Pac-Man Vs. Review

2-Pac Resurrection.

At this past E3 convention, Nintendo stressed connectivity between the Gamecube

and the Game Boy Advance while Microsoft and Sony were busy outlining their

online plans. It was a bit of a bummer, and to this day Nintendo’s lack of a

significant online gaming scheme has kept some gamers away from the Cube.

And to be honest, GC/GBA connectivity will never outdo online connectivity,

but at least it can become something more than just a gimmick. By implementing

the second screen of the Game Boy Advance into Gamecube gaming, this GBA connectivity

thing can offer some compelling multiplayer privacy, such as selecting a play

in football or having your own personal HUD.

So

far, the best example of the connectivity includes The

Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker‘s GBA Mr. Tinkle co-operative

mode. Using the GBA, a second player could provide assistance to Link. In that

case, the co-operative gameplay felt aimed towards a younger audience that needed

help getting through the game.

In a good example of more competitive gameplay, the new Pac-Man Vs.

GC/GBA connectivity game turns the classic Pac-Man into a multiplayer

affair. Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo fame had a hand in the creation of this

update (alongside Pac-Man creator Toru Iwatani), which helps

explain why it’s actually pretty good.

Pac-Man Vs. supports two to four players: one plays as Pac-Man

and the others are ghosts.  If you only have the minimum two players, the other

two ghosts will be computer controlled. The three ghost characters, regardless

of whether they’re human or AI, are controlled on the main TV screen.  The ghost

viewpoint is limited to a small circular window, allowing only the immediate

surroundings to be visible. This vision limitation is part of the checks and

balances between the ghosts and Pac.

Pac-Man, on the other hand, has the full maze at his viewing disposal on the

GBA screen. The gameplay is as old-school as it gets, with Pac moving about

through the maze filling his 17 stomachs full of yellow Pac-feed and gobbling

up any fruit for extra points and some healthy Vitamin C.

There are no changes to the basic gameplay of Pac-Man, no

new offensive attacks besides the big super pellets and no new gameplay features.

You still just navigate around the maze like you’ve been doing for over 20 years

now. As a ghost, you just float around trying to catch Pac-Man, at which point

you’ll become the yellow blob and the guy playing as Pac will become a ghost.

Eating fruit will widen the ghost vision for a bit, but mainly it’s all about

chasing Pac-Man.

In turn, Pac Man Vs. doesn’t match the frantic pace of a good

first-person shooter or the complexity of a turn-based strategy game. Instead,

it’s a clever reinvention of something old into a multiplayer experience.

One

of the big issues with GBA connectivity is actually having enough GBAs to get

the job done. Sure, the GBA is an incredible seller, but people that play games

aren’t always friends with people that play games. Your homies might

not have the same hardcore interests that you do.

Thankfully, Pac Man Vs. only requires one Game Boy Advance,

which is obviously much more affordable and inviting compared to the upcoming

Final

Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and the four-player Zelda,

both of which will need four GBAs to get the most out of them. That’s what make

Pac Man Vs. such a clever usage of the connectivity because

it only takes one GBA, but can still support four players, instead of just Mr.

Tinkle’s two-player co-op.

Pac Man Vs. is bundled with Pac-Man World 2

and is supposed to come included with other Namco releases, such as R:

Racer Evolution, but currently all game retailers only package it with

Pac-Man World 2.  In certain specialty retailers, such as Electronic

Boutique or Gamestop, you can also get Pac Man Vs. with the

purchase of I-Ninja by way of a special deal.

Considering that Pac-Man World 2 sells as a Value Series

product, the combo is a good $20 deal. While Pac-Man World 2

is a marginal game that mixes normal platform dynamics with the classic pellet

gobbling mazes of the original game, it has a unique Pac feel, more so than

that odd side scroller Pac-Land.

The three-dimensional Pac Man character is goofy in his extremely ebullient

roly-poliness. He bounces around like a four-square ball and gobbles up pellets

like he hasn’t eaten for months. There’s no personality beyond that, unless

you think of him as a fat bulimic girl in binge mode.

The two-pack (or is it Pac?) is a smart deal that offers something for young

and old alike. Fans of the yellow blob will really get the most out of Pac

Man Vs., while Pac-Man World 2 provides enough incentive

to appease the younger players wanting something more new age.