Super Pac-Man

Developer: Namco

Publisher: Namco/Midway

Release Date: 10-1-82 (NA)

Super Pac-Man is oddly obscure for a game so important. Technically it is the forth Pac-Man game, but the two before it were special cases. Ms. Pac-Man was originally a hack made by GCC and Pac-Man Plus was a slightly enhanced version of the original. This makes Super Pac-Man the true Namco-made sequel to the original. Despite this it had no home console ports until the mid-90s and it is practically forgotten today. Timing certainly played a part in its obscurity. A couple of ports were started but abandoned as the crash got into full swing. Although playing it now I don’t think porting it to`any of the Atari systems would’ve done it many favors. I just can’t see a game this wild and complicated not being butchered on an early console. Super Pac-Man is just the type of zany arcade game that was meant to be lost and rediscovered. It truly expands on the concept and earns its Super prefix.

My son loved the donut level

The most noticeable change Super Pac-Man makes to the standard formula is getting rid of the dots and having Pac-Man exclusively eating fruits and other objects. His glutton tendencies are amped up as he also eats such non food items as shoes and clovers. Now I know that he ate a few non food items in the previous game, but when a dude eats thirty shoes in a row it starts to look like he has a problem. All the items look great and it’s impressive that there are so many different ones. It’s a very colorful game compared to its more serious and repetitive original. The second major change is that all the fruits that Pac-Man must collect are behind locked gates that have to be opened by collecting keys. I was surprised that after a few levels the keys start to open different gates. Its a game that doesn’t let you get too comfortable. So now the task is collecting keys, moving through skinny tunnels to collect fruit, and of course avoiding ghosts. It’s a lot to focus on at one time. It also highlights once again why this game would’ve been bad for the consoles of the era. It’s a game that needs very precise controls. It’s full of sharp turns and you are constantly changing direction. I couldn’t imagine playing it with the horrendous Atari 5200 controller. The poor thing would’ve snapped in half during the first round. I was playing it with a Playstation 3 controller and the analog stick worked great. It almost feels like it was made for a modern console.

In addition to the normal gameplay there are other fun things to do. The unchanging scoring is something that always bugged me about the original Pac-Man, so this game has all kinds of scoring opportunities. There is a slot machine game in the center where the fruit used to be and there are big bonus points to be had if the symbols match. There is a bonus level every four rounds which is a very nice way to break up the intense gameplay. The fruits themselves also increase by 100 points every level, so getting from level to level feels like even more of an accomplishment.

Cool Hand Pac

All this and I still haven’t talked about what makes this game so super. There are two very special dots in the maze that when eaten cause Pac-Man to become giant and invincible. The first time seeing giant sized Super Pac-Man is one of the great double take moments in gaming. It’s just so unexpected. It’s a power that he pretty much only has in this game. It allows him to move through gates without having to find keys. He can pass through ghosts, but to eat them he still needs the traditional power pellet. Get both powerups at once and you become an unstoppable killing machine. It gives me an adrenaline rush every time.

So yes I am a big fan of Super Pac-Man. I am glad Namco waited until the Playstation era to release it to consoles. It plays and looks great in its modern setting. If you want to play it today the best way is still to get Pac-Man Museum on PS3 so that way you can play some other fun obscure titles too. It looks like the top of my list is going to get a little more cluttered with Pac titles, but I can’t help it if they are all good games. I am sure some other games will break up the party eventually, but for now Super Pac-Man is going right between the other two Pac-Man games on my list. It’s interesting that the more famous original is in last place at the moment, but I suppose this is as it should be. Developers should learn as they go and make their games better and better. Sadly after Pac-Mania this maxim doesn’t hold up as well, but thankfully we can always go back to the glory days.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

2. Galaga

3. Donkey Kong

4. Exodus: Ultima III

5. Pac-Mania

6. Super Pac-Man

7. Pac-Man

8. Excitebike

9. Arc the Lad

10. Clu Clu Land

11. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX

12. Mickey’s Racing Adventure

13. Metro-Cross

14. Ice Climber

15. Gaplus

16. Dragon Spirit

17. Pinball (NES)

18. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)

19. Red Sea Crossing

20. Baraduke

21. Gamma-Attack

22. The Legend of “Valkyrie”

23. Galaxian

24. Evoland

25. Defunct

26. Gyruss (2600)

27. Looney Tunes Racing

28. Squidlit

29. Baseball

30. Birthday Mania

31. Bad Street Brawler