Namco Museum Battle Collection

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1. John M Spangler says:

   July 26, 2010 at 11:01 pm

   Review by John M Spangler for Namco Museum Battle Collection
   Rating:
   Retro games are excellent, but when they are done right, they can be fantastic. This is easily the greatest arcade compilation I’ve ever played. Not only can you play these classic arcade games in the palm of your hand, but you can delight in the best collection of them all in one. 20 games, including “redone” games of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga and RallyX.

   The quality of each classic is incredible and they play nearly exactly to the ancient arcade cabinets from the retro 80′s, graphics, music, sound FX and all. The bestest of the best is clearly Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Man, RallyX and DigDug. But it doesn’t stop there. There are 4 new Arrangement games of those 4 classics, I like to view them as remixes. They are are redone, upheavels in levels, gameplay, sound and graphics. The arranged Galaga is very addicting and you’ll be hooked instantly. Dig Dug remade is in the end the same game with better graphics and new enemies. RallyX, which was a decent game in the 80′s, is redone and very fun to boot. These “arranged” games could have been sold seperately and probably most would have been pleased with them.

   The originals are as fun as you remember them and just as challenging. Getting to that “key” in Pac-Man is still no simple task. But for novice gamers, never threat, you can continue from where you left off on many of the ancient games. Some of the other titles included like Grobada, Motos, Bosconian, DragonBuster and Galaxian are very obscure, but amazingly, they still do offer some fun factor. The rest you may not spent much time with in the past and most you might not play much, but you’ll be pleased with it overall.

   Some might be a bit “squinty” eyed playing some of the ancient games like Pac-Man, the ratio of the originals were made for horizontal screens, so it’s very small on the widescreen PSP, but thankfully they offered a “stretch” option for most of the titles. It looks a bit weird all stretched out, but it’s better than playing on the small playing field.

   Overall, this is clearly the best PSP game to buy, mainly if you like classic arcade gaming, this is how it all started, no quarters needed…

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2. Arion Acurantes says:

   July 26, 2010 at 11:06 pm

   Review by Arion Acurantes for Namco Museum Battle Collection
   Rating:
   The Namco Museum Battle Collection is living proof that the past will always catch up with now’s advances, adding fuel to the argument that it’s all in the gameplay. Namco Museum showcases the founding concepts of most modern gaming, but, in essence, the sum of these games is all about the numbers. That, but, doesn’t change the fact that all of now’s games can trace their DNA to any one of these titles.

   And gameplay is what you get with this collection. The PSP has been virtually retrofitted to give you a healthy dose of all your favorites from the early days of gaming, beginning of way with the immortal Pac-Man, the always imitated Galaga/Galaxian, and right on through to some small known but nonetheless engaging titles such as Rolling Thunder, Bosconian, and Xevious.

   The four “arranged” versions (Pac-Man, Rally-X, Dig Dug, and Galaga) are sure to please a fantastic many gamers with overhauled versions of their respective originals, but with a maximum six attainable levels in each of these games, sometimes the experience just seems a small small. The original versions, on the other hand, sometimes offer more challenge than their descendants, being impeded only by the fact that the only way to get the most of the PSP’s screen is to stretch the gameplay screen to fit and thus distort the original screen ratio.

   If you’re the type of gamer who’s into the PSP mainly for its portability, Namco Museum could give you many hours of quick, satisfying casual gaming. Just pop it in and rack up those high scores.

   But, if you have a PSP because you believe in its capability to equal its older brother and are on the lookout for seriously immersive, huge-scale gaming, Namco Museum could do in a pinch, but it won’t rock your mind the way GTA:LCS, SOCOM, or any other hardware-maxing title is now out there.

   Namco Museum is seriously fun and worth a look. It may, on the whole, be ancient, but don’t dis this granddaddy just yet. There’s gold in them thar games.

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3. Robert P. Inverarity says:

   July 26, 2010 at 11:14 pm

   Review by Robert P. Inverarity for Namco Museum Battle Collection
   Rating:
   Namco is the king of the unsatisfying anthology. On the original Playstation, Namco released six volumes of Namco Museum (five in the US), each with a small number of games — although the interface and extras were fantastic, and without par. They released 16bit and N64 versions without the interfaces. They released two Game Boy Advance installments: one with the prerequisites (Ms. Pac Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, Galaxian, and a really crappy racing game) and one all Pac Man. They released a terribly stingy package (with just the same ancient games over again) across the current generation of consoles.

   Then this game came out in Japan. It contained arrangements of the same ancient games (though thankfully Rally X returned to favor), but was still stingy at only seven originals and four arrangements, mainly considering how many times some of us have bought these games!

   But, the American version adds ten new obscure (Motos, Grobda, the brilliant Dig Dug II) and not so obscure (Rolling Thunder!) games to the mix, substantially increasing the value. While some of these titles are just this side of dreadful (Druaga and Dragon Buster, I’m looking at you) most of the added titles are quite enjoyable if a bit slight. Rolling Thunder, a very substantial game that had never been included on a US compilation in anticipation of this one, is a killer addition. (For what it’s worth, Namco released the bonus US content as Namco Museum Vol. 2 in Japan. Some things never change.)

   The arranged versions are a diverse bag. Though I like the original Galaga, I find the arrangement pretty intolerable. The art style is garish and hideous and the gameplay is less focused than the original. I can’t note on Pac Man. The arranged Dig Dug is a very fascinating remake, plenty worth playing and the best on this compilation. The Rally X arrangement just adds a few powerups and spruced-up graphics.

   Now that this has hit a new budget price point, it’s really an essential part of the PSP library. Even if you don’t like Pac Man (and I don’t), you’ll have at least a sawbuck’s worth of fun with the games here.

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4. slugbone says:

   July 26, 2010 at 11:17 pm

   Review by slugbone for Namco Museum Battle Collection
   Rating:
   
   Namco could have packaged a few ancient teach games together and been done with it, but they chose to take some care with the arrangements and make some fun games even better. I got the feeling they had a real respect for the ancient classics and it is a job very well done.

   I used to be a huge fan of Dig Dug and Galaga, and they are here very right to the originals. The arrangements are just as much fun, keeping the form but adding some nice simplified graphics. This is a fantastic game to take with you traveling, or times when you want to fit a quick game in and can’t get too involved for a long period of time.

   I recommend it highly. Sure it’s nostalgia, when games were more simplistic but still a lot of fun. Excellent replay value and should be included in anyone’s library of games for a change of pace from the more intense games.

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5. Wes Beckwith says:

   July 26, 2010 at 11:23 pm

   Review by Wes Beckwith for Namco Museum Battle Collection
   Rating:
   This has become one of my pet games to play. I like these ancient teach titles, and this series is packed with fantastic ones.

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