![Dig Dug 2](https://cdn.statically.io/img/images.timeextension.com/8adca0d1140df/dig-dug-2.900x.jpg)
Namco's 1985 arcade sequel Dig Dug II arrives on Switch today as part of Hamster's Arcade Archives series.
The follow-up to the famous 1982 original, Dig Dug II replaces the side-on, digging gameplay with an overhead view, with hero Taizo Hori armed with both his traditional air pump and a new jackhammer weapon – the latter of which is behind the game's defining mechanic, the ability to dig at fault lines in the ground and cause sections of the landscape to sink into the water, taking out enemies (and the player, if they're not careful).
Despite offering something fresh and new rather than simply rehashing the original game, Dig Dug II was not as commercially successful as its forerunner – although it did get a port on the Famicom / NES in 1986 (1989 for North America). Dig Dug II was also ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005 as part of Namco Museum Battle Collection. Two years later, it made it onto Namco Museum DS. An online version of Dig Dug II, known as Dig Dug Island, went live in 2008 but was shut down a year later.
The last mainline entry in the franchise is 2005's Dig Dug: Digging Strike on the DS.
Comments 5
I know this game was an arcade sequel, but a DD2 machine in the wild is very rare. At least in North America.
dig dug is one of the greats! dig dug ii is... interesting!
@Damo
it should or at least could be mentioned that Mr. Driller is a true spiritual successor to dig dug, as "Nagaoka intended Mr. Driller to be the third mainline entry in Namco's Dig Dug series."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Driller
also, this game is already on switch, as part of Namco Museum Collection vol. 2, which you can get on sale like every other week for something like 5 dollars. 👍
https://www.nintendo.com/store/products/namco-museum-archives-vol-2-switch/
@-wc- The version on Namco Museum Vol 2 is the NES port, I think? This is the original arcade version.
@Damo
i didnt know that! 👍 thanks for the info! im actually interested in this now.
ps - i assumed all the games on namco museum were arcade versions! ill have to go look for myself if they make that plain and i just skimmed right past. i tend to buy these collections when they are on sale without much thought and then peruse them later 👍
@-wc- The way it works on Switch is that the compilation that's just titled "Namco Museum" is all arcade games (plus Pac-Man Vs. which was originally a GameCube game), while the two "Namco Museum Archives" compilations are NES/Famicom ports.
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