Based on the television show coming to Disney XD (go there for TRON Uprising as well — unless they canceled it, then don’t go there for TRON Uprising), Namco Bandai has relaunched the 3D Pac-Man world, so that kids can watch the show and play the game. If you’re marketing people out there then you’ll love this idea.
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Prior to our demonstration at E3, I had a chance to get some hands-on time with this puppy and I have to say it was on par with most of the Pac-Man adventures that we’ve seen in that past. Whether that is good or bad is all in the eye of the beholder. For me and my brief stint with it, here’s what I came away with:
– The world is what Namco Bandai built for it in 2010 Pac-Man adventures. A futuristic world that looks smooth, aerodynamic and kid friendly.
– While there is a pre-determined path in the game, the game does offer up some chances to go exploring all around. For example, there were numbers of bushes hiding pac-pellets in them that I could collect. If you’re not familiar with the pac-pellet purpose (say that five times) then compare it to picking up the round legos in any of the LEGO games.
– One new, and cool addition to the Pac-Man game is the inclusion of costumes. While we only say the chameleon costume that allows Pac-Man to attach its tongue and swing on things, it would be crazy to think there weren’t more costumes involved in the mix. The chameleon was neat and it served its Pac purpose when it came to crossing areas that required Pac-Man to swing.
– Lots of neat enemies including ghosts that throw-up ectoplasm on you. Tons of ghosts to eat and plenty of people to save them from.
– Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to fight any bosses, but I was able to run into some puzzles that required me to think on my feet. For example, I reached an area that required Pac-Man to cross a bridge. The bridge had disappearing/reappearing blocks on it, so I had to time each jump to make it through. It was fun and frustrating all at the same time.
Anyway, Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures is shaping up to be a solid kids game (younger kids). It certainly may not satisfy the Mario audience out there, but it does a good job with making Pac-Man interesting and giving him a bit more of an open world to roam around in. I can’t wait to see the finished product.