Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ released today and I decided to purchase it this morning, so that I could see how the game looked and played.  And not to spoil anything but I have not been disappointed so far.  The video in the header is a video that I recorded this morning and is my own gameplay (which is poor, I admit), so this article will be from my own experience this morning.

As I posted in my article yesterday, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is the new update for Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, and it features some improved functions.  The leaderboard function now tracks you amongst both your friends and all other players, and it adds in new medals that supplement the achievements that the game offers.  To go along with that, Namco Bandai Games has released some paid downloadable content that players can purchase if they choose.

Graphics: 10/10

There is only so much work that can be done to spruce up the graphics of a Pac-Man game, but Namco Bandai Games has done a great job.  The game looks awesome and still has enough of a “retro” feel that it still looks like a Pac-Man game should.  Namco Bandai Games balanced the look of the game nicely and I really like the visual styling.

The perfect balance of classic and new-age mixed into one…

I love that you can edit the look of all the different mazes before you play, and that you can even change the sprites for Pac-Man and the Ghosts.  The feature is not necessary but I really enjoy being able to choose how the game looks.  How many other games let you decide what visual style the game will played in?

Sound: 10/10

Another area that helps set the tone of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is the soundtrack of the game.  The game features a techno-electronica style soundtrack and actually fits nicely with the gameplay.  The original Pac-Man from 1980 featured a “similar” sound because of the limited software of the time, but Namco Bandai Games put together a really cool soundtrack.

The best thing about the sound of Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is how the game has the same sound effects of the 1980 release.  Pac-Man sounds exactly like he should and I’m glad that Namco Bandai Games kept the sound effects pretty close to original.  Even the sad sound of losing a life sounds like it did in 1980!

Gameplay: 10/10

The gameplay in Pac-Man is not too complex as you just run around the maze picking up pellets while avoiding the Ghosts.  However, this version of the game offers much more than that as the game changes as you play it.  If you are doing well, the game will ramp up the game speed slowly until you are moving faster than Pac-Man thought he could.

Seriously, look at all the Ghosts on-screen right now! 

Another fun addition is that the four Ghosts are still in the game but the game will spawn many more of them.  There were times when I was being chased by close to 30 Ghosts at once, and that is nerve-wracking and enormously fun at the same time.  So, increase the speed of the game and add additional Ghosts…it is a formula that works.

Overall: 10/10

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is a game that I foresee myself playing even after I beat all the courses.  The fast-paced gameplay makes playing this version of Pac-Man much more engaging, and it will keep you on edge while you play.  The game really is a great blend between “retro” and current-gen gaming.

Another advantage is this game only costs $9.99 on Steam, Xbox Games Store, and Playstation Network which makes it affordable!  For that price, I was willing to risk it and see how the game looked and played, and I have not been disappointed.  Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ could seriously become one of my all-time favorite arcade games.