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| Title: |
Pac-Man Special Color Edition |
| Publisher: |
Namco |
| Features: |
GameBoy / Color GameBoy Compatible
Link Cable |
| Format: |
Arcade |
| Reviewer: |
Jason Cirillo |
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Introduction
Well, that little, yellow, hungry ball-with-a-mouth is back, and this time
he's in full color! There are a few big reasons why I was really excited
about this release. The first being that for some reason, a lot of old Namco GameBoy releases had a sound glitch
with GB color (well, at least with mine anyway) and this new release has those problems fixed.
Another reason is that I am a humongous Pac-Man fan, and replacing my old monochrome version with this one was
a delight. This cartridge does a whole lot more than just colorize: it actually is 2 games in one!
On top of getting a beautiful translation of the original Pac-Man, you also get Pac-Attack, a Tetris-like puzzle
game which has you making rows from blocks (like Tetris) as well as gobbling ghost-shaped blocks with Pac-Man-shaped
blocks. The color versions also have the added feature of a progress save and a rapid fire option. Both of which
you will definitely need.
Game Play, Graphics & Controls
The Pac-Man half of this cartridge is absolutely wonderful. The graphics
are true to the arcade in every way, right down to the tiniest of details in the intermission stages. The sound
is also very good, very close to the arcade, but I would have liked to have seen directly ported samples from the
arcade (a la Joust/Defender Color). The game, like the original monochrome version, can be played on 2 different
types of screen: a scrolling type (with bigger, nicer graphics) or a full-screen with shrunken sprites. My only
gripe is that in scrolling mode, if you go through the "warp tunnel", you can't see what's waiting for
you on the other side. But, it's a minor flaw.
Pac-Attack is an excellent addition to this cart because it adds a great
replay value to the game. You can play either Normal Mode or Puzzle Mode.
Normal mode has 4 levels of difficulty, and is most like a regular game of Tetris, with the above mentioned additions.
Puzzle mode features a password mode to allow you to come back to your progress at a later date. The instructions
for puzzle mode are taken from the opening screen:
"You will receive a limited number of Pacs to gobble all of the ghosts on
the screen. Before Pac-Man lands, you can change his direction with A button. Can you smash through all 100 levels?
Happy Eating!"
Well, that's maybe a bit ambiguous, but trust me, it's a blast.
Final Comments
This game makes me feel so nostalgic that I can actually hear Flock of Seagulls in my head. This cart is a MUST
HAVE for 80's game lovers, as well as younger gamers who are probably being introduced to the little yellow fellow
for the first time. And, on top of that, it's not too often you can buy a LEGITIMATE cart with 2 totally different
games on it! Get it today! |
