Okay, how do I put this? This is a horribly, absolutely terrible imitation of a reproduction. Hold on, let me try that again. This is almost insulting. There we go, nice and concise. Instead of rambling on in a single paragraph like most newbies would, I'll break this up into 5 categories; Graphics, Sound, Likeability, Depth, and Difficulty. I am leaving out Story, because, as it is all right there in the manual, it doesn't affect the game directly, and is a stupid concept altogether. I'm sorry, that was mean. It was childish.
Graphics:
This game, if you hadn't noticed, is on an Atari system, so, simplicity is to be expected, and, as seen in plenty of modern pixel graphic games, can be a very, very good thing indeed. However, the graphics here are astoundingly bad, especially in comparison to such games on the same system as Pitfall. First off, the wafers. They could have just used dots instead, and it would have been better for other reasons. Next, the Fruit. Okay. Acceptable, you made them into square cookies. At least they only show up occasionally, so they aren't as bad as the wafers. The ghosts are beyond all recognition, but their blinking could have been a clever intentional bit to show that they are meant to be invisible, so no points lost here. Pac-Man, poor Pac-Man, however, looks like a weird lobster claw, which is unacceptable, and can only face left and right, which is also unacceptable. All in all, I rate graphics in at a six. It was on limited hardware, after all. Their design choices however, resulted in ungodly lag.
GRAPHICS : 6
Sound:
It did well to keep the tune of the original game, but it was rather screechy at times. Honestly, there isn't much to talk about here, unlike in later games with various sounds and music. The screeching was insufferable, however, so, despite my desire to respect their effort in maintaining the original's feel, I'm giving sound a one.
SOUND : 1
Likeability:
There are better versions of Pac-Man out there, and though the game itself is addicting, this version is the furthest thing. It gets another one. Make no mistake, though, at the time, this was revolutionary. People could go home and play Pac-Man, no quarters required, so, that is definitely something worth mention, at least in passing.
LIKEABILITY : 1
Depth:
It has the same depth as the original Pac-Man, in truth, but that wasn't much either, so this, and the original, both get a two. Admittedly, eating ghosts is kind of cool, but, all you do is navigate a maze with no exit while eating tennis balls, or, in this case, wafers, and popping pills that let you eat spirits which are at the same time trying to kill you. Actually. Scratch that earlier remark. They get a seven. I hadn't thought of it like that until just now.
DEPTH : 7
Difficulty:
On to the big enchilada, the difficulty. Lag, graphical issues, and odd time frames galore make the game ridiculously difficult, never mind the changes from the original that eliminate several anti-frustration features. For one, the side teleports take several seconds to complete, which is difficult to get around. Secondly, eating a ghost makes Pac-Man stop, which allows another ghost to easily catch you unawares. Finally, ghost can come out of the box from any direction. It seems small, but it really has a devastating effect. Go to get that treat, and BOOM. Ghost. All in all, it gets a rating of eight on difficulty from me.
DIFFICULTY : 8
I hope this was of some help to you, dearest reader, though it probably wasn't. You tell me if it was good, or if I rambled too much, because, quite honestly, I'm quite new at this sort of thing. Anyway, all in all, this game gets a four, and I tell you, it earned it.
OVERALL : 4 Okay, how do I put this? This is a horribly, absolutely terrible imitation of a reproduction. Hold on, let me try that again. This is almost insulting. There we go, nice and concise. Instead of rambling on in a single paragraph like most newbies would, I'll break this up into 5 categories; Graphics, Sound, Likeability, Depth, and Difficulty. I am leaving out Story, because, as it is all right there in the manual, it doesn't affect the game directly, and is a stupid concept altogether. I'm sorry, that was mean. It was childish.
Graphics:
This game, if you hadn't noticed, is on an Atari system, so, simplicity is to be expected, and, as seen in plenty of modern pixel graphic games, can be a very, very good thing indeed. However, the graphics here are astoundingly bad, especially in comparison to such games on the same system as Pitfall. First off, the wafers. They could have just used dots instead, and it would have been better for other reasons. Next, the Fruit. Okay. Acceptable, you made them into square cookies. At least they only show up occasionally, so they aren't as bad as the wafers. The ghosts are beyond all recognition, but their blinking could have been a clever intentional bit to show that they are meant to be invisible, so no points lost here. Pac-Man, poor Pac-Man, however, looks like a weird lobster claw, which is unacceptable, and can only face left and right, which is also unacceptable. All in all, I rate graphics in at a six. It was on limited hardware, after all. Their design choices however, resulted in ungodly lag.
GRAPHICS : 6
Sound:
It did well to keep the tune of the original game, but it was rather screechy at times. Honestly, there isn't much to talk about here, unlike in later games with various sounds and music. The screeching was insufferable, however, so, despite my desire to respect their effort in maintaining the original's feel, I'm giving sound a one.
SOUND : 1
Likeability:
There are better versions of Pac-Man out there, and though the game itself is addicting, this version is the furthest thing. It gets another one. Make no mistake, though, at the time, this was revolutionary. People could go home and play Pac-Man, no quarters required, so, that is definitely something worth mention, at least in passing.
LIKEABILITY : 1
Depth:
It has the same depth as the original Pac-Man, in truth, but that wasn't much either, so this, and the original, both get a two. Admittedly, eating ghosts is kind of cool, but, all you do is navigate a maze with no exit while eating tennis balls, or, in this case, wafers, and popping pills that let you eat spirits which are at the same time trying to kill you. Actually. Scratch that earlier remark. They get a seven. I hadn't thought of it like that until just now.
DEPTH : 7
Difficulty:
On to the big enchilada, the difficulty. Lag, graphical issues, and odd time frames galore make the game ridiculously difficult, never mind the changes from the original that eliminate several anti-frustration features. For one, the side teleports take several seconds to complete, which is difficult to get around. Secondly, eating a ghost makes Pac-Man stop, which allows another ghost to easily catch you unawares. Finally, ghost can come out of the box from any direction. It seems small, but it really has a devastating effect. Go to get that treat, and BOOM. Ghost. All in all, it gets a rating of eight on difficulty from me.
DIFFICULTY : 8
I hope this was of some help to you, dearest reader, though it probably wasn't. You tell me if it was good, or if I rambled too much, because, quite honestly, I'm quite new at this sort of thing. Anyway, all in all, this game gets a four, and I tell you, it earned it.
OVERALL : 4 |
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| ID: 1332260 | 33 Words
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