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Namco Bandai iOS games on sale through Monday
For those looking to save a few bucks but want some new mobile games to play while waiting in check-out lines on Black Friday, Namco Bandai has you covered. The publisher recently put 20 of its apps on sale on the App Store, giving iPhone and iPad users through Monday, November 19 to cash in on games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition and SoulCalibur.A full list of the games included in the sale can be found after the break.
Namco Bandai discounting iOS stable for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday (but not Super Tuesday)
Sick and tired of your neighbor Steve Grabowski always showing off with his fancy Pac-Man Championship Edition on iPhone? First and foremost, tell Grabowski to shove it, but more importantly, know that you'll soon be able to afford your very own copy. Namco's Thanksgiving Week slash Black Friday slash Cyber Monday iOS sales are offering dramatically discounted versions of excellent games like Pac-Man CE and Galaga Remix, and the deals kick off at 12AM PST today ... so they're totally live right now. Said deals shall stay that way through November 28, just before midnight PST. At very least, the discounted wares should give you a brief reprieve from that jerk neighbor.
Pac-Man CE coming to PlayStation Minis this week
Though there's nothing miniature about Pac-Man: Championship Edition -- or the manner in which it will absolutely devour your free time as you endlessly pursue the highest scores -- the title will be added to the PSN Minis catalog with tomorrow's update of the PlayStation Store. The announcement of the game's imminence didn't include a price point, though it's guaranteed to arrive below the $10 ceiling that's been established for the platform. Considering the Mini-fied version of the game won't have any online support or leaderboards, we hope it arrives under that ceiling with room to spare. Update: The price is right! $4.99.
Pac-Man Championship Edition coming to PSP and PS3
The hypnotic charms of Pac-Man: Championship Edition are being packed into a downloadable Mini for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. According to a Namco representative, the Mini should become available sometime this fall. Barring a delay, it would arrive alongside the new game in the series, Pac-Man: Championship Edition DX, which is slated for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network. We got a chance to play the PSP game at a Pac-Man 30th Anniversary event in Los Angeles and found it to be identical to the XBLA version, right down to the in-game trophies. The d-pad certainly gives this handheld version the edge, and the colorful visuals look great on the PSP's screen. It should be a perfect distraction during your dull train commute, provided you don't mind missing your stop. And the next one. And the next one. And just one more.
Discounted Doom, Pac-Man CE top Amazon XBLA Store
The benefits of Amazon.com's new Xbox Live Arcade Store continue to reveal themselves, as the two bestselling titles are Doom ($2.97) and Pac-Man C.E. ($4.97), both currently featured with discounted prices -- and both no-brainers for anyone who has previously passed on these two gems. Clearly, the Amazon option provides the possibility of more of these sweet discounts, in addition to perks like offering exact purchasing of games (instead of buying Microsoft Points in bulk), bonus money through participating credit cards, and potential sales tax dodging. But, a word to the wise: Check Amazon's prices against those listed on Xbox.com (80 Points = $1.00) before you buy, because some stated "discounts" are simply misleading. Currently, at #6 on Amazon's XBLA bestseller list is the original Geometry Wars, which claims to be priced at a 50 percent discount -- wrong! Five dollars is the actual price of the game on Xbox Marketplace, and the presumed "broader" demographic now shopping for XBLA games on Amazon should be careful, as one would be better served to double down and purchase the superior sequel (#16 on the list) for ten. Alas, we're preaching to the choir here -- you, dear reader, already know this. (Whaddya gonna do, ya know?) Just take note of the real discounts, as they're good ones, and forget about those "others" being misled by the fake ones. [Thanks, Chad]
Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade opens its doors this April
Namco will be giving European Xbox 360 owners exclusive access (though, a $30 cover charge applies) to the Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade sometime this April.The 360 edition of the Namco Museum includes 30+ arcade titles, various classics, new "Arrangement" versions of older games, a bunch of leaderboards and Live multiplayer for up to four players. Best part: the trippy visuals and morphing gameplay of Pac-Man Championship Edition will also be a part of the bundle. Wakka-wakka!
More Namco Bandai arcade remakes planned
With two very remakes under its belt -- Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions -- it looks like Namco Bandai has some more arcade remakes in mind. Speaking to MTV, Tadashi Iguchi, director of the team that made both Pac-Man CE and Galaga Legions, revealed that there are plans to do more remakes, which he refers to as "reconstructions". "I would like to make an action game with the same team again," says Iguchi, adding that a specific title has not been chosen, but he is "interested in making games that players who liked games in the 80's will enjoy." Might we suggest Rolling Thunder? Pleeeeease?[Via Joystiq]
Pac-Man CE nominated for 2008 GDCAs
Please, step back in time with us. Let's say it's February 2007, one year ago. A bedraggled, foul smelling man, wearing a sign that reads "The End is Nigh," approaches you and grabs you violently by the collar. He leans in close, his sour whisky breath burning your nostrils, and whispers, "One year from now, Pac-Man will be nominated for a Game Developers Choice Award!" The breath is so strong that you shut your eyes tight. Upon reopening them, the man is gone. You question your sanity, wondering if he was even real. A Pac-Man game nominated in 2008? Preposterous!Rest assured, he was real, and he was right. Namco Bandai Games have announced that Pac-Man Championship Edition, released in June 2007, has been nominated for Best Downloadable Game in the eighth annual Game Developers Choice Awards, which are set to take place during the Game Developers Conference later this month. Best Downloadable Game of 2009? Dig Dug. You heard it here first.
Best of the Rest: James' Picks of 2007
Pac-Man Championship Edition (XBLA) If not worthy of a Top 10 spot, then certainly Pac-Man deserves Joystiq's 'Comeback Player of the Year' award. I covered Pac-Man CE's overblown launch in early June, but it wasn't until I became a devoted player at home that I realized the sheer genius of the first true Pac-Man sequel since 'the Ms.' hit the maze in '82. Designer Toru Iwatani managed to scrape off a quarter-century of rust and fashion a remarkably relevant game that held me down during an otherwise punishing summer drought. Geometry Wars might be the most celebrated, but Pac-Man CE is Xbox Live Arcade's true star.
Free Pac-Man Championship Edition from GTR
We were as surprised and delighted as anyone when we Pac-Man Championship Edition turned out to be such a great game. Whether or not it will go down in gaming history is up for debate. Whatever becomes of Pac-Man CE, right now it's simply a good game. "Sure, it's fun, but what about the price?" you say. Well, we've got you covered. Actually, Gamertag Radio has you covered but we won't be bothered by semantics. The point is that GTR is giving away five copies of Pac-Man CE absolutely free. Head on over for your chance to win. Oh, and did we mention this week's episode features Aaron "this will go down in video game history" Greenberg? Well, it does. Listen to Aaron speak his mind and win free Pac-Man CE. Not too shabby, eh?
X3F Achievements 101: Bots, Bosses and Babalities
X3F Achievements 101 is back, and on its regularly scheduled time slot of Sundays. Initial response to our first edition was rather positive, so we're glad you like the concept and hope you enjoy reading, and even participating in the column. Emails with Achievement tips also came in at a good pace, and I look forward to playing and trading with you. One particular email stood out, which came from Casey over at brains-N-brawn.com, and the steps he took to get Achievements in one of the most time consuming Arcade games, Bejeweled 2.
Pac-Man World Championship Roundup
Think you're good at Pac-Man? The man pictured above is better than you. Meet Carlos Romero of Pachuca, México, the newly crowned Pac-Man World Champion. Our usually abrasive kin at Joystiq have written up an excellent and surprisingly heartfelt article about the final round of the Championship which transpired in New York on Tuesday. Rather than spoil it for you, we suggest you hit the "read" link and check it out. Of course, if all you're interested in is how well Billy Mitchell (no relation) fared, you can find out after the break.
X3F hands-on: Pac-Man Championship Edition
If we told you that Pac-Man Championship Edition is the most significant thing to happen to Pac-Man in years, you'd probably call us crazy. Well, call us crazy, because Pac-Man CE rocks. Quite simply, Pac-Man CE has made Pac-Man relevant again. Yeah, maybe it's not the huge announcement we were all hoping for, but once you put some time into it, you'll find out that Pac-Man Championship Edition has some legs.%Gallery-3685%
Pac-Man CE Wokka's onto XBLA
As announced yesterday, today's Xbox Live Arcade release is Pac-Man: Championship Edition. For 800 Microsoft Points, you can get a revisited look at the Pac-Man experience, with reworked gameplay and mazes, complimented by psychedelic graphics scheme. But in the end, some would say that it's still just Pac-Man, and you can get the original, and his female counterpart for the same price as CE. So will you be giving this a shot, or are you going to shoo him away? Oh, and we need to decide on a consistent spelling of his sound effect, as "Wokka", "Wakka" , and "Waka" can all be cited within the bowels of Fanboy Towers.
Wokka wokka: First Pac-Man CE images, video
While Pac-Man Championship Edition may not be the big announcement we were hoping for, but it's still pretty spiffy in its own right. We've uncovered the first images of the game, and even a video of the game in motion. Put simply, this isn't your daddy's Pac-Man. It's damned close, but certainly different. The most obvious change is the new psychedelic graphics. The most important change, however, is that the game comes with several new modes and mazes. In our favorite mode, you have to eat fruit in order to make more dots appear on screen. Check out the Pac-Man CE gallery below. Hit the "read" link to see the official game page, where you can check out more screens and a video. So, will you purchase Pac-Man CE when it hits Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow?%Gallery-3685%
