Dig Dug Review

By Kristan Reed Published 16 October, 2006

Going underground.

Version tested: Xbox 360

And so the Xbox Live Arcade classic arcade bandwagon rolls on this week with the release of yet another cheap and cheerful Namco port. Cheap, in that it's 400 points, and cheerful in its ability to make us feel happy with its goofy tune and unfettered simplicity 24 years on from release.

Released during that golden arcade age of Donkey Kong, Ms Pac-Man, Galaga and Frogger, Dig Dug was undoubtedly one of the most popular games of that cherished era, and it's no great surprise to see it wheeled out once again to capitalise on any remaining nostalgics who haven't already picked it up on any number of retro compilations over the past decade or so.

Weary cynicism aside, it's also one of a select band of ancient relics that seems to defy the passing of time, feeling every bit as addictive, challenging and playable now as it did back then. This isn't the gaming equivalent of reviewing Deely Boppers or Leg Warmers.

Pump action

In case you're too young to have come across this retro staple, Dig Dug's a remarkably straightforward game that takes all of 10 seconds to pick up - much like every game of its time. Set on a single screen, the concept for each subterranean stage is to basically blow up the fire-breathing Fygars and the goggle-eyed Pookas that inhabit this underground lair. Armed with a pump, you move around the soil in one of four direction trying not to get snagged by either of your feisty foe, while waiting for a suitable opportunity to get close enough to pump them up four times until they burst.

'Dig Dug' Screenshot highdef

It's Dig Dug! In High Def!

But sometimes you might rather just pump them up a little and then sneak past them in order to lure them to a nearby rock so that you can squish them and gain far more points in the process. Drop two rocks (on any level at any time) and a reward of some kind appears in the middle (be it a carrot, watermelon or even a Galaxian ship), allowing you to rack up your score even more.

Armed with just three lives (plus any you gain from meeting various points targets) the chances are you won't last too long on Dig Dug. You'll easily blast through the first handful of stages and eventually get a little overwhelmed by how quickly the Fygars and Pookas start moving towards you. Given that they start to move much quicker than you can, it becomes a bit of a struggle to weave your way around before you've got a whole bunch on your tail, and others coming at you from all sides. But it's short, sharp, addictive fun, and yet again, benefits hugely from the online Leaderboard, allowing you to prove yourself against any retrophiles out there.

Pad-bad

'Dig Dug' Screenshot achievments

As with all of Namco's Live Arcade offerings, the acheivements are pretty easy to nab.

On the downside, the Xbox 360 pad is a wretched means of controlling Dig Dug. As with other four directional games (like Pac-Man, say) the analogue stick or d-pad just doesn't cut it when you're trying to make sharp, precise turns under pressure. You'll swear blind you've pressed up and yet it'll go left straight to your doom, and once the game starts asking you questions, you'll repeatedly suffer at the hands of the controller. A bad workman may blame his tools (frequently), but, seriously, this is another example of a game that demands an old-fashioned four-way joystick to get the most out of this otherwise flawless port.

In terms of other trivial embellishments, as you'll know by now, Namco Bandai don't really believe in messing around trying to tart up their back catalogue releases (unlike Konami, who routinely throw in reskins that everyone hates). And in case you were wondering, no, the sound hasn't been messed with either. Bless.

Inevitably, the achievements list piqued our attention, but they're all a bit Walter The Softy, to be honest. Thanks to the dubious decision to let you start at the last level you died on, you can easily rack up practically all the achievements by working your way through the game until you've collected all the various goodies that emerge every time you drop two rocks. There's actually only one achievement worth the name, and that's digging out an entire level, which is a phenomenal task.

And so with nothing else to report, no extra two-player mode, no Live multiplayer creations and the most basic front end possible, Dig Dug arrives on Live pure and unaltered. As with many of gaming's most treasured old classics, it's not something you can play for too long before the retro novelty starts to wear thin. The coin-gobbling design exists to kill you off as quickly as possible, and with such a repetitive design you've soon seen all there is to see. But that said, it's a coffee break fix to remind yourself of a lost era of gaming innocence and comes for the price of a large drink in Starbucks. We still dig it.

6 / 10

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Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Rambaldi #1 5 years ago

    EASY GAMERSCORE AHOY!!

  • Pac #2 5 years ago

    First!!

    I really like this game, but could Namco not have made the demo a bit longer.

    Tight gits!

    Bah! second then.
    Edited by 2 at 16/10/06 @ 11:47

  • Blerk #3 5 years ago

    I still like Dig Dug. Although that tune really does grate after a while.

  • Suki #4 5 years ago

    The guy in Dig Dug, Taizo Hori, is Susumu Hori's dad - FACT.

    Susumu Hori is Mr Driller, in case anyone here is WEAK and only plays sports games.

  • onyxbox #5 5 years ago

    Dig Dug 2 was a better game IMO.

  • Carlo #6 5 years ago

    "And so with nothing else to report, no extra two-player mode, no Live multiplayer creations and the most basic front end possible, Dig Dug arrives on Live pure and unaltered."

    10/10 then surely? (Except the control method and the price?)
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/06 @ 12:05

  • lefizz #7 5 years ago

    The control system utterly ruins it for me even though the actual game mechanic still feels pretty nice. You just constantly seem to go the wreong direction than the direction you pressed, seems more like a bug than anything else

  • S.J.Rogers #8 5 years ago

    Downloaded the demo...

    Tried it for 2 minuets...

    Deleted..!

    Back to Saints Row and Doom.

  • Psi #9 5 years ago

    is it hi def?

  • chupachups #10 5 years ago

    The coin-grabbing observation is so true, a lot of games from that era were difficult purely because they wanted you to bribe them to carry on, not because it made for a satisfying game session.


    "The guy in Dig Dug, Taizo Hori, is Susumu Hori's dad - FACT. "

    They're only computer games. :)
    Edited by 1 at 16/10/06 @ 13:07

  • Retroid #11 5 years ago

    They could've at least include the graphical update they did on Namco Arcade Classics 2:

    <a href=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v443/Retroid/EG/ dd_ncv2a.jpg>Screenie from MAME</a>

    If these titles were the 'family' based on these games and included the variations and updates done over the years, then they might be worth it. Otherwise they're just taking the piss :/

  • Suki #12 5 years ago

    "They're only computer games."

    LOLROLFLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • pjmaybe #13 5 years ago

    What, no 9?

    Oh, obviously not the game you spent your misspent youth on then. Shame.

    Peej

  • krudster #14 5 years ago

    Hilarious.

  • haowan #15 5 years ago

    I would like to see more games with a bit more longevity released on the Arcade. How about the original Sim City, or perhaps an RPG? I know it's 'Arcade' and as such you'd expect arcade games on it, but it's great to be able to play Outpost Kaloki and I'd love to see more games like that. Yessir

  • Zuiyo #16 5 years ago

    "We still dig it."

    Classic.

  • Blerk #17 5 years ago

    'kin hell, Retroid - what the hell have you done to that screen? It makes my eyes bleed! :-D

  • pjmaybe #18 5 years ago

    Ar har you love it really.

    Dig Dug was infinitely the better game than Pacman. Ironically, I remember there being a small outcry about the fact that the game featured a character that walked around inserting a pump into creatures and blowing them up until they exploded.

    So, your average Dora the Explorer title of today then?

    Peej

  • krudster #19 5 years ago

    I played Pac-Man the other day until my eyes bled. Still does it for me. Big yellow dot men for courses, etc.

  • Blerk #20 5 years ago

    Until your eyes bled? Five minutes, then? Wow!

    :-D

  • krudster #21 5 years ago

    I think you start to cry blood after approximately level 14 or so when power pills no longer work.

  • haowan #22 5 years ago

    I can't play any of these games with that 360 pad. The little man always goes in the wrong direction, it's very upsetting.

  • Retroid #23 5 years ago

    @Blerk:

    Actually it was nicked from a screenie a good mate sent me to persuade me to download DigDug for the 360 and compare it. I told him there was little change it'd include any 'enhancements' Namco have applied to it this release. That'd require thought and care.

    So far as I know he runs his MAME in MadRes(c) with scanlines and the like switched on.

    BUT IMPORTANTLY: no 2xSAI filters or any shite like that. Thankfully :)

  • Mr_Brown #24 5 years ago

    Wish I could play this...but my Xbox 360 conked out the saturday and the customer service department have a 'bug' in their system meaning they couldn't make a repair order until today. Now conincidently I can't get through today...great customer service ¬_¬

  • chupachups #25 5 years ago

    "or perhaps an RPG?"

    The later Ultima games? Something like Ultima VI would be brilliant value for money if it's priced the same as other Arcade games.