Namco Museum 50th Anniversary

Judged on just the extras, menus & features, this title is far from special. Compared 2 what Capcom has delivered with their "Classics" series, a few extra features like save states & shorter load times would have been nice.

However, I bought this title 4 the Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man & Galaga emulations, & on that note 50th Anniverary delivers. First off, the graphics & sound 4 Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man & Galaga are spot on, a vast improvement over the terrible distortions of the original Namco Museum (Xbox) title. Ghost behavior in the Pac-Man games is about as close 2 the arcade as you'll probably find in an emulation. Sit spots, passing through ghosts, & the little quirks of each monster from what I can tell are exploitable just as they were in the arcade. As far as grouping behavior goes, I'm not an expert in that arena, so your mileage may vary if your questing 4 a perfect game & want 2 test out your favorite arcade tricks.

I only wish I could praise the Galaga emulation as highly. Graphics & sound are as they should be, but an unfortunate input lag will cause some frustration when your pounding away on the fire button. Of course, having played the arcade quite a bit during the 90's, I became accustomed 2 creaky old stained cabinets with faded screens & half working controls.

As 4 the rest... I'll have 2 give the other games a try, but 4 the big 3 this disc does deliver the goods.

This is a good colection of some of the classics, the main reason I got this was 4 Rolling Thunder & Xevious (since I've never seen them on any other collection of games). I used 2 love those 2 games when I was a kid. Most of the other games are cool but a good bit of them are already on other classic games out there (like Pac-man, mrs pac-man, galaga, dig dug ect...). The only things I didn't like was the load times & that you couldn't continue on Xevious or Dig Dug, which is kindof annoying. Other than that it's $20 of my hard earned cash well spent.

There is so much 2 say with nostaligic video games these days. Yet, with so many different games that have been coming back & definitely remaining a constant in the industry. That has been the case with Namco & their brand of video games. We've seen classics from their main attraction, Pac Man revive the company over & over again 2 still stand as a popular favorite 4 every video game system. That also was shown with the Namco Museum reflection of the classic video game library. While the games have all been released 4 each of the ssytems, another edition was over the horizon, without a quarter 2 place into the slots.

Namco Museum 50th Anniversary Arcade collection 4 the Microsoft Xbox, is a collection of 14 games 4 everybody 2 love & enjoy. The collection of games is mostly nothing new 4 people who bought the previous edition. Neverthless, 4 anybody who hasn't played these classic gems, that is another story. The games here have all been restored & remastered nicely, with a main menu soundtrack that feaures classics from the 80's like the Fine Young Cannibals hit She Drives Me Crazy. The compilation includes so many greats that still stand including Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Dig Dug, the original driving machine Pole Position, & Galaga. While the game doesn't showcase the arrangement editons of games like Pac Man, & Dig Dug, the classic editions still stand still, & just remain as good guilty pleasures. The control 4 these games is very simple & easy 4 all gamers alike old & new.

While so many people might not seem interested in the classics right now, & are just considering newer games like Need For Speed: Most Wanted, & Project Gotham Racing, Namco Museum's 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection 4 the Xbox is a great buy 4 any gamer who has a feeling 4 the arcade greats.

Graphics: B+

Sound: B

Control: B 1/2+

Fun & Enjoyment: B 1/2+

Overall: B+

Why, you ask?

1) Play your favorite classic NAMCO arcade games!

2) Go XBOX LIVE!

3) Includes PAC-MAN, RALLY X, DIG DUG, & 11 more games!

Buy it! You won't be dissapointed!

This is a great collection of Namco's classic games. If you bought the Namco Museum 4 XBox, then you know about the jerky movement of both Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man. Very distracting but they are gone in this set. Plus there are more games & they added the classic Galaga '88'. All you need is 2 score 40000 on Galaga & it's yours but why even bother because 40000 on Galage should be no problem 4 moderate 2 pro players. There's also Pacmania on the game & you need 15000 on Pac-Man & 20000 on Ms. Pac-Man 2 unlock. If you already have the Museum, this is still a must buy so you can get Rolling Thunder along with the bonus game of Galaga '88'. If you buy the Museum, 50th Anniversary & the Battle Collection 4 the PSP, you actually wind up having 4 different versions of Galaga. The Arrangement version on the PSP is different then the one on Museum & a whole lot more fun. At any rate, buy this game.

Namco's Museum 50th Anniversary Collection compiles some of the classic Namco arcade games that defined gaming in the 1980s. Go back in time & play classics like Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, & Pole Position. The new retro menu Interface allows players 2 explore a virtual arcade hall where each of the game's classics will be standing in its original arcade form. The only difference is, this time you don't need a pocket full of quarters! Pole Position - The milestone in racing games Pole Position II - Sequel 2 the original, 4 real racetracks - Fuji, Test, Suzuka, & Seaside Rolling Thunder - Become secret agent Albatross & rescue Lelia Blitz from the evil Geldra Bosconian - Survive against an army of space stations, while avoiding asteroids & other obstacles Rally X - Players drive around a maze while avoiding chasing cars, laying smoke screens, & collecting flags Dragon Spirit - Control a powerful dragon through the air, harness spells, drop bombs & breath fire at enemies Sky Kid - Control a bi-plane & avoidenemy planes using evasive loops, while dropping bombs&shooting down other planes Xevious - Use a heavily armed fighter plane 2 destroy enemies & targets, in the air & on the ground Mappy - Control Mappy the police mouse, as he dodges chasing cats 2 collect valuable items