Pac-Man World
from Namco for the Sony PlayStation

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Pac-Man is probably the most famous video game ever made.  It spawned many sequels, and a hit song by Buckner and Garcia.  However, the last update to the game was almost 10 years ago with PacMania.   Recently, that has changed.

Namco has released a completely new and fresh look at the Pac-Man universe.  The game is called Pac-Man World, and it has been released in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original Pac-Man game.  (Wow, has it been that long?  Man, I am feeling old.)

The game has been released for the Sony PlayStation.  As far as I know, there are no other plans for publishing this game under other formats, such as the PC.  Atari/Hasbro Interactive does have Pac-Man publishing rights on the PC, and they are working on a Pac-Man game, but I do not know if they are doing a port of this title or working on something completely new.

However, I can tell you that this game plays great under Bleem!, which is an outstanding PlayStation emulator for Windows 9x.  If you have sophisticated enough hardware to run the game, and have purchased a copy of Bleem!, the game will work just fine.  More on that at the bottom of this review.

I reviewed the game by playing it on my Sony PlayStation.  However, I ran Pac-Man World under Bleem! on one of my PC's to create all of the screen captures for this review.

Pac-Man World consists of three different games -- Classic, Maze, and Quest.

Classic Pac-Man is meant to recreate the original arcade experience.  Pac-Man must run around a maze and eat all of the dots while avoiding the ghosts.  If Pac-Man touches a ghost, he dies.   There are four "power dots" in the maze.  If Pac-Man eats a power dot, the ghosts turn blue for a few seconds, and run away from Pac-Man.  The ghosts are vulnerable while Pac-Man has has the extra strength, and Pac-Man can eat them to earn bonus points.  Once a ghost has been eaten, the ghost eyes float back to the ghost pen, and the ghost reappears.

Bonus items occasionally appear on the screen, usually in the form of fruit.  Bonus items can be eaten, which earns you bonus points.

Once all of the dots have been eaten, you are taken to another, more complicated, maze.

I have to admit that this portion of the Pac-Man World collection is just plain BAD.  The original Pac-Man game was in the Namco Museum #1 collection on the PlayStation, and it looks like they just used the same Pac-Man code from that title.  Considering that Pac-Man World is meant to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the game, I expected that the classic mode of the game would be authentic, and believe me, it is not.  I am amazed at the fact that this aspect of the game was not done using an arcade emulator.  The graphics, sounds, and colors just aren't what I expected them to be.  Everything just seems a bit "off-kilter" so to speak.   Someone who has never played a Pac-Man coin-op (and who hasn't played a Pac-Man coin-op) probably wouldn't notice the difference.   But to the classic gamer, this game just doesn't look, sound, or play right.

I wonder what Namco was thinking when they put this together?

The second part of the game is the Maze mode.  This portion of the game takes the classic Pac-Man rules and gameplay, but moves the game into a 3D environment.

Pac-Man World -- Maze Mode

While this game has a Pac-Man feel to it, the rules have changed slightly.  For example, Pac-Man has a health meter in the upper left had corner of the screen.  Each time he runs into a ghost, he loses 25% of his health.  If he is touched by ghosts 4 times, he dies.  The top-center of the screen shows the points you have scored.  The upper right hand corner of the screen shows how many dots are left in the maze.

The bonus fruit is not stationary like it is in the classic coin-op.  The fruit randomly moves around the maze, much like it does in the Jr. Pac-Man coin-op. 

There are 6 sets of mazes.   Each set has a different theme to them.  One is an outer space theme, while another has a circus style funhouse feel to it.  The themes are whimsical, and add a refreshing flavor to the game.  Even the ghosts get into the act, as they get dressed up for the themes as well.  In the funhouse mazes, the ghosts are wearing clown hats.

     
Pac-Man World -- Maze Mode
Click on images to enlarge

There are a total of 36 mazes in this mode.  You can only play 18 of the mazes to start, and more mazes will be made available to you as you complete the various levels in the quest mode, which I will cover in a minute.

When playing in this mode, you can view the action from three perspectives -- a top-down view that shows the entire maze, a view that shows about 1/2 of the maze, and a view that displays about 1/4 of the maze.   Personally, I have been playing the game on full zoom so I can admire all of the artwork while I play the game. 

Namco has done a fantastic job dressing up the game for a modern audience.  The mazes are bright and colorful, and the game manages to use many new sound effects while mixing in a number of the sound effects from the original game.  They seem to have found a nice mix of the old and the new.

I haven't even hit on where this game really shines -- the music.  This game has one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard.  The music is just PHENOMENAL.  Each set of mazes has music that appropriate to the scenery, and it really adds to the game.  The people behind the music in this game should get some kind of award.  It is that good.  I am hoping that someone makes some MP3's of the music.  Better yet, Namco should release a CD soundtrack of the music...much like Atari did with the music from Tempest 2000 for the Jaguar & PC.

The game does take advantage of the Dual-Shock controllers, so you will be getting some force-feedback effects during different events in the game.

I have heard a lot of people compare this game to the PacMania coin-op game which was released by Namco/Atari Games about 10 years ago.  It does present a similar style of 3D graphics as PacMania, but it isn't quite the same.  For example, if you get cornered by two ghosts in Maze mode, you can't jump over them like you could in PacMania.

The third part of the game is Quest mode.

Over the years, Pac-Man's starring role in one of the greatest games ever has made him Pac-Land's most popular celebrity.   Twenty years later, Pac-Man is on a new quest to defeat Toc-Man and save his friends from the perils of Ghost Island.

Pac-Man arrives to celebrate his 20^th anniversary and finds his house deserted! Toc-Man had his ghostly minions kidnap Pac-Man’s friends. One by one, they vanished - Ms. Pac-Man, Pac Jr., Baby Pac, Professor Pac, Pooka and even Chomp-Chomp the dog were nowhere to be found.

Now, Toc-Man has the hostages hidden away throughout Ghost Island and his henchmen have orders to get rid of Pac-Man. Pac-Man’s quest will take him from mine shafts to factories to deep space outposts. Pac-Man will pull out every maze-busting trick and quick-witted escape he has learned throughout his career, plus a whole bunch of slick new moves nobody’s even seen.

Hidden throughout the quest, Pac-Man will face challenging puzzles and games made famous by Pac-Man’s previous adventures. Even the ghosts - Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde – are back for a new chance to gobble Pac-Man.

So get ready to chomp into action as the legendary Pac-Man battles to save his friends in the quest of a lifetime.

Toc-Man -- Your arch-enemy in Pac-Man World

The game starts off with some wonderful video of Pac-Man's friends getting ready for the 20th anniversary party.   All of the Pac-Man characters from the various video games are present, along with some other Namco characters like Pooka from the two Dig-Dug games.  The video shows each of the characters as they are kidnapped by Toc-Man's evil henchmen.  Eventually, Pac-Man comes home to find that all of his friends are gone.  Then, he sets off on a quest to Ghost Island to find them.

     
     
Full motion video from Pac-Man World
Click on images to enlarge

Pac-Man World -- Quest Mode is essentially a run & jump platform game.  If you have played games like Super Mario on the N64 or Crash Bandicoot on the PlayStation, you should feel right at home.

Once the game begins, you have just arrived on Ghost Island.  The first level of the game is a tutorial to familiarize you with the controls and feel of the game.  You will have an opportunity to learn how to run, jump, swim, and everything else you need to know to complete your quest.

Pac-Man World

Pac-Man has a health meter in the upper left had corner of the screen.  Each time he runs into one of Toc-Man's evil henchmen, laser, or other obstacle, he loses 25% of his health.  If he is touched 4 time, he dies.  The top-center of the screen shows the points you have scored.  The upper right hand corner of the screen shows how many dots are in your inventory.  There are dots scattered around the levels.  In this part of the game, dots are used as ammunition.  Yes, Pac-Man can shoot dots at his enemies.

The lower right hand corner of the screen shows the items in your inventory.  These bonus items can be fruit, or keys.  Bonus items are used to unlock doors.

There are doors, treasure chests, force fields, and other hidden areas that must be opened and explored.  Look carefully, as you will usually unlock some device that will aid you in your quest.

     
Pac-Man can jump, fly, and swim
Click on images to enlarge

As you make your way through each level of the game, there are all kinds of obstacles that you must face, including ghosts, cannons, parrots that drop bombs on you, pirate skeletons, aliens, etc.  Like the Maze mode of the game, the Quest mode is broken up into various sets, each with a distinct theme.  Toc-Man's henchmen are different in each of the sets of levels, and they all require a different tactic to defeat them.

There are "Galaxian Doors" throughout the levels.  If you find a Galaxian icon hidden in the game, take it to the Galaxian Door for that level.  That will transport you away to new mazes to play in the Maze mode of the game.  This also unlocks those mazes for later play in the Maze mode.

There are some power-ups along the way as well.  One is the "Chrome" power-up, which gives Pac-Man a little suit of armor.  This allows him to walk under water, and destroy treasure chests, and other things in his path.

     
Pac-Man World
Click on images to enlarge

One kidnapped character is hidden in each level set.  Once you get close to completing the level set, you will usually find the character locked in a cage.  Use any keys you fins along the way to unlock the cage, and set your friend free.  Each friend will then give you some helpful tips that you will need later in the game.  Once all of your friends are free, and all of the levels have been completes, you must go to the final battle with Toc-Man.

Each level also has the letters to spell out "PAC MAN."  If you collect all of the letters, you unlock the bonus round.  Bonus round consists of an area with many dots.  You must collect all of the dots before time expires.

At the end of each level, there is a "Slot Machine Bonus."  Each one of the remaining dots & fruit in your inventory is inserted into a slot machine.  You get a certain number of "pulls" on the slot machine based on your inventory.  You can win extra lives & health in this portion of the game.  

One great aspect of this portion of Pac-Man World is the animation.  Pac-Man has all kinds of facial expressions that he uses to show emotion during the game.  The evil henchmen are well animated, and each character has a distinct personality.  The pirate skeletons are priceless.   They walk around with an eye-patch and a big sword, and they have an ominous, yet cartoony look.

Sound is also very good.   Like Maze mode, quest mode has a fantastic mix of old and new sounds.  The music is outstanding.

In any jump & run type game, controls are a key aspect, and I must say that the controls in this game seem right on the mark.  I have been using the Dual Shock controller, and I haven't detected any sluggishness at all.  Force feedback in the Dual Shock controllers can be turned off if necessary, but I found the use of force feedback to be appropriate.

I've never cared too much for jump & run type games.  I'll have to admit that I just don't have the timing skill to play games of this type.  Pac-Man World, however, was entertaining enough that I stuck with it, and I had a lot of fun playing it.

One real annoying thing about this game is the lack of historical information.  Here is a game meant to commemorate a video gaming milestone, yet nothing is presented on the history of the game, except for a horrible translation of the coin-op classic.  This is most disappointing that not one shred of detail on the creation of the original game has been included.   Supposedly, there is a "hidden art gallery" somewhere buried in the game, but I am unhappy that they chose to hide it.  I haven't seen what is in this gallery, so I may be disappointed if I ever find it.

All in all, I felt that this is a good game for any classic gamer.  As I've said before, Namco really messed up the classic mode.  Maze mode and Quest mode both make up for the horrible gameplay in classic mode.  Quest and Maze modes were a pleasure to play, and I anticipate that I will keep playing this title for a long time.

I mentioned playing the game through Bleem!  If you don't own a PlayStation, you can play the game under the Bleem! emulator on your PC....assuming that you have a powerful enough system.  I tested the game running under Bleem! on one of my computers, which is a P3 500MHz system with 128 mb of RAM.  The version of Bleem! that I tested was v. 1.5b.  I was able to run it just fine (albeit just a tad sluggish...barely noticeable) on my 2D video card.  When I switched to 3D mode, the game sped up just a fraction to where it seemed like it was running at the same speed as it does on my PlayStation.  However, an occasional graphics glitch would pop up here and there.  I think that the graphics glitches are due to my older Canopus 3dfx-based card, and not with Bleem! itself.  I am going to try it on another 3D card, and I will post my results here in a few weeks.

The full motion video under Bleem! is a different story.  With the default Bleem! settings, the video plays so slow that it is a tedious exercise to watch it.  This in no way reflects on gameplay of Pac-Man World under Bleem!, as the actual gameplay was just fine.  The video can be tweaked using the Bleem! control panel.  If you have a REALLY slow system, you can change the movies so they play in black & white.  Otherwise, go to the CD-ROM configuration screen, and increase the access speed for your CD using the slider bar.   That did the trick for me.

For more information, visit the Namco web site

Pac-Man screen savers and desktop themes for
Win 9x are available at the Namco web site.