Page 19 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #6

I all the other games right, what made Dig Dug

such a challenge? Namco does provide us with
the option to remove the scrolling, but then the
'm torn. When I recently purchased Namco Mu-
seum for the Sega Dreamcast, I sat down with a
screen!!!! Still, it is satisfying to grab the veg-
pen and paper to take notes on this classic compila- bottom line of dirt is off the bottom of your TV
tion. How close did they get to the arcade games? gies on the later levels (where else can you get
Are there any detracting peculiarities? And then I 2000 points for eating a green pepper???) and
was faced with a revelation. I am terribly critical of slowly inflate your enemies until their stomachs
any modern system's attempt to duplicate the clas- rupture and entrails splatter all over your
sics. miner’s helmet. Uh, maybe the game isn't quite
I’m not talking so much about the brand new re- that graphic... but we can dream, can't we?
makes of things like Frogger or Centipede, but Pole Position rounds out the package and is
these compilation discs that do their best to mimic quite close to the arcade program. Notice I did-
the classic arcade games of days gone by. I tend to n't say "arcade experience." Using a standard
immediately focus on the negative, noting superficial Dreamcast controller, there's simply no way to
qualities and details that wouldn't hinder the average duplicate the sensations you get from gripping
fan's enjoyment of the game. the Atari steering wheel and slamming the
As a result, while reading this article, you may degree of satisfaction when blowing them away. In shifter from low to high, as you would in an
feel that I'm being picky when I mention that a sound fact, the only flaw I could find was in Galaxian, at the arcade. Here, the steering is best accom-
isn't correct, or a character looks a little "off." end of a wave when only two or three aliens are flying plished by using the "plus sign" controller, as
But then I had to look at Namco Museum in a around in that hyper accelerated "frenzy." The panic- the joystick tends to be hyper sensitive, and a
different light. Is it fun? Does it duplicate the feel and inducing sound effects are supposed to continue until slight turn may send your car careening into
essence of the classics? you destroy the final Galaxian and clear the level. another racer. The trigger serves as the shifter,
The answer to that question, is a "shout-it-from- Here, the panic sounds are heard only for a few sec- and the gas and brake pedals also have but-
the-mountaintops" YES! onds and then stop. After that, only the sound of your tons assigned to them. It may not be notice-
Everybody knows the games offered on this disc. missiles firing at the winged monsters resonates. But able at first, but you will be treated to some
Pac-Man, Ms.Pac-Man, Galaxian, Galaga, Dig Dug, that's not too big of a detraction, considering that eve- very different billboards than those we are used
and Pole Position. The first four were released state- rything else is done spot on. to seeing on Atari's version. Atari's Pole Posi-
side by Bally/Midway, and the last two were intro- Namco has also given us authentic arcade screen tion featured signs that displayed the Atari logo
duced to us by Atari. All six, however, were devel- glass artwork to surround the screen on three of the and characters from Centipede and Dig Dug.
oped and released in Japan by Namco (with one four Bally/Midway games. But it isn't the artwork we Here, the Dig Dug sign is intact, but the rest are

exception I will discuss later...). recognize. The Pac games are surrounded by odd all references to other Namco games, including
I will say again that these games are VERY close cartoony Pac-people doing goofy things like sticking Xevious, King and Balloon (perhaps a future
to their arcade counterparts. In the case of Galaga, I their tongues out and pointing, or squinting their eyes "Lost Arcade Classic"?), Tower of Druaga, and
could notice NO flaws whatsoever. The others have and punching. Galaga features a generic green de- a strange one with the Saturday morning car-
a few details that seem overlooked. In the Pac-Man sign taken from the bottom third of the Galaga mar- toon version of Blinky the ghost with a caption
games, for instance, the ghosts don't look quite quee logo. These were probably the authentic screen reading... "But CLYDE!!!!"
right. It seems they have pointier heads than the glasses from the machines released in Japan, and to Earlier, I alluded to the fact that one of these
rounded domes we are used to playing. It is likely it's get the American artwork would have taken some games is not Namco's brainchild. And that
a matter of just one or two extra pixels, but it doesn't legal wrangling, but to an American purist, this artwork game is Ms.Pac-Man. Two independent Ameri-
seem right. The opening music to Ms.Pac-Man seems very out of place. can programmers (MIT students Doug MaCrae
seems tinny somehow, and the sound effect after Dig Dug is another excellent port. The game play, and Kevin Curran) made a bootleg of the origi-
eating a ghost, when its eyes are speeding back to sounds, and graphics are all dead on as far as I can nal Pac-Man featuring four new mazes, bounc-
the monster house, is a little off as well. But other tell. The only thing that keeps this from being 100% ing fruit, and a pac character with legs. They
than that, the games are dead on and offer the same flawless is a strange scrolling screen. The screen will called it "Crazy Otto." They showed it to the
mazes, fruits, and strategy as the originals. scroll vertically to show either the top or bottom 10% brass at Bally/Midway, who then decided to
It seems strange that no speed-up option is in- of the screen when you approach them. Why? All the work with the programmers to fine tune the
cluded on Pac-Man or Ms.Pac-Man. Because of a other games on this disc (with the exception of Pole game into Ms.Pac-Man. Seems Midway was
late 80's post-market speed-up chip marketed to Position) were originally played on the same 19" verti- growing impatient with Namco in regards to the
arcade owners, nearly every Pac or Ms.Pac arcade cal color monitors. If they could get the proportions of release of the first official sequel to Pac-Man,
machine you see these days has the golden gobbler (which was to be Super Pac-Man) so in walks
traveling at twice the speed of the ghosts. In fact, these young programmers with Crazy Otto, and
many people prefer this and seem to have forgotten Midway sees a sequel they can release inde-
what the original speed was like. I can't help thinking pendently of the Japanese powerhouse. So
some folks may be disappointed by the versions on Ms.Pac-Man is all American BABY!!! Perhaps
this disc for that reason. Namco licensed her after the fact.
"DADDY!!!, the Ms.Pac-Man down at Pizza Hut Namco has produced a very solid retro
moves faster than THIS!!!!" package for Dreamcast owners. Seems
Galaxian and Galaga are both excellent ports of that a little more could have been included,
the classic machines. From the high pitched such as promotional flyer scans or background
squeals of the Galaxians peeling out of formation, to info, but overall, it's a great flashback to that
the distinctive death sounds of the Galagans, the wonderful time when every mall had an arcade
sounds are all perfect. Galaga is going to be the crammed with machines, and every grocery
bigger draw to most players, what with its double fire store and K-Mart had several machines by the
power options, challenging stages, and aliens that front door.
split into an attack force of three later on in the
game. It's interesting to note that instead of the "A"
button, players can use the triggers to fire at the
cosmic beasties, which does add a certain extra
Classic Gamer Magazine Spring 2001 19