Google pays tribute to Pac-Man News • News • PC • Eurogamer.net

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30-year-old game in playable logo.

Google's celebrating the 30th birthday of Pac-Man (tomorrow) with a playable version of the game for its logo.

The search engine's homepage has a basic Pac-Man game built around the word Google.

Clicking the "Insert Coin" button button next to "Google Search" begins a two-player version.

Pac-Man Google will be available for the next 48 hours and apparently all 256 levels are playable.

Pac-Man, made by Toru Iwatani, was created as a way for Namco to appeal to women, among other things. The hope was that arcades would become desirable places for couples to go to, not just men.

Post your Google Pac-Man scores below!

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About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

Comments (45) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

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Razzajazz #1 2 years ago

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It's very hard not become a Google fanboy when they do awesome stuff like this, privacy stealers or not!
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- +29 - +
Gnuttyfella #2 2 years ago

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Just had a quick go - Its nice to know that I still suck at this game 30 years after first playing it.
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- +36 - +
CB.Gamestation #3 2 years ago

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well done google... you have made my day!
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Cadence #4 2 years ago

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Awesome, this really made my day too.
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Ryboy #5 2 years ago

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Oh fuck me no! Next it'll be a playable logo version of tiger woods.

You fucking bell-ends would spunk over anything. ZOMGCOPPERTS IT'S LIKE PAC-MAN BUT LIKE IN GOOGLE.

Cunts.

Edited by Ryboy at 23/05/10 @ 10:37
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- -77 - +
Lotos8ter #6 2 years ago

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Fucking lag.
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wizlon #7 2 years ago

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How much as Google cost the economy by putting a playable version of Pac Man on their home page? I'm guessing billions.
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- +20 - +
ZuluHero #8 2 years ago

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what - no review?
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mb2251 #9 2 years ago

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will there be a Digital Foundry frame rate analysis?
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ant72 #10 2 years ago

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It even has the little animations at the end of level 3 etc... perfect Frdiay fodda.
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- 0 - +
Capa26 #11 2 years ago

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Anyone else found that if you press insert coin a second time it's two player?

Just brilliant.
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andromeda #12 2 years ago

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i stumbled across this this afternoon.
In the words of 'Arry Redknapp - "I'ts top , top drawer"

google are welcome to rule the world if they come up with the goods like this
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- +4 - +
Bennicus #13 2 years ago

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Isn't this a Namco lawsuit waiting to happen?
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TessaTickle #14 2 years ago

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341,235,657,231,999,632 ! Beat that, chumps
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OldK1ngCole #15 2 years ago

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Even works on my iPhone. Awesome!
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solidSnake04 #16 2 years ago

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really ? isnt that flash based and apple doesnt support flash ?
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- -9 - +
TOOTR #17 2 years ago

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Has made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Brilliant.
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alcides #18 2 years ago

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pax pic for DS is great
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- 0 - +
erp #19 2 years ago

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"really ? isnt that flash based and apple doesnt support flash ?"

It ain't flash, it's HTML5. (Aka. the future.)
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Feanor #20 2 years ago

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Aka not the present.
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X3Entente #21 2 years ago

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maybe in 30 years time google will have an embedded playable version of crysis
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- +19 - +
wowami #22 2 years ago

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Digital Foundary vs Google Pacman - there can be only one!
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Pirotic #23 2 years ago

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Google, don't ever change

(I'm surprised it has the sound on by default, that might get a few workers in trouble)
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Caimbeul #24 2 years ago

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and work cant stop it! yay!
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Emmit_Assassin #25 2 years ago

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Fuck google. My browser wont stop playing fuckin pacman sfx. Epic fail, Google.

That's right, losers - me for not liking Google fucking up my browser. You lot need a fucking life. Getting all jizzy over pacman...twats.

Edited by Emmit_Assassin at 22/05/10 @ 08:48
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Rack #26 2 years ago

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I also found it very annoying to hear the Pacman blips whenever I started to search for something and ended up changing my homepage to Blackle. Would have been very cool if it activated on a mouse click.
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Cheapshot #27 2 years ago

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This is too cute! Nice one Google!

Really shows how far gaming has come, but at the same time what it's lost along the way.
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Red-Moose #28 2 years ago

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That game is awesome, I can't believe Ellie gave it 7/10. WTF is going on at EG? Fucking pacman now? YOU GUYS ARE LAME. If the reviewer doesn't like eating pills than get another one who does FFS.
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Caspar_Esq. #29 2 years ago

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blatantly because nobody goes to google.com anymore, and just use a toolbar in their browser. I hadn't even noticed this...
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polar #30 2 years ago

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That's just pure brilliance!
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kendoji #31 2 years ago

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Good old Google

/proudly hugs his HTC Desire
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Dewis789 #32 2 years ago

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Great work google
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Oceadge #33 2 years ago

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Excellent! And thanks for letting us know - I haven't gone to the Google homepage in a long time so would have missed this. (Usually search from the address bar).
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skuzzbag #34 2 years ago

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works on my iPod too, nice one google!

probably recognises the iPhone and changes the plugin in the page code.
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DoctorFouad #35 2 years ago

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very interesting idea !
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levitate #36 2 years ago

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Ha ha! This is awesome!
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TomSwift #37 2 years ago

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For a comedy challenge, I'd recommend playing the two player version on your own.
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jamesslater #38 2 years ago

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I've just visited the Google homepage, and the sound seems to be muted by default now.

So now everyone can be happy!

(If you want the sound back, just click the speaker icon on the left.)

(EDIT: And yes, Google should have had in this place from the start. People shouldn't have to listen to these things if they don't want to or if it interferes with their work. Bad form, Google!)

Edited by jamesslater at 22/05/10 @ 11:19
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5h1nj1 #39 2 years ago

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I almost had a heart attack, when I opened google homepage and the pacman sfx started. Had my speakers on max from previous stuff and never thought opening google won't be safe soundwise...
Epic fail with the sound. Probably gonna change my homepage so that it won't happen again. I thought I can trust at least google to not make such a basic error. They should know about webdesign, shouldn't they?
Except that, a nice idea.
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Setaro #40 2 years ago

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All the people who have moaned at the Pac-Man jingle playing by default are all cunts. Hearing that sound before I noticed the google logo brought a huge smile to my jaded, misanthropic self.

If you shouldn't be using google at work, turn your speakers off, cos you never know what might be auto-playing.
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Bander #41 2 years ago

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Just posting to point out that it isn't using HTML5 at all. It's JavaScript, using a couple of PNG files for image data and a Flash file for sound effects.
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TaniumZX #42 2 years ago

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Gets old pretty quick, im using igoogle until this is gone.
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zedzee #43 2 years ago

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This is a serious question and nothing to do with this, albeit nice, idea from Google.

But I wanted to ask, why aren't Google, as a company, getting into games?

They seem to want to compete with Microsoft in every other area that the Redmond giant is into (and then some) but they seem to shy away from the games market altogether.

I can easily see them making an games console, based on open source standards, with Android OS at its heart. And while they can start their games development skills on it, they can eventually spread those skills to even, dare I say PC games and the X360...well, perhaps not the X360.

But seriously, why have they not considered this?
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Demiath #44 2 years ago

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Thanks for your indispensible reporting, EG. But just answer this; who in the whole wide Internet-connected world is NOT going to find out this piece of "news" all by themselves? Come on, it's Google for crying out loud....
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AphoticCosmos #45 2 years ago

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Demiath - I rarely visit the proper Google site because I use the built-in Google in the Chrome browser bar, or on my homepage on iGoogle.

If EG hadn't reported on this, I would have missed it.
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