4 stars (Pretty good) - These are great renditions of the arcade classics though they aren't identical (i.e. they don't seem to be emulated). One concrete thing I noticed that is different than the original is that in Galaga, I think stage 10 is an exact duplicate of stage 1 in the arcade, but on this game it's just another harder level than the one before it. Pole Position is the most satisfying to play because it was designed with a horizontal monitor in the arcade so the entire screen on the GBA is used (with no scrolling). Dig Dug is the second best, because although it scrolls, the character's movements aren't so fast that the scrolling disorients you. Galaga and Galaxian are fun, but the screen are tiny because they had to squeeze a vertical arcade screen onto a horizontal display. Ms Pac Man is good, but it's a little hard to play with the scrolling, because you can't see where the ghosts are all the time. It's especially difficult when things get fast at the upper levels. You can play Ms. Pac Man without scrolling, but the screen is so small it's no fun that way. That's about all I can say about it. It was fun. I played it for a few weeks before pulling the cart out and putting it on the shelf.
5 stars (Great fun) - I really enjoy the games because they are not so hard that I can't figure them out. That is why I am having fun!!
3 stars (Not nearly as good as the consular versions) - Actually, if you've never played a "Namco Museum" game before, then it's probably a good idea to start out with this version, because unlike its consular counterparts (of which there are many), it only offers four games, namely Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, and Pole Position.
In Ms. Pac-Man, your objective is to score as many points as possible by running around a series of mazes and chomping what are known as "pac-dots" all while avoiding the four ghost enemies - Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde. The gameplay of Dig Dug is similar to that of Ms. Pac-Man. You score points simply by digging through a series of dirt mountains all while avoiding an onslaught of enemies. The difference between this game and Ms. Pac-Man is that you have more freedom to move around and you can immobilize your enemies from any direction using a piece of string. The only drawback to this game is that moving around is often slower than it should be, which is not particularly desirable when an enemy is approaching you directly from behind, and unlike Ms. Pac-Man, it offers less opportunities for scoring. Pole Position is a racing game in which you must score as points as possible simply by driving around a racetrack given a time limit. You don't have a lives count for this game, but it's avoid things like driving on the grass, or crashing into cars on the road or other obstacles, as they will slow you down significantly. Galaga is a 2D vertically-scrolling shooter in which you score points by shooting a plethora of enemy spacecraft from the sky before they shoot you or crash into you.
Unlike their consular counterparts, the games do not include a scoreboard, nor is there any way to save your scores at all, which pretty much ruins the game in terms of lasting appeal. For those of you who have already played these games to death on the current-generation consoles (or even the PlayStation, N64, and Dreamcast), there really isn't a good reason why you should purchase this downgraded GBA version, unless you absolutely MUST have the four basic games on a handheld (namely the GBA and DS).
Basically, if you want the full package, that is, the version of the compilation that does allow you to save your high scores and/or place them on a scoreboard and features ALL the games, including Pac-Man, Pac-Attack, Pac-Man arrangement, Galaga arrangement, Dig Dug arrangement, and Pole Position II, then get this title only for the PlayStation 2, Game Cube, or Xbox.
The KAB score -
Gameplay: 7
Graphics: 8
Sound: 8
Fun Factor: 6
Lasting Appeal: 3
Overall KAB evaluation: 6.2 satisfactory.
Reviewer: Baron.
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