“Wow, Pac-Man is 30 years-old,” I said out loud last night. This seemed like such an incredible amount of time until I, unfortunately, realized that the little yellow man and I are the same age. Over the past three decades, Namco’s attempts to re-capture the original game’s fervor have mostly fallen short, with the exception of 2007’s Pac-Man Championship Edition. Where previous iterations amounted to ports and bizarre 3D interpretations, Pac-Man CE managed to merge classic, addictive gameplay with a high-definition, modern touch. Thankfully, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is just as enjoyable; whether you’re a Pac-Man initiate or an old geezer like me.
There’s probably little point in explaining traditional Pac-Man gameplay. You race through a maze, chomp pellets, and avoid or eat ghosts; you know the deal. That stated, Pac-Man CE DX diverges a bit from its arcade predecessor. DX isn’t necessarily about clearing a solid line of pellets to advance to the next stage. There’s a bounty of edible dots, to be sure, but this game focuses on score more than level completion.
