Pac-Man
Game by Namco
Reviewed by Adrock
gbcam@hotmail.com
Size: 512 KB
Save: No Save
Released: 1991
Works with: All Game Boy systems, but conflicts with CGB-001.

Opening Snide Remarks: Pac-Man is gaming nirvana. It is right up there
with Tetris on it's ability to never stop being fun. No secret stars, no
challengepoints, no bonus rounds, just straight up Pac-Man. And I like that.
My earliest memories of  Nintendo would be playing Pac-Man with my mom. I
remember how much fun it was and how good my mom was at it from the old days
in the arcade. I learned a lot of my tricks from my mom, how to sit and wait
by my energizer, until one ofthe ghosts came, and how much it helped to get
fruit. So when I looked to get Pac-Man for my Game Boy, I wanted an
experience that lived up to it's Nintendo and Arcade predecessors. So... did
it?

Gameplay: The first thing you will notice about Game Boy Pac-Man is
that it has a zoomed up view to it's hero. Is this good? Yes. It is good for
Game Boy. You will feel you have more precise control this way, and you can
concentrate better on the ghosts closest to you. But, if you still want your
precious full screen, just press Right to get a 1/2 icon, and play the
original way. The characters will be a little small, but it still plays very
well. You might want to play this mode on a Super Game Boy. Well, I like that
they gave you two ways to play. I also like the fast attitude it retains.

Graphics: Pac-Man is Pac-Man. But the ghosts... Well, now they are all the
same color. No Inky, Blinky, Clyde or anyone else, just generic ghosts. I
think they should of made a ghost for each color on the palette. The score
bar is rather big, and a smaller bordered one might have made for more play
room. But, can't complain, these graphics do a good job on reproducing the
feel of the console Pac-Mans.

Sound: Waka, Waka. Ah, that's the greatest word in the english language.
(or whatever language).  All the sounds remain intact from the console and
arcade versions, which is also a plus. If you own a Game Boy Color Model 1,
though, you may notice your sound has gone to a buzz. But that's not the
game's problem, it's the Game Boy Color's, for not giving good compatability
to all the original Game Boy carts. So I'm not going to count against the
game.

Music: Um, if you are referring to the little intros when you start the
stage, um, yeah, they sound good, too. Once again conflicts with CGB-001.
 
Play Control: It is nice and responsive, but I have slipped a few moves
once that I think were the game's fault. Oh well. I guess the same can happen
on an arcade or console version

Final Analysis: Get Pac-Man, people. Write down your high scores and see how
far you can get in a single trip to Miami or Texas. It's fun and it's just
like you remembered it. Also, if you think Ms. Pac-Man for GB can do a better
job, maybe you should read my review on it, too.

Score Gameplay: *****
Graphics: ****
Sound: ****
Music: ***
Play Control: ****
Total: 20/25

Final Score: 83%

Currently Known Codes:
Press right at title for a full screen mode.