Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is a fast paced, challenged take on the classic arcade game.
Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 does something remarkable. It re-invents both the classic arcade Pac-Man and the previous championship edition DX game, while remaining loyal to the source material of both.
The innovative thing about this game is the fact that the gameplay manages to retain the form the classic 80s game that we are all familiar with. However, Bandai adds just enough variation to the gaming experience and transforms it into an extremely addictive game.
If you are not familiar with the first title, named Pac-Man Championship edition DX, that is ok. This game guides players through everything with a few tutorial stages. These allow players to learn all the new gaming mechanics, which include the use of ghost minions, who you need to wake up by passing by them. Once awoken, they will form a conga line of sorts behind one of the main ghosts. Trust me, once you have a huge line of ghosts chasing you, things get interesting. Grab a power pellet and players will be able to eat the entire line of ghosts for a huge score bonus. This creates an interesting element and there are times you might wait just a little longer before grabbing that power pellet so that you can have every single minion on that line as a snack for a higher score.
Even the main ghosts receive dynamic changes – instead of Pac-Man instantly losing a life once he touches a ghost, he has to hit them three times in a quick succession. This results in the ghosts chasing you. While this might be seen as a way to make the game easier, it removes the cheap and quick deaths that can result in this games fast-paced gameplay.
And in this game things can get fairly intense by combining multiple ghosts chasing you and the fast-paced movement of Pac-Man himself. However, there are bombs available to help you get out of a tough situation fairly quickly. Use a bomb and Pac-Man will be teleported to the start of the map at a safe point. But, you have to be strategic when you use them as you do not have unlimited bombs.
There are two areas for players to explore, which are Score Attack and Adventure mode. Score attack is self-explanatory. Adventure mode gives players an even greater challenge with a ranking system dependent on not only score but the number of lives you have left. It also features a huge “boss battle” at the end of each stage. The adventure mode suffers from getting extremely difficult fairly quickly which can make some players feel frustrated.
Overall, this can be a short game after a few hours with just the two modes (not including the training), but the real fun comes with trying to finish a really tough stage or beating a high score, which is very satisfying, and at around $10.00 you still get a fair amount of content and quality. Huge props need to given to the developers on this title. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 is loyal to the original 80s classic source material and improves on the previous game in this series. A fun, challenging and additive experience that will keep players entertained.
The Good:
- Classic Pac-Man gameplay reinvented
- Superior music and presentation
- Great value for price point
- Spike in difficulty
- New ghost mechanics can get frustrating
Reviewed for PS4
(Code provided by Publisher)
Game Information:
- Developer: Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
- Publisher: Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
- Release Date: 13/09/16
- Available on: PS4, XBOX, PC
- Modes: Tutorial, Score Attack, Adventure Mode
- Player #’s: One