The N64 is on its Deathbed—call a doctor! No, not Jack Kevorkian!!! Get Dr. Mario on the line!! We just got a surprising announcement from Nintendo. No, it wasn’t the promised “official statement” on Metroid GBA (yet things on that front are getting interesting) and instead pointed us to Nintendo's N64 release list. There on April 9th, 2001 is "Dr. Mario 64". If you were wondering how Nintendo would replace the disappearance of Eternal Darkness and Dino Planet from its N64 list (and the seeming inevitable possibility that the games have moved to NGC), now you know the answer—part of it anyway.

The original Dr. Mario was a NES classic. Equally addictive as Tetris, it featured everyone’s favorite plumber spotlighting as an M.D., killing ugly microscopic viruses by tossing pharmaceuticals. We can only wonder what Nintendo will do to spice up this classic puzzle title for the N64. Provided the game is reasonably priced (within the $39.99-49.99 range), Dr. Mario 64 is a prescription I plan to fill come April. If there is four player, I will definitely pick it up, even if I must forsake importing more GBA games.

Still, does this remind anyone of some of the final games we saw for SNES?!? Puzzle games like Wario's Woods and Kirby's Avalanche. Then Tetris Attack and the Tetris Dr.Mario combo… In Japan there was even a Wrecking Crew ’98—a game I wish had been released in the States (it included the original game, though the “new” Wrecking Crew was essentially a puzzle game). Not to complain Nintendo, but how about announcing a US Release Date for Sin & Punishment already? With all the GBA goodness on the way, I’m going to have to earn some mad loot for importing the system & a few launch titles, leaving little room for me to import the much talked about Treasure shoot-‘em-up I cannot wait to play. Nintendo can sue Imagine till Daily Radar cries us an entire ocean of tears; what will get me writing angry letters is Nintendo not releasing S&P in the US (and I when I say angry letters, I mean correspondence just short of mail bombs). Let’s hope S&P is added to Nintendo’s release list soon too. Don’t diagnose us as ungrateful though; Dr. Mario 64 is a fantastic surprise for N64 owners; we just hope it’s only part of the cure.

(Thanx to gmpsingleton for the head's up).