And that's what we're talking about!
Written: Apr 03 '08 (Updated Dec 31 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: fast-paced; challenging & fun; high re-play value; better graphics and sounds
Cons: play controls are a bit finicky; doesn't look like the arcade original
The Bottom Line: Obviously, Atari learned their lesson and put some real effort into making a good "Ms. Pac-Man" port. It's not as good as the arcade, but it's good enough.
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| Chad9976's Full Review: Ms. Pac-Man for Atari 2600 |
There are few things more satisfying in life than realizing someone has learned their lesson. That’s the case with “Ms. Pac-Man” for the Atari 2600. Whereas the original “Pac-Man” port of the arcade smash was an absolute turkey, the game designers seemed to have actually heeded players’ complaints. It’s like they took all the flaws and did the exact opposite this time around.
PRESS FIRE TO START
There is very little difference between the concept of “Pac-Man” and “Ms. Pac-Man” aside from a few aesthetics. Mr. Pac was a plain yellow disc but his wife has eyes, a beauty mark and a bow on top of her head. She too is stuck in a series of mazes filled with “wafers” and power pills, which enable her to turn the tables on the four scary ghosts out to get her.
The point system to this cart is identical to that of the arcade, which is quite impressive. You earn a 1-Up at the 10,000-point mark, but it’s the only one you can get. There are no options to continue, though. The cut scenes are absent, but it’s understandable.
PLAYER 1 – READY!
“Ms. Pac-Man” is a basic, but fun and challenging action game. It’s a test of dexterity and good judgment to stay one step ahead of the ghosts as well as keeping a constant eye out for safe zones to approach next. The original “Pac-Man” for the Atari VCS made me wonder what was so appealing about maneuvering around a maze, but this game reminded me how fun it can be to do just that.
JOYSTICKING
Compared to “Pac-Man,” the overall speed of the gameplay here is quite amazing. For the most part, the controls are quick and well-responsive. However, there are many moments where the character will take a turn you didn’t intend to make, or fail to make a turn you intended to make. Trying to chop a wafer and make an immediate 180-degree turn can also be vexing. It takes some time to get used to these controls, which I wouldn’t describe as flawed, just a little quirky.
SPRITES & PIXELS
This port doesn’t look much like the arcade edition, but the spirit is here. It contains four different mazes instead of just one - each of which is made up of pink, light blue, gray or green mazes over a blue background. It’s not much to look at, but at least there’s some variety and they aren’t hideous like the single “Pac-Man” maze.
The ghosts are actually multi-colored this time around even seem to have a method to their madness – they aren’t just randomly trolling around. Ms. Pac-Man herself has a little more detail than Mr. Pac-Man, but doesn’t look much like the arcade incarnation of herself. There is some screen flicker with the ghosts, but it’s forgivable.
CHIPPED TUNES
One of the worst things about the Atari 2600 edition of “Pac-Man” was the grating “boink!” metallic sound every time you ate a wafer. This time around, Ms. Pac-Man eats wafers to the tune of “bamf!” It’s much nicer and a bit closer to the arcade version. The countdown music when you gobble a power-pill is much indicative of how much time you have left to chomp the ghosts. There’s even a little start-up chime at the beginning of the game that’s fairly close to the arcade original.
INSERT COIN TO CONTINUE
Probably what gives this edition of “Ms. Pac-Man” such replay value is the pace at which it increases its difficulty. It’s fairly easy to start out, but becomes more challenging as you progress in the game, at essentially the same pace as the arcade. You won’t be a few stages into it and suddenly find it absolutely daunting. The challenge creeps up on you. When you do reach game over you’ll want to try to best yourself.
GAME OVER
For everyone that absolutely loathes the “Pac-Man” port, “Ms. Pac-Man” is Atari’s penance. It’s a fun, challenging game that looks and sounds pretty good and is worth playing over and over again.
SEE ALSO:
Jr. Pac-Man (5)
Pac-Man (1)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Chad9976
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Member: Chad Polenz
Location: Albany, New York
Reviews written: 686
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About Me:
Hi, I'm Chad and I like beer.
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