A compilation of retro games that is itself retro?! [INCEPTION HORN]
Namco is a massively important company in the history of video games, one worthy of the ‘museum’ treatment. I’ve always been a fan of this “franchise” of similarly named compilations for that reason. The Namco Museum series started out as a set of five games, each with their own lineups, and which handled their respective cover arts brilliantly (pic via Racketboy):
Awesome! These early versions also included little virtual museums that featured a bunch of cool historical Namco stuff. The release we’re talking about this week, however, does not. The Dreamcast version (which is basically the same as the N64 version, if you care to keep track) is honestly a little bereft of content, with just six classic games to speak of. Having said that, what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. All six games are pretty great! In fact, I’m just gonna review all of them.
First up – Pac-Man! You know what this is. This feels like a fairly faithful recreation of the original, though I had a few issues with the responsiveness Dreamcast controller’s joystick at times. I like that controller in genera, but it didn’t seem great for Pac-Man for whatever reason. I have mixed feelings about these side decorations, too. That one on the bottom right looks…uncomfortable.
Something went wrong with my camera here. Hmm. Anyway, Ms. Pac-Man is similar to its predecessor, though there are a few significant mechanical differences, most importantly in how the ghosts move. The ghosts in the original Pac-Man have a specific pattern that they always follow, meaning that with enough patience and memorization skills, you can basically never lose. Ms. Pac-Man, on the other hand, is less predictable, and whether or not that’s a good thing is a debate for the ages. Personally, I’ve never been good enough at either to have a good opinion. Ultimately, they’re both great.
Up next is Galaga, one of my favorites from that era. I’m not sure if it’s just my fuzzy memory or a difference in this version of the game, but it felt like it played a little slow to me. Either way, it’s still fun! Having a handful of different enemy ships with different patterns and attacks was pretty innovative at the time, and keeps the game pretty enjoyable as a result. While the shoot-em-up genre Galaga inspired may have evolved and reached much higher heights, the original is still full of charm (and aliens to blast).
I assumed for an embarrassingly long time that Galaxian was a sequel to Galaga. It’s not, and I have no idea why I thought this. Is it because its name is longer? Who knows. Anyway, Galaxian definitely made me feel better about Galaga’s speed, as this one is much more of a slog. It’s probably the worst of the games in this set, but is still enjoyable. It’s a lot like Space Invaders, so if you enjoy that you’ll probably dig this one too.
Hell yeah! I love me some Pole Position. For a game that’s 35 years old, this still looks great and provides a remarkable sense of speed and danger. This is apparently the first racing game to have its course based on a real race track, in this case the Fuji Speedway near, well, Mount Fuji. I have fond memories of playing this at a pizza place as a kid, and it was great to pick it up again.
In Dig Dug, you must navigate your way through a vast underground area, ridding it of monsters who honestly did nothing to you. The protagonist, who I assume is named “Diggin’ Doug,” can dig holes to drop rocks on enemies’ heads, which is a tough thing to get right but super rewarding when it happens. He can also inflate and pop enemies like the psychopath he is. What a great game.
And that’s it! It’s a shamefully small chunk of Namco’s history, but the games are all essential. Pole Position is likely my favorite of the bunch, though the two Pac-Man releases are every bit as frantic and addictive as ever.
There have been numerous other Namco Museum compilations since this one, and there’s probably a decent one available to you no matter consoles you have. The PS2/Xbox/GameCube got a cool one called Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary which has 16 games and an 80s-inspired soundtrack. I’m also partial to Namco Museum Arcade Pac on the Switch, as it includes the fantastic multiplayer spin-off Pac-Man Vs. and it’s great to play some of these classics on the go.
Next week’s game is just one game, and it promises to be…bad? It’s probably bad. I’ll see you then, I’m afraid.