Often your characters will be stuck at the top of the screen, arms splayed out wide, as you wait for them to fall into the level. They never do get started, so you will lose your connection to the other players and be kicked out to the lobby. Furthermore, if you do get a game to "work," then you will have to struggle through outrageous lag. The images you see on the screen and what you're actually doing with the controller never sync up. Often you'll drill your way through several blocks only to find yourself back where you started. Online play is utterly shambolic, resulting in an online-centric title that simply does not work! The unplayable online element is a travesty for a game that vaunts the functionality in its very title!

Finally, there is no way to play a local multiplayer match. That means the cooperative and competitive play modes that, in theory, are available to play online can't be enjoyed with friends at home. That really only leaves you with one option: to play the superficial single player mode until your eyes bleed from trying to accomplish the nearly impossible feat of opening up all the achievement points.

If you're a huge Mr. Driller fan, I urge you not to purchase this title. Namco doesn't deserve to be rewarded for their less-than-lackluster effort. I truly feel that this game is a complete rip-off! Namco needs to develop a patch to get online play functioning correctly or they need to refund everyone's money. If the game is fixed in the future, then it may in fact be a decent offering. Even still, the lack of single player game modes, absence of local multiplayer, and bad graphics make the title mediocre at best. I expected far more from a developer I trust and a game franchise that I thoroughly enjoy.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Lead Contributor / News Director