Ms. Pac Man
Reviewed by Pearla
Yup, that's right-- that kick butt pac-gal in the red boots & the pink
bow is back & she's invading your Super Nintendo System! I don't
know about you guys, but I loved this as an arcade game & I was
thrilled to see it for Super NES! You guys know the deal: the
game is basically a series of mazes which you must clear by
eating all of the "power pellets" within. The catch is that you
also have 4 ghosts trying to stop you & chasing you throughout
the maze (but don't worry-- as I'm sure you know, you can get
'em out of the way for a while by eating those big power pellets
that turn 'em blue)... Your goal?-- well, to get as many points &
pass as many levels as possible. A wonderful blast from the past!
Graphics 7 out of 10
Not much to say in the way of graphics. You have to remember
that this is just an old arcade game resurrected-- not really
re-vamped. The game itself is very colorful-- you have little
fruits floating around (to give you extra points), the
different-colored ghosts, the maze borders (which, if I'm not
mistaken, flash as well). What I love are the little "stories"
between certain levels- you get to see Packey & Ms. Packey's
relationship progress (the chase, the kiss... junior...) through
little scenes. It's really very basic, but very cute.
Music and Sound 7 out of 10
Again-- just an arcade game, so you can only expect so much. The
little music themes at the beginning are cute, as are the little
tunes that play while your watching the afore-mentioned "scenes."
During the mazes, though, you basically get little laser-robot-beep
type sounds-- nothing spectacular at all, but very befitting of
the game. It works well.
Game Challenge 8 out of 10
Okay, so it's just mazes, but never ever underestimate the challenges!
Each level of mazes (30 in all) gets a little bit harder, & sometimes
those ghosts are only blue for, like, a split second, so you got to be
fast & you got to be sneaky-- they'll chase you like a bunch of
son-of-a-guns, those ghosts! It may not be a game of intricate
strategizing & riddle-solving, but you just try to get your hands on
that floating strawberry w/Pinky on your tail!
Game Play-Fun 10 out of 10
I loved it in the 80's & I love it every bit as much now. It's a really
fun game that everyone will enjoy, now matter how skilled a gamer
they are. Mazes of floating fruits, cowardly-when-blue ghosts, &
power pellets w/a cute love story thrown in? How can you possibly
ask for more? And if you need a little variation, you can change the
maze forms, the level of difficulty, & good old Packey himself even
makes a cameo in the maze if you want to go the 2-player route-- and
believe me when I say that you havn't seen a real Pac-Attack until
you get those 2 in the maze together!
Frustration
No complaints... well, no major ones anyway. I do have a couple of
things that bother me... 1) it ends... just when you get on a roll & you
feel like you can take on those ghosts & eat those pellets with your
hands tied behind your back, it's over! those maze levels go by quickly
when you're having fun... & 2) the little scenes-- there are only, like,
3 or 4 of them, & after certain levels (believe it or not) you start
getting repeats. I thought that was kind of disappointing-- Super
Nintendo re-runs-- but c'est la vie. personally, I'd have liked to
have seen the wedding...
Replayability 10 out of 10
Like I said, I found this game thoroughly enjoyable-- then & now.
It's cute, simple, & fun-- a genuinely good time.
Game Value 9 out of 10
I paid something like $25 or $30 for a new copy at Toys R Us a few
years ago. Of course now, the price has dropped significantly, but
I've no regrets. I love my Ms. Pacman & I'm sure that anyone who
buys it will feel the same way.
Overall
Overall, a fun trip to the past, for people of every age & game-playing
skill. I'd highly recommend it!