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Review: Pac-Man Fever

Famicom Disk System,

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tornadocam
09-23-15 10:58 AM

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10-04-15 11:09 PM

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Pac-Man Fever

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8.2

09-23-15 10:58 AM

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I got Pac-Man fever nah not really. But I am going to be reviewing Pac-Man for the NES. Pac-Man is a popular video game franchise that got started in the 1980s. If you grew up in the 80s chances are you played Pac-Man. Pac-Man has been ported to several video game platforms. So today I will be focusing on the NES Version.

Story: 5

Pac Man games are not known for plots. The player controls Pac-Man through a maze. The goal is to eat the power pellets to advance to the next level. In the meantime the player must avoid 4 ghosts that just love to chomp on Pac-Man. The ghosts are Red Ghost (Blinky), Pink Ghost (Pinky), Teal Ghost (Inky), and the Orange Ghost (Clyde). Can you advance or will the ghost make a meal out of Pac-Man.

As I stated Pac Man games based off of the original are not known for their plots. However, the plot does introduce the characters very well. the 4 ghosts are introduced nicely. We know from the start what they want to do. Therefore, I think the story deserves a middle of the road rating. I give it a 5/10

Graphics & Controls: 9

The NES Version really shinned on its graphics and controls. The colors are more defined then they were in the original arcade version. The maze is more colorful, the pellets flash, and the sprites are awesome. The makers of this game did a real good job making it for the NES. The arcade version, which was the original) had good graphics too. But you could tell it was limited. I really like how the ghosts are easier to tell apart and their colors are more defined. In previous versions it was hard to tell their color. In past versions the sprites were not as defined as they are in this game.

The controls are very smooth. They are simple and basic. They are so much better then the Atari Version. Not one time does the controls seem to lag or feel sluggish. Probably the NES version had the smoothest controls until future platforms came out. So I give the graphics and controls a 9 out of 10.

Sound: 6

The sound in this version is okay. But for this to be an NES game I expected a clearer sound then the original version. The arcade version had very smooth sound. So I do not know why they changed that in this version. The Pac-Man theme now has tingles in it. Oh how I hate tingles. It made me think what were they thinking. The sound in this game did not need to be changed. The other sounds in this game are good. I love the chomping sound the ghost make when they eat Pac-Man. Pac-Man is also giving a chopping sound when he east pellets especially power pellets. So yeah, the tingles really bring the rating down here. Had they not messed that up then the sound would be much better. The chomping sounds is what keeps me from giving this a lower rating. At the end of the day I give the sound a 6 out of 10.

Replay Value and Depth: 7

I played Pac-Man quite a bit in the 80s like most 80s children did. I played this game often before Mega Man came out in the late 80s. I played the Arcade version when we would eat a pizza places, I had the Atari version. So when the NES came out I played it. This is a fun game to play. You can see why Pac-Man is often credited with saving the video game industry. Its addictive and fun. I could not wait to play this game to see how far I could get. So Before Mega Man this is what I played. As the years have gone buy I go to this game less. When Mega Man came out I really got hooked on it. Other games have stages and several levels. So this one kind of faded into the back seat. But before other games this game was very fun. It still is a fun game to play.

The Depth is about right for this type of game. Basically you eat all the pellets and advance to the next maze. But each time the mazes get more difficult and the enemies get faster. I do not know how many levels they are in this game. Its pretty basic eat pellets avoid the ghost and advance. There are no stages or items to collect in this game such as future NEs games like Mario or Mega Man. So I give both the replay and depth a 7 out of 10.

Difficulty: 9

Many people probably do not think of Pac-Man being a difficult game, but it is. The difficulty in this game comes form the 4 ghosts. Each ghost has its own personality. The Red Ghost chases Pac-Man. He is probably the most difficulty to avoid. He can change directions and is the aggressive one of the bunch. The Pink Ghost is a fast mover but likes to ambush Pac-Man. The Teal ghost is the least aggressive and mostly stays in a certain area of the maze. The orange ghost is the easier to avoid because he is slower then the other 3. The 4 ghost just love to gang up on you and eat you.

Another thing that makes this game difficult is that you have to eat all of the pellets to advance. If you miss a pellet you cannot advance. You have to go back and get it. The problem the 4 ghost are also on the move to devour you. It should also be noted that as you advance the 4 ghosts get faster. This makes it harder to avoid them. Now, the power pellets can turn Pac-Man invincible for a short time. During this time he can run over the Ghost and send them back to the square in the center. The problem as you advance these get fewer.

So despite there not being any stages like a Mario or Mega Man game. Pac-Man is a difficult game. I played Pac-Man and was horrible at it. I think one time I got to level 4. Its having to eat all the pellets and avoid the ghosts that is the problem. However, I like the difficulty in this game. It tests your reflexes for sure. But it also requires you to get creative to avoid the ghost and get all the pellets. I like games that pose a challenge. At least you don't have to waste quarters anymore like you did while playing the arcade version. If anyone has played the arcade version you know what I'm talking about. You put a quarter in the game and your going good. All of a sudden your pac-man gets ate by a ghost. Yeah usually i slammed my fist on the arcade version going arrrrggghhh. I give the difficulty a 9 out of 10.

Overall 8.2

Pac Man first came out for arcade. Pac-Man was mostly found in arcades and pizza places. The game was such a hit that it is credited with saving the video game industry. It even inspired a top 10 song I got Pac Man fever. Seeing how big a hit Pac-Man was the makers of the game started to market it for platforms. First was the Atari and then the NES. Most people associate classic games like Mario and Mega Man with the NES. But before Mario and Mega Man became staples we had Pac-Man.

Pac-Man was one of those games that was fun for all ages. The NES version was no different. It still had the charm as the very first version. It had the right difficulty. The NES version was probably my favorite because of its graphics. The Atari version was okay but the graphics were very limited and the sprites were out of whack. The NES version cleaned that up. I say the NES version resembles the very first version more then any other version. The graphics, replay value and difficulty make this one a classic. Its easy to see why Pac-Man changed the video game industry. It is also easy to see why so many people got Pac-Man fever.

The biggest problem I had with this game was the sound. I hate tingles and it was kind of a shock to me that they did not use the smooth arcade version sound in this game. It makes you think what where they thinking. Here you have a new gaming system that is 8 byte, has much better technology and better sound quality. Yet they put tingles in the main Pac-Man theme. It would have been so much better had they kept the arcade version sound. The arcade had a catchy and smooth sound to it. That is really my only flaw with this game.

Overall I give Pac-Man for NES a solid 8.2. The sound brings the rating down somewhat because I hate tingles. I think everything else is just about right for this type of game. I played Pac-Man a lot till Mega Man and Mario came out. Pac-Man is still a fun game. Its a great game for all ages and a good family game. So would I recommend this game. Yes I would recommend this game. The NES version is the closest thing in terms of quality to the original arcade.

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10-04-15 05:50 PM

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Damn, who would have thought there would be so much to say about Pac Man? You almost gave a biography of the ghosts; I did not even know they had names!

That proves that your review was an excellent one. I love how you compared the NES version with the arcade one to show its strengths and weaknesses. Good job!

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