
Namco - Namco
Game Boy Advance
Release date: 2006-06-15
Video Game
Video Games, Game Boy Advance




Namco Museum ports five classic games over to the Gameboy Advance: Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Galaga, and Galaxian. If you grew up playing these games, they're timeless classics. Younger audiences probably are expecting more out of a game than the limited technology of the 1980s allowed.
These games are recreated very well, with only a couple of minor issues (largely due to the adjustment made going from an arcade-size screen to the tiny GBA). The sounds are crisp and faithful reproductions of the bleeps and blips from our childhood. The graphics aren't jazzed up in any way, instead celebrating the 8-bit glory that was the golden age of the arcade. The biggest port issue comes with Ms. Pac-Man, where you have the option of playing on a shifting screen -- the GBA screen doesn't compress each maze very well.
The biggest drawback to this game is the inexplicable lack of a battery backup for high scores. The game records high scores as per normal, but those scores are immediately reset when the power goes off. Points did matter with these games, and it's nice to see how high a score you can record. Unfortunately, Namco decided to skimp on this feature. That decision is disappointing, but the games themselves are still worth playing to those who grew up playing on their Ataris. After all, there's nothing wrong with nostalgia.