Pac-Man (Arcade) (Redux)
NOTE:The Terminator (SNES) review redux will be pushed back, mostly because I haven't played it enough to make it yet (also, it's pretty difficult).
Previously reviewed: November 22, 2009
Link of the Old Review: http://retrouprising.com/video-games...e/t8325/?ltr=P
In today's Review Redux, I'll be re-reviewing the fifth game I ever reviewed, which is the ever-beloved
Pac-Man for the Arcade, released by Namco in 1980. If I were to do these reduxs earlier, I would've done it during
Pac-Man's 30th Anniversary (May 1980 - May 2010)
Before we begin, here's a picture I made for
Pac-Man on May 22, 2010: (although I already posted on one of RU's thread, I forgot though)
REVIEW
History:[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i3KC3KKEXM"]YouTube - Pac-Man - The History Of Pac-Man Part 1 ( Icons TV Documentary)[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-cySeum3lmU"]YouTube - Pac-Man - The History Of Pac-Man Part 2 ( Icons TV Documentary)[/ame]
Graphics: B (A+ timeless)
Well nowadays, the game may seems rather simplistic, as it uses simple colors and sprites. Despite it still looks pretty good (and flashy), and still holds up. The game's graphics are very nostalgic and timeless, and even today, it's still considered part of video game pop-culture and still is well known by many people worldwide. Overall, pretty good and fits with the game very well.
Gameplay: A+
This is the reason why
Pac-Man is so popular, and why it popularized the whole maze genre. In each level, you play as the big bad
Pac-Man himself, where you have to eat all the dots (10 pts) and power pellets (50 pts) in the entire maze. However while trying to eat them, there are 4 ghosts (or "monsters") named
Blinky (red)
, Pinky (pink)
, Inky (blue)
, and
Clyde (beige, i think) that are trying to stop you from achieving your goal. The cool thing about them is that each of them has a specific personality, which can give players the idea of the many strategies on how to dodge them. Even though you are outnumbered, you have the power pellets on your side that makes the ghosts vulnerable to gobble them up (200, 400, 800, 1600 pts), but you have to use them wisely, as there is only 4 of them in each level. Also, during the level, a(n) fruit/item (100 - 5000 pts) will appear ever under the ghosts' "hideout" (i guess), and they are varied like cherries, strawberries, peaches, bells, bananas, and even the flagship (from
Galaxian). Even though it may seem repetitive (what do you expect from Arcade games?), it's highly addictive and fun to play. The game is also notable for the split-screen level (LV 256), which is impossible to complete. Anyway, the gameplay of the gameis so amazing that it spawned many clones like
Ladybug, and
Lock 'n Chase, for example.
Screenshot of the split-screen level
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBTyXYdCRus"]YouTube - Pac-Man (Arcade) Gameplay[/ame]
Sound: B (A+ timeless)
Since it was released in 1980, there isn't much sound effects. Only a few sound effects was used, like the ghosts, eating the dots, the power pellets etc. The most notable sound in the game is the death sound, which is also an important part of video game pop-culture, too. In fact, I can still enjoying just hearing them without playing the game. The game doesn't feature any music in the game (mostly because it's 1980, and the ghosts' wailing), but the ghosts' wailing is kinda like the heartbeat sound from
Baraduke, as it makes you start getting scared, and your heart beat faster, because you don't want to lose the game, you want to score as big you can. Overall, brilliant especially the famous death sound.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNcDwin4BbY"]YouTube - Pacman Dying Sound Effect[/ame]
The famous death sound from Pac-Man
Controls: A+
Well, what can I say about the controls? It's plain simple up, down, left, right. Flawless, and perfect for this kind of genre. Perfect.
Replay Value: A+
The game keeps pulling you back to play the game again, and again. Because you don't just want to play, you want to score big to become the
Pac-Maniac (yeah, it's from
Pac-Mania) of the town (or so on). What more can I say about this?
Overall: A+
This is not only the Arcade game of the 1980s, this was the
Golden Age of Video Games (along with others). It showed that a simplistic game like this can become big and popular, without having complex graphics, and gameplay. While there are some that prefer
Ms.Pac-Man (like
Game Informer) over this, but keep in mind, without
Pac-Man, they wouldn't be any sequel or spin-off at all, and Namco wouldn't be as successful as they are now.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlRwSv5Lxec"]YouTube - Retro plays Pac-Man (Arcade) Part 1[/ame]
Also for a bonus, here's a 3D version of
Pac-Man named
3-Demon for DOS: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEaWhTIV2rM"]YouTube - 3-Demon for the PC (Dos)[/ame]
If you wish to play
Pac-Man, here's the link:
Retro Uprising - Arcade - Pac-Man
For an added bonus, here's the Google version of
Pac-Man:
Google
Next Review Redux: The Return of Ishtar
2010 Eric Corp Incorporated
Linear Mode
