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Pac-Man

 
Games: Pac-Man
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Pac-Man
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Game Description

Pac-Man for the NeoGeo Pocket Color is an adaptation of Namco's 1980 blockbuster coin-op game of the same name. As in the original, the object is to guide a yellow pie-shaped character through a maze filled with dots -- all while avoiding four ghosts. As Pac-Man moves around the maze, he automatically opens and closes his mouth to consume the dots; clear the screen and play will resume on a new maze with faster ghosts.

The four ghosts are identified by color and each possesses unique traits: the red Blinky is the fastest of the bunch; female Pinky likes to ambush Pac-Man; blue Inky wanders around aimlessly; and orange Clyde always follows Pac-Man whenever he can. If any of the ghosts should catch up with Pac-Man, or if the yellow one should accidentally run into a ghost, the player will lose one of three lives. To make things a little easier, each maze features a Warp Tunnel that allows Pac-Man to exit from one side of the maze so he can reappear on the opposite side.

Pac-Man can also turn the tables and munch on the ghosts for a short time after gobbling one of the four Power Pellets located in each corner of the maze. For every ghost eaten in succession, you will earn from 200 to 1,600 points, and bonuses can be earned by snacking on one of five fruits found on each stage: cherry, strawberry, orange, apple and melon. Since every 10,000 points gives you an extra Pac-Man, it pays to keep munching away as you advance through the mazes!

Two options are available for NeoGeo Pocket Color owners: playing the game using a scrolling maze or from a fixed-screen maze. If a scrolling maze is selected, Pac-Man will appear larger on a portion of the maze as it scrolls up, down, left or right depending on the direction chosen. For the Arcade purists out there, the full screen option will allow you to play the game as it was originally designed: the entire maze is displayed on one screen. No matter which option you decide on, expect to see the original "Coffee Break" intermission in between mazes!
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Roots & Influences

Pac-Man is based on Namco's 1980 coin-op game of the same name, which inspired several maze-style titles with the following goals: clear each maze filled with objects while avoiding enemy characters. Pac-Man is regarded as one of the most successful Arcade games of all time, and has seen a resurgence of sorts thanks to the popularity of retro gaming in the late 1990s. Notable sequels include 1981's Ms. Pac-Man, 1982's Baby Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man, 1983's Jr. Pac-Man and 1987's Pac-Mania.
~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

Pac-Man revolutionized the gaming industry as perhaps the most memorable game of all time, and that lovable yellow ball's popularity keeps growing! With Namco's faithful rendition of the original classic, Pac-Man has never before been captured this accurately on any portable system.

The size of the screen limits the accuracy, however. Thus the inclusion of a scrolling feature is available, just like in the Game Boy Color version. Everything looks almost exactly like the original Arcade, even the legendary "coffee break" scene which is always fun to watch and listen to. Of course, this was not a difficult game for the developers to port over to the Neo Geo Pocket Color (NGPC). In fact, it doesn't take advantage of the unit, which presents the biggest problem.

The gameplay is all there, from the animation and graphics to the cut-scenes and speed, but what's missing is variety. This game probably didn't take up much on the cartridge, and what better way to celebrate the history of Pac-Man by adding more features? Perhaps it was intentional that the game would remain exactly like the classic in almost every way. From the ghost eyes that float back to the center box to the overlapping of the ghosts over Pac-Man to the point that he still has a chance to avoid them, there's no denying how accurate it looks and plays.

On the other hand, something more important than graphics and variety is the control; it's pretty frustrating to move Pac-Man around the screen when the joystick doesn't respond that well. When you're trying to hit a direction and it doesn't execute, what good is playing something that doesn't even have the basic controls down? How does anybody pass the levels when they're dying instead?

Well, this is somewhat compensated since the game is so close to the original as far as gameplay goes, that you won't mind attempting to get used to the controls. Once again, the game isn't the problem per se, it's the Pocket Color's joystick that doesn't seem to be too compatible with games like Pac-Man, which requires more digital accuracy. Though if the controls worked better, the game would become a little easier.

That aside, let's take a look at the sounds and music. The music is perfectly similar to the original (there isn't much music, of course). The siren background theme is also perfect, except that it doesn't grow in pitch enough times (two different pitches probably doesn't excite most people). Other than that, it's amazing how they could replicate the sound effects. From the whistling sounds after eating ghosts to the "waka-waka" sounds while eating the pellets onscreen (though not perfectly replicated), everything you'd expect from Pac-Man is here. Unfortunately, the chomping of ghosts isn't nearly the same nor is the gulping of fruits; perhaps the NGPC unit is missing a lower bass tone synthesizer.

If you want that old classic, legendary feel of the original dot-munching, ghost-crunching yellow pie character, Pac-Man for the Neo Geo Pocket Color beats all the other handheld, 16- and eight-bit console versions hands down (for the time being at least). But if you're not a fan or you're concerned about variety, it's still a good game to play, otherwise you'll have to sit out on this one. Nevertheless, Pac-Man is here to stay!
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

This game is always a blast to play simply because it's faithful to the Arcade version. Even the demo screen that tells you the ghosts' names and how many points each are worth is perfectly done. Not sure if it's worth the price but it's definitely worth playing! It's even more fun than Fatal Fury: First Contact.
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Hands down, a port of an original classic couldn't look better than this (although it was probably really easy to convert). Sure, the full screen mode is scrunched but it's at least an option. Try scrolling mode for better play. And although the standards aren't up to par with the Pocket Color unit, it still shines no matter what.
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

The sounds and music give you that old feeling again. Not everything's entirely on-the-dot accurate, but nothing else comes close from a tiny cartridge like this.
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

Despite some added variety such as an entirely new game in addition to the classic (as with {*Pac-Man World 20th Anniversary}), and poor controls due to the {!NGPC}'s joystick, {*Pac-Man} is and always will be number one. This version pays tribute to the original classic in just about every aspect; from the AI to the ghost patterns, you're bound to play a different game every time!
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The 14-paged color manual has cool drawings reminiscent of the old {*Pac-Man} merchandise like the collector cards and other stuff that "Generation X" types and beyond will recall. It's clear and simple but there's not much to write about how to control {%Pac-Man} anyway since none of the buttons are used!
~ Cal Nguyen, All Game Guide
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