Mr. Driller Online is a downloadable puzzle video game created by Namco Bandai

Namco Bandai

, also known as the Bandai Namco Group, is a Japanese holding company formed from the merger of Namco and Bandai. It has interests in toys, video games and arcades, anime, and amusement parks. The new entity was founded on September 29, 2005...

 based on the popular Japanese video game series

Mr. Driller

is a series of video games developed by Namco. Mr. Driller puts the player in the role of a driller moving down through screens of blocks, having to keep his air supply from running out while avoiding being squashed by falling blocks...

 for the Xbox Live Arcade

Xbox Live Arcade

Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...

. The title was released on April 2, 2008 via the Xbox Live Marketplace

Xbox Live Marketplace

The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...

.

Gameplay

The objective of Mr. Driller Online is to drill to the bottom of a long, vertical pit filled with blocks of varying colors. The player controls Susumu (or one of his friends) and can move left or right, fall infinitely, and climb single blocks if there are no other blocks on top of them. The player can also drill in any direction. Colored blocks clear from the playfield when drilled, causing other blocks above them to shake and then fall. When falling, like-colored blocks stick together, and if they form a large block of four or more units, that block immediately clears from the playfield as well. Blocks that fall on top of the driller will crush him/her, causing the player to lose a life. The driller also has a limited air supply that depletes slowly and can be replenished by picking up air capsules and special items along the way. Drilling a brown "X" block causes the player to consume a large amount of air at once, and the player loses a life if the driller's air runs out. The game is over when all lives have been lost or the player successfully reaches the bottom of the pit.

Mr. Driller Online features two single-player modes, Arcade and Challenge. Arcade mode presents the player with the basic gameplay rules stated above, while Challenge mode adds specific, randomly-chosen challenges to each section of the level, such as completing the section within a certain time limit or picking up a limited number of air capsules. Additionally, the game supports online multiplayer via Xbox Live

Xbox Live

Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...

, allowing ranked and unranked matches of two types: Versus mode, in which two players compete for the highest score within a set time limit, and Tag Team mode, where four players split into two teams. Mr. Driller Online also supports online leaderboards, but does not support local split-screen multiplayer.

Reception

Mr. Driller Online received negative reviews from critics due to the game's "broken" and lag

Lag

Lag is a common word meaning to fail to keep up or to fall behind. In real-time applications, the term is used when the application fails to respond in a timely fashion to inputs...

gy online mode, lack of local multiplayer, and fuzzy character sprites

Sprite (computer graphics)

In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...

. GameSpot

GameSpot

GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...

 reviewer Don Francis said "With a shallow single-player campaign and a broken online mode, Mr. Driller Online leaves little to recommend." IGN

IGN

IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...

's Ryan Geddes said "The last time I tested the online multiplayer, it froze my Xbox 360 completely, forcing me to shut the system off and restart. Needless to say, I didn't make another attempt." Namco patched the game on May 30.

GameSpot nominated Mr. Driller Online for the dubious award of Flat-Out Worst Game in its 2008 video game awards.

External links

• Preview on Famitsu