Pac-Man World 3
Mario is everywhere. Not only does the Italian plumber and his brother show up in their own series of adventure games, but he is the star of racing games, tennis games, and a successful series of party games. Not only that, but even supporting characters Wario and Yoshi each have their own game series. Mario isn't the only character who has turned into a franchise either; Megaman, and Donkey Kong (have you ever seen a donkey in any of those games? I haven't.) have also been turned into very profitable game lines, not to mention Pokemon that started out as a game boy cart and quickly grew into a global phenomenon.
So in all of this, where is Pac-Man? This one-time wildly popular game is arguably the first game that most people think of when they recall the arcades of the early 80's and a rip character for mining (if you'll excuse the mixed metaphor.) Namco hasn't really done a very good job of marketing the little yellow dot eater. After a successful series of console spin-offs (notably Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man Jr.) the series died for all practical purposes. In this day and age when the character on the cover of a game is largely responsible to how much shelf space a game gets in video stores and in the Sunday ads, Pac-Man largely missing. The owners of the character realize that of course, and they've been trying to get the yellow orb back into the public eye. Their latest attempt, created by game developer Blitz, is Pac-Man World 3, a standard platformer that is aimed at young players. Unfortunately this is a case of too-little too-late, with the game feeling just like the multitude of other platform games out there and not anything really special or innovative to separate it from the pack.
Gameplay:
After a humorous opening movie where Pac-Man is accidently transported to an underground lair just as he's about to celebrate his 25th birthday, the yellow orb has to negotiate a series of levels to get back to his family. If that's not a big enough problem, the fate of the world rests upon his nonexistent shoulders: an evil scientist named Erwin (even the name evokes terror doesn't it?) is sucking energy away from the spectral universe (where ghosts live) to power his dastardly robot creations. This drain is causing the spectral world to merge with the real one which would be devastating to both realms. If Pac-Man can't stop Erwin, the world will never be the same.
So Pac travels through the various levels, navigating through simple puzzles and avoiding traps, while trying to stay one step ahead of the monsters, ghosts, and robots that inhabit the place he's been transported to. Pac-man can has a few tricks up his yellow sleeve to help him though, he can punch and charge the baddies of course, and also jump up in the air and butt-slam his enemies. Along the way he also chomps the little dots he's so fond of, searches for coins, cards, statues and other power-ups, and even has to navigate through a series of classic Pac-Man arcade mazes in 3D.
On the plus side, the controls of this game are very responsive and it is easy to line Pac up for a jump or attack. There are also some nice power-ups, including an electro-shock pellet that allows Pac to shot electricity from his hands, a pellet the gives his butt-slams more force, and a fun ribbon pellet that creates a rainbow trail behind the character. He can encircle enemies with the rainbow and when the ends meet, it explodes.
The classic 2-D Pac-man games are also fun, and the fact that Pac teams up with his ancient enemies Pinky and Clyde is amusing too, especially for old-time players. There are also some nice extras on the disc, including an original Pac-Man port (unlocked right from the get-go too!) and an interview with Pac's creator.
While all that is nice, there really isn't much to recommend this game. Blitz really didn't bring anything new to the table. It'll remind players of countless other platform games and experienced gamers will have a hard time holding their interest. How many times do you need to line up in order to make a jump or look for the last hidden token to clear a level before it gets dull. Usually platform games have some interesting puzzles to keep the game challenging, but this one doesn't. There isn't any point that is terribly challenging or thought provoking. You can pretty much play through this game in your sleep. Jumping on trampolines, avoiding gas jets and jumping from ledge to ledge is something that we've all seen before, and a few fun power-ups doesn't alter the fact that there isn't much to this game.
Graphics:
The visuals that accompany this game are okay, but nothing too impressive. If anything the style looks a little dated. There isn't the level of detail that gamers have come to expect from the newest games. The structures and castles, while impressively large, and smooth or have simple textures. Likewise the frame rate seems a little low, but the movement is smooth. There are many games that have better looking graphics, but while this game doesn't try to push the envelope, its appearance is far from bad.
Audio:
The sound is adequate but not impressive. While the background music can get a little annoying after a while, the sound effects work well with the game. The rainbow trail explosions and butt-slam sounds are strong if not forceful. While this won't give your sound system a workout, the sound isn't tinny or thin.
Conclusion:
While this would be a good game to get for child who has never played this type of game before, other players should probably Rent this title. While the control of the characters is very good and there are some amusing moments in the game, there really isn't a lot else to recommend this title. The levels are overly simple and aren't very different from one another, and there isn't anything new or innovative in the game. Feeling like the countless other platform games out there, this game is destined to get lost in the mix, and that's not really a bad fate.