Well, lets see. It scored a 100%. What do you think? Namco has chosen to take the
Pac-Man character and create a wonderful new game, with all of the flavor (and some of the gameplay) from the classic we all know and love. Your mission? To save all of your friends, of course. They've been kidnapped by the henchmen of the evil Toc-Man, who thinks he is the real
Pac-Man. Of course, you'll see all of that in the intro FMV. During your mission in Quest Mode, you'll see all of the old themes - the fruit is there for you to pick up, but this time, you have to collect it to enter certain protected rooms that hold integral items. I love the way the map is handled too. You are in a courtyard of sorts, on the beach. You can see all of the levels before you, as doors. Choose which to enter and go - and you can always go back to a level you've already completed to pick up goodies you missed earlier. At the end of each level, use the fruit you picked up as an opportunity to play the
Pac-Man slot machine for bonus goodies. Games within the game. Very cool. And speaking of, there are points when you are thrown into various themed mazes, and you have to revert back to your old school
Pac-Man gameplay. Only it seems those ghosts move faster than they used to. But the ghosts are only a small portion of the wacky enemies you'll encounter. There are also points in gameplay where a switch will be thrown (a la Mario) and pellets will appear, along with ghosts to protect them. Find the power pellet quick enough and wipe them all out.
There is also a Classic Mode, which is just what you'd expect it to be. Classic Pac-Man. Or you can choose to play in Maze Mode, which is similar to Classic Mode, although you have more varied levels and such. Each time you complete a level in Quest Mode, that level will be available for you in Maze Mode. A beautiful blend of the old with the new. Masterfully done, Namco.
