Weekly Game Review: Pac-Man (Atari 2600 version)

[MockBot]

Automatically generated comment thread for Weekly Game Review: Pac-Man (Atari 2600 version).

[mew barios]

i played the crap out of this when i was lil. to my baby eyes it was still novelty enough to play an arcade port of somethin even if it was ugly and clunky. not only were it's generic bloops used as stock videogame noises in several movies and shows, they were also ripped off by other crappy atari games. everyone that had an atari had this game it was the law

[PoGo]

I have this game but have never played it.
My Atari doesnt work.
I shouldn't have bought an Atari from Goodwill.
Bad call.

[Julio]

I've been experiencing what I would like to call a "Pac-Man Revival". This is because there have been a lot of those moments during this past two weeks where I find myself either so bored or so stressed that playing a few levels helps me ease things a bit.

You will find a good port of the classic arcade version to play for free online here.

Give it a try if you have a few minutes to spare and your godamned Websense blocker at work doesn't mess with it.

[BillyBear]

it's unbeatable...yes, if you haven't figured this shit out, already

[Doctor_Who]

Played it when I was little. I didn't know how bad it was until I got Miss Pac-Man, which was 1000X better. Never put this one in my Atari again.

[robo_rob]

From what I've heard, the released game was actually a demo of the game and the game was never completed. Not sure how true that is, but I remember still how disappointed I was that Christmas morning.

[Cruxader]

Pacman for the Atari 2600 may forever be used as a prime example of how NOT to port a game from one platform to another... For as awesome as the arcade version was at the time, this was the exact opposite of awesome.

I did own it, however. :P

[DavidFullam]

I remember the coast to coast "Pac Man Day" that heralded the arrival of this turkey. I so looked forward to it, and put on a brave face for months afterwards. Sort of "well, I guess they did the best they could." Then I just had to accept it, the game stunk.

[Mockery]

Originally Posted by robo_rob

From what I've heard, the released game was actually a demo of the game and the game was never completed. Not sure how true that is, but I remember still how disappointed I was that Christmas morning.

Yeah, the game that was released was basically a prototype. Since the company wanted to get the game out by Christmas, they didn't get to make it a nicer port, so basically what you have is a prototype released worldwide. Crazy.

[Julio]

Cruxader: If this is a prime example of how a game must not be ported to another console then I don't know why it is a practice that keeps taking place with plenty of games these days that saw glory in some systems but shame and heavy criticism on others. Is nothing sacred?

[executioneer]

i didn't think it was one-pickle bad, it was still better than say home run or swordquest:earthworld i'da given it two

[robo_rob]

Originally Posted by Mockery

Yeah, the game that was released was basically a prototype. Since the company wanted to get the game out by Christmas, they didn't get to make it a nicer port, so basically what you have is a prototype released worldwide. Crazy.

Definitely shows when compared to the 2600 version of Mrs. Pack-Man, that game was great!

[Mockery]

Originally Posted by executioneer

i didn't think it was one-pickle bad, it was still better than say home run or swordquest:earthworld i'da given it two

Heheh, well I owned the game when I was a kid and it always made me pretty damned angry. It ranks right up there with E.T. in my book. The only reason it gets a pickle instead of just half of a pickle is because the sounds are so memorable and have been used extensively in the world of entertainment over the years.

[Nick]

I would have gave it half a pickle. That's how I roll.

[Angryhydralisk]

I'm glad I never owned an Atari. PERIOD.

[HowardC]

I read an article a few months back saying that the port was lousy not souly because of time constraints but hardware constraints. Yes ladies and gentlemen, the 2600 isn't even powerful enough to run pacman!!! Seriously... the animation issues were due to a lousy draw rate and limited palette, and the crappy ai and sound effects were due to limited memory space.

It's actually quite amazing that it turned out that good.

I've also been experiencing pacman nostalgia btw. I used to be rather (in)famous over at byoac, but I haven't done anything related to that in quite a while. I think it's time to build the ultimate pacman cab from scratch!

[Scorpio1976]

Pac-Man for the 5200 was better.

[Scorpio1976]

Okay Mr. Mockery, which port was worse for the 2600 -- Pac-Man or Donkey Kong?

[Copper]

I still see this as happy nostalgia from my childhood and essential in starting me on the path to geekdom. It may not have been the best, but it kept me entertained and that was what the games were for, at least as far as I was concerned.

[Alcibiades]

I'd rather play this than that Pac-Man game for the SNES where you try to shoot him with a slingshot so he'll go where you want him to. That game made me nostalgic for the simple control scheme in a Boy and his Blob for crying out loud.

[Tetsu Deinonychus]

Pac-Man 2

I love that game. I never actually play it, though. I just like to torture Pac-Man for awhile. You know, shoot him repeatedly for no reason, lead him into trouble, etc.

[EchoCharlie]

I hate to ruin anyones day but the guy singing the "I'm gonna beat PacMan" song said the banana was flying across the screen. That didn't happen in PacMan. That happened in MsPacMan. The fruit was always stationary - under where the ghosts came from.

Yeah I know...