Platformation Time Again #4: Pac Man World/Pac Man World Re-Pac PS1 | PS4 | GBA

HISTORY

Pac Man needs no presentation, so ingrained as an icon of videogames from their golden era of the arcade machines, that even your grandma knows what it is.

But the 80s were far gone even back when Pac Man World released in late 1999 for the original Playstation, and Namco Bandai was struggling to find how to reinveint his legacy franchises or make new successful ones in the wake of the financial recession in Japan at the time.

Pac Man World was made specifically to celebrate the series’ 20th Anniversary, and Namco (not yet Namco Bandai) figured to play it fairly safe: 3D platformers were on the rise and “all the rage”, everyone with some cash to spare was throwing mascotte characters at the wall to see what would stick or syphoon some of the leftover bread from the success of Mario and Sonic, heck even Bubsy tried this new fangled substance known as 3D by injecting it between its bobcat toes.

So why the fuck not, since Namco did have a popular mascote character already, one that was iconic and synomous with videogames and not a pantless cat with a shirt, the formula had already had its success stories so there was a blueprint and a track record to try emulate, Pac-Man was becoming old enough to drink in most countries, so fuck it, we’re going platforming in tridimensional fashion… and it was a success.

Continua a leggere “Platformation Time Again #4: Pac Man World/Pac Man World Re-Pac PS1 | PS4 | GBA”

Platformation Time Again: Fall Pac

So i was gonna review Pandemonium (the first one) this coming september, but schedule woes and the kinda surprising announcement of the Pac Man World 2 remastered (as Pac Man World 2 Re-Pac) of last week had me opting for the almost complete review i already had in the bag for the remaster of the first Pac Man World game.

Even though i would have liked to feature a 2D platformer before getting back to the 3D ones, and then review the originale release of Yooka Laylee when we would have gotten a date for its remaster-remake, i have a lot to say about that… but guess there’s no rush, in a way.

And yes, i didn’t quite expect it since while PCW Re Pac did sold decently, i’d figured Namco wasn’t gonna bother remastering the other 2 Pac Man World titles… but guess we’re getting the whole trilogy.

And that weird Pac Man metroidvania thingie, Shadow Labyrinth.

Continua a leggere “Platformation Time Again: Fall Pac”