On a train to Osaka, I wanted to get some gaming in so Eriko, in an attempt to not be bored, took my More Brain Training cart as usual to do a little bit of brain exercises. But when I took a glance over at her DS, rather than doing the actual training1 I saw her doing the Relaxation Mode, which is basically Dr. Mario with a stylus.2 She never really played games much as a kid, she tells me. Had a Famicom, but of course who didn’t in Japan during the ’80s.
It was interesting to watch the expressions on her face as she played. It made me feel a bit ashamed of the ridiculous arguments and discussions I get into regarding games. Just having some fun is slipping by the wayside. A problem I have to fix. But that’s another story for another time.
Wanting to strike while the iron was hot, I decided to pick up Dr. Mario Online Rx on WiiWare. If you ignored the game like I did, you may want to reconsider. The one mode, Virus Busters, is basically a multiplayer Dr. Mario controlled with the Wiimote. The game controls great and the multiplayer is brilliant.
Play rules stay the same to Dr. Mario with the major changes being in the controls. Any falling piece can be moved by either player and this includes pieces that were previously placed but are now falling due to cleared pieces. And up to four people can grab a Wiimote at any moment to join in. Yep, any moment. I can dive in the middle of Eriko’s round if she so desires to work on finishing it together.
Games like these are great for couples with one non-gamer because of the cooperative gameplay without too much going on. Everything that you need to know about the game is contained within the simple ruleset and what you see on the play field. But that said the challenge still manages to thrive. Since we are working together on the same goal, whenever someone makes a good play, we both benefit immediately in the game and for our own skills since we are not focused solely on our own play field.
Truth is, I had no idea that you could move other falling pieces. Having played the original Dr. Mario often in my youth, I had assumed the rules were unchanged and just given shoehorned pointer controls. But Eriko did not have this experience and figured out on her own that you could move any falling piece. This was a hell of a revelation for me and my interest in the game increased tenfold. That said, I tend to be a bit better at setting up the pieces for clearing blocks, but she’s been picking the skill up fairly quickly.
Now, I don’t expect her to ever turn into me and play games every day, but the fact that we are able to occasionally enjoy my hobby together is fantastic. And the fact that I’m learning things as well makes it all the better.
