Pac-Man Championship Edition

Infobox VG
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title=Pac-Man Championship Edition


caption=
developer=Namco Bandai
publisher=Namco Bandai
distributor=
designer=Toru Iwatani
series=
engine=
version=
released=June 6 2007
genre=Maze
modes=Single player
ratings=ESRB: E (Everyone)
platforms=Xbox Live Arcade
media=Download, DVD-DL
requirements=
input=Gamepad

"Pac-Man Championship Edition" ("Pac-Man C.E.") is the latest "Pac-Man" game, developed by original "Pac-Man" creator Toru Iwatani, exclusively for the Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released on June 6, 2007 for 800 Microsoft Points ($10 USD). [ [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/05/pac-man-championship-edition-for-xbox-360-is-the-big-news/ Joystiq, June 5, 2007] ] The announcement of the game actually spurred more purchases of the Xbox 360 in Japan, and it was Iwatani's final game before retirement. [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/07/chasing-pellets-pac-man-tries-to-make-history-again/ Joystiq, June 7, 2007] ] "Pac-Man C.E" is also available on a disc entitled "Xbox Live Arcade Compilation" which is bundled with the Xbox 360 Arcade console bundle.

Gameplay

Like the original "Pac-Man", the basic gameplay of "Pac-Man C.E." consists entirely of navigating Pac-Man through a maze, eating dots, power pellets and bonus fruit, and avoiding the four monsters that roam the maze as well. Eating a power pellet causes the ghosts to turn blue, allowing Pac-Man to eat them and send them back to their home, where they re-emerge in their original form. If Pac-Man is caught by a monster, the player loses a life.

Key Differences from "Pac-Man"

In addition to its support for Xbox Live leaderboards and its updated high-definition graphics and sound, "Pac-Man C.E." contains a number of major differences from its original counterpart. The game is bound by a time limit in which the player must score as many points as possible, and the game ends when this time limit is reached or the player runs out of lives. The game speeds up as the player scores more points, and slows down slightly when the player loses a life. Unlike in the original game, Pac-Man respawns where he died rather than at a set point in the maze. Extra lives are awarded every 20,000 points, in contrast to the original's single extra life at 10,000.

Each maze is divided into two halves. Eating all the dots in one half of the maze causes a bonus fruit to appear on the other side, and eating the fruit causes a new maze to appear in the original half. In most cases, the maze patterns vary significantly throughout the game and some change over time. The value of each dot gradually increases as the player stays alive, and energizers stay in effect for a set period of time, rather than ending as soon as all four ghosts have been eaten. The player can eat another pellet before the first one ends, allowing the player to continue to eat ghosts for progressively higher points. (Unlike in the original, the ghost values do not reset when power pellets are overlapped in this manner. This scoring method was also used in "Pac-Mania".)

For the most part, the ghosts behave the same as they do in the original version, allowing experienced players to predict how they will move in certain situations. However, Pinky now moves towards where Pac-Man is currently heading, making it a more dangerous enemy than in past games. To balance this, the player can cause Pac-Man to emit sparks by pressing in the direction he/she wishes to turn while in a tunnel, enabling him to move and turn corners faster.

In addition to all of the original bonus fruits in the original "Pac-Man", a variety of new bonus fruits appear in this game, including ships from "Galaxian" and "Galaga", and a crown worth 7,650 points (765 being Namco's "goroawase" number in Japanese). As was the case with the key in the original game, the crown appears for the rest of the game once it has been reached.

After each game, a detailed statistics screen is displayed, showing a histogram of the player's score over the course of the game. The score is broken down into three main categories: Points from dots and energizers, monsters, and fruits. Following the stats screen, the player can watch a replay of their game or choose another level to play.

Levels

"Pac-Man C.E." consists of six levels (referred to as modes within the game), each with their own unique set of mazes and time limits [ [http://www.xyhd.tv/2007/06/gaming/pac-man-championship-fox-xbox-360-live-arcade-offers-first-new-mazes-in-26-years/ XyHD.tv, June 6, 2007] ] . Aside from differences in design, each level plays essentially the same way and is only offered in single-player mode.

*Championship Mode: Closely resembles the appearance of the original "Pac-Man" maze. With a time limit of 5 minutes.
*Challenge Mode 1 (Patience and Reward Course): The mazes alternate between an abundance of power pellets and no power pellets. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
*Challenge Mode 2 (The Darkness Course): Only the area directly around Pac-Man and the Ghosts is visible and the maze walls are completely hidden. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
*Extra Mode 1 (The Freeway Course): Starts at near-top speed and features many long, horizontal tunnels. Timed limit of 5 minutes.
*Extra Mode 2 (The Manhattan Course): A maze inspired by the streets of Manhattan. Timed limit of 10 minutes.
*Extra Mode 3 (The Overall Course): A mix of all other levels. Timed limit of 10 minutes.

Reception

"Pac-Man Championship Edition" was released to mostly rave critical reviews, with reviewers stating the gameplay was "fresh and exciting," [ [http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/794/794608p1.html IGN, June 6, 2007] ] "one of the best 'exclusive' pieces of downloadable/casual entertainment available," [ [http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3160197 1Up, June 11, 2007] ] and that it was "nice to see a classic remade instead of simply repackaged." [ [http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1335/PacMan-Championship-Edition/p1/ Team Xbox, June 9, 2007] ] Jared Rea of Joystiq called it "The first true sequel to "Pac-Man" since "Ms. Pac-Man"." [ [http://www.joystiq.com/2007/06/09/this-is-madness-this-is-pac-man-2/ Joystiq, June 8, 2007] ]

Criticisms include a lack of a multiplayer mode, and an apparent relapse to patterns that had been in the original.

As of November 13, 2007, the Metacritic score is 83. [ [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/xbox360/pacmanchampionshipedition MetaCritic: Pac-Man C.E.] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/p/pacmanchampionshipeditionxboxlivearcade/default.htm Official Game Page]
* [http://www.snackbar-games.com/reviews/xbox_360/pacman_championship_edition-666.html Snackbar Game Review of "Pac-Man Championship Edition"]