Jul 18, 2010

Did you know that, before the driving force of Pac-Man was named “pellets,” the items were called “cookies?” I didn’t either, but that’s exactly what a Namco rep told me while showing off upcoming Wii minigame collection Pac-Man Party. She did this, you see, because that’s what Pac-Man (and his nebulous cohorts) spend a lot of time chasing. Cookies. Also, not a single “power cookie” in sight. Madness!

Unfortunately, Pac-Man Party isn’t quite as exciting as that tidbit of trivia. In fact, it’s downright awful (at least the bit I played of it was). At a recent press event in NYC, I played through some of the game’s party mode with the aforementioned Namco rep. We were first asked which character from the Pac-Man universe we’d like to choose.

Wait, there’s a Pac-Man “universe?” Isn’t it just ghosts and Mr./Ms. Pac-Man?

Gallery: Pac-Man Party