This is the first of the "remix" games that truly qualifies for the title. At first blush, it is easy to think that the classic titles went out the window entirely in favor of glossy graphics. After investing some time, you may be just as happy playing the remix titles as you will be playing the classics. The mark of quality production is everywhere in Namco Museum Remix. Even the classic titles are swaddled in decorative graphics and feature different screen size options if you'd like to look at things differently. The last few iterations of retro collections on portables were good and featured lots of trivia for die-hard fans of the games. Newer versions or updates to the classics have been released on various platforms with seriously mixed results. My vote on the overhauled classic gaming entries is mostly thumbs-down. There have likely been some deluded inviduals that felt 3D was the answer to all the problems with classic gaming. If Pac-Man was 3D, he'd be a hit with the younger generation! There's no denying that the Pac-Man World series had its moments but the magic wasn't in the new graphics. Gameplay is king. The best graphics won't make a game classic, but they'll help make a good game better.

The remix versions of Gator Panic, Rally-X, Pac'N Roll, Galaga, and Pac-Motos are very pretty. Flashy stuff can't pull Rally-X out of the potty, due to some sketchy control issues, but the others play as well as they look.

This is "old meets new" with nine classics and five new entries. Casual gamers may not realize how many variations Pac-Man has actually had, and be surprised to find that Super Pac-Man, Pac&Pal, and Pac-Mania don't actually fall into the "remix" category. Being yesterday's remix earns them retro status. The best of the bunch in my book is either Super Pac-Man or Pac-Mania. Pac&Pal is just too out-there. Pac-Mania featured 3D mazes and a neat feature where Ole 'Pac was able to jump over ghosts. In a skillful hand, this trick makes it much easier to get around the maze without being chomped. At the same time, the 3D can make navigation more difficult since you can't see as much going on in the maze. Purists will lean toward Super Pac-Man even though it had some upgrades to the classic-classic version of the game.

Other retro titles include Galaxian or as I like to call it, "Galaga's misbegotten clone." Adding insult to injury is Gaplus instead of actually featuring Galaga. I actually learned to love Gaplus for some weird features like a reverse tractor beam. Remember the Galaga dynamic where you initially get your ship snatched and have a chance to retrieve it for double firepower? Gaplus has the same kind of enemies but when you dust them, you get a tractor beam that you can use to suck up as many enemies as you can catch. Then these enemies slide down and become part of your line-up. It sounds great until you have to try moving five or six ships instead of just one. Titles we've seen in other Namco Museum include Xevious, Mappy, and Dig Dug. Nothing incredible happens in this version except for the option to control with any one of three different controller types. Using the analog stick on the Nunchuk is excellent once you get used to it! The Classic Controller is the safest route and gives that retro feeling. The only other classic title is Cutie-Q, a cross between Breakout and retro arcade pinball. The neat thing on this one is the ability to control the sliding "flippers" by pointing and moving the Wii-mote.

The actual remix titles are all about using the Wii-mote and Nunchuk, but only a few feel like more than gimmicks. Pac'N Roll isn't quite as absorbing on the big screen as the small screen, but it has some neat physics and play dynamics. Thinking back on early titles of this sort (Marble Madness for the Amiga was the first I can remember) it should surprise nobody that the Pacster eventually went from a dot-chewing ghost-chaser to a rolling yellow ball. Gator Panic Remix makes for a fun variant on the Whack A Mole formula and is especially fun in multiplayer. All the multiplayer options on these games elevate Namco Museum Remix almost to party-game status. The real remix-prize must go to Galaga Remix. Doing a Galaga-themed shooter on rails featuring Pac-Man is pretty inspired...like a videogame mash-up or something.

One quarter never bought any chumps much gameplay, so in many ways nothing has changed. Retro games are definitely challenging and very little can change that fact. They were just programmed that way... In the Carnival Arcade, where the retro games are featured, you'll have opportunity to tweak a few options and make the classics easier to play or at least to survive. Add all the extra men you'd like, you can't take away the spirit of a title like Galaxian that looks simple, but really requires a lot of pinpoint control and timing. Adjusting to the Nunchuk for control isn't easy and isn't necessary thanks to the adjustable options for control depending on your rig. Playing the remix games feels easier by far than the classics, but there are still plenty of cheap deaths. Let's face it: Winning arcade games isn't about planning tirelessly until the correct move presents itself. The CPU may be programmed to be smart, but it isn't smart. Even mediocre gamers or a complete novice will find some part of Namco Museum Remix to enjoy. Rolling the Pacini around from stage to stage is its own reward and doesn't require special twitch reflexes or complex controls.

Namco Museum Remix supports in many cases the Wii-mote as a controller. You must add the Nunchuk to play certain games and in some cases, you can swap the Nunchuk for the Classic Controller. Any way you spin it, the new controllers work better. Using the stick on the Nunchuk doesn't feel right at first, but becomes very natural. Purists may insist on using the Wii-mote, but the Classic Controller is more like what a lot of us experienced with the early days of console gaming. There are nice instructions with every game that you can page through if you have questions on goals, rules, and mechanics. Changing the control scheme is possible at any time unless you are playing a game that requires a specific setup. There's common ground between all the controllers and never very complex controls. It would have been cool to feature online multiplayer, but the offline version is just fine. Playing some of these games online would be so addictive that the entire infrastructure of the US might just shut down, so it's probably just as well.

Remixed these games are, and fun to play, as Yoda would say. There is a good mix of the original versions of the classic games and the radically altered Wii versions that take advantage of the console's control scheme. It is ironic that most of these remix versions would be possible on other consoles with some slight modification. From the outside it looks like developers just come up with more creative styles of gameplay for the Wii and there's no doubt that the Wii has been credited with hosting the best version of quite a few multiplatform games. Namco Museum Remix must fit into this category. If you already own a few "museum" titles it may not make much sense to repurchase the games in common, but there's more than enough quality on this collection to trump any of the others. The mix of old and new and the excellent production quality of the graphics and sound make Namco Museum Remix a great way to experience some classic brands and have fun with a group of modern games inspired by past innovation.