Dig Dug Remix

Dig Dug Remix is a reworking of the classic arcade game where you mine underground while there are enemies after you. You can either use your air pump to essentially blow the bad guys up or if you are a skilled digger, you can plan to have rocks fall on them.

Dig Dug has a total of 256 levels for you to make your way through. This game will take you a very long time to beat so naturally it will last on your iPhone/device for a while. The classic game is still the same, but being on the iPhone you changes how you control your little character. I did choose to switch to skip over the D-Pad control, but if you're a purest you can keep using the D-Pad if you'd like. (I won't judge you.)

The remix version gives you a couple of different features that the classic edition of the game doesn't provide. In the new version, you have access to entirely new power-ups (enhanced shovel, a drill, and barrier balloons) while you make your way through 35 new levels with 5 bosses. A great thing in the remix is that when you lose all your lives you can start from the level you left off at, which is really is essential for me when I'm gaming. I absolutely hate constantly re-doing the low levels.

Dig Dug starts up in horizontal view for the game title, telling you to touch to load. This action loads a screen where you to choose between original game and remix. When your decision is made, It then loads your choice, along with another menu where you can start the game, do free play, select options, read help, check rankings, and look at other Namco games. In the settings area you can choose between 3 difficulty settings and the number of lives you get (which is great). Then if you scroll down a bit you can choose the music and change the control type between the D-Pad and the swipe method. I find the swipe a bit awkward actually, and had to re swipe many times, but I still like it more that the D-pad.

Most of the time I preferred playing the new version of this game over the classic standard. I will admit though that I'm not very good at either, and maybe that's why I like it less than I should. It has everything a girl should want - lots of levels, power-ups, a cute main character, starting from where you left off... but, it just didn't grip me. I guess with so many apps and games coming out - and so many that are being developed specifically to use the 'iPhoneness' that this one just is not holding my interest.

[youtube VCdYl642pi4]

Overall, this is a remake of the classic, so if you've played Dig Dug before you know what you're getting. The remix aspect is a really great touch that more ported games should adopt, because rather than just giving us exactly what we had before, they have made an effort to think about the way the device functions and added needed depth to the gameplay. Still, even with the remix, Dig Dug is essentially the same game, so the final purchase is entirely up to you.