Over the Wire

Long-running franchise Mr. Driller has got to be the most criminally underappreciated puzzle series out there. Constantly overshadowed by Dig Dug, Tetris, and Dr. Mario, Mr. Driller is something akin to the sixth Brady Bunch sibling or perhaps the Montana Democratic Primary. Luckily for our archaeologically-inclined friend, however, Mr. Driller makes his debut on Xbox Live Arcade this week—where he will finally be exposed to millions of people with too much cash—without competition from archrival Tetris. Mr. Driller could best be described as Tetris mixed with Dig Dug, as players control a little man drilling down into the earth while trying to preserve his oxygen lifeline as well as avoid falling rocks. It’s not an incredibly complex game, but Mr. Driller on Xbox Live will add online play to the mix, meaning that you can square off against your friends on the other side of the globe. There’s a joke in there somewhere about drilling to China, but let’s leave the drilling to Mr. Driller, which will be available for 800 Microsoft Points ($10) this week on Xbox Live Arcade.