Namco Museum 50th Anniversary for PS2, Xbox, GameCube

[MegaDrive20XX]

Namco announced Namco Museum 50th Anniversary for PS2, Xbox, GameCube, the game is scheduled to release in US in August, and it will contain a compilation of 14 classic Namco arcade titles, including:

Pac-Man (1980)
Ms. Pac-Man (1981)
Galaga (1981)
Galaxian (1979)
Dig Dug (1982)
Pole Position (1982)
Pole Position II (1983)
Rolling Thunder (1987)
Rally X (1980)
Bosconian (1981)
Dragon Spirit (1987)
Sky Kid (1985)
Xevious (1982)
Mappy (1983)


- The Xbox version of Namco Museum 50th Anniversary will have Xbox Live support, allowing players to submit their high scores to the online rankings. The game is also coming to GameBoy Advance, but the GBA version will only contain 5 classic games, including: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug and Rally-X

http://www.the-magicbox.com/gaming.htm

Ka-Ching! Jack pot!

[Kroogah]

YAY PAC-MAN AGAIN.

Now that that's out of the way, I'm getting this for 2 reasons: Xbox Live scores, and MAPPY!!!!! And it's about damn time they put Rolling Thunder on a U.S. compilation!

[Neil Koch]

Hmmm... not too much difference between that and the Namco Museum they already released for PS2. BUt I'm with Yashiro, Rolling Thunder will probably force me to get this.

BTW, on Xbox Live Arcade, there are several Namco games, but it's kind of spendy ($15 for Galaga, Dig Dug and Pole Position, but Ms Pac Man came free with it). I actually completed a full race on Pole Position for the first time on this version.

[Rogmeister]

I also like Mappy a lot so now I can play it (or will be able to) without hooking up my PS or PS2. Did you know that the book Arcade Fever, however, listed Mappy in their Hall of Shame? Bentley Bear, Circus Charlie and Pengo were there to keep him company :D

[Kroogah]

Did you know that the book Arcade Fever, however, listed Mappy in their Hall of Shame? Bentley Bear, Circus Charlie and Pengo were there to keep him company :D

Wha? I'm indifferent to Circus Charlie, but I love Mappy, Crystal Castles, and especially Pengo. What was the criteria for earning a spot in the Hall of Shame?

[MegaDrive20XX]

YAY PAC-MAN AGAIN.


That should be in Crank Yankers...they've already done the "Donkey Kong" bit. So why not Pac-Man again?

[Lady Jaye]

It was mostly as "game mascots that time forgot", I think. Not so much about the quality of the game itself.

And my first reaction upon reading that news was, "Again???". Yes, there's Mappy, but it still seems to me that there aren't that many game considering the media format. The only thing that'd make me buy this (although Mappy could be a factor) is if the extras are much more interesting than in the old Namco Museum. And where is Pac-Mania???

Otherwise, I vote Namco as the company who would never tire of getting as much money as possible from their properties, especially Pac-Man. Now, I wonder: was there a platform ever where that wasn't at least one release of Pac-Man?

[Quickclaw]

No Dig Dug 2? Thanks a bunch, Namco...

[Rogmeister]

Basically they were listing mascots of games that didn't hang around long in the arcades and which didn't give us much in the way of sequels. They commented that the Pengo game was "harder than ice" and, of Mappy, they said he bounced out of arcades faster than you could say "rodent turds"...

[Kroogah]

The more I think about it, it'd actually be kinda weird if Namco released a compilation without Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, etc. since we're so damn used to it now.

Yes, Pengo is really damn hard. Mappy got an NES game at least...

[slip81]

All these cool classic compileations coming out for next gen systems, first Taito, now this.

I think I'm gonna have to start a sub collection and get them all :)

[Rogmeister]

Speaking of these anthologies, how is Atari Anthology? I've thought of getting it since I heard Lunar Lander was on it...

[Vigilante]

Just a slight observation.... Namco 50th anniversary? The oldest game on that list is 26. Shouldn't they call it "Namco's Rehashed and Repackaged Classics, Super Sized Extreme Edition"?

[Dire 51]

No Splatterhouse... again. I'm not surprised. I might or might not get this though... probably not since I already have ALL of those games on the PS1 Namco Museum discs. -_- Why don't they just go all the way and put ALL of their arcade titles on it (up to a point, of course... I'm thinking 1992 or 1993).

[slownerveaction]

Not quite as exciting news as the new Taito comp. But with Rolling Thunder and Sky Kid on here, I can definitely cross Namco Museum Encore off on my to-get list.

And I understand why there's no Splatterhouse... but would it really hurt them to stick on some of the more obscure stuff -- or at least the other games already on the other Museums?

[Captain Wrong]

I might or might not get this though... probably not since I already have ALL of those games on the PS1 Namco Museum discs. -_- Why don't they just go all the way and put ALL of their arcade titles on it (up to a point, of course... I'm thinking 1992 or 1993).


Just a slight observation.... Namco 50th anniversary? The oldest game on that list is 26. Shouldn't they call it "Namco's Rehashed and Repackaged Classics, Super Sized Extreme Edition"?

Seriously. Again Namco poots out the same handfull of titles they've recycled over and over again. Yeah, I know some of you may have missed out on Mappy on the PSX collections, but even that is currently avaliable on the Ms. Pac Man Plug & Play. And you could probably fit all those games on a PS2 memory card, meaning space isn't an issue here.

Man, I love some Namco, but come on. This is just pathetic. As someone else pointed out, this collection is basically an expanded version of the current Namco Museum. With a name like 50th Aniversery, you'd expect a little more, but leave it to Namco to stick with the same shit, different package.

[DTJAAAAMJSLM]

I think I'll stick with the upcoming PSP release.

[Retsudo]

Damn, I have those games already. How many copies of the same games do I need? :hmm:

Whats next? Namco Allstars collection. x_x

[le geek]

Beating a Dead Horse! At thise point does anyone COLLECT Namco arcade collections there are enough of them now LOL

[Xexyz]

Namco seems to have overdone the classic collections. Oh well, since I never picked up Namco Museum, this is the perfect exuse to hold out for this title and then purchase it for my Cube. I wish Namco would look past their arcade classics and also port system classics such as the Splatterhouse series...

[Flack]

Speaking of these anthologies, how is Atari Anthology? I've thought of getting it since I heard Lunar Lander was on it...

http://www.robohara.com/reviews/games/index.php?file=atari_anthology

[Mayhem]

I think I'll stick with the upcoming PSP release.

Was going to say the same thing (in relation to the new improved US version of it). Doesn't the revamped PSP version have MORE games than these announced released?

[GarrettCRW]

With a name like 50th Aniversery, you'd expect a little more, but leave it to Namco to stick with the same shit, different package.

I must wonder, though, if the US Namco Museums have been influenced by the downright brutal reviews for Namco Museums 4 and 5 when they were released. I shudder to think how they would have torn into the Encore volume if it had come here.

[joshnickerson]

Thanks but no thanks, Namco. I already wasted my money on Namco Arcade for my Cube, I don't need yet another version of Pac-man to play.

[Kid Ice]

I'm disappointed not to see some of the later Namco titles. Galaga 88? Tekken? Soul Blade? Ridge Racer?

[DigitalSpace]

This is the compilation Namco should have released in the first place. Oh well, at least I got my PS2 copy for five bucks. :)

[kainemaxwell]

Now this is definitly a great collection to get!!

[davidbrit2]

The game is also coming to GameBoy Advance, but the GBA version will only contain 5 classic games, including: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug and Rally-X

Namco Museum (GBA):
Ms. Pac-Man
Dig Dug
Pole Position
Galaga
Galaxian

Pac-Man Collection (GBA):
Pac-Man
Pac-Man Arrangement
Pac-Mania
Pac-Attack

NAMCO IS TRULY GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND TO BRING US NEW AND ORIGINAL MATERIAL THIS TIME AROUND. I CANNOT WAIT TO PAY $30 FOR RALLY-X.

And if they don't even add high score saving this time, they can pretty much just go straight to hell.

[ozyr]

I really hate it when they re-release old games in new compilations. I don't need the same games, two or more times on the same system. STOP IT!

[spider-man]

I thought they were going to add in klonoa 1? That was the only game that I really wanted out of that package.

[stevec1636]

well i might by it for Rolling Thunder. Who am i kidding of course i will buy it and get my umtinth version of pac-man.

[zmweasel]

Just a slight observation.... Namco 50th anniversary? The oldest game on that list is 26. Shouldn't they call it "Namco's Rehashed and Repackaged Classics, Super Sized Extreme Edition"?

It's the 50th anniversary of Namco as a corporate entity, not any of the games.

-- Z.

[MegaDrive20XX]

Somewhere, the cash cow of Namco is crying....

as Dire 51 said No Splatterhouse... again. I'm not surprised. I might or might not get this though... probably not since I already have ALL of those games on the PS1


Best response and so true.

Raise your hands if you're about as sick of Pac-Man as I am by now?

[RetroYoungen]

Did you know that the book Arcade Fever, however, listed Mappy in their Hall of Shame? Bentley Bear, Circus Charlie and Pengo were there to keep him company :D

Wha? I'm indifferent to Circus Charlie, but I love Mappy, Crystal Castles, and especially Pengo. What was the criteria for earning a spot in the Hall of Shame?

I'm with ya, Yash. Mappy, Crystal Castles and Pengo all rocked, why would ANY of them be in a hall of shame? I can understand not being in a Hall of Fame (well, Mappy should be in the HoF), but a hall of shame? Bastards.

But finally, I can play the arcade version of Mappy on a controller. I didn't want to pick up that Jakks stick for that one game (it'd be the only one I'd play) so I'll have to pick up this collection. How much is it going to cost, anybody know? $20?

[Gamemaster_ca_2003]

This is a Great collection and all but why can't Namco get many more of their games on this collection.

To name a few

Gee Bee, Bomb Bee, Cutie Q, The arranged versions of: Xevious Pac Man Mappy Dig Dug and Rally X, Galaga 88, Galaga 3 (Galpus), Dragon Saber, Assault, Star Blade, Super Xevious, All of the Final Lap Games, Mr Driller, Super Pac Man, Jr. Pac Man, Pac Land, Pac Mania, Tower of Druaga, Return of Istar, Legend of the Valkyrie, Tekken, Time Crisis, Point Blank, And Many others.

I just want to Know Namco.

[puxley]

Well, I don't mind when a compilation comes out that improves on issues like control or emulation. If it has more games, it renders the older comp obsolete in my view.

This duplicates 7 games from the older Namco Museum for PS2, but it doesn't include Pac-Attack or Pac-Mania, or presumably the arrange versions of Dig-Dug, Galaga, and Pac-Man, (but we can all hope they'll be unlockable).

If your an old-timer who has the PS Namco Museums, don't get rid of them yet. Though this new comp takes games from 4 of the 5 original volumes, Volume 1 still offers the only ports of New Rally-X and Toy Pop, and Volume 3 has Tower of Druaga and Phozon, which aren't duplicated elsewhere.

The only previously unavailable (in the US) games on this new comp are Rolling Thunder and Sky Kid. I believe that both of them were included on the Japan-only Namco Museum Encore.

I love Rolling Thunder, so I'm very psyched to get to play it again in all it's 007 glory. Maybe this time I can actually rescue the girl??

Also, I'm apparently one of the few who used to really dig Bosconian in the arcade, so I'm hoping this version is analog-stick compatible, that's one flaw in tthe original port.

I still wish that companies like Namco would move on -- they should release a definitive version of a game and then dig deeper into the archives for more variety!

[Jibbajaba]

I'm disappointed not to see some of the later Namco titles. Galaga 88? Tekken? Soul Blade? Ridge Racer?

Honestly. I would think that since this is the 50th anniversary compilation, they would go balls out and pack the disc full of games. This is too much of a "more of the same" situation for me. Sure there are couple of things on here that are new to the Namco Museum deluge, but basically it's the same shit, different day. Based on what II see here, it gets a thumbs-down.

I'll pick up the PSP Namco Museum because then at least it's portable.

Chris

[o2william]

Boy, I was excited when I saw this post's title, since I was just about to pick up Namco Museum for my 'Cube. I hoped this would be a more inclusive collection that I could get instead... but it lacks the "Arrangement" games, which are the main reasons I wanted Museum in the first place. :angry: I already have the other games in about a dozen different ways.

But Rally-X makes me tempted anyway. Curse you Namco!

[Captain Wrong]

Now this is definitly a great collection to get!!

Why Kaine? Did you miss the 37 other times Namco has cranked out a comp with Pole Position and Galaga on it?
LOL

[digtempest]

How about Wild N Lucky? And all the Pac-Mac games(including the Pac-Man pinball)?

[NESVIDIOT]

The only reason for me to get this is to have a console port of Bosconian on a Nintendo system, other than that I already have the rest about 10 different ways.
But yay!!! Bosconian!!!

[downfall]

Just a slight observation.... Namco 50th anniversary? The oldest game on that list is 26. Shouldn't they call it "Namco's Rehashed and Repackaged Classics, Super Sized Extreme Edition"?

Actually, I believe it's called 50th Anniversary because this is about the 50th time it's been released in one form or another.

[Tron 2.0]

If your an old-timer who has the PS Namco Museums, don't get rid of them yet. Though this new comp takes games from 4 of the 5 original volumes, Volume 1 still offers the only ports of New Rally-X and Toy Pop, and Volume 3 has Tower of Druaga and Phozon, which aren't duplicated elsewhere.

The only previously unavailable (in the US) games on this new comp are Rolling Thunder and Sky Kid. I believe that both of them were included on the Japan-only Namco Museum Encore.

I love Rolling Thunder, so I'm very psyched to get to play it again in all it's 007 glory. Maybe this time I can actually rescue the girl??

Also, I'm apparently one of the few who used to really dig Bosconian in the arcade, so I'm hoping this version is analog-stick compatible, that's one flaw in tthe original port.


Agreed plus the PS Namco Museum suport tate mode 8-)

You are right about, Rolling Thunder i have Namco Museum Encore for my PS1 good emu too :D

Realy couldn't have, Namco just took all games from the PS museum and encore and stuck. Them on, one disc in the frist place x_x

When it comes down to it Namco has realy milked the serise :/