Game Journal: Mr.Driller 2 / Mr. Driller G (2000m Clear)

I got a 1 credit clear of the 2000m mode (i.e. hard mode) of Mr. Driller 2 and Mr. Driller G, two arcade sequels to Namco's Mr. Driller

Mr. Driller 2 (2000)

Pretty much my only problem with the original Mr. Driller is that once you manage to clear the 1000m mode with no deaths and all the air capsules, all that's left to do is speedrunning the game. Even on the hardest dipswitches, this isn't too hard to achieve once you have some experience.

Thankfully Mr. Driller 2 adds a 2000m hard mode that really cranks up the difficulty, along with an extremely difficult EX "The North" mode that can be unlocked by plugging a PS1/Dreamcast memory card into the arcade cabinet or entering an obscenely long cheat code. I can't clear The North yet but I'd love to push for it one day.

It also adds star blocks, which automatically disappear a short time after scrolling onscreen and add a bit of chaos to the game. They don't have a huge impact on the game, but they're good nonetheless.

There's a two player mode too! I hear it's good but I haven't played it.

Mr. Driller G (2001)

Mr Driller. G (arcade) is pretty much the same game as Mr. Driller 2, with the addition of round blocks that don't stick to any other blocks while falling, a bunch of new selectable characters, and the ability to play The North without having to unlock it.

I slightly prefer Mr. Driller 2 overall because I would rather just play as the default character instead of worrying about which character to pick, and whether or not I'm making the game too easy or too hard with my selection. But there's not a whole lot of difference either way. They're both great games.

How do I get into Mr. Driller?

I'll make a full post and video about this sometime, but for now, here's my recommended way to play Mr. Driller:

• Pick any Mr. Driller game. Pick Mr. Driller G if you can't decide
• Try to clear the easiest mode (probably 500m mode)
• Try to clear it while getting all of the air capsules
• (Optional) Try to get the "Mr. Driller" rank, which usually involves getting all of the air capsules and either not dying or getting a really fast clear time
• Move onto the next difficulty and repeat

If you're playing Mr. Driller 1, the next step after getting the Mr. Driller rank on 1000m mode is either to set it to the hardest difficulty (via the options menu on console or the service menu on the arcade version) and try again, or to move onto one of the other games.