anyone else like mr driller...?

[jpj]

been playing this a lot recently.

cleared the dreamcast version:


and been playing mr driller 2. and cleared 500m and 1000m so far:



but i noticed my 500m score is about 80k shy of the japanese record. i'm clearing it on 1 life, and getting all oxygens. so i'm wondering if anyone has any tips at all......?

cheers

[PaCrappa]

Best games of all times. I was chomping at the bit from the first
JP magazine ads and bought the JP DC version the day it came out. I've been a fiend ever since.

I have no tips except keep on playing.

Pa

[Ayanami]

Mr. Driller kicks all kinds of ass.

[professor ganson]

People here like it so much that there's a huge thread devoted to it:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.ph ... ht=driller

[Ozymandiaz1260]

I just ordered a Mr. Driller 2 PCB. It was only $40 for pretty much a full kit, while the original Mr. Driller is more than twice that for just the board. Hmm

[PaCrappa]

I like Susumu's sprite and animation the best in the first one. It's still the main one I play in the home.

Pa

[Acid King]

I've been playing this a lot recently too. I bought a copy for the dreamcast off someone on the forum and my dreamcast died. A few weeks later I bought the Namcollection from PlayAsia so I could play both Mr Driller and Klonoa. It's the playstation version but it seems identical to the dreamcast. Anyone know if there are any differences between the ports?

[PaCrappa]

No difference whatsoever.

Pa

[iatneH]

I've been playing the Japanese DS version non-stop for the last while. Just cleared the 2000m moon mission with Ataru to unlock Usagi last night, and I'm working on the 1000m Dristone.

Using Susumu I've only no-miss perfect-air up to 800m :(

Though agreed with Pa, it's some of the greatest games of all time.

[Bloodreign]

I like the game myself, the frantic pace to avoid being squished, as well as planning quickly where to drill to next to get that oxygen tank keeps me playing it.

All in all Mr. Driller is like a drug, addictive as hell.

[Super Laydock]

After having bought the GBC version of the game after hearing good things about the game I was disappointed with it.
There´s just little too it, and I didn´t find myself craving for more after saving reached the set depths.
I found it shallow and not entertaining.

Later on I read positive things about the DC version, and since I needed it for my collection anyway I bought this version as well. Same disappointment, very shallow and almost no extras worth mentioning.

Why anyone would prefer this over Tetris, Puzzle Bobble, Klax or the somewhat comparable Sega Classic Penguin Land is beyond my imagination.

But I seem to be in the minority with this view...

[PaCrappa]

Tetris, Puzzle Bobble, Klax

You call Mr Driller "shallow and not entertaining" and then you list those? I doubt you spent much time with Mr Driller.

Pa

[Super Laydock]

Tetris, Puzzle Bobble, Klax

You call Mr Driller "shallow and not entertaining" and then you list those?

Well, all these games were, contrary to mr. driller, very addictive and entertaining. Always wanting to play again, get further etc.
If you reach the debts that are given then it´s over. No endless drilling or what (if I remember correctly).

But I suppose these games could be called shallow as well, following the reason I had for calling MR. D shallow.

I doubt you spent much time with Mr Driller.

Due to the game not being addictive at all for me I´ve indeed not spent that much time with the game. If it had been addictive I might have though.
I did finish the GBC version, but indeed left the DC game alone after 3 or 4 times (at most). I had no urge to play any longer (which says enough to me).

But again, I am in the minority here (it seems) and apparently I am missing something here.

[iatneH]

But there IS endless drilling, at least in my DS version.

And it's one thing to reach the set depths, but another to no-miss and perfect-air + time bonus it.
I'd liken it to maybe 4cc-ing a shooter vs 1cc-ing it. Or rather 1-life-ing it. But it's really one of those puzzle games whose depth really comes out when playing for score. Even if you don't no-miss it, you really want to get every air capsule when playing for score, since the value goes up by 100 each time, by the time you're down in the 1K+ depths, each capsule adds a lot to your score.

[Super Laydock]

But there IS endless drilling, at least in my DS version.

Well I´d consider that a huge + over the GBC version then.
The omission of that really killed the game there for me.

And it's one thing to reach the set depths, but another to no-miss and perfect-air + time bonus it.
I'd liken it to maybe 4cc-ing a shooter vs 1cc-ing it. Or rather 1-life-ing it. But it's really one of those puzzle games whose depth really comes out when playing for score. Even if you don't no-miss it, you really want to get every air capsule when playing for score, since the value goes up by 100 each time, by the time you're down in the 1K+ depths, each capsule adds a lot to your score.

I can´t be bothered perfecting a game I don´t like much in the first place.
But if you´re actually into it I can see the challenge.


***edit***

just popped in the DC version again, and see that my memory failed me a bit on that one as it does have a survival "endless drilling" mode.
Still playing it again, reaffirmed that I don´t like the game that much.
But once again, it might just be me...

[Neon]

No difference whatsoever.

Pa

Well there is VGA box

Wouldn't the PS one have load times as well? Haven't played it yet.

If anyone has a Dreamcast copy or one for jpsx let me know, I only have the game on pee sea

[Acid King]

No difference whatsoever.

Pa

Well there is VGA box

Wouldn't the PS one have load times as well? Haven't played it yet.

If anyone has a Dreamcast copy or one for jpsx let me know, I only have the game on pee sea

I've been playing the PSX one on the Namcollection for PS2 so the load times are pretty minimal. I have a dreamcast copy if you want it.

[Michaelm]

It's a great game !
I even got a mobile version for my n-gage
Nice enough to lighten the waiting!

[Lordstar]

I play it on my DS im not very good but every time i go back and play I unlock more shizz and get better.

[BrianC]

The GBA Drillers also have Endless. The cool thing about the endless course in Mr. Driller Ace is that it has power ups that aren't in the non-endless mode. Ace also has an endless course for the Dristone mode. I love Mr. Driller games. They are fun and addictive.

[FatCobra]

Is the DS verison any good?

[PaCrappa]

Laydock, I am more sure than ever that you are missing something here. Completing the set depths is easy. The 500M could be completed by an untrained monkey with one hand behind his back. The 1000M can be completed on luck alone if you are willing to spend enough tries button mashing to the bottom. Especially on the GBC one which is by far the easiest. As someone above said the challenge comes from trying to one life it or get perfect air or both. And then moving on to the endless to see how far you can get.

Mr Driller is nothing more than an action game until great depths are reached and the air capsules become blocked much more heavily. That's when the true puzzle elements surface. How to extract the air without getting killed? Therein lies the (puzzle) game. I can see why you compared it to Penguin Land as it is also an action game at heart that does express some puzzle type elements. But if you've played Tetris, how in the world can you call Mr Driller "shallow"? After years of Driller playing it seems to me that the likes of Tetris (a game I like) and Klax (a game I don't like) have set the bar in shallow gameplay for puzzlers.

At any rate, you're free to not play it if you don't like it. But I can tell from your posts that there is definitely a certain level of understanding that you haven't reached. I imagine you get confused sometimes when Susumu gets smashed.

Pa

[iatneH]

Is the DS verison any good?

I think it's great! But make sure you get either the Japanese or European version. The US version is missing a whole bunch of stuff.

IIRC, this is what was removed in the US version:
Usagi (unlockable character w/ crazy god powers)
2000m Moon mission
Endless South Pole mission
Possibly some Pressure mode missions
Dristone mode (an entire game mode removed, WTF?)
No single-card multiplayer
Ending song was changed

There must be more, but you can see a great effort was made to suckify the US release.

I want to add that the random items add a lot of excitement to the space missions. When you're down to 10 air and drilling towards the "?" block, you don't know if you'll get a full air recharge, or make a bunch of rocks fall on you.

Brian: I know you were looking for the JP DS version, I got mine off eBay from loongsfj for $25, he has more if you are interested.

Anybody have info on the JP GameCube version?

[PaCrappa]

Thanks for the tip. The DS one is the only one I don't have. Apparently I will die of old age before the price gets any better than that so I had to go for it.

I always hoped (still do actually) that they'd develop an arcade version around the DS version's gimmick (big boss overhead) that used a vertical monitor. I know that break between the screens is going to bug me when I actually sit down to play this.

Pa

[BrianC]

Anybody have info on the JP GameCube version?

I have the JP GameCube version. From what I played, it's very good. The single player is a bit different from the normal Mr. Driller setup. It's set up like a theme park where you try to complete 1 level of the challenges and then fight a boss and go to the next difficulty and repeat. The challenges are set up like modes in different Mr. Driller games, but some of them are unique to Mr. Driller Drill Land like one where you have to use holy water to defeat the ghosts in the level rather than just drilling. I haven't played as far as I like because the saving doesn't work properly with Freeloader, though.

[Super Laydock]

Laydock, I am more sure than ever that you are missing something here. Completing the set depths is easy. The 500M could be completed by an untrained monkey with one hand behind his back.

Thanks, that explains a lot to me...

The 1000M can be completed on luck alone if you are willing to spend enough tries button mashing to the bottom.

My thoughts exactly.

But if you've played Tetris, how in the world can you call Mr Driller "shallow"? After years of Driller playing it seems to me that the likes of Tetris (a game I like) and Klax (a game I don't like) have set the bar in shallow gameplay for puzzlers.

At any rate, you're free to not play it if you don't like it. But I can tell from your posts that there is definitely a certain level of understanding that you haven't reached. I imagine you get confused sometimes when Susumu gets smashed.

Pa

Ok, maybe calling it shallow wasn´t the wisest thing to do, considering the examples of puzzle games I like that I gave afterwards...
I should just have said I didn´t like it and leave it at that.
And maybe I haven´t invested enough time in it to reach that "level of understanding" needed to enjoy the game indeed. I just can´t justify spending more time with a game I am not enjoying just waiting till "it" hits me.

But since this is a thread for people enjoying it, I am out of here.
No need for me to rain on this parade, as my memories and understanding of this game might indeed fall short.

I´ll just keep playing those games that immediately "hit" me and maybe start an appreciation thread for one of those once too (unlikely).

[ubersaurus]

Mr. Driller is a man's game.

[Super Laydock]

Mr. Driller is a man's game.

So, I assume you´re not playing it either.








yes, I really am out of here now...

[PaCrappa]

The 1000M can be completed on luck alone if you are willing to spend enough tries button mashing to the bottom.

My thoughts exactly.

I meant that if you are willing to sit for hours and hours and hours you may be able to get that one lucky run through the 1000M and reach the bottom based solely on luck and one hyperspeed buttonmashing thumb/finger. It never happened for me that way, I had to practice forever before I beat the 1000M and of course by the time I did I knew the intricacies of the game inside and out and was never confused by what many consider to be cheap random deaths. On the other hand, the owner of the import store's wife never understood the game at all and gave up after playing it for a few days. But in that time she managed one lucky buttonmasher's run to the bottom of 1000M. She's still totally confused about what is actually going on in the game and has never completed it since. Reminds me of the time my old girlfriend made it to stage 5 of ESPrade in one credit the very first time she ever saw the game.

I'm glad it didn't happen for me that way with Mr Driller because I might think the game was simply random bullshit.

Pa

[DJ Incompetent]

Mr. Driller? Sure I'll take a bullet for that guy; with his silly pink helmet and ill-capacity air tank.

hmm, I need a way to hijack the PSX music