3RRSG Ms Pacman

Odds are, if you play video games, then you have most likely played
some form of pac-man. Appearing on practically every console after
the arcade release, Pac-man has become a video game icon. But has
he aged as well as other video game greats like Mario and Sonic? And
is the classic gameplay still fun today, in the age of internet gameplay,
flashy graphics, and digital women?

Speaking of women, now here was a female video game character that
nearly everyone loved. She wasn't too girly for boys not to play her
game, but yet not trashy or sexual to attract gamers. (Oh god if anyone
is sexually attracted to a pac-man character...). Ms.Pac-man had a
game that played just as good as her male counterpart. That's
probably due to the fact that they were practically identical. But still,
the pac-man couple have been one of the hottest and loving video
game pairs in the history of the games. Together for over 20 years, the
couple has survived endless remakes both in the 2d world and the 3d
one. But let's go back to Ms. Pac-man's beginning in her self titled
game.

The story in this one is a love story. I'd like to think as the ghosts who
chase the pacs around as pesky paparazzi. Ms. Pac-man, an attractive
young resident of pac town, has been seen dating the dashing Pac-
man himself. Obviously the ghosts need the scoop to print in
magazines so they chase after Ms. Pac-man for the juicy details. Ok, so
maybe that not quite how it went but we can pretend. We still get to
watch the love between the two pacs blossom from meeting, to
courtship, to Pac-Jr. If we take into account the original game's age
(1982) then a story even with the cut scenes in this game was still big.

Do I really need to go over the basics of a classic pac-man game?
Gobble pac dots, avoid ghosts, eat any fruits that come your way, and
eat super pac dots to make the ghosts turn blue and then eat them.
Obviously, even though the Pac family is very famous, they have no
problem being themselves and they don't try to starve them selves to
look like super models. There are 36 mazes to eat through in this
game. They have different variants in the game modes you can play in.
Play in the arcade mazes, big versions, mini versions, and strange
versions. You can play 1 player. Taking turns 2 players, or 2 players at
the same time. Then the second player is Pac-man himself!

But as you can remember pac-man games are hard! This one has an
optional "Pac booster" you can turn on or off. When on, Ms. Pacman
will go a lot faster making it less difficult to get the pac dots. Also
when it's off you'll notice ghosts tend to run faster than you. When
they catch up to you it will result in swear words and the eventual
game over. You can also adjust the speed that everything moves at
from easy to Crazy. Crazy speed is fun to play, because everything is
going so fast! Every few levels you get to watch a cut scene detailing
the loving relationship between the two pacs. Don't forget to eat your
fruits that appear on screen! (Although sometimes they get a bit crazy
like they come as stars or hands. Why would you eat those? Oh well
they all give good points to your score).

Graphics are standard pac. Bright colors on a black background.
Ms.Pac-man looks a lot like normal Pac-man. Just with a bow, pretty
eyes, lip stick, and a dot on her face. 4 ghosts will chase you, in colors
of purple, blue, red, and orange. Pac dots mostly come in white, but
some levels I saw them come in yellow. Overall the Genesis version
looks practically the same as the arcade one. Everything looks just as
you remembered it so the graphics are definitely a solid conversion. As
I said before lots of different fruits to collect to gain points. The title
screen looks interesting with the picture of Ms. Pac-man and the
ghosts. The menu is simple to navigate through. The pac boost will put
a few lines slicking back from Ms.Pac-man's bow to represent speed.
(Speed lines often times seen in Anime or Manga). So for me the bright
and cheery graphics look good and nothing at all to complain about.

The sound is also very familiar to pac-man players. Very happy and
bouncy music plays during the cut scenes. During gameplay though,
you will mostly hear the familiar chomping sound of the pac dots. The
loud thuds of the fruits bouncing around, and the hum of edible blue
ghosts. These sounds have become some of the most familiar in video
game history. The musical jingles aren't half bad either. I like the one
that plays shortly when you first start playing. So if you like the sound
of scarfing down pac dots then this will be heaven. If the constant
drone of such a noise bothers you then sorry.

Replay is good. Play the game in the different maps like big or strange.
Change the speed, and play with or without pac boost. See how far you
can get with designated amount of continues. And trust me, without
pac boost this game is hard. Heck even with it, the game is still very
hard. The 2 player modes definitely help. But really it will just be
replayed because it has that arcade pick up and play touch to it. It
doesn't require you to sit in front on your tv and watch a freaking hour
long cut scene. In this game gameplay comes first and that's how it
should be. Playing to get to watch the cut scenes is also a goal you
may set. The cut scenes don't last more than like 10 seconds but they
are cute.

So the game really is fun to play. Every video game fan should probably
own one form of the great Pac-man legacy. This one is a very
respectable one to add to the collection. Just be warned. Despite its
cute nature this game is sure to stir up foul language among some of
those who play it. Getting gangbanged in the corner by all 4 ghosts at
once is always memorable. Now then go out there and guide Ms. Pac-
man away from those pesky reporters! (Hey how'd you like my take on
the story? I thought it was kinda cool. Ha, I have too much free time
sometimes.)

Review by: Orochi Sonic