Tag: Dig Dug

I’m Having Fun Playing Dig Dug On My Xbox Series X

I’m Having Fun Playing Dig Dug On My Xbox Series X

carlocarrasco

Welcome back Xbox fans, retro gaming enthusiasts and fellow geeks!

I’ve been playing Atari 50 on my Xbox Series X for more than a year now and I can say it is a blast of retro gaming fun. In addition, the DLCs added even more fun, more variety and gave me insight about the production history of the games.

In recent times, I purchased the Namco Legendary Pack for Atari 50 and it came with 3 Atari Pac-Man games (for Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit), the American arcade versions of Dig Dug and Xevious, and the home console versions of Galaga, Xevious, Galaxian and Dig Dug.

Among those games, I chose to play the arcade version of Dig Dug which I never previously played. Indeed, I visited the video arcades a lot when I was younger and I do remember passing by a few machines of Dig Dug. I simply never took the opportunity to play Namco’s arcade classic back then. By the late 1990s, Dig Dug was simply no longer offered by local arcade operators.

The Dig Dug arcade cabinet.
The North American arcade flyer of Dig Dug by Atari.

After installing the Namco Legendary Pack, I started playing the arcade version of Dig Dug on my Xbox Series X using the Xbox controller. Even though I rushed in viewing the Xbox control scheme, Dig Dug still turned out to be simple and very playable at the same time.

In the game, you play the character Dig Dug (Taizo Hori) who has to dig tunnels in an underground maze. You have to eliminate the enemies/monsters deep within which are the Pookas (red and spherical beings that wear large goggles) and the Fygars (fire-breathing dragons). To eliminate an enemy, you have to use an air pump to physically connect with it and then inflate it until it explodes. Another way of eliminating an enemy is by crushing them with falling rocks which requires a bit of strategy as you are always chased.

Even without new tunnels made, there are times when enemies are able to penetrate through the soil to emerge near you. If you are in a tunnel with an enemy present, you will often get chased. Be mindful that for every level you progress into, enemies move faster and their numbers gradually increase.

The first level of Dig Dug.
Inflating a Pooka.
The Fygars are dragons and they are dangerous as they have fire as breath weapons.
Inflating a Fygar above ground.
Here, I managed to have a huge rock fall down and hit the Fyger and Pooka that chased me earlier. Pulling off this move requires strategy.
As you inflate an enemy and there are still more enemies near you, you have to be mindful that a Pooka can penetrate through the soil and emerge in a tunnel near you.

Having played Dig Dug a number of times already with my Xbox copy of Atari 50, I can say that I am really enjoying the classic arcade game from Namco. Historically, Dig Dug as planned and designed by Masahisa Ikegami who was assisted by Shigeru Yokoyama (Galaga). The game’s programmers were Shouichi Fukatani and Toshio Sakai, while the art was done by Hiroshi Ono, and the music was composed by Yuriko Keino.

At the 11th round, the game has turned much more challenging as the monsters moved faster and they can be overwhelming.

You might be wondering why was Dig Dug (in arcade and console ports) and those other Namco classic games released in a DLC package for the Atari 50 collection recently? This is because Atari and Namco formed a business partnership in Japan when the American company established its presence there with Atari Japan. In fact, Namco started shifting into video gaming because of Atari. As for Dig Dug, it debuted in Japanese arcades in March 1982 and was brought to American arcades with Atari as the distributor (note: a licensing deal with Namco was signed).

As already recorded in history, Dig Dug became a huge critical and commercial success in both Japan and the United States. While the game emerged as the 2nd highest grossing arcade game in Japan for 1982, Atari sold more than 22,000 Dig Dug arcade cabinets and generated over $46 million in sales that same year. With big success achieved, it was not surprising to see Atari release ports of Dig Dug on the Atari 2600, Atari 5200 and Atari 8-bit computers.

A Dig Dug print ad for America by Atari.

If you are an Xbox gamer who is into retro gaming and you are interested in Atari 50, click https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/store/atari-50-the-anniversary-celebration/9N3TFDSQ531T

Those who are already playing Atari 50 on Xbox consoles who have yet to try the Namco Legendary Pack, click https://www.xbox.com/en-PH/games/store/atari-50-the-namco-legendary-pack/9n46gncv28zh

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 38

Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 38

carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads – including arcade flyers – from the 1980s to the 1990s.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers, posters and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s to the 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Starflight Sega Genesis Print Ad

Sometimes the very detailed artwork made gamers imagine Starflight as a sci-fi movie waiting to happen.

By the time it was released on the Sega Genesis in 1991, Starflight was already popular as it was released on varied computer systems and entertained a lot of gamers several years prior. To promote the Sega Genesis version, a 2-page print ad of Starflight was made with a grand-looking artwork of space, spaceships and planets dominating the space. The ad makers managed to utilize the remaining space below the artwork to show selected images, the descriptive text and the game’s box cover to make it clear to gamers that Starflight on Genesis is real and made to be playable. The artwork itself remains a powerful grabber of attention even to this day.

2. Defender Japanese Arcade Flyer

The front.
The rear.

Defender is one of my favorites among the many games of Midway. In recent times, I’ve been playing the arcade version of Defender on my Xbox Series X using the Midway Arcade Origins digital copy I purchased online. As Defender became a massive hit in America, it was released in Japanese arcades with Taito handling the distribution. The arcade flyer Taito came up with used hand-drawn art for the background on the front along with pictures of the arcade cabinet and the arcade cocktail table versions of the game. While the rear of the flyer looks very simplistic, the front remains attractive to look at.

3. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse Print Ad

Some people found the artwork looking creepy or even terrifying.

By the year 1990, the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was present in several millions of households all over America and there were lots of great games available. Among the NES gamers were fans of the Castlevania game series and Konami went on to release Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse in America. As part of the company’s aggressive promotion, a single-page ad featuring a detailed looking artwork of a gamer getting immersed with the game’s fantasy elements (look at the creepy looking characters, monsters and the game’s hero present) was done. While the artwork was a strong attention grabber, what stood out was the sweepstakes form for gamers to cut out, fill it with their information and mail it for the chance to win a trip to the hometown of Dracula. Do you personally know anyone who won in the sweepstakes?

4. Double Dragon Games Print Ad

Print ad made with Double Dragon fans in mind.

When it comes to the console and handheld presence of the Double Dragon games franchise, it was on Nintendo hardware – specifically the NES and the Game Boy – where gamers and the fans could find them. Acclaim Entertainment knew how popular Double Dragon games were with Nintendo gamers and they aggressively marketed Double Dragon III: The Sacred Stones and Double Dragon II with a single-page print ad that had great looking painted artwork. Very clearly, this early 1990s ad was made to connect strongly with Double Dragon fans and its presentation still looks very solid even with today’s standards.

5. Konami 3-in-1 Game Boy Games Print Ad

The excitement of sports is clearly shown in this old ad.

From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Konami published a lot of games on Nintendo’s wildly popular platform the NES and among them were classics like Contra, Castlevania and Metal Gear. Konami’s support also made it to Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld device (first released in 1989) which itself sold strongly and became the leading platform for portable gaming. As such, Konami made a 2-page print ad promoting NFL Football, Blades of Steel and Double Dribble: 5 on 5 for Game Boy. Cleverly, the ad makers used fancy artworks on the left (reflecting the different sports) side while using the space on the right side for descriptive text, screenshots and game box covers. This fine looking ad has a strong appeal towards Game Boy users and sports enthusiasts.

6. Tengen 6-in-1 Print Ad

This old print ad is a delight for those who owned a Sega Genesis.

Back in the 1980s, Atari formed the company Tengen to not only develop games but also publish game for computers and game consoles. During that decade, Tengen published games on the NES but they had trouble working within the strict licensing terms of Nintendo. The two companies would later get into court battles over a series of events within the gaming business. Eventually, Tengen started doing business with Sega and published games on the Genesis console. As part of their aggressive publishing of games on Sega’s console, Tengen came up with this 2-page print ad promoting six different games emphasizing that the fun arcade experiences are coming to gamers’ homes.

7. Dig Dug Print Ad

Are you aware of the business relationship and trust between Atari and Namco?

When Atari opened its branch in Japan – called Atari Japan – in the 1970s, they established a partnership with Namco to distribute arcade games there. As they experienced trouble penetrating the Japanese market, Atari eventually sold Atari Japan to Namco which paved the way for their Japanese partner to get into video games. Just a few years later, Namco developed its own original arcade game Dig Dug which became a massive hit in Japan. As a licensing deal was already in effect, Atari distributed Dig Dug in American arcades which the above magazine print ad clearly shows.

8. Sega Genesis Over SNES Print Ad

Sega directly attacked Nintendo by emphasizing the larger quantity of games and varied game experiences that can only be found on the Genesis back then.

By the time Nintendo released the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1991, the Sega Genesis console has been in the video game market for a few years already. In America, Tom Kalinske led Sega and his approach to marketing and resonating with gamers was essentially aggressive. The aggressive approach includes naming their competition and showing why Sega is superior. Given the lead time they had on the North American market, Sega came up with this print ad showing their Genesis consoles having a lot more games than the SNES. Competitive console gaming was very different back then.

9. Atari Jaguar Print Ad

Did you spend $159.99 on an Atari Jaguar console back in the 1990s?

In the 1990s, Atari attempted a comeback in console gaming with the Atari Jaguar console. Early on, their marketing emphasized the so-called 64-bit capabilities of the Jaguar to convince gamers theirs is the most powerful console on the market. Sadly, the console failed to achieve strong sales and a huge price cut was executed. To attract customers, Atari came up with this 2-page print ad to inform them of the cheaper $159.99 price while reminding them of the “most mind-blowing, head-exploding games” they can have with the Jaguar. Obviously this ad campaign failed as the Atari Jaguar never achieved commercial success.

10. Side Pocket Print Ad

The Side Pocket print ad with a subtle touch of sexiness.

After its original release in the arcades in 1986, Side Pocket was ported by Data East to many consoles and handheld devices in the 1990s. When it comes to promoting the Sega Genesis version, Data East came up with this print ad showing a lady in a sexy dress in the background (head hidden) which instantly created a sexy aesthetic. The large text displayed emphasized the game of billiards supported by the screenshots shown. The screenshot at the upper-left corner shows artwork of a pretty lady smiling at the viewer which added to the sexy aesthetic of the ad.  

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For burgers and arcade fun in BF Homes, visit Hackensack

For burgers and arcade fun in BF Homes, visit Hackensack

carlocarrasco

Along the stretch of Aguirre Avenue inside BF Homes subdivision, Barangay BF Homes, Parañaque City is the 1950s-inspired diner Hackensack. To be clear, it is the BF Homes branch of the business whose other branch is located in Quezon City.

I had my first-ever visit there this past February for a lunch reunion and meeting with a dear friend of mine. We both had rice meals and drinks, and we had a nice chat while seating comfortably.

Daytime shot of a portion of the interior at Hackensack’s BF Homes branch. Comfortable seats and sufficient space for customers.
Through the window, customers can watch their food getting cooked.

I carefully examined Hackensack as it was my first time back then. I noticed they have sufficient parking spaces – spacious enough to allow double-parking – for motorists outside. Upon entering, the 1950s vibe was clearly present through the interior design and the carefully placed decorations. With the nice interiors, cool aircon system and sufficient walking space between the chairs and tables, Hackensack’s BF Homes branch is nice and comfortable to be in.

Recently, I had a 2nd visit at Hackensack in BF Homes and this time it was dinner with my family.

Food

This is the Deluxe “Smashed” Cheeseburger and Fries Combo. The cheeseburger had two Angus beef patties.

During my 2nd visit, I had the Deluxe “Smashed” Cheeseburger (double-patty) and Fries Combo and a Chocolate Milkshake. The cheeseburger itself came with two Angus beef patties, two wide tomato slices, lettuce and cheese, and it tasted really good. I’m glad I had the cheeseburger as I was getting tired of the cheeseburgers from the more popular burger-and-fries fast food restaurants. Meanwhile, the fries were well cooked and satisfying to eat.

As mentioned above, I had the Chocolate Milkshake although I ordered at least 30 minutes after I finished my cheeseburger and fries combo meal. Hackensack’s milkshake tasted mildly sweet (given the chocolate flavor) but more importantly, it also tasted freshly made.

The chocolate milkshake was tasty and satisfying.

Other food that my family enjoyed include the 1950s Onion-steamed Cheeseburger and Fries Combo, the Fried Onion Strings, Fries, the Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Wings, and the Classic BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato). I can clearly say that my family enjoyed the food and what was served exceeded expectations.

The Fried Onion Strings was a delicious appetizer and also ideal when eating with a group of companions.
A standalone service of Fries.
The 1950s Onion-steamed Cheeseburger and Fries Combo.

Hackensack’s menu offers lots of food and drink options that customers can choose from such as the Chicken Salad Sandwich with Chips combo meal, Clubhouse Sandwich with Chips combo meal, Waffle Fries, New York Frank and Fries combo meal, Mom’s Baked Spaghetti, Monty Brewster and Fries combo meal, Homemade Apple Pie, Steak and Eggs rice meal, Rootbeer Float and more.

Arcade games plus notable comic book artworks

While Hackensack has a strong 1950s vibe with its food, interiors and atmosphere, the place with the two arcade cabinets (where players can stand in front of and play games) is something else. If you know your entertainment history, you should be aware already that arcade games in America (electronic games played on machines) did not exist during the 1950s.

That being said, the two arcade cabinets allow users to pick games from a wide selection of titles from the 1970s to the 1990s. The beauty about have these arcade cabinets is that you can play games absolutely free! No need to insert coins or tokens at all!

The two arcade cabinets inside Hackensack. Each machine contains lots of classic arcade games and the great thing is that customers can play those games for free. Simply select the game, press the button and start enjoying retro gaming fun.
A few of the many retro games to choose from.

During my two visits at Hackensack in BF Homes, I had retro gaming fun with Galaga, Elevator Action, X-Men vs. Street Fighter, Pac-Man, the X-Men arcade game from Konami, and Donkey Kong to name some. Other arcade classic available for gamers to choose from include Street Fighter II, Battle City, 1942, Contra, Rambo III and RoboCop to name a few.

In addition to the existing retro gaming vibe the arcade cabinets provided, there were these very notable comic book covers and artworks displayed on the walls near them. Having read and collected superhero comic books in the 1990s, I recognized a lot of notable artworks there such as WetWorks by Whilce Portacio, X-Men by Jim Lee, Youngblood by Rob Liefeld, Spider-Man by Todd McFarlane, and Superman by Dan Jurgens.

Are you a 1990s comic book enthusiast? Check out the selected comic book materials displayed as decorations.

With good food, a comfortable retro place and retro gaming fun, Hackensack really stands out nicely among the many food joints inside BF Homes. As of now, it is the one place in the entire South Metro Manila where you can enjoy meals and arcade games together.

To learn more about Hackensack, visit their Facebook page by clicking https://www.facebook.com/hackensack.ph. To visit their BF Homes branch right now, click the Google Maps location link at https://maps.app.goo.gl/EHAAteZTZXwgeggw9

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673