Added: 16.01.2014 17:48 | 3 views | 0 comments

I have had an interesting relationship with Dr. Mario since its birth on the NES more than two decades ago. It was one of a very, very few games everyone in our humble Midwestern house was keen to play: my mom, my sister, me, and even my dad, who has barely picked up a controller in his life. There was something magical about the game among the Kemps family, but as years passed and new games and consoles came into the house, less and less time was spent with visits to the good doctor.

Dr. Mario has made reappearances on consoles since, of course, and I went back and played these incarnations, remembering the good times I had both alone and with my kin. But something had changed. I'd played games like

Online play, meanwhile, is functional but extremely bare-bones. Dr. Luigi features basic two-player lobbies and a ranked mode, which rarely puts you up against equally skilled opponents. Want to change the type of game you're playing? You need to step out, re-create the room, and hope your buddy rejoins. Don't expect anything like tournament modes or even the best-three-out-of-five battles the original NES version offered, either; after one round, you're kicked back to the continue-or-quit screen.

In the end, Dr. Luigi feels like Dr. Mario Online RX all over again, with a few spruced-up elements and a not-well-thought-out extra mode. That alone would be enough to make you wary of dropping the full $14.99 asking price on this. But in the end, the most disappointing part of Dr. Luigi is that it doesn't give the Dr. Mario formula that shot in the arm it needs to feel magical again. Arika is the mind behind the amazing Tetris: The Grand Master series of arcade games, and I'm disappointed that it can't bring a similar thrill and exhilaration to this classic series. But it could well be that Dr. Mario's pacing and mechanics are relics of its era that would be difficult to bring up to modern standards. Dr. Luigi provides some shallow entertainment, but it's not exactly what the doctor ordered.

Added: 14.01.2014 19:16 | 11 views | 0 comments


Polygon - There are two kinds of Nintendo sequels the follow-ups that take chances with their source, and the sequels that collect previous mechanics and repackage them, neatly, presentably.

Added: 13.01.2014 15:16 | 11 views | 0 comments


The Year of Luigi continues with the release of Dr. Luigi on the Wii U eShop this week. Meanwhile, over on 3DS you can pick up Mario Party: Island Tower. There on also 2 new Virtual Console releases in the shape of The Legend of the Mystical Ninja on Wii U, and Castlevania II: Simons Quest on 3DS.

Added: 13.01.2014 9:40 | 10 views | 0 comments

Luigi gets his PhD, F1 gets powered up, a mystical ninja and more

Added: 12.01.2014 5:16 | 18 views | 0 comments


BioGamer Girl states, "Dr. Luigi is a good game, but it doesn't make enough improvements over its predecessor to make it a must buy for Nintendo Wii U owners. Operation L completely changes the strategy from the original release with a whole new way to play that is lots of fun and available to play online or offline with two players. The other game modes offer players even more options to help make the game worth its asking price of $15 for fans of the series. Dr. Luigi may be coming to an end, but players now have quite a few games based around the classic character to enjoy for years to come."

Added: 10.01.2014 14:32 | 6 views | 0 comments


Coming to PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360 and PC.

Added: 10.01.2014 12:16 | 12 views | 0 comments


Luigi's time to shine is winding down as the Year of Luigi comes to a close. Random Nintendo revisits the games and goodies that turned 2013 into "Weegee Time."