Wikipedia

Dig Dug

Dig Dug[a]is amazearcade video gamereleased byNamcoin 1982. It was distributed in North America byAtari, Inc.The player digs underground tunnels to attack enemies in each level, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rocks.

Dig Dug
Arcade flyer
Developer(s)Namco
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)Masahisa Ikegami[4]
Shigeru Yokoyama[5]
Programmer(s)Shouichi Fukatani
Toshio Sakai[4]
Artist(s)Hiroshi Ono[6]
Composer(s)Yuriko Keino
SeriesDig Dug
Platform(s)
Release
  • JP:February 20, 1982[1]
  • NA:April 1982
  • EU:April 19, 1982
Genre(s)Maze
Mode(s)1-2 players alternating turns

Dig Dugwas planned and designed by Masahisa Ikegami, with help fromGalagacreator Shigeru Yokoyama. It was programmed for theNamco Galagaarcade board by Shouichi Fukatani, who worked on many of Namco's earlier arcade games, along with Toshio Sakai. Music was composed by Yuriko Keino, including the character movement jingle at executives' request, as her first Namco game. Namco heavily marketed it as a "strategic digging game".

Upon release,Dig Dugwas well received by critics for its addictive gameplay, cute characters, and strategy. During thegolden age of arcade video games,it was globally successful, including as the second highest-grossing arcade game of 1982 in Japan. It prompted a long series of sequels and spin-offs, including theMr. Drillerseries, for several platforms. It is in manyNamco video game compilationsfor many systems.

Gameplay

edit
Arcade version screenshot

Dig Dugis a maze video game where the player controls protagonist Dig Dug (Taizo Hori) to eliminate each screen's enemies:Pookas,red creatures with comically large goggles; and Fygars, fire-breathing greendragons.Dig Dug can use anair pumpto inflate them to bursting or crush them under large falling rocks. When the air pump is activated, Dig Dug will stop moving and throw the end of the air pump forwards, where it may catch onto an enemy. If an enemy is hit, they are frozen in place, and the player can repeatedly press the air pump's button to inflate them. If no action is taken for a while or the player moves, the air pump disconnects and the action is cancelled, but the enemy will begin to deflate and will be stunned until fully deflated. Rocks are unable to be dug through but will fall after a short period of time after the tile directly beneath them is removed by Dig Dug and he moves from the position, though he can still be crushed. Falling rocks are destroyed once they land on a tile. Bonus points are awarded for squashing multiple enemies with a single rock, and dropping any two rocks in a stage yields a bonus item, which can be eaten for points. Once all the enemies have been defeated, Dig Dug progresses to the next stage.[7]

Enemies can move through tiles, where they are represented in the form of ghostly eyes, and are invulnerable, slowed, and unable to attack, and will then return to being solid once in an empty space, whether that space is their destination or is along the way. The enemies can either do this to reach Dig Dug when they would otherwise be unable to or to escape from the stage as the last enemy. As enemies are defeated, the enemies eventually become faster and more aggressive, until the last one then attempts to escape on either side of the screen at the top of the stage. To escape, enemies will move straight up through any tiles before walking towards the nearest screen edge on the surface.

The game has 256 stages. Later stages vary in dirt color, while increasing the number and speed of enemies.[7]Lives are lost upon touching a foe, Fygar's fire or getting squished by a falling rock. Players are given extra lives during the game, but at 900K points they must endure a "survival of the fittest" mode to the last Dig Dug, which ends the game.

Development

edit

In 1981,Dig Dugwas planned and designed by Masahisa Ikegami,[4]with help from Shigeru Yokoyama, the creator ofGalaga.[5]The game was programmed for theNamco Galagaarcade system board by Shigeichi Ishimura, a Namco hardware engineer, and the late Shouichi Fukatani,[8]along with Toshio Sakai.[4]Other staff members were primarily colleagues of Shigeru Yokoyama.[5]Yuriko Keino composed the soundtrack, as her first video game project. Tasked with making Dig Dug's movement sound, she could not make a realistic stepping sound, so she instead made a short melody.[9]Hiroshi "Mr. Dotman" Ono,a Namco graphic artist, designed the sprites.

The team hoped to allowplayer-designed mazeswhich could prompt unique gameplay mechanics, contrasting with the pre-set maze exploration inPac-Man(1980). Namco's marketing materials heavily call it a "strategic digging game".[10]

Release

edit

Dig Dugwas released in 1982, in Japan on February 20,[1]in North America in April byAtari(as part of the licensing deal with Namco),[11][12]and in Europe on April 19 by Namco.[2]

The first home conversion ofDig Dugwas released for theAtari 2600in 1983, developed and published by Atari, which was followed by versions for theAtari 5200,Atari 8-bit computers,Commodore 64,andApple II.In Japan, it was ported to theCasio PV-1000in 1983, theMSXin 1984, and theFamicomin 1985.Gakkenproduced a handheld LCD tabletop game in 1983, which replaced Dig Dug's air pump with a flamethrower to accommodate hardware limitations. Namco released aGame Boyconversion in North America only in 1992, with an all-new game called "New Dig Dug" where the player must collect keys to open an exit door; this version was later included in the 1996 Japan-only compilationNamco Gallery Vol. 2,which also includesGalaxian,The Tower of Druaga,andFamista 4.[13]A JapaneseX68000version was developed by Dempa and released in 1995, bundled withDig Dug II.[14]The Famicom version was re-released in Japan for theGame Boy Advancein 2004 as part of theFamicom Miniseries.[13]

Dig Dugis a mainstay inNamco video game compilations,includingNamco Museum Vol. 3(1996),Namco History Vol. 3(1998),Namco Museum 64(1999),[15]Namco Museum 50th Anniversary(2005),[16]Namco Museum Remix(2007),[17]Namco Museum Essentials(2009),[18]andNamco Museum Switch(2017).[19]The game was released online onXbox Live Arcadein 2006, supporting online leaderboards and achievements.[20]It is part ofNamco Museum Virtual Arcade,and was added to theXbox One's backward compatibility lineup in 2016.[21]A version for the JapaneseWii Virtual Consolewas released in 2009.[22]Dig Dugis a bonus game inPac-Man Party,alongside the arcade versions ofPac-ManandGalaga.[23]

Reception

edit

Dig Dugwas a critical and commercial success upon release, and was praised for its gameplay and layered strategy.[26]In Japan, it was the second highest-grossing arcade game of1982,just below Namco'sPole Position.[31]In North America, Atari sold 22,228Dig Dugarcade cabinets by the end of 1982, earning$46,300,000(equivalent to $146,000,000 in 2023) in cabinet sales.[32]Around July 1983, it was one of the six top-grossing games.[33]It was popular during thegolden age of arcade video games.The 2004Famicom Minirelease had 58,572 copies sold,[34]and theXbox Live Arcadeversion had 222,240 copies by 2011.[35]

American publicationBlip Magazinefavorably compared it to games such asPac-Manfor its simple controls and fun gameplay.[36]Allgamecalled it "an arcade and NES classic", praising its characters, gameplay, and unique premise, and for its easy home platform conversion.[25]In 1998, Japanese magazineGamestcalled it one of the greatest arcade games of all time for its addictiveness and for breaking the traditional "dot-eater" gameplay used in games such asPac-ManandRally-X.[37]In a 2007 retrospective,Eurogamerpraised its "perfect" gameplay and strategy, saying it is one of "the most memorable and legendary videogame releases of the past 30 years".[26]TheKiller List of Videogamesrated it the sixth most popular coin-op game of all time.[38]

Electronic Fun with Computers & Gamespraised the Atari 8-bit version for retaining the arcade's entertaining gameplay and for its simple controls.[30]

Some home versions were criticized for quality and lack of exclusive content. Readers ofSoftlinemagazine rankedDig Dugthe tenth-worst Apple II and fourth-worst Atari 8-bit video game of 1983 for its subpar quality and failure of consumer expectations.[39]

Reviewing theXbox Live Arcadedigital re-release,IGNliked its presentation, leaderboards, and addictive gameplay, recommending it for old and new fans alike.[20]A similar response was echoed byGameSpotfor its colorful artwork and faithful arcade gameplay,[28]and byEurogamerfor addictiveness and longevity.[27]Eurogamer,IGN,andGameSpotall criticized its lack of online multiplayer and for achievements being too easy to unlock,[20][28]withEurogamerin particular criticizing the game's controls for sometimes being unresponsive.[27]

Legacy

edit

Dig Dugprompted a fad of "digging games".[40]Clones include the arcade gameZig Zag(1982),[41]the Atari 8-bit computer gameAnteater(1982) by Romox, Merlin'sPixie Pete,Victory'sCave Kooks(1983) for theCommodore 64,and Saguaro'sPumpman(1984) for theTRS-80 Color Computer.[42]The most successful isUniversal Entertainment's arcade gameMr. Do!(1982), released about six months later and surpassing clone status.[40]Sega'sBorderline(1981), when it was ported to theAtari 2600asThundergroundin 1983,[43]was mistaken as a "semi-clone" ofDig DugandMr. Do![44]Boulder Dash(1984) also drew comparisons toDig Dug.[45][46]Numerousmobile gamesare clones or variations ofDig Dug,such asDiggerman,Dig Deep,Digby Forever,Dig Out,Puzzle to the Center of Earth,Mine Blitz,I Dig It,Doug Dug,Minesweeper,Dig a Way,andDig Dog.[47]

Sequels

edit

Dig Dugprompted a long series of sequels for several platforms. The first of these,Dig Dug II,was released in Japan in 1985 to less success,[48]opting for an overhead perspective; instead of digging through earth, Dig Dug drills along fault lines to sink pieces of an island into the ocean.[49]A second sequel,Dig Dug Arrangement,was released for arcades in 1996 as part of theNamco Classic Collection Vol. 2arcade collection,[50]with new enemies, music, power-ups, boss fights, and two-player co-operative play.

A 3D remake of the original,Dig Dug Deeper,was published byInfogramesin 2001 for Windows.[51]A Nintendo DS sequel,Dig Dug: Digging Strike,was released in 2005, combining elements from the first two games and adding a narrative link to theMr. Drillerseries.[52]A massively-multiplayer online game,Dig Dug Island,was released in 2008, and was an online version ofDig Dug II;[53]servers lasted for less than a year, discontinued on April 21, 2009.[54]

edit

TwoDig Dug-themed slot machines were produced by Japanese company Oizumi in 2003, both with small LCD monitors for animated characters.[55][56]A webcomic adaptation was produced in 2012 byShiftyLook,a subsidiary of Bandai Namco focused on reviving older Namco franchises, with nearly 200 issues by several different artists, concluding in 2014 following the closure of ShiftyLook. Dig Dug is a main character in the ShiftyLook webseriesMappy: The Beat.A remix of theDig Dugsoundtrack appears in the PlayStation 2 gameTechnic Beat.[13]

The character Dig Dug was renamed to Taizo Hori, a play on the Japanese phrase "horitai zo", meaning "I want to dig". He became a prominent character in Namco's ownMr. Drillerseries, where he is revealed to be the father of Susumu Hori and being married toBaradukeprotagonist Masuyo Tobi, who would divorce for unknown reasons. Taizo appears as a playable character inNamco Super Warsfor theWonderSwan ColorandNamco × Capcomfor the PlayStation 2, only in Japan.[13][57]Taizo appears in the now-defunct web browser gameNamco Highas the principal of the high school, simply known as "President Dig Dug". Pookas appear in several Namco games, includingSky Kid(1985),R4: Ridge Racer Type 4(1998),[13]Pac-Man World(1999),[13]Pro Baseball: Famista DS 2011(2011), and in Nintendo'sSuper Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DSandWii U(2014).Dig Dugcharacters briefly appear in the filmWreck-It Ralph(2012).[13]

Notes

edit
  1. ^Japanese:ディグダグ,Hepburn:Digu Dagu

References

edit
  1. ^ab"Retrodiary: 1 April – 28 April".Retro Gamer.No. 88. Bournemouth, England. April 2011. p. 17.ISSN1742-3155.OCLC489477015.
  2. ^"Video Game Flyers: Dig Dug, Namco (Germany)".The Arcade Flyer Archive.RetrievedApril 18,2021.
  3. ^abcdSzczepaniak, John (November 2015).The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers.Vol. 2 (First ed.). S.M.G Szczepaniak. p. 201.ISBN978-1518818745.
  4. ^abcNamco Bandai Games(2011)."Galaga - 30th Anniversary Developer Interview".Galaga WEB.Archived fromthe originalon June 6, 2019.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
  5. ^Kiya, Andrew (October 17, 2021)."Former Namco Pixel Artist Hiroshi 'Mr. Dotman' Ono Has Died".Siliconera.RetrievedOctober 17,2021.
  6. ^abDig Dug instruction manual (FC)(PDF).Namco. 1985. p. 9.
  7. ^Szczepaniak, John (August 11, 2014).The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers(First ed.). SMG Szczepaniak. p. 363.ISBN978-0992926007.RetrievedAugust 12,2019.
  8. ^"『ディグダグ』の âm lặc はBGMでなく bộ hành âm. Khánh dã do lợi tử さんが ngữ る80 niên đại ナムコのゲームサウンド ( động họa あり ) - ライブドアニュース".Livedoor News(in Japanese). August 24, 2011. Archived fromthe originalon December 22, 2015.RetrievedMay 11,2019.
  9. ^"OLD ゲーム - ディグダグ".Gamest.November 1986. p. 58.RetrievedAugust 19,2019.
  10. ^Akagi, Masumi (October 13, 2006).アーケードTVゲームリスト quốc nội • hải ngoại biên (1971-2005)[Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971-2005)] (in Japanese). Japan: Amusement News Agency. p. 111.ISBN978-4990251215.
  11. ^"Manufacturers Equipment".Cash Box.United States. February 5, 1983. p. 35.
  12. ^abcdefgKalata, Kurt (December 3, 2008)."Dig Dug".Hardcore Gaming 101.Archived fromthe originalon March 21, 2019.RetrievedAugust 31,2019.
  13. ^Masuda, Atsushi."『ディグダグ』 パソコン bản とアーケード bản の" soa "に tăng điền thiếu niên ngạc nhiên!".AKIBA PC-Watch.RetrievedNovember 19,2016.
  14. ^Fielder, Joe (April 28, 2000)."Namco Museum 64 Review".GameSpot.Archived fromthe originalon May 12, 2019.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
  15. ^Aaron, Sean (September 3, 2009)."Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary Review (GCN)".Nintendo Life.Archived fromthe originalon September 26, 2017.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
  16. ^Aaron, Sean (July 12, 2009)."Namco Museum Remix Review (Wii)".Nintendo Life.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2019.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  17. ^Roper, Chris (July 21, 2009)."Namco Museum Essentials Review".IGN.Archived fromthe originalon April 29, 2019.RetrievedJuly 13,2019.
  18. ^Whitehead, Thomas (June 29, 2017)."Bandai Namco Confirms July Release for Namco Museum on Nintendo Switch".Nintendo Life.Archived fromthe originalon December 28, 2018.RetrievedAugust 1,2019.
  19. ^abcdBrudvig, Erik (October 11, 2006)."Dig Dug Review".IGN.RetrievedOctober 11,2006.
  20. ^"Another Five Games Bring Weekly Xbox One Backward Compatibility Total To Ten".www.GameInformer.com.Archived fromthe originalon May 7, 2016.RetrievedMay 7,2016.
  21. ^Side-BN issue 53(PDF).Namco Bandai Games, Inc. November 5, 2009. p. 21.
  22. ^Hernandez, Pedro."Pac-Man Party Review".Nintendo World Report.RetrievedDecember 3,2010.
  23. ^Weiss, Brett Alan."Dig Dug - Review".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon November 14, 2014.RetrievedApril 22,2021.
  24. ^abBaize, Anthony."Dig Dug - Review".AllGame.Archived fromthe originalon November 15, 2014.RetrievedNovember 15,2014.
  25. ^abcMcFerran, Damien (October 25, 2007)."Dig Dug".Eurogamer.RetrievedOctober 25,2007.
  26. ^abcReed, Kristan (October 16, 2006)."Dig Dug".Eurogamer.Archived fromthe originalon August 19, 2019.RetrievedAugust 19,2019.
  27. ^abcDavis, Ryan."Dig Dug Review".GameSpot.RetrievedJune 25,2007.
  28. ^Dimetrosky, Ray (April 1984)."Reviews: Video Game Buyer's Guide".Computer Games.Vol. 3, no. 1. pp. 60–2.
  29. ^abArdai, Charles (March 1984)."Dig Dug".No. 5. Fun & Games Publishing.Electronic Fun with Computers & Games.p. 54.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
  30. ^""Pole Position" No. 1 Video Game:Game Machine's "The Year's Best Three AM Machines" Survey Results "(PDF).Game Machine.No. 207.Amusement Press, Inc.March 1, 1983. p. 30.
  31. ^"Atari Production Numbers Memo".Atari Games.January 4, 2010. Archived fromthe originalon January 20, 2013.RetrievedMarch 18,2012.
  32. ^Fujihara, Mary (July 25, 1983)."Inter Office Memo: Coin-Op Product Sales"(PDF).Atari, Inc.Archived fromthe original(PDF)on October 20, 2021.RetrievedOctober 14,2021.
  33. ^"Game Search (based on Famitsu data)".Game Data Library.March 1, 2020. Archived fromthe originalon April 24, 2019.RetrievedMarch 16,2020.
  34. ^Langley, Ryan (January 20, 2012)."Xbox Live Arcade by the numbers - the 2011 year in review".Gamasutra.UBM Technology Group.RetrievedApril 29,2020.
  35. ^"Dig Dug".No. 1.Blip Magazine.February 1983. pp. 18–19.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
  36. ^"“ザ・ベストゲーム” ".GAMEST MOOK Vol.112 ザ・ベストゲーム2 アーケードビデオゲーム26 niên の lịch sử(Vol. 5, Issue 4 ed.).Gamest.January 17, 1998. p. 89.ISBN9784881994290.
  37. ^McLemore, Greg."The Top Coin-Operated Videogames of All Time".Killer List of Videogames.Archived fromthe originalon August 4, 2007.Retrieved2007-07-17.
  38. ^"The Best and the Rest"(PDF).St.Game.March–April 1984. p. 49.RetrievedJuly 28,2014.
  39. ^abHawken, Kieren (December 3, 2019).The A-Z of Arcade Games: Volume 1.Andrews UK Limited. p. 63.ISBN978-1-78982-193-2.
  40. ^Kalata, Kurt."Hardcore Gaming 101: Dig Dug".GameSpy.Archived fromthe originalon December 7, 2008.RetrievedApril 26,2021.
  41. ^Hague, James (April 13, 2021)."The Giant List of Classic Game Programmers".Dadgum.RetrievedApril 20,2021.
  42. ^Marley, Scott (December 2016). "SG-1000".Retro Gamer.No. 163. p. 58.
  43. ^Meade, E.C.; Clark, Jim (December 1983)."Thunderground (Sega for the 2600)".Videogaming Illustrated.p. 14.
  44. ^"1985 Software Buyer's Guide".Computer Games.Vol. 3, no. 5. United States: Carnegie Publications. February 1985. p. 11.
  45. ^Fox, Matt (January 3, 2013).The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012, 2d ed.McFarland & Company.p. 81.ISBN978-0-7864-7257-4.
  46. ^Sheridan, Trevor."Can You Dig It In These Arcade Digging Games?".NowGaming.Archivedfrom the original on May 22, 2018.RetrievedApril 26,2021.
  47. ^All About Namco.Radio News Company. 1985. p. 81.
  48. ^"Dig Dug II - Videogame by Namco".Killer List of Video Games.RetrievedApril 28,2019.
  49. ^"Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2".Killer List of Video Games.RetrievedApril 28,2019.
  50. ^"Dig Dug Deeper".December 14, 2001.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2018.RetrievedApril 3,2018.
  51. ^Nours Vol. 50(PDF).Namco. September 10, 2005. p. 20.RetrievedApril 28,2019.
  52. ^"“ディグダグアイランド”, クオカードやホランが đương たるキャンペーン ".4Gamer.RetrievedJune 30,2008.
  53. ^"ベルクス, “ディグダグアイランド” と “タンくる” のサービス chung liễu を quyết định ".4Gamer.RetrievedJanuary 22,2009.
  54. ^"ディグダグZ".P-World.RetrievedApril 28,2019.
  55. ^"ディグダグ".P-World.RetrievedApril 28,2019.
  56. ^ナムコ クロス カプコン - キャラクター(in Japanese). Namco × Capcom Website.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2018.RetrievedOctober 13,2018.
edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dig_Dug&oldid=1257667948"