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Mr. Driller Online Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

Mr. Driller Online Review for Xbox 360 (X360)

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When I was assigned Mr. Driller Online I was pretty excited. I love puzzlers, especially on my 360; they offer the perfect respite after a long day and they always look so crisp and clean on my HDTV. Furthermore, I adored Mr. Driller: Drill Spirits on the Nintendo DS. To top it all off, Mr. Driller Online dangled the prospect of frantic online multiplayer action in front of me. I couldn’t wait to download the game and enrich my XBLA library. Sadly, I was extremely disappointed by nearly every facet of this game. There is a paucity of game modes, the visuals are bad, and the online play is so lag-laden that it’s simply unplayable!

Mr. Driller Online screenshot

For the uninitiated, Mr. Driller and his cohorts are skilled, futuristic-looking miners that put their drilling abilities to good use. Susumu, Puchi, and company are tasked with boring large holes in the Earth’s crust in various locations throughout the world. Each location is progressively more difficult to complete as the tunnels that need to be drilled get deeper and deeper. The objective in each level is to reach the target depth without getting squashed or running out of oxygen. This is more difficult than it sounds as blocks of similar colors lump together and disappear, often causing the blocks above to fall on your character’s head. Moreover, if you drill deep enough, your air supply will quickly dwindle. In order to survive, you’ll have to choose the most expeditious route and collect enough air tanks to get you through to the end. The more blocks you destroy, creatures you uncover, treasures you claim, and layers you plow, through the more points with which you are rewarded. Gameplay is both very challenging and very addictive.

So why am I giving Mr. Driller Online such a low score if gameplay is both demanding and engrossing? Because the execution in this particular version of the game is so poor! For starters, there are only two meager game modes on the single player side. Standard Driller has you simply breaking blocks in an attempt to get to the bottom and pass the location. Quest Driller sounds like it could be more interesting, as if you’re going to go on some cool adventure. Alas, the only difference between the two modes is in Quest Driller you will have to complete a particular task before getting to the end of the layer. These objectives include getting through the layer in a certain amount of time, using a limited number of air tanks or breaking a large quantity of blocks. If you get to the end of the layer before completing the “Quest” the game will end regardless of how many lives you have left. Namco really needed to include a few more modes to provide a bit more variety. Why didn’t they include Pressure Driller or Time Attack? Consequently, the lack of modes really makes the single player game feel shallow.

Mr. Driller Online screenshot

Second, the visuals are terrible. When I first entered the game, I was greeted by a wonderfully sharp welcome screen full of familiar characters and vibrant colors. However, once I got into the actual game, I was miffed by the tremendously blurry graphics. To make matters worse, the juxtaposition of the crisp widescreen frame and the fuzzy central playing field accentuates just how bad the game really looks. It’s as if the title was directly ported on to the 360 from the PlayStation or Dreamcast and no one bothered to take the time to clean it up even a little bit. Namco spent no money and took no care in the creation of this game, and it definitely shows.

Third, and most importantly, the online offering is so full of problems it can only be described as broken. As a result, there is no one playing online. You will be immensely hard-pressed to get a game put together in under a half hour. If you try to use the quick match function, you’ll never find a game, so it is best if you host your own and wait for others to find you. If you happen to get a few other unfortunate purchasers together, you’ll be subjected to painful gameplay. In fact, it is so unbearable that you’ll probably laugh at just how bad it is.

Mr. Driller Online screenshot

Often your characters will be stuck at the top of the screen, arms splayed out wide, as you wait for them to fall into the level. They never do get started, so you will lose your connection to the other players and be kicked out to the lobby. Furthermore, if you do get a game to “work,” then you will have to struggle through outrageous lag. The images you see on the screen and what you’re actually doing with the controller never sync up. Often you’ll drill your way through several blocks only to find yourself back where you started. Online play is utterly shambolic, resulting in an online-centric title that simply does not work! The unplayable online element is a travesty for a game that vaunts the functionality in its very title!

Mr. Driller Online screenshot

Finally, there is no way to play a local multiplayer match. That means the cooperative and competitive play modes that, in theory, are available to play online can’t be enjoyed with friends at home. That really only leaves you with one option: to play the superficial single player mode until your eyes bleed from trying to accomplish the nearly impossible feat of opening up all the achievement points.

If you’re a huge Mr. Driller fan, I urge you not to purchase this title. Namco doesn’t deserve to be rewarded for their less-than-lackluster effort. I truly feel that this game is a complete rip-off! Namco needs to develop a patch to get online play functioning correctly or they need to refund everyone’s money. If the game is fixed in the future, then it may in fact be a decent offering. Even still, the lack of single player game modes, absence of local multiplayer, and bad graphics make the title mediocre at best. I expected far more from a developer I trust and a game franchise that I thoroughly enjoy.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 1.8 Graphics
The horribly fuzzy in-game visuals belie the sharp look of the menu screens. To make matters worse, the crisp widescreen frame during play accentuates just how bad the game really looks. 4.0 Control
The controls are so simple to use that it’s hard to find anything wrong. However, the analog stick will frequently get you into trouble. 3.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The music is fun and cheerful though very repetitive. 1.6 Play Value
No substantial changes over previous versions of the game will make hardcore fans happy, but it leaves the rest of us looking for more. The unplayable online element is a travesty for a game that vaunts the functionality in its very title! 1.8 Overall Rating – Avoid
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Classic arcade action: All the drilling action you remember from the original arcade game is faithfully recreated in the Xbox LIVE version, with colorful graphics and challenging gameplay. Play the single-player Standard Driller or Quest Driller modes and keep up your air supply.
  • Online modes: Take the game online with the split-screen Solo Battle, (no comma) or try out the team-based Tag Battle.
  • Accessible play: Simple controls and deep gameplay make for an addictive gaming experience, suitable for players of all ages and skill levels.
  • Screen Resolution: Up to 720p (Standard HDTV, Widescreen).

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