LaniusShrike
Smash Champion
Dig Dug (1982): One of the most iconic early video games, right up there with Oregon Trail and Lemmings in my mind. For those who don't know, you essentially play Dig Dug and carve out tunnels with a giant drill in order to hunt down underground monsters. When you find them, your drill tip launches into them like a harpoon that's connected to the pump handle with an air hose, allowing Dug to start pumping the monsters full of air until they pop.
It was a classic, creative, and over all wonderfully fun game... especially for the time. The game has appeared on Nintendo consoles several times, largely as part of Namco Classic collections.
Wikipedia Link: Dig Dug
Alien Sector (EN), Baraduke (JP) (1985): In this arcade game, you essentially played a spacewarrior in a hazmat suit who was descending through levels of hostile alien territory in order to kill alien bosses with a giant laser cannon and save friendly creatures.
What perhaps distinguishes this game most is the fact that the main playable character, Kissy, was the first female protagonist in video games.
Wikipedia Link: Baraduke
Mr. Driller Series (1999-present): The game has been described as a mix of Dig Dug and Tetris. The main character earned the title of Mr. Driller by being the best drill digger in the land. He continually burrows deeper and deeper underground by breaking tons of colorful puzzle blocks that, when enough of the same color are touching, disappear and give the player points. On occasion, he also fights little monsters and big bosses. This popular series has appeared on a lot of different consoles throughout the years, including various Nintendo ones such as the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, DS, WiiWare, and DSiWare.
Wikipedia Link: Mr. Driller
So, what do these three iconic Namco series have in common? The main characters of each are actually all part of the same family. Dig Dug and Kissy are the parents of the young Mr. Driller. Furthermore, all three characters have great potential for interesting movesets and could add a lot to Smash Bros., both in terms of gameplay and historical representation of Namco's relationship with Nintendo.
Here are character descriptions, pictures, and movesets for each of the three protagonists.
In the Mr. Driller series, Dig Dug/Taizo is portrayed as a glory-seeking show boater. He's not remarkably intelligent and his greed often gets the best of him. In the end, however, he is still regarded as a hero for his actions during the course of Dig Dug.
Up B
DRILL HOOK
Dig Dug shoots off the tip of his drillpump at an angle as a diagonal tether recovery. If the tip hits an enemy, it grabs them and swings them in the opposite diagonal direction as the drillpump hose retracts.
Side B
DRILL PUMP
Dig Dug's classic combat technique. He shoots off the tip of his drillpump into an unshielded enemy in front of him. A hose connects the tip and the actual drill, and the handle of the drill turns into an air pump. As you tap B, air is pumped into the enemy as it struggles for freedom and starts to rise like a balloon. When enough pumps go in or the enemy escapes, the foe takes damage and is launched based off of how much air was pumped in. It's harder to escape at higher percentages, and can be an effective killing move around 130%, but it's a risky move because if Dug misses he's vulnerable while the tip/hose is retracting.
Neutral B
CHARGING BIT
Dig Dug turns on the drill and holds it in front of him. While the button is held, the drill continues to spin and Dug can run/jump around with it. It's useful for irritating enemies with quick damage and for cancelling out projectiles that disappear when hit.
Down B
JACKHAMMER
Dig Dug turns on the drill and starts drilling downwards until the button is no longer held. In the air, it his fall speed increases while drilling, making it an effective approach from above. When hitting an enemy or hittable object, he stops on top of them and keeps drilling on them, but the drill starts moving left and right erratically as it bounces along. The same thing happens when used on the ground, except it starts spraying damaging rock chips to the sides as well.
Final Smash
FULL PUMP
His Side B on steroids. He gets an insane look on his face and launches the pump tip into the first enemy in front of him, shielded or not, and starts pumping like crazy. A few moments later, the victim takes 50% damage and pops horribly, most likely killing it and anyone else nearby.
Up B
JETPACK
BARADUKEAN BLASTER
PACCET TOSS
BIO-SHIELD
PACCET POWER PARADE
Up B
DRILL COPTER
The drill bit sprouts large rotors and starts to spin, bringing Mr. Driller into the sky. The rotors deal small amounts of damage repeatedly and knock enemies away a bit. The move itself controls similarly to Snake's recovery, but initiates with more speed, has more horizontal control, and doesn't go as far up.
Side B
WAIT FOR ME
The drill starts spinning faster and out of control, bouncing along the stage as Mr. Driller flaps uselessly behind it while holding onto the handle with one arm. A very unpredictable move as each bounce is actually randomized in height, but it's also hard to stop as attacking the drill itself can't stop the Driller.
Neutral B
POWER DRILL
Mr. Driller hunkers down and turns his drill's speed up to max. As the button's held, the drill will be pointed in any direction the player indicates. The drill bit is surrounded by a torrent of spinning air, making this attack have a large area of weaker damage surrounding the deadly drill.
Down B
MOLE MANEUVER
Mr. Driller drills himself underground, waits a few moments, and then pops back out into the sky, launching foes when he erupts. When underground, the player can control Mr. Driller's left and right movements, and pushing an attack button makes him jump out early. As he moves underground, a trail of disturbed dirt forms above him to indicate his location.
Final Smash
BLOCK BURIAL
Mr. Driller jumps up off the top of the stage. Suddenly, a rain of colorful Tetris-like blocks starts falling from the sky, damaging enemies they hit and pounding them into the ground (like a Pitfall). After several layers of blocks have covered the stage, Mr. Driller drops from the sky on top of the blocks to dig through the rubble and finish off his severely damaged and trapped foes.
Note: The blocks are destroyable even when falling, but it's very difficult for an enemy to destroy/dodge every block.
Well, there you have it. I think that any of these three video gaming icons, taken together or separately, would add a lot to the Smash Bros. gameplay and sense of history.
Thoughts?
... and, um, please look at the movesets. I made them on a sleepless night, so it'd be good to know that they're reasonable ideas.
It was a classic, creative, and over all wonderfully fun game... especially for the time. The game has appeared on Nintendo consoles several times, largely as part of Namco Classic collections.
Wikipedia Link: Dig Dug
Alien Sector (EN), Baraduke (JP) (1985): In this arcade game, you essentially played a spacewarrior in a hazmat suit who was descending through levels of hostile alien territory in order to kill alien bosses with a giant laser cannon and save friendly creatures.
What perhaps distinguishes this game most is the fact that the main playable character, Kissy, was the first female protagonist in video games.
Wikipedia Link: Baraduke
Mr. Driller Series (1999-present): The game has been described as a mix of Dig Dug and Tetris. The main character earned the title of Mr. Driller by being the best drill digger in the land. He continually burrows deeper and deeper underground by breaking tons of colorful puzzle blocks that, when enough of the same color are touching, disappear and give the player points. On occasion, he also fights little monsters and big bosses. This popular series has appeared on a lot of different consoles throughout the years, including various Nintendo ones such as the Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Gamecube, DS, WiiWare, and DSiWare.
Wikipedia Link: Mr. Driller
So, what do these three iconic Namco series have in common? The main characters of each are actually all part of the same family. Dig Dug and Kissy are the parents of the young Mr. Driller. Furthermore, all three characters have great potential for interesting movesets and could add a lot to Smash Bros., both in terms of gameplay and historical representation of Namco's relationship with Nintendo.
Here are character descriptions, pictures, and movesets for each of the three protagonists.
DIG DUG
(aka, Taizo Hori, Mr. Driller's Father)
His original character art depicting him drillpumping an enemy to balloony oblivion
As he appears in the Mr. Driller series
Dig Dug's Character Description, Special Moves, and Final Smash
In the Mr. Driller series, Dig Dug/Taizo is portrayed as a glory-seeking show boater. He's not remarkably intelligent and his greed often gets the best of him. In the end, however, he is still regarded as a hero for his actions during the course of Dig Dug.
SPECIALS AND FINAL SMASH
DIG DUG, Taizo HoriUp B
DRILL HOOK
Dig Dug shoots off the tip of his drillpump at an angle as a diagonal tether recovery. If the tip hits an enemy, it grabs them and swings them in the opposite diagonal direction as the drillpump hose retracts.
Side B
DRILL PUMP
Dig Dug's classic combat technique. He shoots off the tip of his drillpump into an unshielded enemy in front of him. A hose connects the tip and the actual drill, and the handle of the drill turns into an air pump. As you tap B, air is pumped into the enemy as it struggles for freedom and starts to rise like a balloon. When enough pumps go in or the enemy escapes, the foe takes damage and is launched based off of how much air was pumped in. It's harder to escape at higher percentages, and can be an effective killing move around 130%, but it's a risky move because if Dug misses he's vulnerable while the tip/hose is retracting.
Neutral B
CHARGING BIT
Dig Dug turns on the drill and holds it in front of him. While the button is held, the drill continues to spin and Dug can run/jump around with it. It's useful for irritating enemies with quick damage and for cancelling out projectiles that disappear when hit.
Down B
JACKHAMMER
Dig Dug turns on the drill and starts drilling downwards until the button is no longer held. In the air, it his fall speed increases while drilling, making it an effective approach from above. When hitting an enemy or hittable object, he stops on top of them and keeps drilling on them, but the drill starts moving left and right erratically as it bounces along. The same thing happens when used on the ground, except it starts spraying damaging rock chips to the sides as well.
Final Smash
FULL PUMP
His Side B on steroids. He gets an insane look on his face and launches the pump tip into the first enemy in front of him, shielded or not, and starts pumping like crazy. A few moments later, the victim takes 50% damage and pops horribly, most likely killing it and anyone else nearby.
KISSY
(aka Toby Masuyo, Mr. Driller's Mother)
Her pictured on the cover of her game, Baraduke. It pretty much describes the game: Jetpack, gun, descent.
Baraduke/Alien Sector gameplay. She goes from level to level Mario-style via tubes.
Her artwork for the game Namco x Capcom, a Japan-only tactical strategy game.
Her artwork for the Mr. Driller series.
Kissy's Character Description, Specials, and Final Smash
Toby Masuyo, also known as Kissy (apparently nicknamed for how she acts when drunk), is a decorated soldier of the United Galactic Space Force. After defeating the aliens, she retired back to Earth. It's not entirely clear what happened, but at some point she married Dig Dug and formed a family and then eventually divorced him. In the Mr. Driller games, she doesn't seem too pleased with the way her ex-husband acts.
Again, it's important to note that she was the first female video game protagonist in history, before Samus and before Mach Rider. That's pretty cool.
SPECIALS AND FINAL SMASH
KISSY, Toby MasuyoUp B
JETPACK
Similar to ROB's Up+B with a few key differences
-Even after activating, still only boosts when you hit Up+B (opposed to ROB's which doesn't need directional input)
-As such, you can still use Kissy's other specials mid-flight.
-The Jetpack's vertical thrust is much higher than ROB's
-However, it has much less fuel.
Side BBARADUKEAN BLASTER
She levels her absurdly large laser cannon. It effectively functions the same as the Super Scope except a little weaker. Tapping it fires off a series of small blasts that each hit for 1% but does not make enemies flinch (like Star Fox's blaster). While you can continually tap forever to keep firing off annoying pellets, you can also hold it down to charge up a more threatening blast to launch on release. I'm not sure yet whether or not she should be able to move while shooting (like Brawl's super scope) or not (like Melee's).
Neutral BPACCET TOSS
The Paccets are friendly aliens that Kissy saves in Alien Sector. When she encounters a boss, all the Paccets that she had saved previously nobly launch themselves at the boss in order to stun it momentarily.
Same story here: Hitting B will make a Paccet launch itself in the direction of the nearest enemy. If it hits an enemy, the foe is briefly stunned and the Paccet bounces away. If Kissy has already used Paccet Toss or Bio-Shield (see below), the special instead will summon and capture another Paccet. If she's able to do this second long animation without being interrupted, she'll be able to use Paccet Toss or Bio-Shield again next time the special is used.
Down BBIO-SHIELD
In the game, rescuing Paccets would give you a chance to increase your Shields, allowing you to take an extra hit before dying.
A Paccet flies around Kissy and energizes her suit's shield before flying away, enveloping her with a green field. The shield will completely negate the next hit she takes, large or small, and then disappear. While this move is quick to activate, it does expend the Paccet so Kissy will have to use Neutral B first before using this move again... however, using Down B without a Paccet on hand makes the suit's shield flash on for a brief moment, allowing Kissy to still use it as an effective (but risky) dodge.
Final SmashPACCET POWER PARADE
A swarm of the flying Paccets crackling with energy surrounds Kissy to super power her specials. After 15 seconds, the swarm flies away.
For the next 15 seconds:
-Her Bio-Shield glows brightly and cannot be extinguished, effectively granting her the same invincibility as the Super Star.
-Her Jetpack has unlimited fuel, giving her complete mastery of the sky.
-Her Paccet toss always has a Paccet available, allowing her to rapidly toss off these stunners.
-Her Blaster charges at an absurd rate.
MR. DRILLER
(aka Susumi Hori)
Here he is, Mr. Driller in the art style of his series.
Mr. Driller Gameplay. Notice the color blocks, if enough match up they disappear.
Mr. Driller's Character Description, Special Moves, and Final Smash
The Mr. Driller wikia describes him as:
He is the middle son to Taizo Hori, the protagonist of the Dig Dug series, and Toby Masuyo, the main protagonist of the Baraduke series. Susumu is the world's highest ranked Driller, given the title "Mr Driller", and is also a member of the Star Trigon Team. Susumu is a very courageous young boy, and very kind and sweet. Though, he can be a bit careless and an airhead. He lives in a pink house shaped like a Pooka with his dog roomate Puchi in Endogawa, Tokyo.
Note, the Star Trigon Team is a reference to Star Trigon, a game in which Susumi flies into outer space to perform other heroics.
MR. DRILLER, Susumu HoriUp B
DRILL COPTER
The drill bit sprouts large rotors and starts to spin, bringing Mr. Driller into the sky. The rotors deal small amounts of damage repeatedly and knock enemies away a bit. The move itself controls similarly to Snake's recovery, but initiates with more speed, has more horizontal control, and doesn't go as far up.
Side B
WAIT FOR ME
The drill starts spinning faster and out of control, bouncing along the stage as Mr. Driller flaps uselessly behind it while holding onto the handle with one arm. A very unpredictable move as each bounce is actually randomized in height, but it's also hard to stop as attacking the drill itself can't stop the Driller.
Neutral B
POWER DRILL
Mr. Driller hunkers down and turns his drill's speed up to max. As the button's held, the drill will be pointed in any direction the player indicates. The drill bit is surrounded by a torrent of spinning air, making this attack have a large area of weaker damage surrounding the deadly drill.
Down B
MOLE MANEUVER
Mr. Driller drills himself underground, waits a few moments, and then pops back out into the sky, launching foes when he erupts. When underground, the player can control Mr. Driller's left and right movements, and pushing an attack button makes him jump out early. As he moves underground, a trail of disturbed dirt forms above him to indicate his location.
Final Smash
BLOCK BURIAL
Mr. Driller jumps up off the top of the stage. Suddenly, a rain of colorful Tetris-like blocks starts falling from the sky, damaging enemies they hit and pounding them into the ground (like a Pitfall). After several layers of blocks have covered the stage, Mr. Driller drops from the sky on top of the blocks to dig through the rubble and finish off his severely damaged and trapped foes.
Note: The blocks are destroyable even when falling, but it's very difficult for an enemy to destroy/dodge every block.
Well, there you have it. I think that any of these three video gaming icons, taken together or separately, would add a lot to the Smash Bros. gameplay and sense of history.
Thoughts?
... and, um, please look at the movesets. I made them on a sleepless night, so it'd be good to know that they're reasonable ideas.