Pac-Man Championship Edition on XBLA

[blissfulnoise]

Not a big deal until you realize that Toru Iwatani designed the new mazes himself.

Details here (http://xbox.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=14139).

I left this off of the XBLA thread because an official update to the original Pac-Man seems noteworthy enough to warrant it's own discussion.

I'm very excited to try out these new mazes tomorrow as I'd imagine any Pac-Man fan is.

[Oobgarm]

I'm very excited to try out these new mazes tomorrow as I'd imagine any Pac-Man fan is.

This sounds incredible. Count me in.

[heybtbm]

So this is the big announcement from MS today? MS quote from yesterday, "this will go down in history". Lame.

[blissfulnoise]

So this is the big announcement from MS today? MS quote from yesterday, "this will go down in history". Lame.

Depends on how you look at it. For people that have been playing Pac-Man for 25 years, this is pretty big.

Iwatani's direct involvement essentually means this is Pac-Man 1.5, or even Pac-Man 2.

A real sequel to Pac-Man IS big. And the fact it's exclusively for XBLA (at least for now) is also worth mentioning.

[agbulls]

My concern is that all modes of the game seem to have a time limit -- max around 10 minutes. I would love the new mazes just to be integrated into a full blown regular game ... sans time limit.

I mean, c'mon now-- does ANYONE like time limits in their games?

[heybtbm]

Pics...

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pacmanchampionshipeditionxboxlivearcade/default.htm

[Kitsune Sniper]

Where's the super moves? Where's the Pac-Man clone? And can you play as the ghosts? XD

[MegaDrive20XX]

I Can't wait to try it :) It gives me Pac-Man fever again!

[diskoboy]

As a Pac-Man junkie, myself, I think it's nice to get a 'new' pac-man game that returns to the roots of the series..

EDIT - I'm also quite happy that this is all back in Iwatani san's hands again.

[Lothars]

As a Pac-Man junkie, myself, I think it's nice to get a 'new' pac-man game that returns to the roots of the series..

That's true, I still think 800 points is a little too high for it, but I probaly will still get it

[diskoboy]

Just looking at the screeshots - STILL no online multiplayer??

What's the deal, Namco?

It still looks fun, but I'd hafta agree.... 800pts does look a little pricey.

[boatofcar]

Sorry, I need a refresher...800 points = 8 dollars?

[sisko]

Sorry, I need a refresher...800 points = 8 dollars?

$10.

It's a little high for me. I probably would have snagged it for 400 points.

[XYXZYZ]

Billy Mitchell insists that Championship Pac-Man is accurate to 1/100th of a second to a 1980 arcade board. He also says there's a big challenge in playing on his comfortable sofa vs standing at an arcade machine; he tends to fall asleep.

He didn't win the competition today, the grand prize winner was Carlos Romero of Mexico.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pacmanlivearcadexbox360/worldchampionship/coverage.htm

[DigitalSpace]

Nice to see some fresh additions to the Pac-Man formula. This is probably the best thing to happen to the Pac-Man franchise since Pac-Man vs.

[petewhitley]

What an awesome addition to the Xbox Live Arcade line-up. XBL Arcade owns all. Too bad my fucking 360 is stuck at a red-light until I can get the receipt dug up and sent to Japan ...

[ubersaurus]

This rocks. I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's a ton of fun, and the sort of game you can pick up, play for 10 minutes, and then head off again.

[diskoboy]

Yeah - this game may not sound like much, but it's all kinds of fun. The addition of the timer and the speed of the ghosts and always changing maze.

Best Pac-Man game since Jr. Pac-Man.

[NE146]

The big problem with me is Pacman just can't be controlled well with a D-Pad.. or even an 8-way joystick for that matter.

I don't know about you guys but I NEED a 4-way joystick for this game to get any enjoyment.. it's hard to play otherwise

[diskoboy]

The big problem with me is Pacman just can't be controlled well with a D-Pad.. or even an 8-way joystick for that matter.

I don't know about you guys but I NEED a 4-way joystick for this game to get any enjoyment.. it's hard to play otherwise


It controls really well with the analog pad, in this version.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Billy Mitchell insists that Championship Pac-Man is accurate to 1/100th of a second to a 1980 arcade board. He also says there's a big challenge in playing on his comfortable sofa vs standing at an arcade machine; he tends to fall asleep.

He didn't win the competition today, the grand prize winner was Carlos Romero of Mexico.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pacmanlivearcadexbox360/worldchampionship/coverage.htm

FUCK YEAH! REPRESENT, BITCHES! WOO!

But did they have to use the guy's college diploma photo for the profile? XD

[ubersaurus]

I like the time limit, surprisingly. For one, it's hard to even last that long, and two, I've always enjoyed those sort of "caravan modes" in older shooters, and this is essentially a pac-man variant of that.

Extra mode 3 rocks my socks.

[Darth Sensei]

$10 No way. Why couldn't they have implemented some online play like Pacman Vs? Now that was a game.

[agbulls]

$10 No way. Why couldn't they have implemented some online play like Pacman Vs? Now that was a game.

I've been waiting for a legitimately good reason to blow my last 800 points, and this is it. Considering who developed it, I would consider this the first new real Pac Man game we've had in ages. That is reason enough for me to buy it. The videos alone make me excited.

I'll post my impressions later tonight.

[diskoboy]

I have to know: What exactly do the sparks do? Or how are they caused?

I got the achievement already. I'm just curious as to what their function is...

EDIT - Nevermind. I found the awnser. :)

[jcalder8]

I was getting ready to post about how dumb this was and how it was nothing special and that I wish they would bring out more original games.

And then I played the demo and when the time ran out on it I thought damn it I want to play more. Thank god for demos.

[diskoboy]

Wow!! IGN gave it an 8.4!!

Like me, their only complaint was no multiplayer.

[swlovinist]

This is good update to the pacman formula. I think that it is one of the better XBLA. $10 is steep, but it is a good game.

[PSXferrari]

Nice to see some fresh additions to the Pac-Man formula. This is probably the best thing to happen to the Pac-Man franchise since Pac-Man vs.


Oh, c'mon, are you serious??? Did you just all of a sudden forget about Pac-Panic for the Philips CD-i? Practically the only reason people today even remember Pac-Man.

[diskoboy]

So anybody know where I can find a picture of this limited edition Pac-Man themed Xbox 360, this guy won?

Pac-Man junkie. Curious...

Seriously - that's something I'd like to get my hands on, being a lover of all things Pac. And since there was only 1...

And if that guy takes it out of the box, he should be shot on general principle. ;)

[PDorr3]

I tried the demo out and thought it was a really well made game. I bought it and so far I like it alot, this truly is like pac man 2. The mazes change so fluidly that you never even notice they change half the time. One of the best parts I feel is the sound, which has been vastly updated (but still retro sounding) I mean nothing sounds better than chaining together 8+ ghosts in this game.

Anyway I think its totaly worth the price (and face it an online mode would have lag and since pac man is all about split second timing I doubt it would be any fun to play) and this is a must have for ANY pac man fan. 800 points? big goddamn deal, face up to it, if you saw this game in best buy for $10 in a case and disc would you buy it? damn right you know you would. Digital media and downloadable games are the future, better get used to it now with these arcade games.

[petewhitley]

No shit. Half of us would pay $50 retail to bring this home on a DVD. 800 "points" is nothing for an honest-to-buddha Pac-Man sequel.

[agbulls]

No shit. Half of us would pay $50 retail to bring this home on a DVD. 800 "points" is nothing for an honest-to-buddha Pac-Man sequel.

Damn Straight! I think the ultimate irony is that games get sequels every day -- including Pac Man. Can you even begin to name the spin-offs that the original game has spawned? Frankly, very very few of them are any good. Not to mention, we never did receive a game called "Pac Man 2."

However, 26 years later we get what is arguably the best Pac Man game IN 26 years and what really qualifies as the TRUE sequel to the original quarter muncher.

I LOVE THIS GAME. I was very fearful of the time limit but really appreciate it. The graph (aka the scoreboard) with score, time etc. really makes playing over and over again worth it. Only $10 and in HD with new graphics, revamped sound effects, bumping music and morphing mazes? SIGN ME THE HELL UP!!!!!! I can't believe I'm going to say this...but what the hell...

My current GOTY.

[Vinnysdad]

So anybody know where I can find a picture of this limited edition Pac-Man themed Xbox 360, this guy won?

Pac-Man junkie. Curious...

Seriously - that's something I'd like to get my hands on, being a lover of all things Pac. And since there was only 1...

And if that guy takes it out of the box, he should be shot on general principle. ;)


I saw the guy who won the contest on ESPN. They had a quick little segment on Sportscenter. The system was given to the guy already out of the box. Its kind of a dark blue with Pac-Man and the ghosts all over the side and front. I thought it looked nice.

[ubersaurus]

Damn Straight! I think the ultimate irony is that games get sequels every day -- including Pac Man. Can you even begin to name the spin-offs that the original game has spawned? Frankly, very very few of them are any good. Not to mention, we never did receive a game called "Pac Man 2."

However, 26 years later we get what is arguably the best Pac Man game IN 26 years and what really qualifies as the TRUE sequel to the original quarter muncher.

I LOVE THIS GAME. I was very fearful of the time limit but really appreciate it. The graph (aka the scoreboard) with score, time etc. really makes playing over and over again worth it. Only $10 and in HD with new graphics, revamped sound effects, bumping music and morphing mazes? SIGN ME THE HELL UP!!!!!! I can't believe I'm going to say this...but what the hell...

My current GOTY.


Pac-Man 2 was on the SNES and Genesis. It was a really cool game, if having more in common with pac-land than pac-man.

[agbulls]

Pac-Man 2 was on the SNES and Genesis. It was a really cool game, if having more in common with pac-land than pac-man.

I'm aware of the SNES/Genny title -- but was referring to a new version of the original style that was titled "Pac Man 2." I guess Ms Pac Man kind of takes that role -- or Baby Pac or Super Pac. Oh well, good call though.

[NE146]

I'm aware of the SNES/Genny title -- but was referring to a new version of the original style that was titled "Pac Man 2." I guess Ms Pac Man kind of takes that role -- or Baby Pac or Super Pac. Oh well, good call though.

But again, none of which came from the original guy, who created the original mazes.

This new 360 title with new mazes from the same guy as well as the new abilities, is THE sequel if there ever was one :)

[kaedesdisciple]

I played the demo, and I was going to wait on this for a bit. Then I asked my fiancee to give it a shot seeing as how she's a pac fan too. After a few games I asked her what she thought. The response: "I want it." She never asks for much and I always like having games around that she likes to play. 800 points later, we were vying to best each other's scores and talking strategy. Well worth it.

[Oobgarm]

I went ahead and purchased this last night. I honestly cannot recall the last time I had this much FUN playing Pac-Man.

Icould see myself losing an entire day to this game, if the time were available.

[blissfulnoise]

Having spent some time with Pac-Man: CE, I can safely say that this is an absolutely brilliant title. Short of Lumines, I think it's the best thing on the marketplace right now.

It just could be the newness, I think I prefer this version to the original Pac-Man!

Currently #87 (BurgerTrench) on the CE board. I beat the high score that won the tournament :)

I did get all the acheivements in about an hour though; I wish there was at least one semi-impossible one on there for bragging rights!

[blissfulnoise]

>video< (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=20288&type=wmv&pl=game)

Try the Darkness Course where maze walls are invisible and only the area around PAC-MAN and the ghosts can be seen.

Yeah, it's called Pac-Man Plus. Hell, even Puck-Man had that.


Or check out the Freeway Course, a high-speed challenge where everything moves at twice normal speed.

Hmm.. a speed up option. What a novel idea. Too bad it's 30 years old :)

The new mazes (again, big deal) and features look neat, but I agree - if you wants to be all "old school" about it, playing with a thumb pad ain't it. And multi-player option should have been a given, especially since the 360 is like *the* online gaming system right now.

Btw, awesome thread over at NeoGAF about this:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161661

I suggest you play it first. Your post is written like you haven't.

The PR stating it moves at "twice the normal speed" isn't really a accurate. The better you play, the faster it gets, and puts the speed well past the realm of the speed boards of Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. This new feature creates a ramping difficulty level that allows for top tier players to score more and more points as long as they can keep up with the speed changes.

The "darkness" maze is a bit of a let down, and easily my least favorite of the new levels, but it is quite different than Pac-Man Plus due to the morphing nature of the mazes and how much you can see. Whenever you eat a fruit to open up a new maze section, you get a nice light pulse that scrolls across the screen to get an advanced look at what the new maze looks like.

And the thumb pad is suprisingly accurate vastly improving on the controls of the original Pac-Man on XBLA. However, if you wanna be hardcore about it, you can get the DOA4 Hori stick which uses Sanwa parts to pretty good effect. I lean towards more American style Happ sticks, but this stick is no slouch.

Regarding multiplayer, I don't see where they could have put it in. This game is clearly a score attack style game and the leaderboards make online play vital for anyone serious about getting good. I would have welcomed a Pac-Man verses or something with open arms if they wanted to throw it in, but as it stands, the game excels without a multiplayer element, just like the original Pac-Man.

Viral marketing aside, I couldn't be happier with this game and it's making itself my favorite in the Pac-Man cannon.

[ubersaurus]

>video< (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=20288&type=wmv&pl=game)

Try the Darkness Course where maze walls are invisible and only the area around PAC-MAN and the ghosts can be seen.

Yeah, it's called Pac-Man Plus. Hell, even Puck-Man had that.


Or check out the Freeway Course, a high-speed challenge where everything moves at twice normal speed.

Hmm.. a speed up option. What a novel idea. Too bad it's 30 years old :)

The new mazes (again, big deal) and features look neat, but I agree - if you wants to be all "old school" about it, playing with a thumb pad ain't it. And multi-player option should have been a given, especially since the 360 is like *the* online gaming system right now.

Btw, awesome thread over at NeoGAF about this:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161661

Have you played it even? It really seems to be designed with the analog stick in mind. I don't have a DOA stick to see how well it plays with actual arcade style controls, but this is good.

It's a hell of a lot better than some shitty speed hack of pac-man.

Pac-Man Plus had only partially seeable mazes? I would have used Pac-man vs as the example, because the ghosts' vision in that game is a much more accurate idea.

[Vectorman0]

Have you played it even? It really seems to be designed with the analog stick in mind. I don't have a DOA stick to see how well it plays with actual arcade style controls, but this is good.

It's a hell of a lot better than some shitty speed hack of pac-man.

Pac-Man Plus had only partially seeable mazes? I would have used Pac-man vs as the example, because the ghosts' vision in that game is a much more accurate idea.


It doesn't play well at all with the 8 way DOA joystick. It really needs a four way joystick. It plays alright with the 360 joystick, but I do find myself dying because of it sometimes.

[Lady Jaye]

Nice to see some fresh additions to the Pac-Man formula. This is probably the best thing to happen to the Pac-Man franchise since Pac-Man vs.
Oh, c'mon, are you serious??? Did you just all of a sudden forget about Pac-Panic for the Philips CD-i? Practically the only reason people today even remember Pac-Man.

Hmm, last I checked, Pac-Man Vs. came out years after Pac-Panic for the CD-i...

And I doubt that Pac-Panic is the reason why people remember Pac-Man. Maybe it's your case, but for most people, the original game (and Ms. Pac-Man) were so much part of pop culture that it trenscended the world of videogames. Not to say that Pac-Panic/Attack isn't a good game but it's a pac-man spinoff rather than a sequel.

[NE146]

>video< (http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=20288&type=wmv&pl=game)

Try the Darkness Course where maze walls are invisible and only the area around PAC-MAN and the ghosts can be seen.

Yeah, it's called Pac-Man Plus. Hell, even Puck-Man had that.


Or check out the Freeway Course, a high-speed challenge where everything moves at twice normal speed.

Hmm.. a speed up option. What a novel idea. Too bad it's 30 years old :)

The new mazes (again, big deal) and features look neat, but I agree - if you wants to be all "old school" about it, playing with a thumb pad ain't it. And multi-player option should have been a given, especially since the 360 is like *the* online gaming system right now.

Btw, awesome thread over at NeoGAF about this:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=161661

Stonic.. listen to me. I am a child of the 70's arcade and beyond, and this thing rocks. It is a fitting and proper evolution of the Pacman game.

Basically, it's time attack Pacman. It's not survival mode like every other Pacman out there including the original. So with the chaining bonuses and evolving mazes, that really does make it a totally different dynamic into the game that differentiates it from every other Pacman out there. And that new dynamic makes it FUN as well. It's old and new.

Now, that being said, I'll be the first to say that the thumbstick is pretty poor to use when the action gets hyper fast (which it does as the score climbs). I know for a fact I'd do a heck of a lot better if I had a good 4-way stick, but oh well.

[Vectorman0]

Stonic.. listen to me. I am a child of the 70's arcade and beyond, and this thing rocks. It is a fitting and proper evolution of the Pacman game.

Basically, it's time attack Pacman. It's not survival mode like every other Pacman out there including the original. So with the chaining bonuses and evolving mazes, that really does make it a totally different dynamic into the game that differentiates it from every other Pacman out there. And that new dynamic makes it FUN as well. It's old and new.

Now, that being said, I'll be the first to say that the thumbstick is pretty poor to use when the action gets hyper fast (which it does as the score climbs). I know for a fact I'd do a heck of a lot better if I had a good 4-way stick, but oh well.

He speaks the truth.

The game may have many faults, but it still shines.

I downloaded the demo thinking I would just end up deleting it, however I ended up buying after the first two minutes of playing, before the demo cut me off.

[Kejoriv]

Cant wait to get my 4th 360 back from repairs to play this

[theMot]

Its a good game, although i suck at it!

The only way i could survive till the end on the 10 minute game was to go back anf forth through the portals on the left and right. So every time the ghosts come to one side i would duck out through the other side and they would come back through the maze again, rinse! repeat! erm.. yeh

[ubersaurus]

When you get to the 3rd maze in Pac-Man Plus, the maze will disappear when you hit a power pellet (so will the dots).

In Hangly-Man (pirate knock-off of Pac-Man), maze will disappear on some boards, starting with the 3rd (the dots will still be visible though).

I've only seen the video of the new game, which I posted a link to. I'm simply being critical of some of the "new" features they're touting, because as I pointed out, they're not really original features. The time-based thing is (as far as typical Pac-Man games go). But if it'll make everyone happy, I'll try to play it first chance I get, mkay?


Regarding multi-player, why can't the other players control the ghosts? ;)


It's not exactly the same. You can still see the maze...a little. It's lit up around pac-man and the ghosts. Every time you reset half the maze it lights up, presumeably to let you know what the new layout is.

[PDorr3]

anyone else still playing this? I finaly beat my hi score and my new one is 349,700 currently placing me as ranked #19 in the world. I decided to upload a video of it to youtube so that I would be able to review over it and see what I did wrong and right as well as show it to a few friends, heres the link: (sorry about the auality and no sound I used the xbox vision camera lol)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IR5Fui61UFE

[BydoEmpire]

My concern is that all modes of the game seem to have a time limit -- max around 10 minutes. I would love the new mazes just to be integrated into a full blown regular game ... sans time limit.

I mean, c'mon now-- does ANYONE like time limits in their games?
You know, normally I'd agree with you. I hate time limits in games - especially arcade games. But for some reason, it really works well in Pac Man CE, and I think I actually play it more because I know a game is only going to take 5 or 10 minutes. I'm a little mystified why the time limits don't bug me, but hey, it's a blast so I'm not complaining.

[ubersaurus]

anyone else still playing this? I finaly beat my hi score and my new one is 349,700 currently placing me as ranked #19 in the world. I decided to upload a video of it to youtube so that I would be able to review over it and see what I did wrong and right as well as show it to a few friends, heres the link: (sorry about the auality and no sound I used the xbox vision camera lol)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=IR5Fui61UFE

Man, I just barely cracked 200,000. I'd be able to do waaay better if I could just, like, not die so often. I've become quite good at chaining ghosts :P

[PDorr3]

Man, I just barely cracked 200,000. I'd be able to do waaay better if I could just, like, not die so often. I've become quite good at chaining ghosts :P


thats probably the #1 thing to boost your score. You need to learn to not die or atleast as few times as possible. If I had not died in the beginning of my video I would have cracked 460k. 50 pt dots REALLY boost your score as opposed to starting back at 10 pts each. My rule is that if I dont have atleast 105-110k pts by the 3:00 mark I restart.

[NE146]

Nice score :) I think I'm ranked like 36 or something.. I forget.

[diskoboy]

IGN (Australia) just had a top-10 list of all time best XBLA games - Pac-Man: CE took top honor!

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/798/798751p2.html

[NE146]

I played this over the weekend. It's fun and challenging, and worth the $8. But I hated playing it with the standard controller b/c I can't play a game like that with my thumb (I had to use my thumb and forefinger to control it, much to the amusement of my buddy Larry).

Hey man.. it's the sole game that I put the controller down to steady it, then use my right hand (thumb and forefinger) on the L analog stick to control it.

Funnily enough in the pics of Billy Mitchel playing the game in that competition, he was holding the 360 controller the same way LOL

[BydoEmpire]

Geez, I still can't crack 200k (my best is 178k). I'm going to go with "blaming the controller" as an excuse. ;-) j/k. I am getting better, albeit slowly.

[kaedesdisciple]

Geez, I still can't crack 200k (my best is 178k). I'm going to go with "blaming the controller" as an excuse. ;-) j/k. I am getting better, albeit slowly.

I'm getting around 230k and I still feel like a n00b compared to many of the scores on the table.

[buttasuperb]

i'm at 315k

great game