Namco Museum was a good idea. Most people welcome going back in time to play some games of the older variety. However, there isn’t much of a selection to make it really worth while or fun. The real classics are there, though, and supposedly that’s the point isn’t it?
Namco have had some classics to speak of during its gaming tenure. Pac-man, Pole Position, and Dig Dug, to name but a few. Of course, these three titles are all present and accounted for in Namco Museum with secondary versions of them included, too. The secondary versions, however, are more or less just sequels with perhaps a minor graphical upgrade involved. Who needs graphical upgrades when you’re playing Pac-man and Dig Dug, though?
So, of course, we’ll give it to you straight when we say that Namco Museum is an absolute eye sore. Though you won’t be worrying about that while you’re running from ghosts in Pac-Man or writing the filthiest words you can think of in the dirt during Dig Dug.
All the games are presented as they were originally, with little or no graphical enhancement to speak of. Some of the games you’ll be marveling at, such as Pole Position, which is so terrible as to leave you baffled–the graphics, the mechanics, the sound…it’s all unspeakably bad. For younger gamers, Namco Museum’s old-skool selection will likely cause waves of laughter. Though, for the older gamer, this would be a welcome trip to the past at a budget price.
There’s really not much to say when it comes to Namco Museum, but the real star players in its inventory are the famous Pac-man and Ms. Pac-man. Most of your time will be spent here (if you’re amongst the popular consensus), trying to rack up the highest score. Competing with your friends on this level is a pretty humorous excursion, and you’ll actually be sucked into Pac-man if you go for it. Whether it feels pleasant or not, who knows?
If you’re looking for a specific Namco retrospective experience, then this game is for you. But, if you’re not desperate for a trip to the ‘old-skool’ where shoddy sound and terrible graphics are the order of the day, then you should stay away from Namco Museum at all costs.