Chasing blue ghosts and fruit at the same time adds a very enjoyable dynamic to achieving a high score. Speaking of unpredictability, I also love how the fruits bounce around the maze instead of merely materializing in the centre like they do in the original. Pac-Man, the ghosts behave a lot differently and feature more randomized patterns which makes trying to outsmart them a lot more difficult. Remember how I said that hardcore fans memorize the ghost patterns in order to master Pac-Man? Well, in Ms. The only downside is that I miss the classic music and effects. A similar enhancement that I appreciate is how the walls are brighter thus removing any graphical ambiguity and streamlining the gameplay. Having to consistently change up your strategy whenever a new maze shows up will definitely keep you on your toes. The most notable change is the maze layout which is quite different and it even changes a few times with a total of 4 unique layouts. Pac-Man features a wealth of changes that do a fantastic job of freshening up the gameplay. Pac-Man debuted but how could it possibly top its amazing predecessor? Well, it follows a similar formula in that you navigate through mazes while eating pellets, avoiding ghosts, and powering up with power pellets. 1 Review (includes Pac-Man) The original Pac-Man in all its arcade glory Ms. In the end, Pac-Man is a classic in every sense of the word and I'm sure it'll be popular for another 40 years and beyond. There really isn't anything more satisfying than gobbling up a power pellet only to chow down on all 4 ghosts that have been relentlessly chasing you around. It just goes to show how thoroughly entertaining Pac-Man is if countless gamers over the years put that much time and effort into mastering it. To think that they can reach the notorious level 256 with general ease is jaw-dropping.
Although I prefer to play it casually, professional Pac-Man players are quite a sight to behold. Over the years, gamers have mastered each of the ghosts' unique artificial intelligence in order to take advantage of their movement patterns which just blows my mind. There are varying degrees of Pac-Man fans. Plus, who could forget snagging a piece of fruit for some extra points? It's so much fun.
Meanwhile, catchy little ditties play and the sound effects are so recognizable that they persist even to this day. So, what makes Pac-Man so much fun? In my opinion, it's the perfect balance of action, strategy, and simplistic fun. My introduction to it came in the form of the NES port and I remember taking turns playing it with my dad who opted to use the QuickShot Python 2 joystick because dads will be dads, right? Anyway, whenever I saw an arcade cabinet for Pac-Man, I'd always feel compelled to give it a few attempts and even find it hard to resist nowadays. I have many fond memories of trying to get a high score in this arcade masterpiece. Pac-Man seem happy no matter who wins Pac-Manįirst up, here's the iconic Pac-Man from 1980.
So, let's revisit the 2 classics that started it all and decide which one holds up better nearly 40 years later. Maciejewski for Versus on April 16, 2020īack in the early '80s, everyone had Pac-Man fever and the original arcade games are still a ton of fun to play.