Instead of making another compilation disc to fill some empty space, Namco is offering one disc that is really worth the price of admission despite having presentation issues.
In total, this one disc contains over 30 games, many of which are the same XBLA versions that are available through download from the Xbox dashboard. Considering that Pac-Man Championship Edition, Mr. Driller Online, and Galaga Legions all sell for $10 as digital downloads, the $30 price tag for this compilation disc provides a lot of bang for your buck. Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Xevious, and New Rally-X are the other XBLA games that are bundled on the disc. Fans will be pleased to know that these games also retain the same achievements and leaderboards as the original downloads. That means this game has a possible 1800 achievement points as opposed to the standard 1000 for a full retail game.
Here is a list of all the games on this disc:
- Baraduke
- Bosconian
- Dig-Dug (XBLA)
- Dig Dug II
- Dig Dug Arrangement
- Dragon Buster
- Dragon Spirit
- Galaga (XBLA)
- Galaga ‘88
- Galaga Arrangement
- Galaga Legions (XBLA)
- Galaxian
- Grobda
- King & Balloon
- Mappy
- Metro-Cross
- Motos
- Mr. Driller Online (XBLA)
- Ms. Pac-Man (XBLA)
- New Rally-X
- Pac & Pal
- Pac-Man (XBLA)
- Pac-Man Arrangement
- Pac-Man Championship Edition (XBLA)
- Pac-Mania
- Pole Position
- Pole Position II
- Rally-X
- Rolling Thunder
- Sky Kid
- Sky Kid Deluxe
- Super Pac-Man
- The Tower of Druaga
- Xevious
Unfortunately, the disc’s overall presentation is quite lacking. You will not find any extras (art work, commercials, background info, etc) at all. Navigating through menus is a lot more challenging than it needs to be too. When you pop the game into your 360, you have the option to scroll through and choose a game at will. But if you want to play an XBLA game, the disc will boot you back to the Xbox dashboard where the user must find the game listed on the Arcade blade of the NXE. While common 360 users will understand where to go to find the games, Xbox newbies will probably have a hell of a time figuring this out. There is no option to install these games on your harddrive either. This means you will always need the disc in your tray to play.
The bottom line is simple. If you are a fan of classic Namco games, there is no reason to not buy this disc. If you have not yet bought any of the games available on Xbox Live, this is the way to do it because you are getting more than your money worth. There are some games on this compilation that are sub-par, but considering how low the price tag is, no one should be complaining.