Pac-Man Museum+ Explained

Pac-Man Museum+
Developer:Now Production[1]
Publisher:Bandai Namco Entertainment
Series:Pac-Man
Engine:Unity
Genre:Various
Modes:Single-player, Multi-player
Director:Syuhou Imai
Producer:Minami Honda

Pac-Man Museum+ is a 2022 compilation video game developed by Now Production and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Being a sequel to the 2014 compilation title Pac-Man Museum, Pac-Man Museum+ includes 14 games from the Pac-Man series, with additional features such as missions and online leaderboards.

The compilation was released worldwide on May 27, 2022 on Windows via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.[2] [3] [4] [5]

Overview

Like the previous collection, Pac-Man Museum+ features fourteen games from the Pac-Man franchise, ranging from arcade titles to home console/handheld releases. These games are presented as playable machines in a virtual arcade, where the player can control Pac-Man and explore. The classic games are playable via emulation, while some of the modern games are ports. Some games in the collection are locked upon first startup, and require the player to complete two play sessions of specific games.[6] The game features coins, which can be earned by obtaining high scores. These coins can be spent to play the arcade games in the collection, as well as to purchase objects from a vending machine and gashapon capsules at a gashapon machine. Objects for the arcade room can be unlocked by completing missions in games. These items can be placed throughout the arcade to customize it to the player's liking. Additional features to the games include a CRT filter, save points for select classic games and online leaderboards.

Games featured

Pac-Man Arrangement (2005) lacks the two-player mode found in the original game, similar to previous ports of the game.[7]

Production and release

Pac-Man Museum+ was developed by Now Production. The studio developed the compilation simultaneously with the remake Pac-Man World Re-Pac starting in 2020.[8] Pac-Man Museum+ was originally announced on social media platforms by Bandai Namco Entertainment on November 19, 2021, slated for an early 2022 release.[9] On February 25, 2022, Famitsu announced a livestream showcasing first "hands-on" footage of Pac-Man Museum+, which was streamed on March 4, 2022.[10] On February 28, 2022, the game was given a May 27, 2022 release date through social media announcements, alongside the game announced to be included on Xbox Game Pass on launch day.[11] The game left the Xbox Game Pass lineup on May 31, 2024.[12] In Japan, the game was scheduled to launch on Steam on May 28, 2022; the release moved a day earlier on May 25, 2022.[13]

The versions of Pac-Land, Pac-In-Time and Pac-Attack in the collection are modified to replace almost all graphics of Ms. Pac-Man appearing in-game, with the Pac-Mom character created specifically for the compilation taking her place instead – as previously seen in the Arcade Archives re-release of Pac-Land, released a month earlier. The designs for Pac-Baby (named Pac-Sis in the collection) and Jr. Pac-Man (named Pac-Boy in the collection) have also been altered to remove resemblance to Ms. Pac-Man, as well as Chomp-Chomp's name being altered to Pac-Buddy. Despite the graphical replacements, Ms. Pac-Man appears within the credits for Pac-Man Arrangement CS. Ver, a potential oversight. Bandai Namco has not stated an official reason for the alterations, though news outlets assumed the changes to be tied to Ms. Pac-Man's ongoing legal dispute with AtGames.[14]

Reception

Pac-Man Museum+ received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Nintendo Life gave the title an 8 out of 10 and praised its emulation quality, interesting overworld setup, missions, online leaderboards, and the comprehensive collection of Pac-Man's history while criticizing the implementation of the CRT filter, the arcade overworld framerate, and a vertical synchronization issue present in Pac-Land. Push Square thought favorably of the large variety of games, interactive wrapper, and emulation quality, but took minor issue with input lag and a few poor game selections.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ . 2022-04-29 . Bandai Namco Europe.
  2. Web site: Wales. Matt. 2021-11-19. Pac-Man Museum+ bundling together 14 games on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, and PC. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211120071757/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2021-11-19-pac-man-museum-bundling-together-14-games-for-playstation-xbox-switch-and-pc. 2021-11-20. 2021-11-21. Eurogamer.
  3. Web site: Humphries. Matthew. 2021-11-21. Namco's Pac-Man Museum+ Will Include 14 Games. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20211122130703/https://www.pcmag.com/news/namcos-pac-man-museum-plus-will-include-14-games. 2021-11-22. 2021-11-22. PC Magazine.
  4. Stewart. Marcus. 2021-11-19. Pac-Man Museum+ Lets You Play 14 Pac-Man Games As Pac-Man. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20211119174554/https://www.gameinformer.com/2021/11/19/pac-man-museum-lets-you-play-14-pac-man-games-as-pac-man. 2021-11-19. 2021-11-22. Game Informer. GameStop Corp..
  5. Web site: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ . 2022-04-29 . Bandai Namco Europe.
  6. GameXplain. Pac-Man Museum+ - 20 Minutes of Gameplay (Switch). video. YouTube. December 5, 2022.
  7. Web site: PAC-MAN MUSEUM+. December 5, 2022. PAC-MAN MUSEUM+. ja. November 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130083833/https://pacmusplus.pacman.com/. live.
  8. Web site: Editor . Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire . 2022-08-26 . Pac-Man World is Back . 2024-05-15 . Xbox Wire . en-US.
  9. パックマン公式_JP. BNEI_PACMAN_JP. 1461711309230141449. ⭐️『PAC-MAN MUSEUM+』2022年、発売決定⭐️ パックマンの名作から14タイトルを収録! 家族や友人と楽しめるオフラインマルチプレイ、 自分好みにカスタマイズできるゲームセンターなど 他にも楽しい要素が盛り沢山です 続報をお楽しみに✨ #pacmanmuseumplus https://t.co/g35624GAXV. ja. March 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220227233632/https://twitter.com/bnei_pacman_jp/status/1461711309230141449. February 27, 2022. live.
  10. Web site: 『パックマン ミュージアム プラス』懐かしゲームの数々に佐々木琴子が挑戦【ファミ通LIVE】 ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com . 2022-02-27 . ファミ通.com . ja.
  11. Bandai Namco US. BandaiNamcoUS. 1498312211009265666. PAC-MAN MUSEUM+ is coming for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, with Day 1 @XboxGamePass availability! Play 14 different PAC-MAN games, customize your virtual arcade, and compare scores when it arrives on 5/27! More information: https://t.co/W7U3uvTLCx https://t.co/nUvcI1mHU4. March 8, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220228210008/https://twitter.com/bandainamcous/status/1498312211009265666. February 28, 2022. live.
  12. Web site: Partis . Danielle . 2024-05-14 . Coming to Game Pass: Senua's Saga: Hellblade II, Immortals of Aveum, Lords of the Fallen, and More . 2024-05-15 . Xbox Wire . en-US.
  13. パックマン公式_JP. BNEI_PACMAN_JP. 1529644906356293632. https://youtube.com/watch?v=fjcnpi1fwBo Xbox One/Windows PC版/STEAM版は明日27日に発売開始!同日Xbox Game Passにも対応✨ ※Steam®版は5月28日発売予定でしたが、27日発売に変更となりました。. December 5, 2022.
  14. Web site: Hagues. Alana. May 27, 2022. Pac-Man's Family All Have VERY Different Names In Pac-Man Museum+. December 5, 2022. Nintendo Life.