Classic Material
User Rating: 7.5 | Namco Museum GBA
-----Games of generations past have recieved newfound fame in the form of TV Games-style setups, Virtual Console, XBLA, and PSN. I was on a weeklong Pac-Man binge with a Namco TV Games thing and decided to visit my local video game store to give my DS some love, when I happened across Namco Museum. Featuring three of the same games as the TV Game, It afforded me the opportunity to both play the games I had just played on the go, and offer a side by side comparison of the two.--------------------------The collection includes Galaxian, Galaga, Pole Position, Dig Dug, and Ms. Pac Man. I was disappointed to not have the original Pac Man, but really, both games are the same, from layout to gameplay, so I understand the exclusion. All of the joystick based games play identically on the GBA as in the arcade. The translation from 4 way joystick to 4 way D-pad isn't all that difficult. Pole Positions, one of my all time favorites at the neigborhood arcade (yes, we still have one.) doesn't exactly translate too well, seeing as how it used a steering wheel. It is nice, though, to look at to see the evolution of racing games. -------------------------------------------------------------------The look of the games are Identical to their arcade versions. I mostly play on a DS, so I can see all the bright colors and detail. I'd hate to be an original GBA owner, tilting for the best light possible. All of the vertical games are to scale, but small seeing as how the handheld uses a horizontal screen. Ms. Pac Man's scroll option is a welcome addition, and you'll see most of the playing field to not suffer cheap deaths. I've recently purchased a GB Player, and the games hold up well on the big screen, even blown up many times their GBA-based porting. The audio also remains faithful to the originals, for those wondering. The DS's two speakera afford a better quality than a single speaker.-------------------------------------------------------------------Anyone either alive when these games first came out, or who had a cheap arcade operator who never changed machines will get a kick out of owing these games in the palm of your hand. Take a trip down pastel-colored memory lane. .
