Pac-Man World

"Now THIS is the new and improved Pac-Man..."

Pac-Man World...ah, yes. This game brings back so many memories. I was lucky enough to snatch a copy of this game, and it's a good thing I did. Pac-Man World is unlike any other Pac-Man game I've played (except maybe for Pac-Man World 2), mainly because the concept is totally different. Instead of looking at the game from a top-down view, you're playing 3D styled Pac-Man...a change of perspective, and brought the series to the next level.

STORY: 8

The story ain't bad. There aren't a lot of words to describe the events, but you can tell just by looking at the pictures. One question, though. Since when did Pac-Man have his own family?

GRAPHICS: 9

The graphics are great. Everything is detailed and well drawn. Pac-Man looks almost perfect. The backgrounds and scenery could use some work, but overall, it's extremely satisfying.

SOUND: 10

The sounds are top-notch. The tunes are nice, and the sound effects are good. There isn't a single flaw in this category, except that Pac-Man's voice sounds like a broken tape recorder...

CONTROL: 8

Nothing wrong here. You control Pac-Man easily. However, sometimes the camer-angles tend to get a bit annoying. Other than that, though, there are no complaints.

GAMEPLAY: 10

I love this game. There's something that it possesses that other games don't seem to have. It's some sort of magic that keeps the game going. There are a lot of things to do. The levels are long and entertaining, as well as having a lot of variety. Collecting pac-dots and chomping ghosts are nothing new to the world of Pac-Man, but are still fun to do. In this game, you also collect fruits in order to open special doors. These doors consist of switches, power-ups, and all sorts of things. And if single-played mode wasn't enough, you can also try Marathon Mode, where you can play classic Pac-Man mazes, in 3D, course.

DIFFICULTY: 7

The game isn't horribly difficult. Some levels are a bit too long, and can get frustrating, but overall, it's not too bad. Just get used to the concept and you'll do fine.

CONCLUSION

Story - 8
Graphics - 9
Sound - 10
Control - 8
Graphics - 10
Difficulty - 7
Overall Score - 9

Pac-Man World is an excellent game. For those of you who think that this is like old-style Pac-Man, you're wrong. This is entirely different, and will offer what you have rarely seen before in videogames. I highly recommend it.

By the way, if you're going to get this game, either rent it or buy it. I rented it, but buying it is okay.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/28/04