Pac-Man World

"Finally! A remake that is good!"

When I first heard about Pac-Man world in September of 99’, I saw it earn a 4.5 rating from OPM. I had wanted to buy this game, but waited until it came down to 20 bucks. Finally, in August of this year, I found a copy for 30 bucks, and I couldn’t wait any longer. But then I wondered. Was it going to be worth the wait, or just some stupid rehash? Some may accuse Namco of milking the character Pac-Man. Well, if this is what I get from the milking, then I sure hope they do it longer! Pac-Man World is one of the best games of 99, dammit!

Story: 9/10
We start off with Pac Man in his regular world, on his 20th birthday. But, suddenly, all his family and friends, even Pac Dog, are disappearing. Pac-Man finally makes it home, with a bunch of presents, but no presenters. He thinks of only one maniacal man that would be behind this. We then see a Zoom in to Ghost Island, home of all the ghosts. Enter: Toc-Man. A dude that looks like a gigantic, robotic version of Pac-Man, and a heck of a lot meaner! One of his many minions tells him that Pac-Man has been sighted sailing towards the coast, aware that Toc-Man has kidnapped his friends. Toc-Man then orders Pac-Man eliminated (Fancy Word, eh?). Good CG movie, and an overall superb job by the dudes at Namco.

Control: 8/10
The control in this package is like a sword. The blade part is smooth in the middle, while the edges are, well, edgy. We have Pac-Man able to do a dash, a jump, a pac-dot throw, and a butt bounce, with different variations on jumping and pac-dot throwing. The controls are very smooth, with no jerkiness or not going where you want Pac-Man to go. The edgy part is that sometimes, while jumping, you may press X, but Pac-Man will not do what X tells him to do, which is jump. This results in some VERY cheap deaths, like running off ledges, and zooming off helivators even at times. But hey, swords are good for battle, and the same goes for controls.

Camera: 6/10
The Camera is the real low point in this game. The camera movements are jerky, and sometimes, you will lose a life because the camera will now be in a good perspective, and your jump will be hard to judge. Such as in one level, I had to jump from ledge to ledge, and just as I was jumping one in the middle, the camera jerked off into a different perspective, and instead of leaping forwards, I leaped diagonal to the right, and off the ledge. Also, there is no way to turn the camera in the direction you want it. A real letdown.

Graphics: 9/10
The Graphics in this package are superb. There are many different environments, and each of them has so much variety in them. Whether it is the Colorful, moving funhouse stages, or the Factory stages, which are very dark and dank looking, they are always kept in check. Although they can’t really compete with Spyro’s standards, they do compete with Good ol’ Crash Bandicoots. The characters are also brightly animated, and it’s nice to see the 3D version of Pac-Man has turned out good. The low points are that sometimes, in just a few levels, there will be very miniscule holes, causing you to fall through ledges at some points. And, some of the new maze designs are fairly bland, with just different additives such as moving doors and additions to the ghosts wear, like helmets and whatnot. But, the graphics in this package are smooth and shiny, and if you’re a graphic fanatic, get this game NOW!

Gameplay: 10/10!!!
If you’re looking for some great gameplay, the stuff in this package is just about the best you can get. We start off with the regular game. There are at first only 3 areas open, the Pirate, Mines, and Space, with more opening up afterwards. Each area will have 3-4 areas in it, including one of those area’s being a boss arena. And believe me, these bosses are hard, and will take time to beat! Especially the boss for the space stage. Now, wait a minute. You want to know what separates it from the rest? I’ll tell you. Each stage will have a number of different puzzles, and switches to flip to make those puzzles happen. There are also fruits to collect to open doors which can contain either letters to spell PACMAN, which if you get all of them you’ll get a nifty bonus at the end of each level, switches to make mazes like the old days where you have to collect the dots and kill the ghosts, or teleport you to a secret maze level that is like the good old days, except 3D, and with hazards to slow you down! There is also so much variety between the levels, and that Namco must have taken time to make sure each level was varied in detail. From the Funhouse to the Mines, you can always tell the levels apart. To 100% the game, you must also rescue all of your trapped friends from inside their cages. Also, you know that bonus I was talking about? Well, it’s superb in its own right. You get 30 seconds to grab as much fruit as you possibly can, and even if you don’t get the PACMAN, you’ll still get a gambling type slot machine to try you’re luck at gaining some more extra lives. On to the Mazes. These things are some of the best fun you can have with your friends, trying your luck to see who can get them done the quickest, and who can waste the least lives. And, once you’ve played all of them, you’ll be able to access a special marathon mode! And of course, you get the original Pac-Man in as well, adding on to the fun. You really just can’t ask for much more in terms of gameplay.

Fun-10/10!
I can guarantee you, that even though this game is difficult as heck sometimes; you’ll enjoy every single minute of it! Trying to solve the puzzles, leaping across pits that can swallow you, and playing each maze will keep you occupied for hours, or until your girl gets home. Whichever comes first!

Difficulty:8/10
The Difficulty is well balanced throughout the game, and the mazes shouldn’t give you much trouble. But, there are just a special few stages that will get you mad beyond belief, they’re so hard!

Replay: 8/10
After you do beat the game, you will want to come back and try and get 100%, and play all of the Mazes. This makes the replay so-so, but, having the original Pac-Man game will keep you on for a few more hours. And, you’ll always want to boot it up every once in awhile if you get that nostalgic feeling in you.

Sound and Music: 7/10
There is nothing much special here. Though some of the level tunes, like Factory 2, will stay in you’re head for awhile. Fortunately, they are very cartoony sounding to keep in check with what the game is about, and each sound does fit each stage. Plus, they don’t sound like just little keyboards playing. Good for the Old School gamer.

Overall: 9/10
This game is a true gem, and with the PSOne’s days numbered, this is one that people will want to keep booting up. This game is one of the true definitions of “Classic Gaming.”

On a final note: Should I buy this?

Without a doubt, yes! Unless you hate platformers, this game is for everyone!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/28/00, Updated 01/13/01