Dig Dug
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| Dig Dug | |
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| Developer: | Namco |
| Publisher: | Atari Games |
| Release date: | 1982 |
| Genre: | Retro |
| Game modes: | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Cabinet: | Standard and cocktail |
| Controls: | Joystick; 1 button |
| Monitor | |
| Orientation: | Vertical |
| Type: | Raster, standard resolution |
| Size: | 19-inches |
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| According to KLOV the #6 most popular game of all time | |
Dig Dug is an arcade game released in 1982 by Namco. A popular game based on a simple concept, it was also available as a home video game available on many consoles, and had many arcade and home clones, including Mr. Do!.
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Objective
Dig Dug's objective is to eliminate underground-dwelling monsters. This can be done by inflating them until they pop or by dropping rocks on them. There are two kinds of enemies in the game: Pookas are round red monsters who look like a tomato wearing yellow sunglasses, and Fygars are green dragons who can breathe fire. The player's character is Dig Dug, who can make tunnels; he is killed if he is caught by a monster, burned by a Fygar's fire, or crushed by a rock.
It takes four 'pumps' with the player's action button to inflate a monster to popping. If left partially inflated, the monster will recover after a few seconds, but half-inflating is a useful way to stun an enemy, especially to make sure it remains in the path of a falling rock.
The monsters generally travel through the tunnels, but they are capable of occasionally turning into "eyes" and moving slowly through dirt.
More points are awarded for eliminating an enemy further down in the dirt, and the Fygar is worth more points if it's inflated horizontally than vertically (because it only breathes fire horizontally). "Fruit" (and other symbols, such as a Galaxian flagship) appears in the center of the playfield as a bonus item after the player drops two rocks, and can be collected for points if the player reaches it before it disappears.
The game has no end. The last enemy on a level will try to escape off the top left of the screen. Level numbers are represented by flowers in the top right on the screen. In successive levels, more monsters appear on each screen and they move more quickly.
Legacy
A sequel to this game, Dig Dug II, was much less common and met with less success in the arcades. However, Namco have announced a new Dig Dug game due for release in late 2005 on the Nintendo DS under the name Dig Dug: Digging Strike.
Trivia
The actual name of the protagonist is Taizo Hori, and is the father of Susumu Hori, the main character in the Mr. Driller series. Many American gamers learned of his real name via Namco x Capcom (Where he is also a playable character).
In and around Philadelphia, when a player lost a life at the hands of a Fygar, kibitzers gathered around the machine would sometimes point their finger at the player and say "Herman Edwards," who at the time was a cornerback for the city's NFL team, the Philadelphia Eagles; Edwards wasn't very fast, and as a result often "got burned" by opposing wide receivers. Today, Edwards is the head coach of the New York Jets.
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External links
- The KLOV entry on Dig Dug (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7581)
- Dig Dug: Tips and History (http://www.eightyeightynine.com/games/dig-dug.html)
- Ed's Dig Dug Page (http://www.edcollins.com/digdug)
- The KLOV entry on Dig Dug II (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?game_id=7582&letter=D)
- Category at ODP (http://dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Action/D/Dig_Dug_Series/)de:Dig Dug