A conversion of the arcade game of the same name, Mr. Driller 2 works brilliantly well on the Game Boy Advance. It was initially released in 2001 by Namco.
Tag Archives: Namco
Tekken 6, PlayStation 3
Namco‘s Tekken 6 was released first – as an arcade game – in 2007, and then later released as an enhanced version on PlayStation 3 and XBox 360, in 2009.
Dark Souls, PlayStation 3
Considered by many to be a masterpiece of video game design, Dark Souls is an action-based fantasy role-playing game, and was developed by From Software and first published by Namco Bandai Games in 2011.
Dark Souls was so successful, in fact, that it created a succession of similar games, called ‘Souls-likes‘. Not many games can claim to have created a whole sub-genre on its own, but this game did.
Soulcalibur II, GameCube
The Soulcalibur series is a line of classic arcade fighting games, created by Namco and their dedicated development team, “Project Soul“. And this is a conversion of Soulcalibur II – from arcade to GameCube – first published in 2003.
Soulcalibur, Dreamcast
The Dreamcast version of Soulcalibur is an enhanced port of the 1998 arcade game by Namco. It was released worldwide in 1999 and features “ten new characters” and enhanced new graphics.
Soulcalibur, Arcade
After the arcade game, Soul Edge in 1996, and the PlayStation conversion of that game in 1998 (called “Soul Blade” in the West), came Soulcalibur in 1999. It was made available in arcades first, as a two-player cabinet, and did reasonably good business.
The basic storyline is about a group of fighters battling it out for possession of a mystical sword called “The Soul Edge“.
Soul Blade, PlayStation
Released in December 1996 in Japan, and in 1997 in North America and Europe, Soul Blade is the PlayStation port of Namco‘s Soul Edge arcade fighting game – the predecessor to the Soulcalibur series.
Soul Edge was a pioneering early attempt at using Motion Capture in a fighting game – for the realistic animation of the combatants – and it had quite an impact on fighting game fans when it was first released.
Soul Edge, Arcade
Developed by “Project Soul” and released into arcades by Namco in April 1996, Soul Edge is a weapons-based, one-on-one fighting game that serves as the predecessor to the Soulcalibur series.
Wonder Momo, PC Engine
Developed by Namco and published – in Japan only – by NEC Avenue in 1989, Wonder Momo is a conversion of a weird Japanese arcade game featuring a female lead character who must fight off attackers during a theatre stage play. And, if that sounds bizarre, then – well – that’s because it is! Unlike the arcade original, the PC Engine version of Wonder Momo has been fan-translated into English and Spanish, so is more accessible to Western audiences.
Wonder Momo, Arcade
I first encountered Namco‘s Wonder Momo on the PC Engine, because it had received a fan translation, and I was curious to see what the game was about. I then discovered that it was a conversion of a 1987 arcade game, featuring a young girl called Momo, who can turn into a ‘superhero’ by building up her “Wonder Meter“.
This bizarre arcade game was only ever released in Japan, but has subsequently built up a cult following around the world, and has also inspired manga/anime, and resulted in a sequel that was released in 2014.