Pac-Man World 3
© 2005 Namco Hometek, Inc.
Inspired from the 2D maze game 25 years ago, this modernized version of Pac-Man is a single player adventure game with plenty of collecting, fighting and problem solving. Reading is minimal, and games are saved along the way, making this a consideration for children. There is no shortage of cartoon violence, including Pac-Man's "butt bounce" used to smash crabs, among other things. Most the the game follows a very similar venue—explore, fight and collect—while trying to get to the next level. Players can also control the Ghosts Pinky and Clyde, each who have special abilities to solve puzzles and access areas that Pac-Man can't reach. This is the first game in which Pac-Man speaks. The goal is to save the world, by defeating the Ghosts, and fight against an evil genius who has created a robot. The story line is that Pac-Man has been mysteriously transported out of Pac-Village, into a mysterious land, and he must uncover the evil genius Erwin's plot and save the world from massive catastrophe. Content includes seven levels, ten types of enemies and nine types of moves. For example, Pac-Man can do a power roll to take out a line of monsters at once. Bonus material includes a Pac-Man museum, an interview with the Toru Iwatani (the game's original creator), and the original arcade version of the game that looks and sounds exactly like the original game. This is fun way to help children understand what the very first video games used to look like. We reviewed the PS2 version.
$20, PS2, Xbox, GameCube, Win 98, Win XP, PSP
Teaches: strategy, timing, the history of video games
CTR Rating: 84%