Videogames have certainly evolved over the years, from our 8-bit wonder machines that I grew up with to far more powerful ones we have today. But there are some series that never seem to die... Pac-Man is one of these series. Making it’s presence on virtually all systems in between the dawn of video gaming up until and including the current generation consoles. Microsoft teased of a “massive announcement” some weeks ago that would shake the gaming community; and in a way, this announcement did. Pac-Man Championship Edition debuted alongside the Pac-Man championship in New York City a few weeks back. While some felt that this announcement was a bit underwhelming, others felt it was huge since this would’ve been the first true sequel to Pac-Man ever since its inception. So here we are, 26 years after its original debut with the help of creator Toru Iwatani reinvisioning Pac-Man after all these years.
I approached this announcement with a bit of skepticism. I’ve been a re-purchaser of all things Pac-Man on the Xbox Live Arcade throughout the lifecycle of the Xbox 360 purchasing the original and Ms. Pac-Man games for 400 MS points each. What would this installment have to offer that I couldn’t already have? Well, it turns out that a whole new experience awaits those previously comfortable with their Pac-Man skills.
The list of changes and improvements are long for C.E., but some small changes end up making the biggest difference. Some include: Pac-Man will resurrect in the place that it was caught by a ghost and not respawned back in the center of stage. Also, an extra life is awarded after every 20,000 point milestone you reach as opposed to once at 10,000 points as in previous installments. After playing each of the six game modes included, I have found myself playing what felt like Pac-Man on steroids and a much different experience than the original Pac-Man.
The main attraction here is in the title; “Championship” Mode. Here you will be given only 5:00 to survive the ghosts and obtain as many points as you can. The screen is basically split up and into two halves. Each side will have their own set of pellets and power pellets. Once you devour an entire side of pellets, a fruit bonus will appear on the opposite side of the ghost box. Once you get the fruit, a new set of pellets in varying layouts will appear to repeat the process. The point bonus of the fruit will increase as the game goes along and the game will get faster and more challenging as you may be used to in a Pac-Man game. The longer you stay alive, the bigger the value of each pellet you will be. You will start by getting 10 points as you’re previously used to, but this will soon increase to 20, 30, 40 and max out at 50 points. These points will default back to 10 when you lose a life.
The additional five modes are varied in their style. There are two “Challenge” modes and three “Extra” modes. Some of the nuances for each may seem slight, but some modes are strikingly different than the others. The first Challenge mode alternates between sections that have power-pellets that make ghosts vulnerable and have sections with strictly ordinary pellets. During a private chat with one of my XBL gamer friends who was also playing C.E., this mode had him yelling “MY KINGDOM FOR A POWER PELLET!. Yea, it’s fair to say that it can be frustrating. The second “Challenge” mode was one of the more unique modes in the game. This challenge throws Pac-Man into total darkness. All you can see are the paths that the pellets lay out for you; once you eat them, you’ll have to figure out your way around by sheer memory. You can only see in the immediate area around you, and oh yea, you can also see the four ghosts who are hunting you down in the process.
The “extra” modes are hard to really see why they warrant an entirely different name than “challenges,” but I supposed Namco felt it appropriate. There are three extra modes in all with the first extra mode being only 5 minutes in length but featuring even more horizontal tunnels and warp-speed like gameplay to boot. The second extra mode is 10 minutes in length and makes itself unique because of the shapes of the mazes on each side radically change as each section is cleared and a new one is spawned. This adds for an even bigger challenge but also makes its replay value even stronger. And one last extra mode is sort of a grab bag if you will of the other modes and will last you another 10 minutes in length.
To obtain many of the achievements in this game, you need to complete these modes; each one has their own achievement. The most fun you’ll have in this game is trying to figure out your own strategy to outlast the clock so to speak. Some of the best times you’ll have with this game is looking up at the clock and realizing that what felt like an eternity to you only was about 25 seconds of gameplay. There is a running clock in each mode. In the Championship mode, living until the time runs out should not be too big of a problem, but some of the 10 minute modes can be a game of survival rather than a venue to rack up points. The feeling of accomplishment in beating each of these modes (which I have, by the way) is tremendous, let me tell you. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed Pac-Man in the past just as much as any traditionalist gamer, but this is the first time I’ve been at the edge of my seat playing it.
Certainly one problem plaguing some of the ports this series has endured over the years is the translation of the smooth arcade control you can only get from a joystick. Even the previous two XBLA titles seemed to miss a bit in this department despite doing it fairly well. Since CE was built from the ground up, the controls are spot on, delivered best with the analog stick in my opinion but a D-pad is adequate as well.
The sound and music featured in Championship Edition has the same retro Pac-Man feel but adds a modern techno-like rhythm so many of you youngsters like these days. The way this game looks and sounds seem to compliment each other very well almost in a very Geometry War-esque way. The graphics certainly pay homage to the original look and feel of Pac-Man keeping the general shapes of the old games and shading the characters and environments a bit more to make a much prettier experience that’s easier on the eyes. Kids playing this game today may not have even bothered with the original Pac-Man graphics; had it been the skin of this title, but now they same kids may be enjoying Pac-Man for the first time.
After earning all of the achievements and topping all of my friend leaderboards (yea, bring it guys!), I still find the urge to play it still to top my previous high score. Certainly nothing will be as enthralling as when I first tried completing these modes in the first place, but am still coming back to it making it a staple in my XBLA collection. Something I would have liked to see would have been some sort of multiplayer experience being an entirely new game and all. And maybe Namco could have rewarded those who completed the game an enhanced-graphics version of the original Pac-Man with these new visuals? These were two glaring omissions that I would’ve liked to see but did not. Oh well.
So is this 800 MS point version of Pac-Man worth the purchase? Don’t let the Championship Edition name fool you; this is very much the first true sequel to the series and features fresh and exciting gameplay to reset your retro Pac-Man fatigue. Is this the killer app for XBLA? Well, no, but it’s one of the best exclusive game downloads you’ll find on the Arcade, Virtual Console and the PS Store. If you have not even checked out the demo, do yourself a favor and give this game a spin to see how an older classic should evolve in modern gaming.
