| Pac-Man Championship Edition DX | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Platform(s) | Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network |
| Release date(s) | Xbox Live Arcade November 17, 2010 PlayStation Network
May 3, 2011 |
| Genre(s) | Maze, Arcade |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Media/distribution | Download, |
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is a downloadable arcade game in the Pac-Man series. It is a follow-up to the 2007 game, Pac-Man Championship Edition, and the first game of a new Namco Generations series which will also include reboots of Galaga Legions and Metro-Cross.[1] The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on November 17, 2010 and was released for PlayStation Network on November 23, 2010.[2] An Xbox Live enabled version was released on Windows Phone, May 3, 2011.
Contents |
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX builds upon the gameplay of Pac-Man Championship Edition, in which players control Pac-Man as he travels through a maze collecting dots and avoiding ghosts, which can be eaten by collecting power pellets. Collecting all the dots on one side of the maze makes a fruit appear on the other side, which adds a new layout of dots on that side and so on. The game's speed increases as the player gets more points, and drops when the player loses a life. DX introduces a new type of ghost which sleeps in a stationary spot on the maze until Pac-Man moves past it and begins to follow him. The green ghost can also be called Cosmo. By passing several sleeping ghosts, they form a large rainbow-colored trail which can offer massive bonus points once Pac-Man is able to get a power pellet and eat them. Some ghosts may also have additional power pellets which can prolong the powered up state if eaten in time. Getting close enough to the regular ghosts turns them rainbow coloured and they may also be added to the trail. A slow-motion effect automatically kicks in whenever a ghost gets too close to Pac-Man, offering players the chance to make a last-minute attempt to avoid being killed. Players can also use a limited supply of 'bombs' which return all the ghosts to the centre of the maze, though lowers the dot multiplier and game speed.
Gameplay revolves around three main modes: Score Attack, in which players attempt to get the highest score within 5 or 10 minutes; Time Attack, consisting of several short trials and one long one in which players must obtain a certain amount of fruit as quickly as possible; and Ghost Combo, where players must try to stay powered up and eat as many ghosts as possible. The game features nine courses, which includes the original maze from Championship Edition, in which the sleeping ghosts are absent. Players receive a ranking for each game mode per course, based on their position on the overall leaderboards. The game has various visual styles, including some in the style of Pac-Mania, which can be mixed and matched.[3] Players may also access a constantly updated 'NG News' feature, which includes articles such as developer interviews, as well as view video replays of the highest ranking Score Attack players via the leaderboard.
| Reception | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 93/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| 1UP.com | A (CE)[5] A (DX) |
| Eurogamer | 10/10 |
| Game Informer | 9/10 [6] |
| GameSpot | 9.0/10 |
| IGN | 10/10 |
| TeamXbox | 9.8/10 (DX)[7] |
The game has received universal praise from critics and gaming websites, citing a big improvement over the original. IGN gave the game a perfect 10/10 and an Editor's Choice award, calling it "a master class in game design."[9] GameSpot gave the game 9.0/10, praising the new elements which make Championship Edition "more thrilling and addictive than ever."[10] 1UP.com gave the game an A rank, calling it "insanely addicting."[11] Eurogamer gave the game 10/10, calling it "a game you'll want to instantly evangelise to anyone with even the vaguest sense of what makes a game good."[12] Destructoid gave the game 9/10, calling it "one of this year's best and purest arcade experiences and definitely a must-buy."[13] Giant Bomb gave it a score of 5/5, saying that the player experiences "sensory overload of the highest order, the kind of game that leaves your eyeballs dry, your nerves shot, and every last bit of you wanting more."."[14] Good Game gave it 9.5 out of 10.[15]
The game won IGN's Best of 2010 awards for Most Addictive Game, Best Retro Design and Best Quick Fix.[16]
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