It does exactly what it says on the tin, allowing you a wakka-wakka down one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time It’s a numbers game, often, and that’ll mean a lot of people just don’t bother. There are expected achievements, that’ll have you beating a certain high score, but there’s also stamps that reward you for playing for so long, or eating so many ghosts. Stamps are rewarded for doing certain things in each of the games, and are more difficult than they should be. On top of the actual games, there’s stuff to unlock and work towards, adding an extra edge to many of these already well-loved games. It lacks an online component, which will make it underwhelming to people who miss out on four-player battles, but it’s still a lot of fun. Battle Royale is another look at how Pac-Man can be done differently. It’s a nice addition to this set, and not only because it’s the only place to get it. Up to four Pac-people face off against one another, trying to knock their opponents into ghosts, or trying to swallow them up. Four-Pac Battle RoyaleĪlso included is the previously arcade-only Battle Royale, which is a little bit unusual in its own right. People who dislike such things will be angry to hear it’s a 100kb unlock key, meaning the game is already downloaded to your system. Pac-Man is an extra download, and will require a $4.99 purchase if you try to get it beyond March 2014. It’s a minor complaint, but the upgraded edition would have been preferable. In terms of included titles, core fans might be disappointed that it’s the original Championship Edition included rather than the Championship Edition DX+.

Some of the games – Pac-Land springs to mind – just aren’t that good in the first place, and so checking it out is as a curiosity alone. There’s no guarantee that your favourite part of one game will make it to the other, and so you’ll probably ignore anything that doesn’t appeal. For that very reason, there’ll be good and bad, titles you like and titles you don’t. There are variations on a theme, sure, but the variations make each stand out. So, all in all, this isn’t just a set of nine very similar games. There are a couple of spin-offs included in the set as well, including the Tetris-inspired Pac-Attack and the “trippy” side-scroller Pac-Land. Pac & Pal shook things up again, and long-time followers of all things Pac will know how important this release is as part of the collection. 1982’s Super Pac-Man was a lock-and-key game set in the same maze as the original, but challenged you to think a little more about the order in which you did things. There are variations on a theme, sure, but the variations make each stand outįrom the very get go, they were trying to find new ways of shaking things up. So, all in all, this isn't just a set of nine very similar games.

Pac man museum stamps