"Something is missing."

Pac-Pix is a very original game, no doubt about it. Namco constantly gives us these quirky, original ideas, and they usually turn them into good games. But this one isn't so good.

The problem with Pac-Pix is that the game play is incredibly shallow. You draw a Pac Man and have him eat all the enemies (usually ghosts) in the level. Sounds like fun, right? Well, it is -- for the first thirty minutes.

After awhile, you'll realize that drawing a Pac Man is pretty much all there is to this game. Have him eat everything in the level, move on. Repeat. Sure, you'll soon get to draw bombs and arrows, but the general goal of the game is always the same... clear the level of ghosts.

Another problem with the game is that it's just way, way too short. A single run through an entire book (which consists of twelve chapters) can take you around an hour, tops. So the only real reason to keep this game is to improve your high scores. Liked Yoshi Touch & Go? You'll probably like this.

The funny thing is, though, I *love* Yoshi Touch & Go. And I just can't get into this one. The idea of drawing your own Pac Man may be cool, but it's just not enough... there needs to be more to this game. In Yoshi, you could get points in so many different ways. Here, you just try to eat the ghosts using the least amount of Pac... er, Men as quickly as possible. And that's... it.

GRAPHICS: 6/10
Nice, simple 2D graphics. However, they're very uninteresting and almost simple to a fault. The background of each level is the same, so it's a little underwhelming. Seeing your own deformed Pac Man is neat, though.

SOUND: 7.5/10
It's good enough. Doesn't distract nor annoy. Classic Namco work done here. The SFX is okay. Pac Man's waka waka waka might annoy someone sitting around you, but for the most part, good stuff.

GAME PLAY: 5.5/10
Draw a Pac Man to clear the page of ghosts and other simple enemies. That's it. Some may find this appealing, and I'm sure a few high score junkies will be in love. But it's too lacking for me.

REPLAY VALUE: 7/10
It depends -- are you willing to play the same rather small number of stages to improve your high score or not?

OVERALL: 6/10
It's okay, but certainly not worth the $30. Wait until Christmas -- or when the price drops. A lot.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/05/05