Mr. Do! Bits 'n Pieces
by Tony Bueno

Home versions of Mr. Do! and how they match up:

Mr. Do! was released, but I've never actually played it. I have seen footage, and as you can imagine, due to system limitations, it's a watered-down shadow of the arcade counterpart. I remember reading an EG article around 1983 which stated something like "Players searching for a home version will find the 2600 Mr. Do! like a few drops in the bucket when they're thirsting for more." True indeed, I'm afraid.

I have never seen a better 8-bit translation of this game anywhere (MAME doesn't count; it's an emulation). ALL of the treats are included in the same order and the intermissions are intact. Physics are very similar to the arcade and most subtleties (i.e. apple traps, throwing the ball through a thin wall) are here. This, not the arcade version, actually hooked me on the game. Whenever any of my friends came over, Mr. Do! almost always got played the most. Man, what a great party game! The root of my obsession. A piece of history!

Not as bad as the 2600 version, but it sure ain't pretty. Physics and play mechanics are way off, characters and what few center treats there are look like Hell. Ironically, the gameplay is STILL solid enough to make this a favorite amongst many CV owners. Sorry to dis the CV fans, but if you doubt me, play the cartridge and then play it on MAME. Even our friend and humble DP editor once referred to "rediscovering" Mr. Do! on MAME.

Super Nintendo

In the days before MAME, this was the best version, hands down. Every now and again, I'll come across someone selling it on ebay. I bought the Japanese version just in case it didn't get released here. It did, just before the Super NES' demise in the U.S., and received some of the worst reviews I've seen. Funny how so many poorly received games, TV shows, movies, music, etc. wind up being the ones which remain long after the initial popularity of the mainstream "winners" wears off. The only negative thing I have to say about this cartridge it that the difficulty level is too easy (then again, some might prefer this).

Last I looked, this was a collector's item, and one of the most expensive used GB carts. I like the game, but it kind of defeats the purpose playing this one on a miniscule, scrolling screen. Still, cool to have. Some of the treats are quite odd.

There are a few known "altered" versions of the Mr. Do! arcade, the most interesting being "Yankee Do!". Here, our beloved clown is represented by Uncle Sam, who battles Sheiks on camels (instead of badguys), a Pharoah/Sphinx (rather than alphamonsters), and blue cars (replacing blue chompers/ghosts). Oil barrels are used to crush enemies. Obviously a jingoistic commentary of America's dependence of Middle Eastern petroleum, this would likely be offensive to many people.

Having given this subject much thought, I cannot imagine any arcade game matching the entertainment value of Mr. Do!. Sure, all of the sequels (including Wild Ride, which I'd say is an acquired taste) are exemplary classics, but nothing compares to the original.

Declaring Mr. Do! the best arcade game ever made is about as dubious as declaring Citizen Kane the best movie ever made. How can one honestly say that Citizen Kane is "better" than, say, The Godfather, Chinatown, Star Wars, Casablanca, Raging Bull, Bridge on the River Kwaii, or The Third Man? Most everyone agrees that all those I've mentioned are certainly amongst the finest motion pictures ever made, but then again there are always those which slip through the cracks. When you're drinking (or whatever) with a group of friends, I can almost guarantee that Caddyshack will be a lot more fun to watch than any of those.

The point I'm trying to make is that underground, underdog movies, TV, etc. are far better than 99 out of 100 mainstream, conventional, cliched, bullshit mass-marketed items. Mr. Do! epitomizes this notion more than any other video game. It is subsequently The Greatest Arcade Game Ever Made.

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Last updated: Thursday, May 27, 2004 01:59 PM