Namco has told IGN that a patch for Mr. Driller Online (which should currently just be called Mr. Driller) is coming by the end of this month. When the game released in early April the online feature was fundamentally broken, as is evidenced by the video from X3F we've placed after the break.
As for the game's less-than-HD quality presentation? Don't expect a patch for that. The fix is pretty much designed to allow the game to keep the Online portion of its name without becoming a case of consumer fraud.
Had a similar experience. Tried the demo, then booted an older game of the series ("Mr. Driller Drill Land", GC, NTSC/J) and didn't notice much difference.
Did I mention that this older game has 5 modes and a ton more variety?
