Best Classic Pac-Man title

[kainemaxwell]

Which do you think qualitifes as the best Pac-Man title?
(This doesn't include the PSX/PS2 games)

[Ascending Wordsmith]

Ms. Pac Man, without a doubt. It's still one of the best games ever made.

[Captain Wrong]

You missed a BIG one...Super Pac-Man.

(get it? Super Pac-Man is big, hahahahaha!)

Not to mention Pac and Pal, Pac-Land, Professor Pac-Man, Pac-Man 2 (which was a console title), the Plus mod kits for the arcade games, Mr. & Mrs. Pac-Man pinball, and Pac-In-Time (another console title.)

I know I'm being anal, some of those are pretty obscure. But Super Pac-Man gets my vote and I think Pac-Land should be up there as well.

[scooterb23]

My fave was Super Pac-Man
then Baby Pac-Man (I played the heck out of that one back in Muncie...)third - Pac-Mania
then Ms. Pac-Man
5th is Pac-Man
finally is the Tetris clone...

[retrogmr]

Jr. Pac-Man hands down... just enough extras to make it interesting, while being really challenging with the scrolling maze. The threat of the prizes knocking out your power pellets also added some spice.

[NE146]

I'd say it was a contest between Super Pacman and Ms. Pacman.

I LOVE Super Pac.. but once I mastered it and got to a certain point, quite honestly it eventually became boring. Great game though...

Mspacman on the other hand, just seems to have much more staying power as far as playing it over and over throughout they years.

My vote goes to MsPac.

[kainemaxwell]

I've modified the poll and added:
Super Pac-Man
Pac-in-time
Pacland

I apologize for not adding these titles when i orginally started this poll.

[theaveng]

SPOILER WARNING (for those who haven't played Pac-Man)
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Ms. Pac-Man is cool, but it's too easy. The ghosts blindly follow you around the maze like ducklings. PAC-MAN's ghosts are more intelligent and often trap you, so I vote for Pac-Man as the best version.

[Arcade Antics]

Super Pac-Man for me. Hands down. :)

[Tempest]

Actually I really like the Pac-Man arrangement that was on the Namco Museum CD, but next to that Super Pac-Man all the way...

Tempest

[kainemaxwell]

Playing Pac-Man Arrangement on Namco Museum is what inspired this poll actually.

And classic Pac titles I meant anything ranging from the Arcade to the 16bit era really.

[Lady Jaye]

My first choice is Ms. Pac-Man, but I also like Pac-Mania.

[Raedon]

You really can't beat the original thing. Plus I know all the patterns and look like a gaming God at any arcade that has this game.

[NE146]

SPOILER WARNING (for those who haven't played Pac-Man)
Ms. Pac-Man is cool, but it's too easy. The ghosts blindly follow you around the maze like ducklings. PAC-MAN's ghosts are more intelligent and often trap you, so I vote for Pac-Man as the best version.
That's cool and all with you choosing Pacman.... but as far as what you say about the ghosts.. one of the deals with Ms Pacman is they made it so the ghosts don't follow any particular pattern based on what moves you do, (whereas Pacman ghosts always fell into a pattern based upon your moves). So it could be argued that MsPacmans ghosts are more 'intelligent'.

Oh well.. no biggie. It's all good :D


Plus I know all the patterns and look like a gaming God at any arcade that has this game.

Nice. :) If you like patterns, check out this 9th key "stunt" pattern (snagged out of joystik mag) where you pass through 2 ghosts and have several close calls. Yeah yeah, I know I post this a lot.. but hey it's cool 8)

http://www.users.qwest.net/~bapcruz/pacman/NE1sl33tpacmanpattern.avi (4meg AVI, but worth the download)

[Tony Uniopolis]

As much as I'm sure to be berated for this, my favorite game of the series was... Professor Pac-Man! I loved the dot-muching games but the logic puzzles were a blast back in my college days. I would love to find one of the rare cabinets today!

[kainemaxwell]

Never heard of it! You got any pics or other info on this Pac title, Tony?

[NE146]

http://www.klov.com/P/Professor_Pac-Man.html

Apparently it worked like a lot of those bartop trivia games you see nowadays.

[digitalpress]

Hey! You Ms. Pac-Man fans here... have you ever played the Sega Genesis version of Ms. Pac-Man? Let me tell ya - they changed an awful lot... for the better, I think. In addition to the "classic arcade" version there's also a fabulous TWO PLAYER SIMULTANEOUS version with scrolling mazes a'la Jr. Pac. It's incredible. I think the SNES version is the same but I'm not positive. Could be the beer.

For me, however, it's Super Pac-Man. I know this isn't a favorite among many of the hardcore Pac-fans but dammit if it isn't the one I always go back to. So many cool little extras and it's one of the only Pac-games that I can actually survive a few rounds in. Ahhhhh.

PS. Good poll, Kaine!

[Raccoon Lad]

I vote OTHER (http://raccoonlad.topcities.com/petshop.html)

:wink:

[kainemaxwell]

I voted Super (I think). For me my favs are the original pac, ms Pac-Man, Super Pac and Pac-Mania (the 3d one). The ability to jump adds a new element to Pac-Man, the music's catchy and the 3d view is very cool looking.

Plus in later rounds more then 4 ghosts show up, even some that can jump just like you can!

[Nature Boy]

I have to admit I'm surprised by the Super Pac-Man votes. I never really cared for it.

I've always preferred Ms. Pac-Man to the original. They took the original idea and tweaked it just enough. I really like Jr. Pac-Man too - the scrolling maze always appealed to me (and making the dots fatter and thus slowing you down was a cool idea). But Ms. Pac-Man gets my vote. I'll have to seek out the Genesis version now...

[Lady Jaye]

Ah, Ms. Pac-Man! Or how it can really pay to be selling illegal enhancement boards and get caught...

I never cared for Super Pac-Man. I have it as part of the Gameboy Color Ms. Pac-Man cart and never play it.

[kainemaxwell]

Now to go looking for a Genesis Ms. Pac-Man rom...

[WiseSalesman]

SUPER PAC MAN

I used to play it on my Tandy...I had it on the big old 5 1/4 disks. It was awesome....I really liked the cutscenes between levels too.

[WiseSalesman]

Alright, NE146. I just downloaded your "stunt pattern" movie. It was extremely cool. Now, I'm not particularly well versed with the original pacman, but don't you usually DIE when you touch a ghost? You went through them a few time in that movie. How's that work?

[moycon]

I'd have to say Super Pac-Man.

Back in the day my father I used to go to a bar in Wisconsin that had a few video games. You won a free 6pack if you got High score on Super P-Man. I won like 3 weeks in a row... Cokes. Hell I was only like 13 at the time.

[NE146]

Alright, NE146. I just downloaded your "stunt pattern" movie. It was extremely cool. Now, I'm not particularly well versed with the original pacman, but don't you usually DIE when you touch a ghost? You went through them a few time in that movie. How's that work?

Why thanks :) Of course you die when you touch a ghost but anyone who's played arcade MsPac or Pacman enough knows that occasionally you will inexplicably pass right through a ghost instead of dying (sometimes disorienting you off enough that you run into another ghost and die anyway :lol:) Anyway, that's sort of the point of that pattern is that it happens twice in those two spots. And of course all the extreme close calls at the end are neat too. ;)

[kainemaxwell]

Anyone ever play Pac-Man Plus?

[vintagegamecrazy]

I have to go with the original it just was the most intense one to play in my opinion because it got hard real fast. My favorite ports definately are for the Atari 5200 and the Atari XE

Vintagegamecrazy :roll:

[Master_System]

I think the best pac-man title is Ms. Pac-man (Arcade), because is fast, the colors change in levels and, if you think it´s easy, try to conquest the level 50 (i did it and my fingers turned like Mr. Burns)
Pac-land it´s ok, but, in my opinion, change too much the style of game, so is´nt good like other platform games.
The first Pac-man is very boring for me
Jr. Pac-man is poor, very, very poor...

Bye

Matias
Buenos Aires, Argentina

[kainemaxwell]

Wow, Ms. Pac-Man really jumped the lead with 11 votes to Super Pac's 8 now!

[Andy Rampage]

i would Say Ms Pacman - with-out a "shadow of doubt!!"
when You would Get "Way up there, in da levels,
it was START moving, really, really FAST!!
"PERFect!!" ~for my Hyper-active personality !!! :lol:

i remember Playing SUPER alot, too ...
which was Alot of "fun", BUTT! i wouls ALWAYS turn BIG
& Get "STUCK" 'somewhere ... :mad:
... couldn't figger dat out !! ~ Some 'SUPER" ...

[Daniel Thomas]

Pac-Man 2 is insanely funny. You know the game's dirty little secret is that the real fun lies in torturing poor Pac. Where else can you reenact "Duck Amuck"?

I also really miss Baby Pac-Man. I remember it fondly in those old days of Aladdin's Castles packed in the dark with video arcades. When will somebody bother to recreate that pinball machine so we can play it again?

And, finally, whatever happened to Professor Pac-Man? I never saw this one, and I've never seen a ROM available for mame.

[NE146]

Pac-Man 2 is insanely funny. You know the game's dirty little secret is that the real fun lies in torturing poor Pac. Where else can you reenact "Duck Amuck"?

I also really miss Baby Pac-Man. I remember it fondly in those old days of Aladdin's Castles packed in the dark with video arcades. When will somebody bother to recreate that pinball machine so we can play it again?

And, finally, whatever happened to Professor Pac-Man? I never saw this one, and I've never seen a ROM available for mame.

Couple of collectors I know have a Baby Pac or two.. it's pretty difficult to maintain, but to be quite honest, the game well... sort of.. sucks. But I do know some people like it. Maybe it could be done with a hybrid between pinmame along with video emulation :)

I remember seeing preliminary Professor Pac-Man support in Mame WIP so the roms are out there somewhere (I wonder if I have them :?) But it's still at a very early stage apparently. Anyone out there ever play this? I remember seeing it in a magazine and it just looked like another trivia game similar to the "bartop" games that you see today, except with a pacman character.

[Daniel Thomas]

Hey! You Ms. Pac-Man fans here... have you ever played the Sega Genesis version of Ms. Pac-Man? Let me tell ya - they changed an awful lot... for the better, I think. In addition to the "classic arcade" version there's also a fabulous TWO PLAYER SIMULTANEOUS version with scrolling mazes a'la Jr. Pac. It's incredible.

Ms. Pac-Man always has the best home versions, don't it? I loved the Genesis version, but it has one fatal flaw that I think practically ruins the whole experience. When you complete the final board (on any mode but the original mazes), the game just ENDS. "The End," credit roll, game over. No looping back to the beginning so I can play forever if I want? What kind of scam is this?! Is it any coincidence that some of my favorite games (classic coin-ops, Contra, Fire Shark) let you play forever? Wouldn't it be nice if some brave soul made a hack that allowed you to loop to the start?

I have another Ms. Pac-Man question. Is there a MAME version that lets you play with the speed? Playing with a fast Ms. Pac is a staple; in fact, I'm not fond of having to play this game with her original slow speed. Screw fairness -- I want that high score now!

[NE146]

I have another Ms. Pac-Man question. Is there a MAME version that lets you play with the speed? Playing with a fast Ms. Pac is a staple; in fact, I'm not fond of having to play this game with her original slow speed. Screw fairness -- I want that high score now!

Of course! Just enable hit tab, go to dip switch settings, and set speed cheat to on! Piece of cake :)

[opcode]

Anyone ever play Pac-Man Plus?

I have! I am playing it very often now as I am working on a port of several Pac-Man games for the ColecoVision. I didn't know this version, but my friend ManekiNeko told me about it and now I find it very enjoyable. Beside being a lot more difficult, you get a lot of surprises every round.

And I don't think there is any surprise that Ms Pac-Man is the current number one... This game rocks!!! :-D

[kainemaxwell]

The Genesis and NES Ms. Pac-Man games are practically the same too I've discovered.

[opcode]

The Genesis and NES Ms. Pac-Man games are practically the same too I've discovered.

Really? It means both play nearly identical? But the code is surely different, right? And how about the graphics? I have never seen the NES version... Now I am curious... :hmm:

[kainemaxwell]

From what I've played they are pretty idenitical- same looking graphics and sound and the same options screen when you start the game. The only big diff really is the Genesis version allows the full board to be shown on the screen while the NES version scrolls it.

[Daerr Zh]

IIRC the roms for professor were dumped long ago, but they were bad in some way. (?)
And the speedup dip is available on all variants of PM, MPM, and PMJ.
My favorite will always be pacman

[game_trek]

Super Pac all the way. More innovative than the originals, but super speed Ms. Pac-man is cool too.(Super speed Ms. Pac-man was only played on the coin-op up right arcade.)

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

i voted for the original because nothing beats the origional (ok Ms. Pac Man cam close).

and what games are in other.

[Daniel Thomas]

i voted for the original because nothing beats the origional (ok Ms. Pac Man cam close).

and what games are in other.

For many years, I've preferred Ms. Pac-Man as the best of the lot. But this summer, I grabbed the Pac-Man Collection for GBA, and remembered why the original was so great to begin with. It's kind of amazing how a one-screen game can be so compelling.

Overalll, Pac-Man was probably the best, if just for the sheer impact the game had. Pac was the first genuine pop star of the computer age. If I voted today, it would have to be a tie between Pac and Ms.

(And, btw, the Pac-Man hack on the 2600 is terrific.)

[diskoboy]

Mine would hafta be the original... Hell I own an actual machine. I stopped my collection afer I got it.


I'm only voting for the original for sentimental reasons. It was the very first video game I ever played, and I still love it. Even though its 24 years later.

But in terms of gameplay: Jr. Pac-Man gets my vote. More MASSIVE mazes, the fruit (toys) can wipe out your power pills and change the dots to make you slower.. What's not to love?

BTW?? Was Yum-yum (Blinky's kid from the cutscenes) a boy? If so it was the first gay relationship in a video game. LOL

[josekortez]

After playing it on Namco Museum (GBA), I'd have to pick Ms. Pac-Man, although Maze Madness is starting to become a staple in my Dreamcast...

[Jorpho]

Anyone ever heard of Pac Man Super ABC (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=&game_id=8959)? It looks pretty cool, but it doesn't seem to be in MAME.

[kainemaxwell]

Remember this oldie, but goodie thread?

[MegaDrive20XX]

Pac-Man Arrangement (3D with 2 player co-op mode) on Namco Museum (PS2, Cube, XBox)

[racecar]

Ms. Pac Man, without a doubt. It's still one of the best games ever made.
yep!! i have to agree with that(i like all the arcade ones)

[Jorpho]

I have been spoiled by Pacman Worlds.

Presently, only the shareware sequel is available at the official site, but the original one (which only had bugs instead of usage restrictions) is still out there.
http://www.acoders.com/acsite/viewsoftware.php?id=67

[Sniderman]

What? No "Professor Pac-Man?"

KLOV entry (http://www.klov.com/game_detail.php?letter=P&game_id=9135)

[NE146]

Maybe because no one would have voted for it LOL Or heck... has anyone even TRIED one of those? Even I (yes, yes I know.. hard to believe 8-) ) has never even seen a Professor Pac machine outside...outside of a magazine of course :hmm:

[Psycho Mantis]

pac-mania was my favorite. it was a unique pac-man game that you could jump in. it's a good thing.

[Quickclaw]

Pac-Mania

A change of scenery, a change in style

[Sanriostar]

I've always wanted to do multiple mazes on Super Pac like Ms. Pac.

[Black_Tiger]

Well, I know the Pac zealots will burn me at the stake for counting an unofficial Pac game, let alone saying it's the best.

But my favorite is still Lock N Chase for Intellivision(I don't like the coin-op).

[VG_Maniac]

My favorite - Ms. PacMan.

[LDIS91]

I would place my vote for either Pac-Man or Ms.Pac-Man. They are both excellent games.

[atari_wizard]

went with pac-man. this is where the pac-man fever started. this game is one of the reasons i wanted an atari when i was a little one. pac-mania would be my next pick.