Pac-Man Championship Edition (NES) Playthrough
503A playthrough of Bandai Namco's 2020 maze-action game for the NES, Pac-Man Championship Edition.
Here's what's shown in the video:
0:39 Normal mode, game 1
6:50 Extra mode, game 1
11:00 Normal mode, game 2
16:50 Extra mode, game 2
Once I get all the achievements, I play one more round of both modes to show the alternate graphics:
21:16 Extra mode, game 3
25:04 Normal mode, game 3
31:28 Listening to music in the sound test with a dancing Pac-Man
Pac-Man Championship Edition is a demake of a game that was originally released on Xbox Live back in 2007, and this Famicom version was first "officially" made available in 2020 as a part of the Namcot Collection and Namco Museum Archives Volume 1.
I say "officially" because, as far as I can tell, evidence of the game's existence has been kicking around the internet since as early as 2008 when @coke0774 posted video footage of his work on Japanese websites and NicoNico. Much of that evidence was scrubbed from the internet once M2 and Bandai Namco became involved, and though M2 apparently did do some work on it before it was included in the compilations, they claimed total credit for the game.
They pulled the same BS with the Genesis version of Darius (https://youtu.be/-8hGq_MURN0) back in 2019.
Corporate shenanigans aside, this really is an amazing piece of work. It isn't just a mock-up to look like a retro game. Making use of Namco's custom N163 memory controller, Pac-Man Championship Edition runs on real Famicom hardware, and it does a phenomenal job of it.
The gameplay feels just as frenetic and polished as the Xbox 360 game's did, and the presentation goes all out to make the experience something special. It's a bit like someone crammed a nightclub into an NES cartridge - even the sound test has an animated Pac-Man rocking out to the music.
It retains the basic gameplay concepts of the original Pac-Man (https://youtu.be/3ugzN9sP-Tc), but in Championship Edition, eating all the dots on one side of the stage will trigger the appearance of a piece of food which, when eaten, will refresh the layout of the other side of the maze.
The normal game lasts for five minutes, the extra game for three. The goal is rack up as high a score as possible within the time limit, but the game has a set of achievements for anyone who'd like something more concrete to aim for. Even better, once you've hit every achievement, a new option is unlocked that will reskin some of the graphics with new ones inspired by Pac-Mania (https://youtu.be/6Ls58dgwL8o). The game also saves a replay of your most recent run to the cartridge so you can go back and review your performance if you're looking to improve your skills.
It's an addictive game that managed to capture my attention far better than the original Pac-Man ever did, and the sheer energy driving it is really a joy to behold. Imagine how many minds would've been blown had this been released for the NES in the late 1980s!
I only hope that @coke0774 got his due. The guy has a ridiculous amount of talent, so make sure to go check out his channel! Recently he has been posting videos of his work on a recreation of The Legend of Zelda for the Epoch Super Cassette Vision. Cool stuff.
_____________\nNo cheats were used during the recording of this video. \n\nNintendoComplete (http://www.nintendocomplete.com/) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!