As for why I bought it: I had three reasons, although none of them could be called good ones. First, it was cheap. Second, I thought it would be a nice on-the-go game to own. Third, I liked its box art--which, if you look closely, has a fabric-like texture to it that's pretty cool.
The cartridge label (below) is rather nice, too, although I obviously didn't know that until it landed on our doorstep.
Anyway, hopefully I'll be able to put it and all of my other recently-ish acquired WonderSwan titles through their paces sooner rather than later. In the meantime, maybe I'll devote an upcoming "Manual Stimulation" post to this game's instruction booklet (assuming it's actually worthy of such attention, of course).
See also: Previous 'Acquisition #123' posts
Argh I love that little cartridge. I have a weird obsession with wanting to have all kinds of them. Nice box art too, it's striking to have the entire format filled like that.
ReplyDeleteI remember back in the day, this game and Metal Gear Solid were released around the same time on PSX. When I heard that Mr. Driller was outselling MGS in Japan I was livid, haha (I was also like 14 years old so I got angry about video games). Eventually I came to appreciate this game for it's clean graphics, music and the obvious love the developers had for classic Namco. Oh, and the gameplay is good.
Mr. Driller is one of my anytime games, that combination of block-clearing with a more hands-on not-really-platforming kind of interface (coupled with risk of tangible death) just makes it tap into something really true to my core sense of fun. I also really like this cover, the whole line of "first" Mr. Driller box art has a real iconic quality to it. Most of them even just went with his face, so a whole body shot is a bit unusual but it still feels like the first game. I like the later boxes too but I think the first set was classier.
ReplyDeleteHello there, Nightmare Bruce! (Gah, I can't remember your real name--sorry about that.) So, you're obsessed with wanting to have all kinds of WonderSwan carts, or just portable game carts in general?
ReplyDeleteIf it's the former, you may be surprised to hear me say that I'm not all that crazy about the WonderSwan's cartridge design. They're nice enough, I guess, but I much prefer, say, the original GameBoy's carts.
As for this game's box art: yeah, it is nice, isn't it? And it's especially nice that it takes up most of the cover. I've never understood why Nintendo felt the need to obscure the covers of their GameBoy and GameBoy Advance games outside of Japan with huge logos, etc.
I love your story about Mr. Driller and MGS, by the way. I probably would've gotten a kick out of the former 'beating' the latter on the sales charts back then--if I'd been paying attention to that kind of thing.
I wonder how much the PS1 version of Mr. Driller went on to sell in Japan, anyway?
Hello Michael! You know what's weird? It's taken me a long time to warm up to Mr. Driller. I always liked the looks of it, but I didn't much enjoy playing it. Now that I have the PS1 version of the original and Mr. Driller Drill Spirits for the DS--plus this release, of course--I've warmed up to the game substantially.
ReplyDeleteAs for the box arts produced for the first Mr. Driller games being iconic: I agree! Later ones are nice, too, like you said, but none of them are as flat-out awesome as the ones produced for the series' maiden release :)
Haha, it's Jeremy. It's not that I want all Wonderswan carts, just...all carts. I like making custom labels for em and it's exciting to see a kind I don't have yet (as long as it's a cartridge no one will miss the label of like a sports or other now worthless game).
ReplyDeleteOh, the US GameBoy was the worst when it came to label art--too many microscopic labels and those stupid silver bars squishing the image. As for sales numbers, that's a good question. I have to admit that for what it's trying to do, Mr. Driller is an almost flawless game. I'd give it a perfect score if he didn't scream LUCKY every single time you get an air capsule.
Ah, I understand, Jeremy. (I'll try to remember that from now on!) Have you made custom labels for portable games before, by the way? I don't remember seeing any on your site.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I have to agree with you about Mr. Driller and the protagonist's, uh, propensity for yelling "LUCKY!" I have to play the game with the volume turned down for that reason alone :)
I sure have; I did a GameBoy Advance sequel to the obscure puzzle game Heiankyo Alien: http://ribbonblack.blogspot.com/2013/03/heiankyo-alien-r-gameboy-advance.html
ReplyDeleteAnd another fictional one for the original Gameboy: http://ribbonblack.blogspot.com/2013/03/im-afraid-of-sun-gameboy.html
If you really want to go crazy, play Mr. Driller G (I think it's arcade and japanese psx only though) with six different characters, you'll get all the LUCKY you can handle.
Kudos to you for making me aware of Heiankyo Alien, Jeremy. Damn you, too, though, since now I want a copy of it :P
ReplyDeleteI also like the idea and box art you came up with for the fictional GB game.
RE: Mr. Driller G: I've long wanted to buy a copy of the Japanese PS1 game, actually. Maybe I'll do that soon so I can drive my husband crazy with all sorts of "LUCKY!" yells :)
Hahah! So, did you warm up to Mr. Driller before buying those other games, or were you forced to admit you liked it because you kept buying them? The game isn't really that different between any versions.. :)
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite "variation" of Mr. Driller is the Hole of Druaga (from Drill Land on Gamecube), which takes away some of the manic pace of the game and replaces it with a kind of Rogue-like elements, with a random dungeon (this works surprisingly well) containing essential items and even a boss encounter at the bottom. Most other games seem about the game though (I do own two different versions for GBA though, I had a lot of disposable income at the time, heheh!)
To tell you the truth, I don't know what caused me to change my mind about the game/series, Michael. I think my first experiences with the game may have been a bit superficial--as in, I didn't play it long enough or give it enough of a chance/shot.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really like the sounds of that Hole of Druaga mode in Drill Land! I've been meaning to pick up a copy of that game for AGES by the way. I really should do it soon.
Random question: do you think Namco is done with this series? I know they released Drill Spirits for DS, but that was very early on in that system's life. I'd definitely like them to give it another go, but I can't help but wonder that they may not (on the 3DS, at least).
You know how I feel about Mr. Driller ;) I love the box!
ReplyDeleteCute!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, I definitely do, Anne. I'm still planning to pick up a copy of Mr. Driller A someday, BTW. You'll be the first to know when I do :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Justin!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought about it (I'm kind of beyond my Mr. Driller mania phase) but since you mention it, it IS strange that they haven't made another one. I wonder if they kind of burnt people out on it (especially in Japan) with so many different releases in a fairly short time frame, or if Mr. Driller has just run its course finally. I know I don't need to buy any more versions of it (at least as long as my 3DS will play Drill Spirits).
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling you may be right on both points, Michael--that they burnt people out on it AND it's kind of run its course. I do hope they'll bring it back eventually, though. I really like the aesthetic of these games, as well as their old-school gameplay.
ReplyDeleteOh, lovely! I can't really say it plays all that differently from the more recent Mr. Driller games, but I still think it's great :)
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I just like that it's a Japan-only GBA game and I like its box art. I don't really care if it plays too differently from the rest :)
ReplyDeleteHah! A man after my own heart :P
ReplyDeleteHee hee--yes, we're definitely alike in this way. Nothing wrong with that!
ReplyDelete