Nintendo DS

Namco Museum DS

Namco Museum DS is a portable arcade that fits in your pocket and a definite must-own title for any DS owner old enough to have played these games when they were new. Younger kids will likely be turned off by the simplistic game designs and even simpler graphics and sound, then again, there is nothing like a good father-son rivalry and dad might just have a chance with one of the eight games waiting inside this classic collection.

If you haven’t played these games before, or if you have but don’t currently own them for a handheld platform, then this collection belongs in your collection. Pac-Man isn’t the only game that’s arcade-accurate – they all are, and four of them are timeless classics. However, those who already have a Namco Museum title on Game Boy Advance or PSP may want to pass. Pac-Man Vs. is worth the price of admission, especially since you only need one game card to enjoy the multiplayer functionality. But unless you’re a die-hard fan like myself, its thrill won’t last.

At least the price of Namco's game is right: 20 bucks for an acceptable selection of classics, complete with historical documents and (we have to say THANKFULLY) the ability to save high scores. At this point in the Nintendo DS system's lifecycle it shouldn't be difficult to put up some sort of competitive online leaderboard, so we'll play it off like we're disappointed that we can't check in with the rest of the connected Namco Museum DS crowd to see how well they're doing…even if it's such a minor gripe. But at least we're keeping an eye out on current generation expectations.

And if the one Pac-Man wasn’t enough (it isn’t, by the way), there’s also Pac-Man Vs. which allows for 4-player Pac-Man versus friend-controlled ghosts via local wireless play, and with just the one card required! This addition alone is worth the price of admission. Yes, it could’ve been done better: more games and WiFi connectivity – c’mon guys! It isn’t very difficult to obtain emulated copies of the included titles either, so the question of ‘$’ plays a deciding factor too. But, for what it is, Namco Museum DS is a worthwhile collection for collectors.

The collection itself is great, but the way it's been fleshed out is really impressive. The full-fledged treatment of each game makes this edition of Namco Museum really feel like a museum. Skeptics wondering whether it's worth 20 dollars should be more than satisfied, especially with Pac-Man Vs. in the line-up. Retro gamers, head over to the DS aisle.

It's difficult to pin down a final score for Namco Museum DS. As a classics collection (a Namco Museum, if you will), it fails pretty hard. It's lacking some much-needed games, and its meager selection of seven classic titles pales to the 21 in the PSP Museum. Pac-Man Vs., however, is excellent. It's a perfect "bring your DS so we can play while we stand in line at the movie theater" kind of game. Think of it like this: if you're picking this title up for Vs., you'll love it; if you're looking to scratch a retro itch, though, you'll find that this compilation leaves a lot to be desired.

For $20, Namco Museum DS warrants a look, especially because of Pac-Man Vs. However, touch-screen control options and several more games would have made it much better.

Taken in the context that you're getting a bunch of old classics alongside a fairly recent slice of multiplayer loveliness, Namco Museum DS is a worthy purchase. The nagging doubts about the overall lack of games, and the fact that you may already own these anyway will apply to many (possibly the majority) of you, but if you've somehow avoided emulation, and the many iterations of Namco Museum re-releases, then go for it. There are some real gems to be had here - just not enough.

The game is rightfully priced at a cheaper $20 price point, with Pac-Man Vs being the obvious highlight of this compilation. It is just a shame that I have to play in the same room as my opponents…at least it is a single card link, though. But the lack of uploading a high score makes playing the rest of the 7 games seem a little boring and uneventful. However, all the added extras, especially the DIP switch mode, is a unique concept that is greatly welcomed. If you need a classic gaming fix from time to time, then this game can satisfy that craving. However, with the exclusion of Ms. Pac-Man and the original Dig Dug, I can’t help but wonder if Namco is working on Namco Museum DS 2. If this is true, let’s just hope it comes with WiFi.

The one saving grace is the presence of Pac-Man Vs., a sincerely cool multiplayer take on the legendary maze-chase game that got a bit of a bum rap when Nintendo tried to transform it into the cornerstone of the company's business model. Stripped of all that nonsense (and the cumbersome GBA-to-GameCube cables necessary to play it originally), you have a fast-paced and generally quite enjoyable little competitive game that plays a lot like an expanded version of Phantom Hourglass's multiplayer mode. It's absolutely worth buying the entire package for -- which is good, because the faithful-yet-broken arcade games definitely aren't.

If you really need to play these games for the umpteenth time, then for 20 bones you can't really beat this deal. I just wish more games were on it in order to say it is a must buy for all, not just nostalgia buffs.

Despite the awesome presentation, having a mere eight titles in Namco Museum DS is a bit of a disappointment. Pac-Man and Galaga are the only two obvious classics, and the overall roster is a little thin even with the inclusion of Pac-Man Vs. Namco has always carefully meted out its back catalog to milk as many Museum installments as possible out of each platform, and that forward thinking has clearly hurt this collection with the absence of true classics like Ms. Pac-Man.

Namco Museum DS is a fairly serviceable compilation that is well-suited for long voyages. Giving it to anyone under the age of 18 may very well produce confused looks and murmurs of, "You mean video games actually used to be like this? Where's the rendering, where are the polygons?" Subjecting your kids — or even yourself — to a bit of gaming history might just provide the incentive needed to appreciate how far video games have come. Add in some very real replayability and the ability to play Pac-Man Vs. with a friend, and the control issues and inclusion of a couple of questionable games becomes much more forgivable. Even players who own one or two of these compilations will find a few new games to toy with, and those who don't will benefit greatly from the addition of some of Namco's greatest games to their library.

Of course, all of this is meaningless if you aren't already interested in new releases of old games. And if you are, there's a fairly good chance that you have at least some of these games in other formats. With that in mind, there's nothing too special about this package that makes it stand out from the pack, save for its portability. If you're in need of an arcade-quality Xevious on the road, this will do the trick.

Don’t waste your money. Save it for the new games coming out and experience Namco’s classic games as they should be played; on an arcade cabinet.

So Namco Museum DS comes off less like a re-run of a glorious cinema classic, and more like watching painful home movies. Mostly repetitive and in some cases best forgotten, but a good thing if you like to be reminded of a time when things were simpler. If you're looking for a relaxing arcade-like cruise, look elsewhere, but addicts and veterans are nevertheless likely to be happy to know that they can carry around a piece of history in their pockets.

So that's one good reason to check out Namco Museum DS. The other seven…tough call, even for old fogies. Why didn't they just reprogram the classics to fit the DS properly? Because that would have required effort. This is not about innovation; this is about porting code that's lying around and reselling it for the zillionth time. This is Namco Museum, baby!

Si ressortir de vieux hits paraissait a priori être une bonne idée, elle vole vite en éclats face à la dure réalité. Non, ce n'était pas mieux avant, cette compilation se charge de nous le rappeler avec brio. C'est bien là sa seule utilité : nous démontrer l'importance du chemin parcouru, l'ampleur du fossé qui nous sépare d'une époque -heureusement- révolue.