Pac-Man Returns Alongside Upcoming Animated Series

Earnest Cavalli

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Pac-Man Returns Alongside Upcoming Animated Series



Pac-Man's next adventure seems to lift a page from Scooby Doo, and not just because the game is linked to an animated series.

Dubbed Pac-Man And The Ghostly Adventures, the game is slated to appear on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii U. This would the main iteration of the title, which is a 3D game which appears to have more in common with Pac-Man's latter-day platforming adventures than his pixelated arcade roots. A 3DS incarnation of the Ghostly Adventures will also be available, but this version will be something of a 2D translation of its console analogue.

As for what we can expect from the game, Namco Bandai offers the following synopsis:

The game revolves around the vibrant universe of Pac-World, where Pacworlders lived in peace until the mischievous Netherworld ghosts, led by their wicked leader Betrayus, escaped from their ghoulish domain to forcibly take control of Pac-World. Pac-World's only hope lies in the last surviving yellow Pacworlder, our hero with a voracious appetite.

Not only will PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures feature a revamped PAC-MAN universe, but it will also hearken back to PAC-MAN origins with classic elements such as Ghost encounters. The Ghost-chomping mechanics return from the original PAC-MAN but with exciting powered up variations in PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures, creating an innovative yet familiar gameplay experience.

Like I said, that's basically the same premise used for The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby Doo, only we expect far less annoying Scrappy Doo antics, and presumably a bit of ghost-chomping.

The aforementioned animated series follows this same premise and will air on the Disney XD network. Supposedly both the show and the game will debut at some point during Fall 2013, though any more specific release date info is currently unavailable.

Just out of personal curiosity, how many of you are excited for this news? A new Super Mario Bros. title is always a big event, but is Pac-Man still really much of a draw for anyone? I legitimately enjoyed the characters PlayStation 2-era platformers, but so far there's been scant little to differentiate the yellow guy's more modern games from any number of other mascot-based games. I've got my fingers crossed that Ghostly Adventures is all kinds of great, but to be honest, they aren't crossed very hard.

Source: Siliconera [http://www.siliconera.com/2013/05/14/pac-man-and-the-ghostly-adventures-announced-for-release-this-fall/]

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kypsilon

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May 16, 2010
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I'm thinking you would have to really love Pac-Man to get on-board with this. Does anybody here like Pac-Man that much? Anyone at all?

I think I'll pass.
 

Not G. Ivingname

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Nov 18, 2009
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>_>

*Slowly backs away from the creepy looking Pac-Man*

Haven't they learned from the last fifty times that nobody wants Pac-man to be anything but the Pie chart that eats everything?
 

Baron_BJ

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Nov 13, 2009
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Not G. Ivingname said:
>_>

*Slowly backs away from the creepy looking Pac-Man*

Haven't they learned from the last fifty times that nobody wants Pac-man to be anything but the Pie chart that eats everything?
This.

They've tried at least 3 times (that I can recall, I'm sure they've tried more) to make Pac-Man into a franchise with cartoons, merchandising and games that are more than just the original with updated graphics, but they can't make people give a shit. Because there's nothing to give a shit about. I thought they'd given up entirely, in 30 or so years of trying they've always failed to make their money back, what investors thought "Ya know what, this time it'll work".
 

Innegativeion

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Feb 18, 2011
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Earnest Cavalli said:
the mischievous Netherworld ghosts, led by their wicked leader Betrayus,
Hold up.

their wicked leader Betrayus
Fucking really? That's not even clever. I've no problem with puns, but COME ON!

They've already set the bar pretty low for this game's writing, nevermind that it's tied in to a TV show. This game's gameplay needs to be the best thing since sliced bread or it will be QUITE swiftly eclipsed by upcoming plat-formers with far more star power, such as Rayman Legends and the as-of-yet unannounced WiiU Mario title.
 

Parakeettheprawn

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...the fuck? WHO WANTS THIS GAME? The last Pac-Man game I ever received was my grandmother's copy of Pac-Man's travels through time or something like that, and it still played like a bloody Pac-Man game. If you take away the gameplay, he's just some lame-arse character design with a cast of characters out of an 80s animated TV show.
 

Kyogissun

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Jan 12, 2010
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Hey, you know what's awesome? Fucking Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Fast and frenetic, twitch based arcade gaming at its prime.

So Namco, why not just... Take THAT and, you know, continue improving it? The idea behind the Ghost Train and board shifting is such a base idea waiting to be turned into something complex but you need to do it.

So, call me when you come up with something to improve on Championship Edition. Kay? Kay.
 

Headsprouter

Monster Befriender
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Nov 19, 2010
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Uh, Pac-Man? I wasn't aware anybody cared about Pac-Man outside of in the arcade format.

I think Namco should keep to the subtle references in games, like on Klonoa's hat, what was originally a Pizza is no longer marketable, nowadays...
 

kailus13

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Mar 3, 2013
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I had thoughts about this but after looking at the picture again I've forgotten them. He looks like he wants to wear your skin. And why does he have cat ears?

Making a 2D character 3D only works if they can do something other than move. Pac-Man is not one of those characters, so making him 3D essentially makes him a different character.
 

Chimpzy_v1legacy

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Jun 21, 2009
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kailus13 said:
I had thoughts about this but after looking at the picture again I've forgotten them. He looks like he wants to wear your skin. And why does he have cat ears?
I think those are supposed to be his eyebrows. And yes, his thousand yard stare does seem like it could steal your soul and drag it to hell if you look at it too much.

Oddly enough his pupils are the only thing remotely Pac-Man about his design.
 

Starik20X6

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I think they've pretty much already reached the pinnacle of Pachnology with Pac-Man Championship Edition DX... Unless they added a 4-player party mode to that game, because that'd just rule so hard. This... Just sounds silly.
 

Nowhere Man

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Kyogissun said:
Hey, you know what's awesome? Fucking Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Fast and frenetic, twitch based arcade gaming at its prime.

So Namco, why not just... Take THAT and, you know, continue improving it? The idea behind the Ghost Train and board shifting is such a base idea waiting to be turned into something complex but you need to do it.

So, call me when you come up with something to improve on Championship Edition. Kay? Kay.
I was just going to say this. Pac-man CE DX is absolutely bananas and very addictive. I would really recommend anyone that would rather play a more traditional Pac-man game with an updated frenetic take to at least download the demo or watch some videos to check it out.

As for this new incarnation. They've tried this like 30 times already. But hey at least it's another game for the Wii U.

Edit: In fact, I'm going to go play some now.
 

Dr.Awkward

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Aren't we all soo glad that we voted for this Pac-Man design, now that we see that it was meant for a 3D design?
 

Terramax

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I'd be interested in this game. If the visuals are anything like the background in that picture, it'd be nice to see what the guys at Namco can conjure up. These are the guys that make the Klonoa games, after all.

I'd certainly be more excited over this than another Mario game.

Nowhere Man said:
Kyogissun said:
Hey, you know what's awesome? Fucking Pac-Man Championship Edition DX. Fast and frenetic, twitch based arcade gaming at its prime.

So Namco, why not just... Take THAT and, you know, continue improving it? The idea behind the Ghost Train and board shifting is such a base idea waiting to be turned into something complex but you need to do it.

So, call me when you come up with something to improve on Championship Edition. Kay? Kay.
I was just going to say this. Pac-man CE DX is absolutely bananas and very addictive. I would really recommend anyone that would rather play a more traditional Pac-man game with an updated frenetic take to at least download the demo or watch some videos to check it out.

As for this new incarnation. They've tried this like 30 times already. But hey at least it's another game for the Wii U.

Edit: In fact, I'm going to go play some now.
Is Pac-man CE DX the same as Pac-man Battle Royale? That game is freakin' AWESOME when played multiplayer.
 

axlryder

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Jul 29, 2011
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What the fuck is wrong with his eyes? What the fuck is wrong with his mouth? WHY THE FUCK DOES HE HAVE A NOSE!? Jesus that thing is fucking hideous.
 

Nowhere Man

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Terramax said:
Is Pac-man CE DX the same as Pac-man Battle Royale? That game is freakin' AWESOME when played multiplayer.
No, but very similar. This is the first time I've heard of Battle Royale and I just looked up a video. That looks fun too.
 

Baron von Blitztank

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May 7, 2010
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*Looks at the news image*



JESUS CHRIST KILL THAT THING BEFORE IT LAYS EGGS IN OUR EYES!

*ahem* I mean, WOW. The more they try to humanize the look of Pac-Man the further they succeed in flooding my nightmares.
 

Clovus

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Mar 3, 2011
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Seems like the kind of thing that only a group of executives could come up with.

(10 men in suits sit around a table)
E1: Hey, the kid's like games, right? We should do a cartoon and game combo. What's a cool game character?

(Silence, general confusion)
(E2 slowly raises his hand)

E2: Uh ... Pac-Man? That's a game, right?

(General approving grunts and nods as the men remember seeing Pac-Man in the past)