On Reflection
Okay, so let’s get this straight… we gave this a six, but clearly whoever reviewed it wasn’t very
good at it, because the guy looking at it now has managed to get ALL of the Achievements on
this with very little bother. What’s more, this game is just as addictive as it was 20 years ago.
The Score
If you’re only going to take one thing away from this review before splashing out Microsoft
Points, make it this – Pac-Man is a bit rubbish. “Oh no!” cry bearded men in their late thirties, but
let’s face it: only having one map is dull, the sound effects will have you reaching for the mute
button and the gameplay itself is about as exciting as rolling a pea around your plate. Pac-Man is
old. Yes, it’s a classic but then it was elevated to classic status back in yonder years of 1980. This is
2008 and we all have iPods, microwave meals and better haircuts and thus, Pac-Man is struggling
to survive.
What’s new you ask? Ha, what’s new indeed. It’s in high resolution, which doesn’t mean much
when the game itself is still made of about 20 pixels and four colours, and there’s a pretty border
around the side. 400 Microsoft Points for the privilege? Cha-ching.
What just about saves the day for the yellow cancerous blob though, is the one modern
addition it does have – Achievements. Whether the gameplay is enough to inspire high score
battles all over again remains to be seen, but the Achievements! They’re perfect. Not too easy that
people can’t blitz through them in a lazy afternoon (Gauntlet), not so hard that people will soon
be flicking V-signs and buggering off to play Gauntlet again (Bejeweled 2). Eating all the ghosts
four times in one stage will drive players up the wall, not because it’s hard but because it seems
perfectly doable. The rest are the usual ‘reach level X’ style achievements (which is tough enough
given Pac-Man is much harder than we remember) but eating the ghosts four times in one level
will become one of those elusive, must-have badges for hardcore gamers to display proudly. For
that and that alone, it’s almost worth persisting with this crusty relic… almost.
6 out of 10
