| Introduction
I guess I should start off by saying that I remember
when Pac Man was first released in the arcades. Arcades
were much more relevant back then as they were the center
of the video game industry. Pac Man spawned, in my opinion,
the industry's first run away cultural phenomenon. Everyone
lined up to play Pac Man... there were cartoons, breakfast
cereals, toys, cards, anything and everything had Pac
Man on it. There was a song called "Pac Man Fever"
which actually made it to the pop charts. Sure... this
all sounds like no big deal today... however in the
early 80's... this was the first game to really break
out and get EVERYONE playing.
Actually... Pac Man Collection was supposed to be
called "Pac Man Fever", but the owner of the
rights to that name wanted too much money. Pac Man Collection
is, so far, the most comprehensive and complete collection
of Pac Man available just about anywhere. It features
the classic original Pac Man, with the option to play
it "Full Screen" or "Scrolling"
allowing for more detailed view of the graphics. Then
there is the "Pac Mania" game, which is an
update to the classic game with a 3D isometric view
of the action as well as the ability to jump. Pac Man
Arrangement is a rendition of the not widely seen arcade
update to the classic game. Graphics, play mechanics
and even the abilities of the ghosts take an upgrade
here. Rounding out the list is the puzzle game called
Pac Attack. More of a small bonus than a reason to buy
the package... it still is nothing to sneeze at.
GamePlay
Gameplay doesn't get any simpler. This is gameplay
in its purest form. In the classic Pac Man, you maneuver
through the mazes, avoiding the ghosts while eating
the dots, bonus fruit and power pellets which allow
you to take revenge on the ghosts. There is actually
a lot more strategy than most people may think, since
the ghosts each have different characteristics and personalities
which govern their actions. Figure out these traits...
and you're on your way to higher scores as well as the
animated cut screens, which were the first time that
cut screens were ever in a video game.
Pac Mania throws a couple twists into the formula,
not just because of the updated look but also due to
the ability to jump over ghosts. It may sound like that
would make the game easy... but I assure you... the
ghosts are up to the task of making your time there
as difficult as possible.
Pac Man Arrangement has the most to offer and is
the most pleasant surprise on the cart. Aside from the
nice update to graphics and sound, there are also new
gameplay dynamics such as the dots that can pulse and
even slow down Pac Man as they grow in size, zip lanes
which allow you to move from one end of the maze to
the other while passing through and dizzying ghosts.
Overall, the classic maze and munching gameplay is still
the rule.
Pac Attack is a lite Tetris clone. Blocks fall from
the sky, cluttering up your playfield. Just like Tetris,
the object is to create solid rows of blocks, making
the offending rows disappear, prolonging your game.
The wrinkle is that ghosts will be included in some
of the objects falling from the sky, not allowing you
to clear them out until the ghosts are removed. To remove
the ghosts, you need to carefully line up the blocks
that contain Pac Man so that he eats the ghosts, freeing
up the blocks to be deleted.
Controls
Control is as basic as gets for the most part, navigating
through the mazes is just up, down, left, right. In
Pac Mania, in addition to the simple maze navigation,
there is a jump button. Pac Attack is just like other
Tetris style games, allowing for left and right rotation
of pieces as well as a quick drop to speed gameplay
along.
Graphics
The graphics range from the simple yet arcade perfect
classic Pac Man to the colorful and crisp sprites in
Pac Man Arrangement. It's a mixed bag overall, and nothing
that will knock anyone's socks off. However, the graphics
in Pac Mania and Pac Man Arrangement are very colorful
and pleasing to the eye. Pac Attack is pretty plain
actually, but it gets the job done.
Sound & Music
Sound and music are perfect translations from the
arcade counterparts. It is nice to see the progression
in music from the classic Pac Man to Mania and then
the most up to date in Arrangement. Very effective use
of sound and hearing the classic waka waka really brought
back the memories.
Final Comments
This was a tough review to do actually, knowing full
well that this game might not offer a younger gamer
enough to really warrant the purchase. However, even
though some of the gameplay may be dated to some...
it still offers a lot of bang for the buck, given the
extra games and play modes. If you remember the original
Pac Man craze... full price for this title isn't a bad
move. If you were just looking to check it out and see
what it was all about, a rental or maybe used price
would be better for you.
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