Pac-Man World

"Pac-ing a Punch!"

Pac-Man is perhaps the oldest known video game mascot around. His early days centered around evading ghosts and devouring fruit in mazes, while trying to rack up as many points as possible. Namco eventually took the next step and not only expanded Pac-Man to full 3-D, but gave him a full-blown platform adventure!

Story:
By the time this game was released, it was Pac-Man's 20th Anniversary! He is invited to Ghost Island to celebrate, only to discover that all his relatives have been kidnapped by his former enemies - the ghosts, led by their new evil leader - Toc-Man! The story's not very original, but after over a 20-year hiatus on new Pac-Man games (countless arcade remakes not included), what do you expect?

Gameplay: 7/10
Pac-Man World is a 3-D platform game, though the game still moves from side to side through each stage. It's a lot like Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. Pac-Man has some basic moves that you might expect, such as the jump and the butt bounce. You'll have to run, fly, jump, swim, bounce and zoom your way through the levels, while eating dots (yes, they're back) and swallowing the odd power-pill to make short work of those relentless ghosts. You'll also have to collect fruit to open the corresponding door. As you can see, this game takes all of the elements of the original Pac-Man game and makes it work in the side-scrolling genre. There's also a "classic" mode, which pits you in 3-D versions of the arcade mazes. Namco didn't forget about Pac-Man's roots while pitting him in the 3-D universe.

There is a problem, though, and that's the ever-annoying camera. Since the camera only moves in two directions, there will be many a time when Pac-Man is too far into the distance for you to see what's going on, which could result in the loss of a ife or something else bad. Otherwise, everything's solid.

Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 7/10
The graphics in this game are actually pretty good compared to your typical PS1 or N64 game. There's not too much blur or even jagged edges on the character models. Yet it still keeps sort of a "retro" feel to it in places. The music is pretty boppy and happy, but isn't anything that will drive you batty. Not something I'd want to make a soundtrack out of, however.

To buy or not to buy?
(I didn't say Rent or Buy since you can't rent this anymore) I'd go ahead and buy it. It's probably cheap enough now that even if it doesn't keep your attention through the whole game, the experience will be worthwhile enough to warrant your purchase.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 06/12/05