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Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness Review
Jon Lenaway
00/12/0000
Certain games and characters have stood the test of time in the game world.
Pac-Man is one of the elders, as far as videogame characters go. It would be rare if you walked into an arcade in the early 1980s and did not hear the âwacka-wackasâ coming from a Pac-Man cabinet. Namcoâs most recent update of this classic series, Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness, brings you more dot gobbling action complete with all the âwacka-wackasâ of the original.
Gameplay
At the heart of the game, lies the same tried and true gameplay that made Pac-Man a classic. Weaving through mazes, chomping yellow dots, eating fruit, and avoiding the ghostly enemies are all still the core of the action. Also added in this version are a series of puzzle elements. Often you will have to push blocks, set explosives, and do a bit of extra thinking to complete a level. The puzzle elements add quite a bit to keep the game from simply a maze-crawler.
Enemies are also a bit more creative at times than the simple ghosts that used to follow you into every corner of the maze. On the Asia-themed levels, you will find ghosts that lay paths of gunpowder along the maze, but also on the prowl is a fire-breathing dragon that has a tendency to sneeze a lot. This of course ignites the strips of gunpowder that can also be used to blow up other blocks.
Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness also features an entertaining multiplayer mode that will allow you and up to three friends to try to become maze masters. Each of the multiplayer modes has a bit of a twist. âDot Maniaâ works like a traditional Pac-Man game, where each player tries to eat 80 Pac-Dots to win and running into a ghost penalizes you by 10 dots. In âGhost Tagâ, each player starts as a ghost. Once a player runs over the Ms. Pac-Man icon, he/she becomes Ms. Pac-Man and is then the only one who can pick up dots. As the name âGhost Tagâ would suggest, the goal then becomes for the other players to tag Ms. Pac-Man to then turn into Ms. Pac-Man. If you get tagged as Ms. Pac-Man, you will restart as a ghost to try and tag Ms. Pac Man once again. Finally, the third multiplayer mode called âDa Bombâ is a hot-potato variation on tag. The person that becomes the bomb has a countdown timer on his/her head. By running into another player, that timer transfers over to them. If you are stuck with the countdown timer when it reaches zero, you blow up and you must re-enter as a ghost. The last Pac standing is the winner.
Also included with this game is the classic edition of the game, so if youâre old enough to remember you can relive your Ms. Pac Man arcade experiences. If youâve never played Ms. Pac Man in the arcade, the game is still habit-forming enough to satisfy new gamers.
Graphics
The visuals in Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness are also excellent. Levels are colorful and full of detail, and really look good despite the aging hardware. One small gripe is that Ms. Pac-Man does not actually open her mouth anymore to eat the Pac-dots like in the old games, but this really is a small detail. This isnât a title that will make your jaw drop, like one of Namcoâs other games: Soul Calibur, but it certainly is pleasant to look at. Have a look at the screenshots to see for yourself.
Sound
My major beef with the sound is the background music in the first world (with the sand and the pyramids). Instead of opting for a more traditional Arabic or Egyptian sound, they went with some 1980s-like techno rave that really gets annoying. Once you pass this world, the background music is pleasant and unobtrusive.
The sound effects get a major pat on the back. All of the sounds are exactly the same as they were in the classic Pac-Man games. Some of my favorite arcade noises of all time are still in this game, and they fit perfectly⦠âwacka-wackasâ and all.
Comments
Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness is a slick blend of old and new gameplay, that still has the ability to draw you in. The single player mode has quite a bit to keep you busy, including solving puzzles, collecting dots, fruit, and stars, and even competing in time trials. Also added to this package, the multi-player mode and classic mode will keep this game in your PlayStation a while longer.
Anonymous
Date Added:Fri 19th Jan 2007 20:41