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The term "bare bones" comes to mind whenever I think of Xbox Live Arcade's recent releases, and that would be putting it nicely. As much as I <3 Microsoft's retro-gaming service, it disturbs me that they seem content with third-party developers redistributing the classics with little or no added content whatsoever.
Enter Namco's latest release for XBLA which I'm certain was a huge delight to many arcade veterans who can't get enough of old-school entertainment. It was great to revisit this sixteen year-old classic and discovering the shocking revelation that... [gasp], I suck now. Although my skills were never of the caliber worthy of getting the attention of Twin Galaxies, but they were decent at best. Back in the day, I had little difficulty advancing to the 9th level on 1 or 2 quarters. But now, I was lucky enough to hit the third level [Note: I did actually complete all 21 levels prior to writing this article]. I should also point out that playing this on a pad would be a mistake – go for something like the Dead or Alive 4 Arcade Stick. It's not perfect, but you're less likely to miss corners when it counts.
"Stupid ghosts!" was just one of several comments I blurted out at the screen. Yeah, the game was just as challenging as I remember. It's a lot simpler if you actually follow the recommended routes Pac-man should take, allowing him not only to swiftly elude the ghosts, but achieve "perfect" scores. How do I know this? 'Cuz I did the research, naturally. It was the only way I was going to conquer one of the most challenging achievements: Eat all four ghosts four times in a row within one round. Call it dishonorable if you want, but I was hooked. In fact, I got so sucked into the game that I wanted to have my fiancé join in on the fun. Unfortunately, much like Galaga and Uno before it, there's no local multiplayer option to speak of. Color me puzzled, but I don't get the logic behind this. After all, previous platforms have featured versus play, so why should the XBLA versions be any different? And for whatever reason, there's no online PvP option either and it's anyone's guess as to why. Boo-ums to you Namco!
The lack of a competitive element in any form to me screams "missed opportunity". And as I expressed earlier: where are the extras? Why couldn't Namco have included some hidden easter eggs or mini-games to reward diligent types for beating all 21 levels to completion? Or what about incorporating some trivia bits? How many of you actually knew the game's original name was Puck-man? I mean, we are talking about a game of historic importance here. Many of us wouldn't be playing video games if it wasn't for Pac-man. There's a lot of gamers out there who probably aren't even aware just how much we owe to this coin-op classic. Sixteen years later and it's still one of the most influential pop-culture influences. GameInformer features Pac-man as Classic GI icon, Family Guy featured a small humorous segment, Klonoa sports a hat with a Pac-man logo on it and there are many, many more references to speak of.
I hate to jump on the soap box, but it just seems to me that this game should've offered more. I think all the diehard fans and newcomers it's attracted over the years deserve it. Besides, If I spend 400 Microsoft points to relive an arcade classic, offer me something that's going to keep me coming back. Like most XBLA titles, the achievements are a breeze (most of them simply involve collecting fruit in a particular level), especially with the ability to pick up from the last level you left off. But, where does one go from there? Nothing against high-score junkies, but not everyone wants to devote their time to that. Hopefully Namco will put forth a tenth more effort when Pac-man's other half comes to Xbox Live.
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