Category Navigation:
Dig Dug
Text Review
In the world of Dig Dug, strange creatures lurk in the depths below to strike unsuspecting diggers. They go by the names “Pooka” and “Fygar,” and with their ghostly powers and ability to walk into you, they will take your life. You are Dig Dug, and with a trusty pump and strategic maneuverability, you can prevail against even the direst situations. Fight for your life and be rewarded with more lives and a high score.
Okay, so maybe it’s not that dramatic. Dig Dug is, however, an incredible arcade game. So much so, that it has been ported to both classic and modern consoles numerous times. The NES was strangely not one of the consoles on the list of Dig Dug ports; instead, it was exclusive to the Japanese Famicom (the equivalent of the NES). This situation was certainly something to shake a fist at too, because this early 1985 port of Dig Dug is easily the best one, with the visuals, sound and gameplay being as true to the arcade original as possible.
Like most arcade classics, Dig Dug has a simple game design: rack up a high score by taking out the enemies in a clever fashion, either via pumping them up or squishing them with a rock. Dig Dug is about timing and strategy, and neither is easy due to the unpredictable nature of the enemies. Their movement speed adjusts according to the level you’re at, more enemies are added, the Fygars can breathe fire, and because of their ghost-like form, which allows them to traverse across anywhere, you’ll be on the run at all times. The little “cat-and-mouse” escapades gets to be very fun and addicting, though, especially when you land an attack with the most amount of points. Taking out the enemies at the lowest ground level will net you more points, and dropping a rock on more than one enemy at once will multiply those points. Every 10,000 points will give you a new life, and while it’s easy to rack up a few lives at first, the game is constantly upping the challenge.
Of course, no console twenty-five years ago was quite powerful enough to perfectly duplicate the arcade version, and Famicom was no exception. Dig Dug hardly suffered from this, however. The graphics on this port match that of the arcade version with a few slight differences (the color palette isn’t quite as vibrant and the sky is black). The Famicom and NES both have an issue with flickering when too many sprites are displayed on the screen, and Dig Dug does have this problem in the much later levels when there are three times as many enemies. It does slightly slow down the game a bit and alter the challenge, but that’s only if you’re good enough to get that far.
Dig Dug is a balanced, intuitive and concise game with plenty of charm, and that’s why it’s had so much success over so many years. While the Famicom port of Dig Dug is the best early port of the arcade classic, it is not exactly easy to acquire, nor to play. Both the game and a Famicom need to be imported, and the Famicom may require a video modification to be playable on TVs outside of Japan. While that didn’t stop me from playing Dig Dug on the Famicom, it would likely be too excessive for most people. With so many ports (and some of them being arcade-perfect, like on Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Network), you can certainly find another way to get your Dig Dug fix.
- Jason Lange
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Platform(s): NES/Famicom
Okay, so maybe it’s not that dramatic. Dig Dug is, however, an incredible arcade game. So much so, that it has been ported to both classic and modern consoles numerous times. The NES was strangely not one of the consoles on the list of Dig Dug ports; instead, it was exclusive to the Japanese Famicom (the equivalent of the NES). This situation was certainly something to shake a fist at too, because this early 1985 port of Dig Dug is easily the best one, with the visuals, sound and gameplay being as true to the arcade original as possible.
Like most arcade classics, Dig Dug has a simple game design: rack up a high score by taking out the enemies in a clever fashion, either via pumping them up or squishing them with a rock. Dig Dug is about timing and strategy, and neither is easy due to the unpredictable nature of the enemies. Their movement speed adjusts according to the level you’re at, more enemies are added, the Fygars can breathe fire, and because of their ghost-like form, which allows them to traverse across anywhere, you’ll be on the run at all times. The little “cat-and-mouse” escapades gets to be very fun and addicting, though, especially when you land an attack with the most amount of points. Taking out the enemies at the lowest ground level will net you more points, and dropping a rock on more than one enemy at once will multiply those points. Every 10,000 points will give you a new life, and while it’s easy to rack up a few lives at first, the game is constantly upping the challenge.
Of course, no console twenty-five years ago was quite powerful enough to perfectly duplicate the arcade version, and Famicom was no exception. Dig Dug hardly suffered from this, however. The graphics on this port match that of the arcade version with a few slight differences (the color palette isn’t quite as vibrant and the sky is black). The Famicom and NES both have an issue with flickering when too many sprites are displayed on the screen, and Dig Dug does have this problem in the much later levels when there are three times as many enemies. It does slightly slow down the game a bit and alter the challenge, but that’s only if you’re good enough to get that far.
Dig Dug is a balanced, intuitive and concise game with plenty of charm, and that’s why it’s had so much success over so many years. While the Famicom port of Dig Dug is the best early port of the arcade classic, it is not exactly easy to acquire, nor to play. Both the game and a Famicom need to be imported, and the Famicom may require a video modification to be playable on TVs outside of Japan. While that didn’t stop me from playing Dig Dug on the Famicom, it would likely be too excessive for most people. With so many ports (and some of them being arcade-perfect, like on Xbox Live Arcade or PlayStation Network), you can certainly find another way to get your Dig Dug fix.
- Jason Lange
Developer: Namco
Publisher: Namco
Platform(s): NES/Famicom
So RAD it hurts!
Sign up now! - CGR Forums
Follow CGR on Twitter - TWITTER
Writers! - Click here
eBay links! Help support Classic Game Room by buying your classic games and hardware through eBay links on our site! Every game and accessory is linked to eBay, shop ahoy!