The game's been shown at the past three E3s, but Pac-Man 20th Anniversary is finally coming along and looking great. This title is the first internally-developed Namco USA product, and it really shows that the company's development studio knows the PlayStation hardware. Pac Man is due to ship on Friday, October 15.
Namco issued a demo disc at the show, so we've gotten quite some playtime in back at our booth. The game is a Mario-style action-adventure game, where Pac-Man is a round ball with arms and legs instead of the nondescript yellow pie-ball we all know and love from the classic Pac-Man games. He can run, jump, climb, and perform a very Sonic-style spindash move to roll up slopes that cannot be run up. The idea is to get from the beginning to the end of each level, collecting pellets and fruit, all the while avoiding ghosts or, better yet, finding a power pill to eat the ghosts. There are puzzles to solve - for example, there are power-ups that can turn Pac-Man metal (sound familiar?) so he can sink in water and gain access to treasure chests and other collectibles.
The game also features a maze game using the 3D engine - the design based around the standard Pac-Man gameplay with enhanced elements, like fireballs dropping from above, but the game remains the familiar eat-all-the-dots-in-the-maze design. But if you're a fan of the original, you'll find that version completely playable on the disc as well (though the demo had this mode locked out).
The graphics are actually very impressive - a stunner considering Namco's US department has never made a PlayStation game. We can't wait to see the team's next effort, but for now, we'll enjoy Pac-Man.
6/15/98
Pac-Man is more than just a videogame character, he was the first videogame character to cause videogame mania around the world. Sure, Pong and Asteroids did the same, but those games didn't have a main character. The little yellow chomping ball was a charming presence of his own.
Every developer in the industry today would love to have power of the Pac with which to work. After all, the more mature gaming audience -- the core of PlayStation's audience -- grew up with Pac-man, experienced the pop-cultural phenomenon, the patterns, the record, and the inevitable arrival of Ms. Pac-Man.
The fully polygonal Pac-Man 3D made its debut at Namco's booth at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last May. This new version of Mac-Man 3D, also shown at E3 more than two years ago (and thereafter revamped), is a 2 1/2D platformer. The little yellow sphere is an unmistakable platform mascot, complete with facial expressions, red gloves and boots, and the undeniable Mario butt-stomp. He can jump, swim and double-jump to break through wooden crates, walls, and portals. He's almost always smiling.
Is he still original? Once long ago, Pac-Man was phenomenally famous. Today his image evokes an old-school simplicity that Namco both clings to and intends to shed. The question PSMOnline poses is whether Pac-Man 3D is aimed at middle-of-the-road gameplay, or envelope pushing new gameplay. From the looks of the game thus far, Pac-Man 3D is falling into the former slot.
With many different levels of varying gameplay, the game initially seems to get off on the right track. From standard side-scrolling environments that keep Pac-Man at a fixed distance from the camera, to 3D mazes, and a sprinkle of bonus levels, the game poses solid challenges. Familiar fruits (bananas, oranges, strawberries, etc.) are collected as the player makes his or her way through the 15-20 levels, including the classic Maze level. In the maze, Pac-Man can actually jump over ghosts if necessary, the biggest alteration from Pac-Mans of the past.
The camera angle is forced into the typical side-scroller angle, but follows Pac-man whether or he scales into the background or moves into the foreground. The reasoning for this camera angle is to keep Pac-Man's face close enough to see, and yet far enough away to get a decent sense of the oncoming environment, explained a Namco official. This angle creates a passive feeling, which should appeal to 2D platform fans, but doesn't compare well against games like Super Mario 64.
The levels vary from standard side-scrolling, in which familiar fruits (bananas, oranges, strawberries, etc.) are collected, to an isometric viewpoint in the classic Maze level.
The sound effects and music are great. The exact sound of dying, the same increasing tempo, and the same ghost sounds are all back, as are chomping sounds and power-up sounds. They're all done with great respect for the games of the past, and it's quite pleasing to hear it in this new game.
Graphically, the game is a combination of sprites and polygons, and it's clear to see that the color scheme is made up of that same simplistic, bright set of primary colors from which Mario ws born. Of course, a good amount of PlayStation effects are at work, from smokey exposions to lens flares. Pac-Man will win the hearts of many gamers, especially those who love 2D games, and it will certainly appeal to those who loved, and still love Pac-Man. But I'm hoping that in the next several months, the game is rigorously play tested before it's released, and that the creativeness of the designers isn't overly influenced by the marketing team.
Craig Harris and Douglass Perry
