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Namco goes insane after too many Namco Museum releases
The major complaint about Namco's Museum series of retro compilations is that they're just too faithful to their arcade counterparts. People don't want exact arcade translations anymore, they want games remade unrecognizably in 3D! They want Pac-Man randomly inserted into every game!At least, that seems to be Namco Bandai's thinking. Either that or they weren't sure how else to rerelease games they're already selling on the Virtual Console. The result is Namco Museum Remix, a set of Namco classics, now with more waggle, depth, and Pac! The remixed games include Galaga, Pac-Motos, Rally-X, Gator Panic, and Pac 'n Roll, which is apparently a classic now despite not even being two years old. For that matter, Gator Panic seems to be based on a cell phone game which is itself based on the Whack-a-Mole like redemption game, and we have no idea what Pac-Motos was originally. Interesting what passes for "classics" these days!In addition to the remixes, the collection includes Cutie Q, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Gaplus, Mappy, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania, Super Pac-Man, and Xevious. We poke fun at Namco for selling the same games over and over again, but this is an okay selection of somewhat less common stuff! Sorry to everyone who bought NES Xevious on the Virtual Console.Check out our gallery of screens from the remixed games. Some are faithful, like Rally-X, and others are completely incomprehensible, like the image at the top of this post, which is supposed to be Galaga.%Gallery-3280%
Pac-Man + tennis = love
Sure, Virtua Tennis 3 had some strange gimmicks ... like collecting giant pieces of fruit whilst avoiding deadly bouldering tennis balls. But Namco's upcoming Smash Court Tennis looks to out-do quite possibly every tennis game ever made with this utterly brilliant duo of retro-themed gameplay modes. Above, you'll see the rad flavors of Pac-Man infused into the typically high-brow sport of tennis. After the cut, you'll see some equally cool gameplay inspired by the retro groove of Galaga.These simple additions have made this game suddenly shoot up much higher on our radar. For some "regular" (aka "boring") gameplay, don't forget to check out our previous coverage of the game.
How to make a million ... in Pac-Man
Tie that scarf around your head, put on your sweatbands, stock up on energy drinks. Major Nelson wants to help your Pac-Man game for the Xbox Live World Championship, and he's offering a downloadable PDF guide. Most of it involves memorizing patterns -- lots of patterns -- but if you're into a challenge, this 33-page book from 1982 may be up your alley. And before you laugh at someone making a book that long on Pac-Man, just take a gander at the sizes of some of the obscure guides on GameFAQs.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Scoring a million in Pac-Man is cake
If you want to be a real competitor in the the Pac-Man World Championship you'll need to be scoring millions of points. Can't score in the millions? Don't worry, scoring a million points in Pac-Man is a cake walk, piece of pie, and much easier than baking french bread ... really. That is, if you read the Pac-Man strategy guide "Break A Million at Pac-Man" which is based off the 1982 book. What you say? You can't find the book and dislike the 80's? No problem, because Major Nelson posted the strategy guide in PDF form online, so you can learn not only basic Pac-Man strategies, but each level's patterns and simple memory aids to help you earn your millions points. See, scoring a million points isn't all that hard.
And now, the 6 Pac-Man contest winners...
After giving a single copy of Pac-Man away yesterday, today we have 6 lucky winners from the 309 commenters. The winning numbers, provided by Random.org, are: 253, 171, 166, 246, 32, 121. Which means that NYBOY07, Nukie, Jared Brown, DjDATZ, Riley420 and Justin A should expect an email sent to them with their redeem code for Pac-Man on Monday. Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone for participating. Keep your eyes on X3F for future contests and giveaways. Thanks to Uncle Gamer and Gamerscoreblog for supplying us the six codes.
X3F has more Pac-Man to give away
Update: This contest is now over. For a list of winners, click here.Were your hopes dashed earlier today when we revealed the winner of yesterday's Pac-Man giveaway? Were your spirits crushed? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then we have a nice fat ray of sunshine for you! We've scored 6 additional copies of Pac-Man to give away and we're not wasting any time. The rules are the same as yesterday. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Tomorrow, we'll select 6 winners at random. We'd like to thank Gamerscore Blog and Uncle Gamer for hooking us up with these fresh download codes. Also, if you're still not happy with the improved odds that 6 copies bring to the table, you can hit up Xbox MVP, Mordeux, who has three copies to give away. There's so much free Pac-Man floating around, it's insane.What are you waiting for? Get commenting!General contest stuff: Only one entry per person. Winners will be chosen at random using a number generator at Random.org. Winners will be contacted via email with individual download codes.
And the X3F Pac-Man winner is ...
Alright, folks, all the entries are in for yesterday's Pac-Man giveaway and it's time to select a winner. As promised, we have chosen the winner at random and that winner is (drum roll, please) doggity! Doggity wins the contest with his incredibly applicable comment, "I love free stuff!" Congratulations doggity, your download code for Pac-Man is on the way. If you didn't win the contest -- and there were a lot of you -- don't fret. It looks like the folks at Gamerscore Blog and Uncle Gamer heeded our call for more free stuff, and we have secured 6 more copies of Pac-Man to give away. We'll host another giveaway later today, so stay tuned!
Free Pac-Man tournament theme available
In honor of a certain Pac-Man tournament that kicked off this week, you can download a free Pac-Man tournament theme from the XBLM. But we're a little embarrassed to say that we couldn't specifically nail down where you can download it other than by clicking on a rotating advertising banner. So, you may have to dig around the Marketplace until you find a Pac-Man ad. We guess it was a little too hard for the XBLM gods to put the theme in the gamer pictures and themes new releases section. Oh well, it's pretty interesting, free, and therefore worth all the XBLM detective work. So give it a download ... if you can find it.
Because we love you, free Pac-Man from X3F
We enjoy nothing more than giving away free stuff. Well, we might enjoy late night walks on the beach just a little bit more, but that's beside the point. The point is this, Godfree over at Gamertag Radio was nice enough to hook us up with a free download of Pac-Man for Xbox Live Arcade. In celebration of the upcoming Pac-Man World Championship, we're giving it away to one lucky commenter. Yeah, we know. It's a retro game and we only have one copy, but it's free! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Tomorrow, we'll pick a comment at random and email the download code to the author. Couldn't be simpler. If the odds of winning our single copy frighten you, don't forget that The Xbox Domain is giving away 5 copies. Good luck.General contest stuff: Only one entry per person. Winner will be chosen at random using a number generator at Random.org. Winner will be contacted via email with the download code.
Win Pac-Man, play game, be happy
The kind hearted souls over at The Xbox Domain are caring enough to give away five download codes for XBLA game Pac-Man. Why? Because there is a certain Pac-Man world championship taking place soon and they want you to join in on the fun. Simply post a comment on their news post before April 27th and you'll automatically be entered for the codes. Good luck fellow fanboys and may the wakka, wakka, wakka be with you!
Pac-Man VS coming to DS via Namco Museum
The GBA connector, one of Nintendo's experiments with integrating its portable and home consoles, spawned only a handful of games: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Four Swords Adventures and Pac-Man VS. The latter title had one character play as Pac-Man viewing the classic screen (via the Game Boy) while the other three played as the ghosts in an isometric view on the TV.Namco is revisiting Pac-Man VS in its Namco Museum collection for the DS. The game sports single pack multiplayer and is priced at $20. Other games in the collection include Dig Dug II, Xevious, Pac-Man, Mappy, Galaxian, Galaga, and Tower of Druaga. We're happy paying $20 just for the multiplayer Pac-Man VS action.[Via Evil Avatar; thanks, Sam!]
Subway's video game ad reaches new low
It may not seem so at first, but this Subway ad is a brave new world of mainstream video game representation. Sure, it has the modern "wakka-wakka" video game noises -- in accordance with federal law. It's got everyone's favorite modern method of video game control: The comically large joystick. The ad's fictional game, "Snakka" is based on Pac-Man, everyone's favorite modern game. There's even the requisite, not-so-subtle implication that video games turn your kids into chubby zombies (the most adorable threat known to man). This sucker's got everything, but as gaming in the media goes, this is pretty standard.But just as it's about to sink into the abyss of mediocrity, the ad wizards really go above and beyond and actually manage to misrepresent the basic idea of Pac-Man. [See how after the break.]
Namco Interview
Gaming Bits has a fascinating interview up with Scott Rubin, VP of Namco Networks/Games--the people who brought you the iPod release of Ms. PAC-MAN. I'm not sure I agree that the iPod is a "perfect device for games", but I'm really pleased to see the selection of third-party software for the iPod grow. It looks like Namco, who is working with Apple not just on current iPod games but also for iPhone ones, will be delivering several more iPod games over time including both classic arcade titles (like "Mr. Do") and newly developed ones tied to licenses like Snoopy and Dilbert. As for Rubin's discussion about purchase models, I have no trouble going to a computer to purchase my games but I'd be surprised if the iPhone didn't eventually offer on-the-go sales for things like games and ringtones at some point let alone buying tracks to play back on the iPod portion of the phone.
The Joystiq Weekend: January 29, 2007
The above picture came from a Worth 1000 Photoshop contest, although we can't find the entry on the site nor the original author. Still, it's worth a chuckle; thank Mobat for tipping us off to the image and check out the highlights for this weekend:JoystiqueryJoystiq hands-on: Crysis (PC)Today's hottest game video: Diddy Kong RacingToday's hottest game video: Wii modchipToday's hottest game video: Tea-light TetrisWeekly Webcomic Wrapup: tardy editionNewsWiis at Wal-Mart tomorrowUtah game bill halted for nowOhh Canada, fork over another $50 for PS3PAX '07 set for Aug. 24-26 in SeattleCapcom snubbed by AIAS awardsTyra Banks downs level 60 baby neglecterScarface bound for WiiUnearthed: Neversoft's lost Ghost Rider gameIndie Darling "N" bound for Xbox Live ArcadeXNA opens up NES emulation on Xbox 360Mario Kart 64 and Contra III join tardy Genesis games on VC MondaySlamdance left "half empty" over Super Columbine controversyNew games this weekFinal Fantasy XIII release date confusion (remains confusing)BlackSite: Midway investigates Area 51 againJapan invited to Halo 3 Beta, will anyone RSVP?NES collection fetching thousands on eBayQuake Wars by March 2008, as early as April '07Midway's 'Hour of Victory' soon upon usHomestar Runner games make Wii's HEAD A SPLODEIGN developing content for Sega? 1UP contributing too?NYC: Wanna play BioShock and get paid for it?Buy Halo 3 now, get 1600 MS points for $5God of War II nears completionEpic aims for Unreal Tournament user mods on PS3, 360Police investigate EB Games slayingRumors & SpeculationAnalyst predicts Euro PS3 price cut within the yearRumor: New Wii colors coming this yearBloomberg: Sony profit may drop 50% on poor PS3 salesGuitar Hero Tourney at Gamestop this weekend. Maybe.CultureWhere are the Wii-chargeable battery packs? The story behind the Madden '07 tournament street posterX-Play: The Musical ... yeah, you read that rightMega Man meets Pedobear in an ASCII duel to the deathRun WoW, Steam games on LinuxNES collection fetching thousands on eBayMario wall art invades UNCC campus
Today's most infringing video: Pac-Man Delhaize
Today's hottest gaming video on YouTube was none other than Kyle Orland's Blu-ray sadism (we hurt 'cos we love), so let's move on to the most interesting of the bunch. This is an advertisements for Belgian grocery store Delhaize. Wonders cease to amaze how the marketing department came up with this genuinely novel idea.Enjoy the clip, embedded after the break, and know that there is a week of sales at your local Belgian grocery chain. Mamma Mia!
Ms. Pac-Man has invited you to lunch
As often happens during lunchtime jaunts through Flickr, our stomach led us to pictures of food, where we happened upon Mr. Bento sets, which subsequently led to this delectable Ms. Pac-Man bento box. It may look like Ms. Pac-Man's about to gobble the ghost, but truth is both were munched by one "nadja.robot," the creator and the destroyer of this gastronomical artwork. Adorable and nutritious? See, games are good for you.
Pac-Man moves from screens to highways
We're not sure what's more impressive ... the artwork left behind, or the daring artists who braved highway traffic to grace the asphalt with their work. Either way, Highway 55 in Minnesota has some hot retro gaming traffic tips on the road. The state painted large white dots on the roadway to instruct drivers about the dangers of tailgating, and someone came in and promptly dropped a painted Pac-Man on the road, chasing the dots. Kudos to you, highway bandit. Now if you could just fit the ghosts in there, you might be able to make a cross-country phenomenon.Note: Joystiq doesn't want anyone to get run over while painting their highways, so please be responsible while being irresponsible.
Enjoy Pac-Man, get a free wireless headset
Gamertag Radio is giving away two, count 'em, two Xbox 360 wireless headsets. If you'd like a shot at one of them, all you have to do is be very good at Pac-Man. The best thing is that this is web-based Pac-Man at the GTR arcade, so you can even play from work (which we totally don't condone)! The headsets will be given to the top 2 Pac-Man players on the GTR leaderboard. You'd better hurry though, the contest is over on November 14th. It's not every day that you get a chance to win something just for playing games, so you might as well give it a shot (of course, you could enter our contest, too). If you're interested in a free wireless headset, head over to GTR (make sure to register) and play some Pac-Man.
This year's most popular Halloween costume? Pac-Man
Club Namco wants you to know that the Pac-Man head is this year's most popular Halloween costume, leaving even Mario and Luigi in its wake. We're sure there isn't any bias here, since they make and sell the thing. They must have done extensive research with graphs, pie charts and focus groups to back this claim up. Rush out now or be the most unpopular kid on your block. No word yet on the Ms. Pac-Man head situation.[Thanks, Amy]
Snake + Pacman = new homebrew
I love watching Conan O'Brien and one of the memorable routines on the show is "What if they mated?" which crossbreeds celebrities into a horrifying mixture. The videogame crossbreed of Pac-Man and Snake doesn't seem as bad, thankfully. The speed at which these 2.80 TIFF homebrew games are coming out are absolutely mind-boggling: let's not forget the three new projects we reported on yesterday. Who knows what new games tomorrow will bring? [Via PSP3D]
