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Pac-Man Vs.(JP) is a GameCube video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Namco. It was available through Club Nintendo in Japan and bundled with Pac-Man World 2 in North America. A port of the game was released for the DS through the 2007 video game Namco Museum DS, and later on the Nintendo Switch through Namco Museum.

Originally designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Pac-Man Vs. was created as a tech demo for the Nintendo GameCube to show off the capabilities of the GCN link cable. It was first showcased at the Games Convention in Germany under the name Pac-Man for Nintendo GameCube, and then presented to Namco, who agreed to publish it as a full game.

Upon its release, critics gave Pac-Man Vs. generally positive reviews, praising the concept, multiplayer, and addictive gameplay, but criticized the small amount of content and lack of Memory Card support.

Gameplay[]

Pac-Man Vs. is a maze video game in which Pac-Man, controlled by the player with the Game Boy Advance plugged into the fourth socket on the Nintendo GameCube, eats all of the Pac-Dots in the maze while avoiding the ghosts, who are controlled by the players using one to three Nintendo GameCube controllers.

Before playing, players must set a predetermined score value (7,000, 10,000, or 15,000), and the player who reaches that specified value wins. After setting up, one player will be randomly selected to be Pac-Man while the others are controlling the ghosts. The objective for the player that is controlling Pac-Man is to eat all of the Pac-Dots inside a selected maze while avoiding the ghosts. When Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet, he can then eat the ghosts and pilfer up to 800 points from them, in which the ghosts run back to the regeneration box.

When Pac-Man eats a certain amount of Pac-Dots, some fruit will appear underneath the regeneration box, which gives him 400 points when consumed.

The three players take control of the ghosts on the TV screen, in which they must capture Pac-Man before he eats all the Pac-Dots inside the maze. When Pac-Man eats a Power Pellet, the ghosts move slower and must avoid coming in contact with Pac-Man. Additionally, when a ghost picks up a fruit, they get a wider view of their surroundings for a limited time. If there are less than four players, gray computer-controlled ghosts will appear. The computer-controlled ghosts are harmless to Pac-Man, but if a player passes by one, they turn into that player's color and, should they touch Pac-Man, add points to that player's score.

Pac-Man earns points by eating Pac-Dots, vulnerable ghosts, and fruit. The ghosts earn points by picking up fruit and touching Pac-Man. If Pac-Man eats all the dots in a maze, he earns 1,600 points and the player controlling him will continue to play as him in the next stage. However, Pac-Man loses that same amount of points to the player that touched him.

Mario (voiced by Charles Martinet) appears as the game's announcer and commentator, letting the ghosts know that Pac-Man ate a Power Pellet or when fruit appears.

Nintendo DS version[]

Namco Museum DS features a remake of Pac-Man Vs.. With a copy, one player can connect with up to three other players using Download Play. As with the original release, one player is selected to be Pac-Man while the others are ghosts. However, the player controlling Pac-Man is given a full view of the maze while the other players can only see the ghosts' position on the Touch Screen.

Nintendo Switch version[]

Pac-Man Vs. reappears on the Nintendo Switch as part of the 2017 video game compilation Namco Museum. While the game is relatively the same as the original Nintendo GameCube release, there is a single player mode where up to three players compete to be the first to reach a specified value of points. Pac-Man is computer-controlled in this mode.

For its original gameplay, players need two Nintendo Switches. One of them requires Namco Museum while the other requires either Namco Museum or Pac-Man Vs. Multiplayer Demo, the latter of which is a free download on the Nintendo eShop. One Nintendo Switch must act as the "Main Screen" in which the Nintendo Switch console is used for the players controlling the ghosts, and the other as the "Sub Screen", in which the Nintendo Switch is used to control Pac-Man.

Reception[]

Reviews for Pac-Man Vs. have been generally favorable. Critics praised the gameplay, multiplayer, and replay value. Review aggregator Metacritic gave the game a score of 78/100.

Daniel Bloodworth of Nintendo World Report gave the game an 8 out of 10, praising the frantic and fast-paced gameplay, stating that it is "a must-have for parties." However, he criticized the small amount of content and limited availability to consumers.[1]

Craig Harris of IGN also rated Pac-Man Vs. an 8 out of 10, noticing the game is "intuitive for anyone regardless of their gaming skill levels". While echoing Bloodworth's statements, Harris criticized Mario's commentary as "unnecessary."[2]

Pac-Man Vs. also received criticism, particularly for its lack of memory card support and the small amount of content. Nintendojo, despite rating the game a 7 out of 10, criticized the lack of depth and inability to save high scores, which was echoed by Daniel Bloodworth of Nintendo World Report.[3]

External links[]

  1. Planet GameCube Forums - Pac Man vs. Review (archive.org)
  2. Pac-Man Vs. - GameCube Review at IGN (archive.org)
  3. Nintendojo.com: Nintendo News, Previews, Reviews, Editorials and Interaction (archive.org)
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