14 DAY TRIAL // If you recall, last time we talked about Pac-Man, we were saying it was kind of evolving, since at the time, it offered a Pac-Man Pinball version, which sounded extremely nice and promised plenty. Even though this game has had thousands of new launches and small improvements, this next one also seems to be equally worth mentioning.
To kill the suspense, if there is any, Pac-Man goes multiplayer, a feature that should have been included in it a long, long time ago. Unfortunately, the manufacturers probably did not feel we could take in more than one improvement or new version at once, so one bite at a time is all we get.
This time, Namco Bandai has made other types of changes to the game as compared with before, along with introducing the multiplayer feature. To make a long story short, gamers can now invite up to three friends, if they are all owners of Bluetooth enabled handsets, and play the reinvented version of the arcade title. Plus, now, each of you can take turns at playing the ghost and try to catch others. To make things even harder and more interesting, whoever is playing as Pac-Man will have to face the “fog of war,” which will blur the vision throughout the entire maze.
Should you feel the need to play the game in a classic, single player mode, you will now benefit from the pause and resume functions. Furthermore, the save capabilities will allow you to leave the game at any point, and resume it exactly where you left it.
In all fairness, it's truly amazing how a game released almost 30 years ago can still be enjoying plenty of success. As far as this multiplayer version goes, considering the 256 levels available, plus the ability to compare scores online with all gamers worldwide, it's almost certain that Pac-Man will still thrive.
Barry O’Neill, President of Namco Bandai Networks Europe, proudly stated the following regarding the latest release: “PAC-MAN is still arguably the most popular computer game character of all time. It is immensely exciting for Namco Bandai to launch this re-mastered version with multiplayer functionality and online rankings. We want consumers to see how great PAC-MAN looks nearly 30 years after he first appeared; this update of the classic adds a fantastic new social element to an already great game and we think the total package will be of huge appeal to gaming veterans and newcomers alike.”