Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review

By Kristan Reed Published 19 November, 2010

Gobblin' king.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Well this certainly caught us by surprise. Remember how the original Pac-Man Championship Edition turned everyone into bug-eyed crazies for about four months of 2007? Remember how it got people into Pac-Man that didn't even like the flappy-jawed yellow blob? Well, this DX edition has the audacity to improve everything we loved about the first one tenfold, and not even warn us about it in advance.

As usual, it's all about clocking the best possible high score, but Namco Bandai gets around the repetition by not only upping the maze count from two to nine, but also by layering on new mechanics and new modes that twist the formula in a frantic and relentlessly exciting new direction.

The most obvious change, initially, is the presence of stationary green ghosts, snoozing at various points around the maze. If Pac-Man moves past them, they wake up and give chase, allowing you to build up a huge, snaking conga line of ghosts if you can hold off from eating a power pill for long enough. The payback is that you can turn the tables in spectacular style, chowing down on literally dozens of them and clocking up a massive score in the process. Some ghosts will even top up your time bar, so eking out your feast becomes a strategic balancing act as you weave your way along the most effective route to score-based glory.

Another interesting tweak comes in Pac-Man's new ability to bomb all his pursuers back to the centre of the maze. With a simple tap of the trigger, you'll not only avoid losing a life, but save the associated time penalty that comes with being out of action for a few precious seconds. It does come with a small penalty, though, dialling the game's speed down a notch and therefore slightly reducing your ability to rack up a leaderboard-troubling score.

15 minutes of our time in Pac-Man's company.

The game even gives you a get-out-of-jail-free card by slowing the action down to a crawl if you're in imminent danger of crashing into a ghost. As controversial as these fundamental changes undoubtedly sound, they keep the game flowing in a completely thrilling way. The price of staying alive is the constantly rising gameplay speed, and once you start getting into the realms of 40 and above, the battle to keep Pac-Man on course becomes an increasingly futile one. At this point, you'll probably be muttering about chunky old-style 4-way joysticks and shouting at the joypad.

1

Omnomnnomnomnomnomnom.

Having successfully introduced these exciting new twists to the formula, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX goes one step further by adding enticing new modes designed specifically to ensure that you won't be doing anything constructive for the next few weeks. As well as the usual five- and 10-minute score attacks for each maze, you now get time trials which challenge you to eat a designated number of apples in the shortest possible time. As usual, clearing the dots on one half of the maze presents you with fruit on the other side, so carving the most efficient route becomes an obsession.

But clearing a time trial stage merely unlocks further stages, and your overall time trial leaderboard position relies on your ability to pick your way through each stage and painstakingly reduce your total time as much as possible. Needless to say, it's ruinously addictive, and essentially turns Pac-Man into a crazy racing game where relentless consumption is the aim.

As if dozens of time trial stages and the various score attacks weren't enough to keep you occupied, each maze also houses a Ghost Combo challenge in which you have to gobble up as many ghosts as you can in one go without the ghost state time bar running out. Set against a 10-minute time limit, each maze plays out to a specific pattern, and the trick is to figure out both the best route around all the sleepy ghosts and the optimum moment to strike.

Sometimes the pattern of the dots gives you precious little choice but to take a pellet before you'd ideally like to, but if you can allow yourself to build up the conga line again, an even better opportunity might present itself – albeit at an insanely high pace that will probably mangle your poor, battered thumbs. Such is its incessant one-more-go allure, Ghost Combo is the kind of game you'd happily pay for on its own. The fact that it's just a small portion of an equally brilliant package leaves you shaking your head at the genius of the whole thing.

On top of all this gameplay magic, Namco Bandai has had the presence of mind to allow you to customise the look, feel and even the sound of each maze. You can tailor the colour scheme to your own whims and cycle through various styles of Pac-Man and ghosts, from the pixellated retro style to the plastic PacMania era or a more modern neon look. You can even tinker with the thumping soundtrack options, each designed explicitly to ensure that you'll wind up a palm-sweating wreck after a few sessions.

2

Taste the rainbow.

Whatever audio-visual option you plump for, you can't lose, as your living room is swiftly bathed in the glorious phosphor glow of a 1980s arcade, accompanied by the kind of frantic electronica that may even have neighbours nodding along in approval. At least, that's the idea. Thanks to this greater variety, the DX version is even more of a visual feast – aided no end by the explosive fizz of the smart bomb and the accompanying sight of cascading ghosts doing an airborne conga all the way back to their base.

But in amongst the chaos, you may not even notice how good it looks. What matters more than ever is your performance on the leaderboards. With so many of them to take into account now, you can either break things down to a granular level of detail or view your performances combined across the entire game. For once, even if you're not that brilliant at specific mazes or modes, you feel like the sum total of your efforts can get you somewhere if you play all of it – and that's where Pac-Man Championship Edition DX really grabs you, and one of the main reasons it's certain to torment you for months to come.

To say that this is a must-buy is doing it a disservice; it's a game you'll want to instantly evangelise to anyone with even the vaguest sense of what makes a game good. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX takes everything that made the original so successful, twists and refines it in a relentless and thrilling new direction, and then adds a plethora of new mazes and modes for good measure. When we look back at the great score-attack games of this generation, this will be right up there at the top table. Like Trials HD and Geometry Wars before it, it's touched by true design genius. The hardest part will be knowing when to bloody well stop.

10 / 10

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is available on Xbox Live Arcade for 800 Microsoft Points (£6.80 / €9.60). A PS3 version will be released on the PlayStation Network on November 24th, price TBC.

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (58) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • mrpon #1 2 years ago

    :D

  • richarddavies #2 2 years ago

    I downloaded this on a trial yesterday but have yet to try it. In my arrogance I thought " no way im I paying 800 points for Pacman" but this has seriously made me reconsider.

  • cherryuk #3 2 years ago

    I'M SOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY THAT A PSN RELEASE IS COMING OUT!!
    Edited by cherryuk at 19/11/10 @ 14:07

  • excelexcel #4 2 years ago

    The trial was fantastic, I know where my free 800 points are being sent! The slow-down when your nearly at a ghost is a fantastic addition and the music is awesome too

  • Dizzy #5 2 years ago

    BTW small hint for new owners. Watch a few of the top leaderboard replays to see what it is all about. Unlike the original pac-man, you will want to get as many ghosts as possible after you ;)
    Edited by Dizzy at 19/11/10 @ 14:07

  • uglygamer #6 2 years ago

    Its great, I expected at least a 9. Best PACMAN ever.
    Edited by uglygamer at 19/11/10 @ 14:10

  • paulf #7 2 years ago

    wakawakawaka

  • ToAks #8 2 years ago

    argh, i so want this.... anyone know when its out on PSN?

  • MrFlump #9 2 years ago

    Definitely looking at getting this, got the trial downloaded but not got round to playing it, will make an effort now ;)

    With this and Super Meat Boy its definitely proof that these simpler game concepts can be more fun and popular than many blockbuster titles.

  • SandyMcD #10 2 years ago

    Some things the review doesn't mention:

    - There are so many leaderboards it can be hard to find the relevant one.
    - The friends leaderboard only shows your friends score, not your own (hope for a patch)
    - It has the original Pac Man CE in there too - just the first maze, but with the new DX mechanics in place and no ghost train

  • defragg #11 2 years ago

    DF faceoff please!

  • Rodigee #12 2 years ago

    I played the demo a couple of times for this and didn't find it all that deep. It seems almost impossible to die with all of the bombs and strategy was clear to corral as many sleeping ghosts to follow you in a train and then eat them. You didn't really have the problem of running into ghosts like you do it traditional pacman. Does it get much harder on expert?

    Here's another video previewing the game. These people are way too excited about it:
    http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-pac-...
    Edited by Rodigee at 19/11/10 @ 14:17

  • darkmorgado #13 2 years ago

    wakawakawakawakawakawakawaka

    bweep!

    whee-woo-whee-woo-whee-woo

    wakawakawakawakawaka

    bwah-wah-wah-wah-bwap bwap!

    *pause*

    wakawakawakawakawaka

  • BiscuitBase #14 2 years ago

    Woo and a psytrance-esque soundtrack! Woop!

  • RedSparrows #15 2 years ago

    SOLD.

  • krudster #16 2 years ago

    Can I just say :D

  • wowami #17 2 years ago

    does this have the multiplayer version where someone can be a ghost?

  • Tinrib72 #18 2 years ago

    Best 800pts I've spent in a while. Waka waka, etc.

    @ Sandy McD - friends vs your scores - I noticed that, thought I was missing something.. Ho well, hope for a patch then.
    Edited by Tinrib72 at 19/11/10 @ 14:24

  • levitate #19 2 years ago

    Yet another reason for me to purchase a PS3 before it's too late.

  • muscleblade #20 2 years ago

    Its the perfect arcade game. Lately many download games have tried to compete with full retail games with variable success. This is just trying to be an accessible addictive experience much like geometry wars and wins big for doing it this perfect.

  • darkmorgado #21 2 years ago

    You can get all the achievs in less than an hour - which is good or bad, depending on your viewpoint (you will still have only unlocked about 5% of the stages by this point though).
    No mention of the Namco Generations thing - basically there's a built-in newsletter that will be updated periodically with creator's thoughts, tactics and things. Nice touch.

    This just SCREAMS quality, and lends itself perfectly to DLC. Here's hoping all the upcoming namco remakes are given as much love as this.

  • LazyDan #22 2 years ago

    Definitely no qualms with that 10. Utterly addictive, pure fun and a masterclass from Namco in taking a classic gaming icon and keeping him relevant in today's gaming world.

  • GamesConnoisseur #23 2 years ago

    KNEEEEWW IT!

    I played and loved the game and when I saw the review article was up, I thought no way EG not gonna give it a resounding TEN.

    The best 10/10 that leaves no doubt for me, other 10/10 games given by EG still have its critics but come on, this one is just pure gameplay.

    Love it OR consider yourself retired as a serious gamer!!

  • mechamonkey #24 2 years ago

    Badly needs easier comparison to your friends scores ala geometry wars and Trials but otherwise amaze.

  • ukslim #25 2 years ago

    @darkmorando "You can get all the achievs in less than an hour" -- we'll just see about that.

  • darleysam #26 2 years ago

    Did someone get a new shipment of 10s this week?

  • Toothball #27 2 years ago

    I've never been all that enthusiastic about Pac Man. Some articles a while back raised my curiosity about the first Championship Edition, but not really far enough to get hold of it. This one sounds better than I would have expected. I'll probably leave it for a deal sometime though.

  • technotica #28 2 years ago

    Wow a 10 game every week now, these must be glorious gaming times! :)
    Edited by technotica at 19/11/10 @ 15:00

  • CaptainQuint #29 2 years ago

    What, no multiplayer?

  • jtodroc #30 2 years ago

    Can't wait for this to come out on PSN. Looks brilliant.

    Just one question though. Does this include the old classic Pac Man at all? Maybe even as an unlockable extra??

  • cowell #31 2 years ago

    10s a bit strong but it is still an amazing game and absolutely worth 800 points to any gamer

  • Lee_Morris #32 2 years ago

    Only 5 more days to wait for the PS3 version. I'm hearing a hell of a lot of good things about this and at around £7 is an instant purchase.

    Question: do people find that they buy more network/arcade games, than console games, in the first couple of weeks because they know the price won't drop after a month like their console based brethren?

  • Cadence #33 2 years ago

    My GOTY.

  • benfresh76 #34 2 years ago

    Hands down, game of the year material; easily the most thrilling, compelling and downright fun gaming experience of the last year. It is truly dazzling how one of gaming's pioneering franchises can continue to enthrall and entertain after 30 years, the fact that it is so accessible and appealing to the casual and hardcore alike is testament to the craft and brilliance of design on display. Inspiring work by Namco, kudos.

  • jonsaan #35 2 years ago

    Will we ever see the promised psp release of this?

  • jonsaan #36 2 years ago

    Now if only Sony can sort out the fact that I can no longer add funds to my account for no reason whatsoever.

  • MisterCraig #37 2 years ago

    I sat cross legged in front of the TV playing this game full blast with my TE arcade stick.

    Pretty sure it was one the best gaming ours I've ever experienced.

    Now I need to wait till the family falls asleep so I can sneak back down there with a pair of headphones!

    Happy :)

  • MisterCraig #38 2 years ago

    @Toothball

    A deal?... A DEAL!!????

    Skip yer fish supper on a Saturday night and BUY THIS GAME.

    ...a deal...

  • Lord_BeeJee #39 2 years ago

    Any chance for a steam release?

  • andywilkie35 #40 2 years ago

    Been playing loads since it came out - truly brilliant

  • mungolikebeans #41 2 years ago

    looks Shit.

  • tomrobinsonz #42 2 years ago

    Looks cracking! I wish Super Meat Boy got a 10 too :(

  • WJF #43 2 years ago

    Hmm, it's very good, but it lacks the same impact that CE had (still my fav Pac-Man game).

    I don't really like the 'ghost train'. It all too often feels like there's only one optimum line through a level because of it, which doesn't sit well with the original game mechanics. It turns it into a linear race, essentially.

    The slo-mo is an absolute godsend though.

  • InfiniteFury #44 2 years ago

    This really is a godsend of a game, not a wasted pixel. Damn all these good games, I can't afford to keep up.

  • number3son #45 2 years ago

    This doesn't have much appeal for me since, as with the first game, they neglected to include an "endless" play mode of any sort where you can just sit back and play without having to worry about your high score or the game clock. I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm not really into games where the only point of playing is to post a higher score on the leaderboards.

  • Koborover #46 2 years ago

    It may have awesome singleplayer but after the first Pac-Man CE I kinda expected cool multiplayer options from this one, like those in Pac-Man VS in which people can control ghosts as well.

  • darkmorgado #47 2 years ago

    @number3son

    There is a freeplay mode in this.

  • NHDave #48 2 years ago

    I sat cross legged in front of the TV playing this game full blast with my TE arcade stick.

    OMG...I never thought about this.....I'm on it tonight......no sleep for me:)

  • neosalad #49 2 years ago

    great little game, bought it after 1 go on the demo mode the other day!
    shame i'm not at home all weekend to play it though
    :(

  • Hyoscine #50 2 years ago

    Aww, man... Steam release?

  • Averice #51 2 years ago

    Never really understood why this game was popular besides nostalgia reasons, I've never been able to get interested in it. The whole high score thing is just silly to me, but then maybe that's just how I view life anyway, not about the high score but just about getting the objective completed.

  • Huxamalay #52 2 years ago

    When is the Playstation version available?

  • tossetaz #53 2 years ago

    This is incredibly cool, especially since it's something my girlfriend, who havn't evolved past Mario 2D, can enjoy :-)

  • bigmickhart #54 2 years ago

    pacman, the original zombie game

  • EmiliasHorse #55 2 years ago

    Love it. Had no idea it was coming but bought the second I saw it.

    I have just one complaint...And I hate to say this about any game but the Achievements are too easy. I unlocked 6 on my first game and clocked the rest in very short time. I do love PM:CE and thought I was skilled in all things PacMan but alas this is not the case.

    Still a 10/10

  • Bluetooth #56 2 years ago

    Wowzers, a 10! I played the demo and it was certainly quite awesome - I thought it would just be a rehash - but c'mon, 10...

  • TruWari3r #57 1 year ago

    This weeks XBLA deal of the week, YAY!!

  • joelstinton #58 1 year ago

    I know no one will rad this as its about 6 months after the review, but i brought this last week, and it fricking brilliant. So much fun...10/10 ? deserves more than that. its perfect.