills 11)Dr. Mario Scoring 12)Dr. Mario Strategies 13)Dr. Mario Two Players 14)Mixed Match 15)Final Word ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Introduction---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1) You have two of the greatest puzzle games ever created located on one magnificent cartridge. Enjoy the great action of both, try to score insanely high scores, and try to advance to incredibly high levels as you challenge your own reflexes as you strive for new highs! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Tetris Controls--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2) This section will list all of the controls you will need to know to become a Tetris Master! D-Pad : LEFT and RIGHT move the pieces in the corresponding direction. Holding DOWN will cause the piece in play to fall directly downward. SELECT : Hides the NEXT piece. START : Pauses/unpauses the game. L Button: No apparent use. R Button: No apparent use. Y Button: No apparent use. X Button: No apparent use. B Button: Turns piece in play counter-clockwise. A Button: Turns piece in play clockwise. -If you press SELECT, START, and the X, Y, B, A Buttons together will give you a trip to the opening screen (in laymans terms, it is a quick reset). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Tetris Rules----------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3) This section will review the rules of Tetris. This may be easy to understnad, but mastery of the game will take a fair bit more work. -To clear a line, you need to get a straight line of blocks all the way horizontally across the area. Figure One is the Reverse L Block coming down to complete the line, and Figure Two is after the line cleared. o---------o | Example | o---------o | FIGURE 1 | | +-+-+-+ | | | | | | +-+-+-+ | | | NEXT => | FIGURE 2 | | +-+ | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | +-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-------------+-+-+-+ -in the 00 to 09 level range, after you clear enough lines to equal the next level's numbers plus a 0 on the end (EXAMPLE: level5 clear is 60 lines). If you start on Level 10 or higher, the level will change after 100 lines before clearing every 10 lines following that. -If your pile runs too close to the top of the screen, the pile will over flow, and then you game ends. -"A Type" is a game where you see how long you can play, trying to get as many lines as possible as well as scoring as much as possible. -"B Type" is a special game where you need to clear 25 lines. There is also a height setting (0 to 5, with increasing starting heights of blocks) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Table Of Pieces------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4) This section will look at what each piece looks like, and the name for each piece. o--------------o | Square Block | o--------------o -This piece is the only one that when rotated, will not change it's look. Try to use these to fill wide gaps in your stack. +-+-+ | | | +-+-+ | | | +-+-+ o------------o | Tall Block | o------------o -This piece is the only one that can trigger a Tetris. Try to use these to fill narrow and deep holes in your stack. +-+ | | +-+ | | +-+ | | +-+ | | +-+ o-----------o | "T" Block | o-----------o -This piece should be used to even out your ragged tops of your stack. +-+-+-+ | | | | +-+-+-+ | | +-+ o-----------o | "Z" Block | o-----------o -These can be a real pain to use, but they also fill holes for you. +-+-+ | | | +-+-+-+ | | | +-+-+ o-----------o | "S" Block | o-----------o -These can be a real pain to use, but they also fill holes for you. +-+-+ | | | +-+-+-+ | | | +-+-+ o-----------o | "L" Block | o-----------o -These are useful for filling two block deep holes, and they are also good for building the stack up evenly. +-+ | | +-+ | | +-+-+ | | | +-+-+ o-------------------o | Reverse "L" Block | o-------------------o -These are useful for filling two block deep holes, and they are also good for building the stack up evenly. +-+ | | +-+ | | +-+-+ | | | +-+-+ These are the same way I will draw the strategies in a couple sections, so refer to this section if you are confused then. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------Tetris Scoring-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5) This section will look at the scoring patterns of the game. Level Single Double Triple Tetris 00 40 100 300 1200 01 80 200 600 2400 02 120 300 900 3600 03 160 400 1200 4800 04 200 500 1500 6000 05 240 600 1800 7200 06 280 700 2100 8400 07 320 800 2400 9600 08 360 900 2700 10800 09 400 1000 3000 12000 -What this means is that for each level you go up in number, your line value increases. Singles increase in increments of 40 points per level, Doubles increase in increments of 100 points per level, Triples increase in increments of 300 points per level, and Tetris' increase in increments of 1200 points per level. -If you hold DOWN to drop a piece faster than normal, you will receive a small amount of points for doing so (higher up you start dropping the block, the higher the amount of points gained from the action). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Tetris Strategies------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6) This section will look at great ways to run your score up, and to make your game play a little easier. a) The way to score the highest point totals are to score Tetris (no other line clears), and to start on a high level. This requires some practice, but if you can start on level 9 (12,000 point Tetris) or higher, you can run your score up incredibly high. b) Try to leave two blocks beside one another in your stack of equal height so you have somewhere to dump the Square Blocks when they come. o---------o | Example | o---------o | | | +-+-+ | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+-+ | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ c) Learn how all the pieces can be manipulated, and how they can fit into a stack. Some pieces have multiple uses (most notably the L and Reverse L Blocks) that can make your stack into a more piece insertion friendly stack. d) Sometimes you will get a piece that does not fit anywhere, but it can be used to decrease your stack while still building the stack for possible Tetris. EXAMPLE 1 will show how to do the T Block method, and EXAMPLE 2 will show how to do the L Block/Reverse L Block method. o-----------o | Example 1 | o-----------o | +-+ | | | | | | +-+ | | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | NEXT => | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ o-----------o | Example 2 | o-----------o | +-+ | | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | NEXT => | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ e) Try to leave your stack lower on the side you want to be dropping your Tall Blocks down. This will allow you more time to slide these tall ones to your hole. f) The following is useful only when the situation provides itself, but if you see the opportunity to do it, you should as it fills a seemingly impossible hole for you to get to. In the example, there is a space that appears to be impossible to get into, but if the T Block is lined up like the first figure is, and you press the A Button to turn the piece clockwise, and then it will move to form Figure Two! No more gap, and now a Tetris can be formed! o---------o | Example | o---------o | +-+ FIGURE 1 | | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | | | FIGURE 2 | +-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | NEXT => | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ g) Pressing LEFT or RIGHT rapidly rather than holding them down will move the piece in the direction desired faster. This is especially useful as you start to get into the higher levels. h) If you do leave a hole in your stack (try not to let it happen too often), you are required to dig it out if you want to have no flaws. If you want to accomplish this goal in the shortest amount of time possible, try to avoid piling on top of the same column where the block is (sometimes it is a little difficult to do this). If you have multiple holes in your stack (shame on you ^_^), you need to dig them out one at a time so worry about not burying the top one, and then worry about the next highest hole and so on. i) Pay attention to your NEXT box, as this can help you to plan the best spot for the current piece in play. This is also useful for planning your next move ahead of time, thus giving you a little extra time on each piece for placement. j) If your stack is getting too high, try to clear it out without the Tetris (although the best scores are from Tetris heavy games). Try to make Doubles or Triples to keep the value of the score vs. line ratio. k) Try to avoid building up huge S Block and Z Block stacks on your stack. It becomes increasingly difficult to manage your piece placement when you have a stack like this one: o---------o | Example | o---------o | | | +-+ | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+ +-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+ +-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+ +-+ | | +-+-+ +-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | NEXT => +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ As you can see above, with the two S Blocks and the one Z Block appearing together, the moves made narrowed the field of prospective piece placement on the stack be making those high peaks. Try to keep the stack more even. A better use of the pieces in this situation would look like this: o---------o | Example | o---------o | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+ | | | | | | | | | +-+-+ +-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+ +-+ | +-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | NEXT => +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ With this placement, you did not add a second large hole that could only be filled with a Tall Block, there are more flat areas to place flat-sided pieces, and you still have options for the S Blocks and Z Blocks. Building your stack more efficiently makes for an easier game for you. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Tetris Two Players------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7) This section will look at the 2 player options available in the game. These same rules also apply to computer competitors as well. o--------o | Type A | o--------o -Players choose their level of play, and then the game begins! -No score is kept here, so the idea is to last longer than your opponent. -Scoring a Single will cause one broken line to appear on your opponents side. -Scoring a Double will cause two broken lines (holes stacked together) to appear on your opponents side. -Scoring a Tetris will cause four broken lines (holes stacked together) to appear on your opponents side. -First to get three victories is declared the winner. o--------o | Type B | o--------o -Players choose their level of play, then their height, and then the play begins! -No score is kept here, so you are trying to win in one of two ways: clear 25 lines before your opponent, or cause your opponents stack to go to the top of their area. -Scoring a Single will cause one broken line to appear on your opponents side. -Scoring a Double will cause two broken lines (holes stacked together) to appear on your opponents side. -Scoring a Tetris will cause four broken lines (holes stacked together) to appear on your opponents side. -First to get three victories is declared the winner. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------Dr. Mario Controls------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8)This section will list all of the controls that you will need to know so you can be a Dr. Mario master! D-Pad : LEFT and RIGHT move the pieces in the corresponding direction. Holding DOWN will cause the piece in play to fall directly downward. SELECT : Hides the NEXT pill. START : Pauses/unpauses the game. L Button: No apparent use. R Button: No apparent use. Y Button: No apparent use. X Button: No apparent use. B Button: Turns pill in play counter-clockwise. A Button: Turns pill in play clockwise. -If you press SELECT, START, and the X, Y, B, A Buttons together will give you a trip to the opening screen (in laymans terms, it is a quick reset). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Dr. Mario Rules-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9) This section will review the rules of Dr. Mario. -To clear away pieces, you must line up at least four of the same colour. Viruses count towards the total in the line (if no viruses, you are just clearing out pills). -Clear all the viruses in a bottle to move onto the next level. -If you are on MED or HIGH settings, you get a cinematic after levels with multiples of 5. -The higher your speed, the more you score for virus kill(s) (this is covered in detail in the next section). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Dr. Mario Pills--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10)This section will look at what each pill looks like, and the name for each pill. o--------------------o | Yellow/Yellow Pill | o--------------------o +-+ |Y| +-+ |Y| +-+ o------------------o | Yellow/Blue Pill | o------------------o +-+ |Y| +-+ |B| +-+ o-----------------o | Yellow/Red Pill | o-----------------o +-+ |Y| +-+ |R| +-+ o----------------o | Blue/Blue Pill | o----------------o +-+ |B| +-+ |B| +-+ o---------------o | Blue/Red Pill | o---------------o +-+ |B| +-+ |R| +-+ o--------------o | Red/Red Pill | o--------------o +-+ |R| +-+ |R| +-+ These are the same way I will draw the strategies in a couple sections, so refer to this section if you are confused then. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------Dr. Mario Scoring-------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11)This section will show the scoring patterns for the three speeds of the game. Virus Kills Low Speed Medium Speed High Speed 1 100 200 300 2 200 400 600 3 400 800 1200 4 800 1600 2400 5 1600 3200 4800 6 3200 6400 9600 -You should try to set-up multiple kills to score higher (combos mean more points per virus). -The scoring adds up, so if you kill three viruses with one Pill Drop on Medium Speed: 200 + 400 + 800 = 1400 If you were to just score three singles instead, you would only get 600 points, meaning it pays to set up combos! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------Dr. Mario Strategies---------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12)This section will look at some strategies to make your game of Dr. Mario go smoother, score higher, and last longer. Viruses will be represented with the following lettering: Red Virus = RV, Blue Virus = BV, Yellow Virus = YV. a) The basic double is simply a matter of stacking three of the same pill on two viruses that match the aforementioned pills. EXAMPLE ONE shows one method of it, EXAMPLE TWO shows another method. o-----------o | Example 1 | o-----------o | | | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | RVBV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ o-----------o | Example 2 | o-----------o | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | |R|B| | | +-+-+ | | BV | | | | RV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ In the first one, both stacks would disappear. In the second one, the blue stack would disappear, and then the falling red stack would meet the Red Virus to disappear as well. b) You can go for more combinations in one pill drop, but it does require some planning. The following example will show you a detailed step-by-step set-up for getting a triple (there are many ways to do it, this is just to give you an idea): o---------o | Example | o---------o | STEP ONE | NEXT | | | | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | |Y|B| | |R|Y| | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | | RV | | | | BV | | | | YV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | STEP TWO | NEXT | +-+-+ | | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | |Y|B| | |R|Y| | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | | RV | Now you have to place the Y/B capsule, so stack the Yellow | | on top of the Yellow one that is there already (plus it is | BV | lined up with a Yellow Virus below), and the Blue section | | is also lined up with a Blue Virus. | YV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | STEP THREE | NEXT | +-+-+ | | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | |Y|B| | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | | |R|Y| | So you have the same situation as above. You place the | +-+-+ | Yellow capsule and Blue capsule sections so they line up | RV | with their corresponding colours. | | | BV | | | | YV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | STEP FOUR | NEXT | +-+-+ | | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | |R|R| | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | | |R|Y| | Here you have yet another Y/B pill, so it goes in the | +-+-+-+-+ | same place as before, right? Nope, that would cause the | RV |B|Y| | yellow stack to disappear before it could ever fall to | +-+-+ | kill the Yellow Virus (also would eliminate the triple | BV | chance)! So, you will move the pill to the right side of | | the bottle before you put the Blue section directly onto | YV | the Blue Virus, leaving the yellow section to not be over | | anything. +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ | STEP FIVE | NEXT | +-+-+-+ | | |R|Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | |R|R| | |R|Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+-+ | | |R|Y| | Now that you have enough pills over your fall down stacks | +-+-+-+-+ | to kill the corresponding viruses for them, you can now | RV |B|Y| | trigger the anchor stack. By using the R/R standing up, | +-+-+ | you will cause the red stack to disappear, causing the | BV | yellow and blue stacks to fall down onto their respective | | viruses to wipe them out. You have achieved a Triple! | YV | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ Keep it in mind that this same strategy can be applied in all kinds of situations, and it can be applied for more Viruses (try for six in one shot!). After playing for a bit, you will start to do this automatically if you want to progress far into the game. c) Try to keep an area in your bottle which can be called a dump-off section. This allows you to have a spot to dump unwanted pills, and it also gives you a safe haven for you to use if you need to think about your next set of moves. d) Sometimes you will get a pill that does not fit with any Viruses at the top of your stack, but you are not out of options either. You need to look for Viruses down in the stack that may have a path to them. o---------o | Example | o---------o | STEP ONE | | | NEXT | +-+-+ | | |Y|B| | +-+-+ | +-+-+ | |R|R| | YV BV | +-+-+ |YVYV BVBV | | | Here we have the R/R capsule coming into play, and there | | are no Red Viruses at the top of the pile. This is a | | simplified version of the solutions, but it will show you | RV | that you can build stacks even when the Viruses are not | | readily available. | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ e) On the higher levels, the Viruses will be piled closer to the ceiling of their bottle. Sometimes you will accidentally pile the wrong pills on top of the pills near the roof, and you can no longer clear them away with piling pills on top of the pills/Viruses. This means you will have to come from another direction, so you can try coming from underneath or taking it out from the side. The following examples will show what both methods look like. o-----------o | Example 1 | o-----------o |+-+-+ | ||R|B| | |+-+-+ | What happened hear was the person built off of an existing ||B|Y| | Virus (the Red one), and using the already placed blue |+-+-+ | pills (two on top), the Blue Virus, and then the needed ||B|B| | fourth blue in the line from below to break the Virus |+-+-+ | down, and to bring that pills away from the ceiling. Now |BV | your Red Virus stack is covered, so maybe you can build a |+-+-+ | pill stack from below to kill that Virus off? ||B|R| | |+-+-+ | ||Y|R| | |+-+-+ | | RV | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ o-----------o | Example 2 | o-----------o |+-+-+ | ||R|Y| | For this one, we attacked from the side. First the Y/B |+-+-+ | pill was put standing up on the Yellow Virus (yellow on ||R|Y| | the bottom), which meant there was two blue in a row (one |+-+-+ | pill, one Virus). When the B/B pill comes, lay it ||B|Y| | horizontally on the Red Virus to cause the four in a row |+-+-+-+-+ | blue to wipe out the Blue Virus (plus the Yellow Virus |BV|B|B|B| | planning ahead). | +-+-+-+ | | |Y|RV | | +-+ | | YV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+ This all becomes extremely useful in the height teens and beyond levels, where the Viruses are stacked so high that mistakes can be made quite easily (meaning you have to use alternate methods). If you become an expert player, you will just use these all the time to clear the stack quicker, and to get some extra Virus kills so you can get a higher score). ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------Dr. Mario Two Players-------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13)This section will look at the options of a two player game set-up, and then the need to know things in the play mode. o---------o | Options | o---------o -Each Player chooses the level they start on. -Each Player chooses their game speed. -Player One can choose the music o-----------o | Game Play | o-----------o -The first Player to clear their viruses win -A Player who hits the ceiling of their bottle will lose a game. -Every time a player does a multiple colour clear (two or more), the equivalent number of the cleared segments will fall into their opponent's bottle (two clears = 2 single blocks, three clears = 3 single blocks, etc.). -The first to win three games before their opponent will win the match. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Mixed Match--------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14)This section will look at the special mode where you play both games in competition with another player! o---------o | Options | o---------o First thing you should do is go into options to switch around the settings for each part of the game, mainly so you can make the best customized match you want, and to even out any handicaps that may exist between the two players. o----------o | Part One | o----------o You play Tetris Type B to begin with. The default settings are Level 5, Height 3, and you need to clear 15 lines to move onto Part Two! o----------o | Part Two | o----------o You play Dr. Mario for the middle portion. The default settings are Level 4, speed medium which means you have to clear 20 viruses to graduate to Part Three! o------------o | Part Three | o------------o For the final portion (whatever time is left in the game), you try to out score your opponent in Tetris Type A. Try to get as many Tetris's as possible, and do not be afraid to clear lines if your stack is becoming too high. o------------o | The Winner | o------------o After the time runs out, the game will go to a total screen where your scores are listed out, and they are added together. The one with the highest total is declared the winner. -The final portion is the best place to score a PILE of points, so try to get to the final portion where you can run the score up. -If you get wiped out on any play mode, do not give up, although you do start over the current portion of the game, your opponent might falter as well. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------Final Word---------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14)As is the usual, this walkthrough is copyright property of Brian P. Sulpher, 2003. The only website, group, person, etc. to have access to post it is www.gamefaqs.com, www.ign.com, www.retronintendo.com, and www.honestgamers.com. You must ask for permission before posting this, as doing so without consent is a violation of international copyright law. If you liked it, hated it, have anything to add, then please E-mail me at briansulpher@hotmail.com. You can also contact me through MSN messenger through the same E-mail address. Truly these are two great games, and since they come packaged conveniently onto one cart, this is a must have pick-up. Games like this are the reason that Nintendo are deemed as having innovative game styles in their library of games, and continue to produce quality games, although they have become lazy in time with their excess of ports and lack of original titles (we get it! The games were good! But I am not buying any more ports as I own the better versions... the ORIGINALS!).