Pac-Man vs.

"Retro gaming is good...good...."

Everybody with common sense knows Pac-Man, the little dot with a chunk cut out. Namco made a remake of Pac-Man that connects with the Game Boy Advance that's free with purchase of a R:Racing Evolution or I-Ninja or bundled up with Pac-Man World 2.

Gameplay: 9/10

The player using the Game Boy Advance(SP) controls Pac-Man as the others control the ghosts. It's the same as the original retro game, but instead, this time, players can be the enemies. In case you haven't caught on yet, Pac-Man has to eat these yellow dots all over the maze they're in and score points depending on how many dots he eats. There are also fruit to give him even more points. However, with a mission, there comes an enemy, and those enemies are the ghosts! They try to catch Pac-Man, but unfortunately for them, they can't see the entire screen and only bits of it. Pac-Man tries to avoid them, collect dots and those special ones that make the ghosts vulnerable to Pac-Man's appetite and score bundles of points. The game's pretty straight forward, and anybody can catch onto it easily. Plus, it requires no memory card blocks, so that you can have fun without the hassle! Retro gaming is good...

Graphics: 2/10

I'm sorry, but dots and ghosts don't appeal to me. In a way, I really don't care about this category, since the game came out so long before the three-dimensional games and they suit me fine. Pac-Man looks the same as ever, along with the other characters. There are different mazes that'll look different from the regular one, but you'll find out what they look like if you get this game. Compared to this generation, the graphics stink, but who cares.

Sound: 2/10

Even worse, than the graphics, unfortunately. I don't really care about how the sound plays, because it's the gaming that counts, and Pac-Man gets an unfair disadvantage that puts it behind other games now. Although it's kind of fun to hear the nice classical music that started the video game mania. It's very classic and simple, with no thick music, just a couple beats and catchy rhythms with almost no music, that keeps you playing more and more.

Story: 2/10

Ha, if there's a story, I'll assume that Pac-Man is hungry and needs to eat dots and fruit so that he won't starve and also avoid the ghosts. Don't you love innovative stories?

Scores:
Game-play: 9/10
Graphics: 2/10
Sound: 2/10
Story: 2/10
Replay: Insane
Fun Factor: Insane
Difficulty: Average
Final: 8/10

Pac-Man vs. is a nice game that, with all of the complicated procedures, can end up to be one of the best multi-player games on the GameCube. I'd suggest getting it, because with either Pac-Man World 2, I-Ninja (my personal favorite out of the three) and R: Racing Evolution, it's practically a steal.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/06/05