Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Developer(s) Mine Loader Software
Publisher(s) Namco Bandai Games
Director(s) Tadashi Iguchi
Tomoko Iura
Ryoko Yabuchi
Producer(s) Kunito Komori
Junichiro Hosokawa
Kang Tian Hao
Programmer(s) Mao Yi Ying
Composer(s) Taku Inoue
Akitaka Tohyama
Hiroshi Okubo
Hiroyuki Kawada
Junko Ozawa
Platform(s) Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, Windows Phone, Windows 8, Windows RT, Steam, iOS, Android
Release date(s)

Xbox Live Arcade
November 17, 2010
PlayStation Network

  • NA November 23, 2010
  • EU November 24, 2010
  • JP November 24, 2010

Windows Phone
May 3, 2011
Windows Store
November 2012
Steam
September 27, 2013
iOS & Android
July 23, 2015

Genre(s) Maze, Arcade
Mode(s) Single player

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is a downloadable arcade game in the Pac-Man series. It is a follow-up to the 2007 game Pac-Man Championship Edition and the first game with the Namco Generations label.[1] The game was released for Xbox Live Arcade on November 17, 2010 and was released for PlayStation Network on November 23, 2010.[2] An Xbox Live-enabled version was released for Windows Phone on May 3, 2011. It was released as a Windows Store app on November 2012.[3] At E3 2013 Namco Bandai announced a "+" update for the title to include new modes, improve leaderboard functionality and provide access to DLC.[4] Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ is also available for purchase on Steam.[5] In July 2015, it was released on iOS and Android mobile devices, as a game to pay for download but the content that's part of the "+" update is not included.

The game received some acclaim from gaming websites and critics citing the game was an improvement to the original with a 93/100 from review aggregator Metacritic.

Gameplay

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX builds upon the gameplay of Pac-Man Championship Edition, in which players control Pac-Man as he travels through a maze collecting dots and avoiding ghosts, which can be eaten by collecting power pellets. Collecting all the dots on one side of the maze makes a fruit appear on the other side, which adds a new layout of dots on that side and so on. The game's speed increases as the player gets more points and drops when the player loses a life. DX introduces a new type of ghost that sleeps in a stationary spot on the maze until Pac-Man moves past it and begins to follow him. By passing several sleeping ghosts, they form a large rainbow-colored trail that can offer massive bonus points once Pac-Man is able to get a power pellet and eat them. Some ghosts may also have additional power pellets that can prolong the powered-up state if eaten in time. Getting close enough to the regular ghosts turns them rainbow-colored and they may also be added to the trail. A slow-motion effect automatically kicks in whenever a ghost gets too close to Pac-Man, which offers players the chance to make a last-minute attempt to avoid being killed. Players can also use a limited supply of bombs that return all the ghosts to the center of the maze, although it lowers the dot multiplier and game speed.

Gameplay revolves around three main modes: Score Attack, in which players attempt to get the highest score within 5 or 10 minutes; Time Attack, consisting of several short trials and one long one in which players must obtain a certain amount of fruit as quickly as possible; and Ghost Combo, where players must try to stay powered up and eat as many ghosts as possible. The game features nine courses, which includes the original maze from Championship Edition, in which the sleeping ghosts are absent. Players receive a ranking for each game mode per course, which is based on his/her position on the overall leaderboards. The game has various visual styles, including some in the style of Pac-Mania, which can be mixed and matched.[6] Players may also access a constantly updated NG News feature, which includes articles such as developer interviews, as well as view video replays of the highest-ranking Score Attack players via the leaderboard.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic93/100 [7]
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comA (CE)[8]
A (DX)
Eurogamer10/10
Game Informer9/10 [9]
GameSpot9.0/10
IGN10/10
TeamXbox9.8/10 (DX)[10]
Award
PublicationAward
IGNBest Retro Design of 2010[11]

The game has received universal praise from critics and gaming Web sites, which cited a big improvement over the original. IGN gave the game a perfect 10/10 and an Editor's Choice award, calling it "a master class in game design."[12] GameSpot gave the game 9.0/10, praising the new elements which make Championship Edition "more thrilling and addictive than ever."[13] 1UP.com gave the game an A rank, calling it "insanely addicting."[14] Eurogamer gave the game 10/10, calling it "a game you'll want to instantly evangelise to anyone with even the vaguest sense of what makes a game good."[15] Destructoid gave the game 9/10, calling it "one of this year's best and purest arcade experiences and definitely a must-buy."[16] Giant Bomb gave it a score of 5/5, saying that the player experiences "sensory overload of the highest order, the kind of game that leaves your eyeballs dry, your nerves shot, and every last bit of you wanting more."."[17] Good Game gave it 9.5 out of 10.[18]

The game won IGN's Best of 2010 awards for Most Addictive Game, Best Retro Design and Best Quick Fix.[19]

DX+ update and downloadable content

On September 25, 2013, the game received a free update which rebranded it as Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+. The update provided improved leaderboard functionality, the ability to challenge friends, medal support and a new skin based on classic Pac-Man, which can be unlocked by getting all achievements and medals.

In addition to this, paid downloadable content was also released, including four new courses (Big Eater, Championship III, Highway II, and Mountain), three new skins (based on Dig Dug, Rally-X and Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures), and two new background music tracks (Pac-Steps and Re-Entrance). Additionally, players can unlock a Classic skin, with visuals and sounds based on the original Pac-Man by collecting all the medals available in the game. This content is available individually, or in the "All You Can Eat Add-on Pack" bundle for a discounted price.[20]

References

  1. ↑ "NAMCO BANDAI GAMES ANNOUNCES NAMCO GENERATIONS" (Press release). Santa Clara, California: NAMCO Bandai Games America Inc. November 16, 2010.
  2. ↑ Gudmundson, Carolyn (2010-09-09). "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX - can Pac-Man feel new again? – New ghosts and gameplay updates freshen the traditional Pac-Man formula". Gamesradar.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  3. ↑ Major Nelson. "First wave of Xbox Live games that will be coming to Windows 8". Retrieved 25 February 2013.
  4. ↑ Patterson, Eric L. (2013-06-12). "E3 2013: Pac-Man CE DX+". egmnow.com. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  5. ↑ "NAMCO BANDAI GAMES EUROPE ANNOUNCES PAC-MAN MUSEUM AND PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION DX +". gamasutra.com. 2013-06-11. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
  6. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (October 28, 2010). "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Still Looks Totally Awesome". Kotaku.
  7. ↑ "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX for Xbox 360 Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  8. ↑ Davison, John (2007-06-11). "Pac-Man: CE Review for 360 from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  9. ↑ Miller, Matt (2010-11-18). "Pac-Man Sequel Improves On Perfection - Pac-Man Championship Edition DX - Xbox 360". GameInformer. GameStop. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  10. ↑ "PAC-MAN Championship Edition DX Review (Xbox 360)". Reviews.teamxbox.com. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  11. ↑ "Best Retro Design 2010 - Pac-Man Championship Edition DX - Overall - IGN". Bestof.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  12. ↑ Hatfield, Daemon. "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review - Xbox 360 Review at IGN". Uk.xboxlive.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  13. ↑ Petit, Carolyn (2010-11-17). "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review - GameSpot.com". Uk.gamespot.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  14. ↑ Clark, Matt (2010-11-19). "Pac-Man CE DX Review for 360 from". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  15. ↑ Reed, Kristan (2010-11-19). "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review • Page 1 • Reviews •". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  16. ↑ "Review: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX". Destructoid. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  17. ↑ "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX Review". Giant Bomb. 2010-11-20. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  18. ↑ "Good Game - Video". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  19. ↑ "Xbox 360 Games - Best of 2010 Awards - IGN". Bestof.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-16.
  20. ↑ "Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ - Steam". Retrieved 2013-09-23.

External links

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