Pac-Man

Pac-Man is the kind of game that never gets old, even over forty years later. Almost every time I see an old-fashioned Pac-Man arcade machine, I play it.

One day while eating pizza for lunch, Toru Iwatani looked closely at the pizza missing a slice, and just like that, he decided on the appearance for the game's titular character. After that, Pac-Man changed the gaming industry and made Namco one of the greatest arcade video game companies in history.

Although action is involved, namely eating ghosts, Pac-Man deliberately lacked more overt violence present in other arcade games released in 1980, like Berzerk and Defender. This was so the game would appeal to a wider audience, including women. And it paid off tremendously.

The game has a simple but challenging formula where you must navigate Pac-Man through a maze and eat all the dots while evading the four ghosts Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde; each one having their own unique movement patterns. You have the chance to use a power pellet to make the ghosts vulnerable so you can eat them, bump up your high score, and buy yourself some time to collect any remaining dots or snack pick-ups that inrease in value overtime, like cherries, apples, and oranges. But since the ghosts have pre-established routes and there's only one level, you could rack up an impressive high score if you remembered the ghosts movements and the layout of the map.

Pac-Man introduced new concepts for video games like power-ups and smart enemies that actively pursue the protagonist through the maze. The game had funny and iconic sound effects, like Pac-Mans "wakka-wakka-wakka" sound as he gobbled up dots, and his death noise; a high-pitched whining sound followed by a little splat. Any true gamer knows these sound effects.

Pac-Mans success introduced a new era of arcade games and even today, people find it fun 45 years later. You can even play it for free on Google if you ever get bored.

NOTE: I'm writing about the Atari VCS (a.k.a. Atari 2600) version, which is not to be confused with the original arcade game.

I can understand the Pac-Man craze that came about following the game's release. After all, it was the first video game in which you controlled a creature with an actual identity as opposed to Random Space Fighter #259. But I would have thought that Atari would at least show our yellow friend a bit of dignity.

The entire maze is etched in a puke-brown color on top of a blue background that hurts my eyes. Couldn't they just make the background black?! The ghosts flicker a lot, and some of the most irritating noises in the game world are pumped through your television speakers. The only saving grace is that the Pac-Man "eating" sound and the sound when he dies have been injected into miscellaneous techno songs and stuff, as well as an episode of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".

Stay away from this and stick with the far superior arcade game or even the (excellent) NES port.

The original Pac-Man is one of these games that needs no introduction, It is one of the most iconic video games of all time, It is one of most played video games of all time, It has been ported to like every gaming console in existence, Everybody and their grandma know what Pac-Man is!

So the 7/10 rating I am gonna give this game might seem a little low for such an iconic classic title, but believe me, the only I'm giving this game a 7/10 is just because I think that there has better Pac-Man games released throughout the years.. like Ms. Pac-Man and Pac-Man Arrangement, Games that took the Pac-Man formula and took it to its full potential that I think are better than the original but still, The OG Pac-Man is a classic, and It is still a blast to play today, Even though it feels kinda limited, especially after playing newer titles in the series that have developed and again, took the Pac-Man formula to its full Potential, But if we're talking about this game for what it is, It is still pretty great!

7/10.

Edit: Uh, Do you know something?! I don't even know what am I talking about, It's the original Pac-Man, come on! 8/10.

Some games never get old, and "Pac-Man" is one of them. Like pizza or a good movie, it's built on a simple recipe - but it works every time. It's a game that's simple at its core, yet endlessly addictive, easily stealing away dozens of minutes before you know it.

As the iconic yellow dot, we zip through a maze, gobbling up pellets while being chased by a gang of colorful ghost-clouds. There are four of them. First up is Blinky (the red one), also known as Shadow, Oikake, or Akabei - the relentless pursuer who speeds up the longer the game goes on. Then there's Pinky (pink), nicknamed Speedy or Machibuse, who tries to cut you off and trap you rather than chase directly. Next comes Inky (blue), a.k.a. Bashful, Kimagure, or Aosuke - a tricky one, whose movements are based on a weird algorithm involving both Pac-Man's and Pinky's positions. And finally, Clyde (orange), also referred to as Poki, Otoboke, or Guzuta - a ghost who charges straight at you if you're far away, but switches to a totally random path when close. All four have one goal: to corner you and steal a life. Your job? Don't let them.

The mechanics are simple: it's basic human instinct to run from ghosts. But "Pac-Man" wouldn't be the legend it is without one brilliant twist - the power pellets. Eat one, and the hunters become the hunted. The ghosts turn into panicked, shivering blue blobs, scrambling to escape while you chase them down. It's a brief moment of power, revenge, and score-hunting. With good timing and sharp moves, you can chomp all four and rack up big points.

Occasionally, fruit pops up on the map. They don't grant powers, but they're great for extra points. And then there's that one genius feature - the side tunnels. Like little wormholes, they let you warp instantly from one side of the screen to the other. A small thing on paper, but when ghosts are closing in from all sides, a quick dash through the tunnel can be a lifesaver.

The scariest moment? When you think you made it through - but a ghost tags you right at the edge. I've made my entire household jump more than once with my panicked yelps. Yeah, those were the days. Childhood. The rage faded fast, though, and the next run began.

With every level, the ghosts get smarter and faster, turning the game into a kind of chess match. Where to turn? When to take a risk? Should you go for that cherry? The mechanics may be simple, but the pacing is pure chaos.

"Pac-Man" is a true and undeniable classic. Simple, yet incredibly engaging. Even decades later, it still holds up and delivers a rush of emotions. Running from danger never felt so fun - and those sneaky ghosts never stop being a thrill.

8 out of 10.

Rated E.

Pakkuman or Pacman is one of the greatest early games ever.This game was released in 1980 yet the graphics and gameplay are simply excellent.The graphics are just as good if not better than other games that came out in 1980 but Pacman is most known for its addicting gameplay.You control a little pizza like thing and you must eat as much yellow dots as you can and watch out for the ghosts.However you can eat a special something which turns you into super pacman or something and enables you to eat your ghost enemies.But this only happens for a period of time.Pacman is a very fun and good arcade game and I recommend it.You can probably find a cheap imitation somewhere on the internet.Most of them have the same premise.

8/10