#Pac man museum plus game pass trial#

The Switch version features the same excellent presentation that really makes this version of Pac-Man shine - bright, crisp visuals, adrenaline-pumping music and a generally excellent presentation that is sadly occasionally marred by frame rate struggles, particularly in handheld mode. The difficulty spikes in some really brutal, unpredictable ways, and while I quite enjoyed it I can see that being a turn-off for some. It never quite gets too complicated, but some of the changes to ghost behavior and removing the slow-motion encounters in exchange for more durable but less deadly ghosts all feel like they don't work quite as well as they should. Bigger isn't always better - but this release is decidedly bigger than its predecessor. Sometimes it feels like things have been added just so Namco can point out that this sequel is different, but many of the changes don't live up to the promise of changing the game. The truth is that they've done a rather good job of that, but the additions also run the risk of diluting down what made Pac-Man Championship Edition great. It's clear the development team have considered long and hard exactly what to do with Pac-Man to keep him engaging for an audience now more used to far more complex games.

#Pac man museum plus game pass trial#

All of this works pretty well, but it does feel a little stretched compared to the simple time trial simplicity of competing for high scores on a variety of shape mazes and maps as in the previous game. The single-player Adventure Mode offering progresses through a wide range of levels that feature unique gimmicks, great audio and visual design and even memorable new boss battles with transforming stages. It's fast-paced, exhilarating and incredibly exciting when things get down to the wire, and there's definitely a great sense of individual growth and progression as you master the simple but powerful movement tools you're given. It's all about that speed, with the ghosts and the maze there to slow you down rather than outright bully and defeat you.Īt its most simple level, Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 feels fantastic. Championship Edition 2 even allows you to hit ghosts a few times without any penalty, and there's other skills like a bomb jump to return to the starting point and even a brake button to slow Pac-Man down. Championship Edition is all about high score, with the ghosts little more than a nuisance rather than a full-blown threat and a time attack style focus on speed. The original game was about score but it was most of all about survival, dodging and weaving between the ghosts. The great triumph of Championship Edition is how it simply refocuses Pac-Man. To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Championship Edition managed it brilliantly, and this sequel builds on that in ways that are smart and outlandish - the latter sometimes a positive and sometimes a slight negative. The concept of Pac-Man CE was dubious to begin with - just how do you really, truly make a proper sequel to a game so old, simplistic and well-known? We've seen multiplayer attempts like Pac-Man Vs, available on Switch as part of Namco Museum, but broadening and expanding on the core formula is a much more difficult proposition.

I'm pleased to report that this time it's fully clicked and I've been having a blast with it, though one can certainly argue this Pac-Man reimagining takes on a little more than it should. I picked it up but found it never quite grabbed me in the same way as its predecessor, but with the game now coming to Nintendo Switch in an expanded form it felt pretty fitting to give it a second chance. Pac-Man Championship Edition 2 remains exhilarating fun, but some of its new additions prove bigger doesn't always equal better.ĭespite absolutely loving the original Pac-Man Championship Edition, the sequel somehow originally passed me by.