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Arcade Information

  developer Namco
  publisher Midway
  designer Iwatani Toru - Game Designer<br>Hideyuki Mokajima - Programmer<br>Toshio Kai - Sound & Music
  release 1980
  genre Maze
  modes Up to 2 players, alternating turns
  cabinet Standard upright, mini-upright, and cocktail
  arcade System Namco Pac-Man
  sound 1x Namco WSG (3-channel mono) @ 3072 MHz
  resolution 224 x 288
  monitor RGB Raster , Vertical
  input 4-way Joystick
  ports Atari 2600 , Atari 5200 , Commodore 64 , NES , Intellivision , Sega Game Gear , Game Boy , Neo Geo Pocket Color , Game Boy Advance , Mobile Phone


''Pac-Man'' (or '''Puckman''') is an Arcade Game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution by Midway that was first released in 1980 . Immensely popular from its first release through today, ''Pac-Man'' is universally considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games, and an icon of 1980s Popular Culture . This non-violent game appealed to both boys and girls.

Until Pac-Man was released in the arcades, arcade video games in North America were primarily " Space Shooters ", or video games where people controlled spaceships in space that had to shoot something (asteroids, aliens, etc). Since then, video arcade games have widely diversified (and even became educational in some cases), and as such, Pac-Man is credited with being a landmark in arcade gaming.


HISTORY AND REACTION

The game was developed primarily by Namco employee Toru Iwatani . After receiving inspiration from a Pizza with one slice missing , game designer Iwatani spent approximately seventeen months on a game that revolved around eating. Iwatani's efforts to appeal to a wider audience — beyond the typical demographics of young boys and Teenager s — would eventually lead him to adding in elements of a Maze . The result was a game he entitled ''PUCK MAN'', derived from the Onomatopoeic Japanese Phrase ''pakupaku'', meaning he eats he eats. When first launched in Japan in 1980 by Namco, the game received a lukewarm response, as '' Space Invaders '' and other games of similar ilk were far more popular at the time.

However, that same year, the game was picked up for manufacture in the U.S. by Bally division Midway , under the altered title ''Pac-Man''. American audiences welcomed a breakaway from conventions set by ''Space Invaders'', which resulted in unprecedented popularity and revenue that rivaled its successful predecessor (even Iwatani was impressed with U.S. sales). The game soon became a worldwide phenomenon within the Video Game Industry , resulting in numerous sequels and merchandising tie-ins. Its style of gameplay became widely imitated by games created by competitors, but none could equal the original in profit or popularity.


The name change from ''PUCK MAN'' to ''Pac-Man'' was said to be partially motivated out of a desire to avoid vandalism that Americans could inflict upon game cabinets by scratching out part of the first letter to change it to an "F". However, because this is not an issue in many non- English speaking countries, both ''PUCK MAN'' and ''Pac-Man'' machines can be found throughout Europe .

When Midway released ''Pac-Man'' in the United States, the company also redesigned the cabinet's artwork, as the Namco-style artwork was more costly to mass produce, as well as being considered too stylish for the American market. ''PUCK MAN'' was painted overall white featuring multicoloured artwork on both sides with cheerful Puck-Man characters in different poses while ''Pac-Man'' was painted yellow, with very simple and easy-to-stencil artwork on both sides and front.

The first known "perfect ''Pac-Man'' game", in which the player must complete all of the 255 levels, a maximum point score without ever being caught, was played in 1999 by Billy Mitchell . The maximum score is 3,333,360 points.


GAMEPLAY

''Pac-Man'' is a Maze game. The player maneuvers Pac-Man, a yellow circle with a mouth, to navigate a maze while eating small dots and other item prizes. A Level , or board, is finished when all the "dots" are eaten. Four Ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) also wander the maze in an attempt to catch Pac-Man. Each level begins with three ghosts in their "ghost pen" and one above it, and Pac-Man near the bottom of the maze. The ghosts are released from the pen one by one at the start of each level.

There are four power-up items near the corners of the maze, known as "energizers" or "power pellets" which provide Pac-Man with the temporary ability to eat the ghosts. The ghosts turn a deep blue and reverse direction immediately when Pac-Man eats an energizer, and they move more slowly while they are vulnerable. The ghosts are worth 200, 400, 800, and 1600 points, in sequence. The values reset back to 200 each time another Power Pellet is eaten, so it is advantageous for the player to eat all four ghosts per pellet. If a ghost is eaten, his eyes return to the "ghost pen" where they will be restored to normal. The ghosts flash white five times before they revert to being dangerous. The amount of time the ghosts remain vulnerable after a Power Pellet is eaten varies from one board to the next, but the time period generally becomes shorter as the game progresses, and after many boards have been completed the ghosts will actually not turn blue at all when the energizers are eaten (but they will still reverse direction).

Regular "dots" are worth ten points each (there are 240 of them on each board), and Power Pellets (known as "power food" in Japan) are worth fifty points each. Additionally, points can be earned by having Pac-Man eat a bonus prize (generically referred to as a "fruit," even though a few are not actually fruit) that appears twice during each board just below the monster pen. The symbols change with each successive one or two boards, and their point value steadily increases:
  • Cherries, 100 points

  • Strawberry, 300 points

  • Orange, 500 points

  • Apple, 700 points

  • Grapes, 1000 points

  • Flagship from '' Galaxian '', 2000 points

  • Bell, 3000 points

  • Key, 5000 points


Pac-Man is awarded a bonus life at 10,000 points (the default setting; DIP Switch es inside the machine can change the required points to 15,000 or 20,000 or disable the bonus life altogether).


Ghosts


While the ghosts are bound by the same limitations of the maze, some key differences exist between Pac-Man's and the ghosts' movement. For example, Pac-Man turns corners faster than his adversaries; he can also pass through the "tunnel" on either side of the maze unhindered, as opposed to the ghosts, who suffer a severe drop in speed.

The ghosts have names and Nickname s. This list reflects the game's English Language version:

#Blinky ("Shadow") is the Red ghost.
#Pinky ("Speedy") is the Pink ghost.
#Inky ("Bashful") is the Light Blue ghost.
#Clyde ("Pokey") is the Orange ghost.

In the original ''Puck-Man'', these ghosts were named Oikake ("chaser") (Akabei; "red-guy"), Machibuse ("ambusher") (Pinky), Kimagure ("fickle") (Aosuke; "blue-guy"), and Otoboke ("stupid") (Guzuta; "slow-guy"). ''Puck-Man'' also had a .

There are a few notable quirks in the behavior of the ghosts:
  • If the player survives long enough in a level without being caught by a ghost, the ghosts will all suddenly reverse directions and each will head for a different corner. This term is called "Scatter Mode", and it will continue to happen as long as the player stays alive without having finished the level, cycling between converging on the player, and de-converging into their respective corners (Blinky: upper right, Pinky: upper left, Inky: lower right, Clyde: lower left). If this process goes on long enough, and the player has still not completed the level, then the ghosts will constantly attack and never go back into Scatter Mode.

  • The ghosts will never go upwards into either of the two passages immediately above their monster pen (unless they are in their blue vulnerable state). A player being closely pursued can lose his pursuers by leading them to the top of the monster pen then going upwards into either of the two passages; the ghosts will not follow.

  • Pac-Man may go upwards into (and stop in) the corner immediately to the right and above his starting location facing upwards. When the ghosts are not closely pursuing him, they will never find him, and instead will roam aimlessly around the board until Pac-Man leaves that spot. This trick is used by marathon Pac-Man players to allow themselves an occasional bathroom break.

  • There is a software coding bug that allows Pacman to sometimes pass through a ghost unharmed. Though this rarely occurs, several patterns have been developed which consistently pass through a ghost or ghosts. Most expert players have their favorite "pass through" pattern.


The movements of the ghosts are strictly deterministic—there is no random or even pseudo-randomness in the Algorithm s choosing their paths. Experienced players have exploited this flaw by devising precise sequences of movements for each level in order to play indefinitely (termed "patterns"). A later revision of the programming altered the behavior, but it still wasn't random, and new patterns were devised for it.

Initially, these characters were referred to as "monsters", but soon became known as "ghosts." (see Ghosts Vs. Monsters .)


Intermissions

During the opening boards of the game, the linearity of the game's progression is interrupted by "intermissions" — humorous animated scenes featuring Pac-Man and the monsters. There are three different intermissions:

#Blinky chases Pac-Man off the screen. Blinky reappears as a vulnerable blue monster coming the opposite direction, being chased by a giant Pac-Man. This intermission plays after Board 2.
#Blinky chases Pac-Man across the screen, but his pelt gets caught on a tack in the floor, and part of it is ripped off revealing his 'skin'. This intermission plays after Board 5.
#Blinky, with the corner of his pelt sewn back on, chases Pac-Man across the screen. Blinky reappears coming back the opposite direction, naked, dragging his pelt behind him. This intermission plays after Boards 9, 13 and 17.


"Split-screen level"

The game technically has no end; the player will be given new boards to clear as long as Pac-Man does not lose all of his lives. However, due to a glitch in the game the right side of the 256 th board is a garbled mess of text and symbols rendering the level unplayable. This occurs because of a bug in the subroutine that draws the fruit at the bottom of the screen that indicate the current level. Normally, at most 7 fruits are displayed, regardless of the current screen, but since the level number is stored in a single byte, level 255 ("FF" in Hexadecimal ) rolls over to 0 in the subroutine, and 256 fruit are drawn, corrupting the bottom of the screen and the entire right half of the maze. Enthusiasts refer to this as the "Final Level," the "Split-Screen Level," or simply as the ending. Although there are claims that someone with enough knowledge of the maze pattern can play through it, it is generally considered impossible to be cleared via legitimate means.

However, in December 1982, an eight-year-old boy named Jeffrey R. Yee received a letter from U.S. President Ronald Reagan congratulating him on a worldwide record of 6,131,940 points, a score only possible if the player has passed the Split-Screen Level. Whether or not this event happened as described has remained in heated debate amongst video game circles since its supposed occurrence. Billy Mitchell offered $100,000 to anyone who could provably pass through the Split-Screen Level before January 1 , 2000 ; there is no evidence that anyone could.

Through tinkering, the details of the Split-Screen Level have been revealed. As playable through arcade game emulator MAME some ROMs of the game are equipped with a "rack test" within the DIP switches which will automatically clear a level of all pellets as soon as it begins. This method not only makes reaching the long-mythical 256th board easier (thus making detailed analysis possible) but also demonstrates what happens after the board has been cleared.

To win: because the right side of the map does not exist, Pac-Man and the ghosts can move freely throughout the right side of the screen, barring some of the garbled symbols which are fractured pieces of the maze. Other symbols also entail power pills, which must be eaten for the player to continue (unlike the unglitched boards, if Pac-Man loses a life, the pills on the right side of the screen will reset after being eaten). Because the maze fracture blockades are "placed" in many locations, it is difficult — if not impossible — to locate them all.

If the board is cleared, the game restarts from the first board without error, once again repeating through 256. However, while the power-ups and intermissions repeat from the opening of the game, the monsters will retain their speed and invulnerability to power pellets from the later boards.


LEGACY

Marketers from the video game manufacturers were taken completely by surprise by the phenomenal success of ''Pac-Man'' in 1980. Interviews with programmers who worked in the industry during the initial Golden Age Of Video Games revealed that marketing executives completely overlooked the game (and likewise dismissed the classic '' Defender '' as "too complex"), while they looked to a racing car game called '' Rally-X '' as the game to outdo that year. The appeal of ''Pac-Man'' caught on immediately with the gaming public and the game's popularity outpaced anything seen in the industry before; it even surpassed '' Space Invaders '' as the most popular and most influential game of the 1980s . The game was so popular that it was one of the most widely bootlegged games in the early 80s; these versions often had significant differences in how the monsters ran their patterns.

  • Bert '', '' Donkey Kong '', and '' Frogger '' partially owe their existence to the success of ''Pac-Man''.


The Killer List Of Videogames lists ''Pac-Man'' as the #1 video game of all time on its "Top 100 Videogames" list. ''Pac-Man'', and other Video Games of the same general type, are often cited as an identifying cultural experience of Generation X , particularly its older members, sometimes called Baby Busters .


SUCCESSORS

''Pac-Man'' spawned numerous sequels, though none of them were as popular as the original.

Arcade Sequels

Console Sequels

Mobile Phone Sequels



Knock-offs


Unauthorized "pirate" versions of the game were also created, most notably '' Hangly-Man '' (a mangling of "Hungry-Man"), one variant of which replaced the Pac-Man character with the head of Popeye . There was another hack of Hangly-Man called Caterpillar Pac-Man made in 1981 by Phi. In this game you play as a Caterpillar , and the Ghosts are replaced by four Spiders .

Another popular Clone game was ''Piranha'', which replaced Pac-Man with a munching Fish . The maze was replaced with a Coral Reef , and the monsters are Squid s. (In an earlier variant, they are little more than ghosts with extended Sprites for the tentacles). A brief reference to the game was even included in the ''Pac-Man'' TV series, when in an underwater scene, a fish is shown eating a ghost-squid.

In addition, soon after the release of the original ''Pac-Man'', many other maze-themed video games entered the arcade market ('' Make Trax '', '' Thief '', '' Lady Bug '' and '' Mouse Trap '' being the most prominent). In the home video game market, '' K.C. Munchkin '' was actually withdrawn after Atari successfully sued its creator, since its imitation of the ''Pac-Man'' characters was so blatant and undisguised.

A handheld version called Epoch Man was released by Epoch in 1981 – it can be seen in '' National Lampoon's Vacation '' (1983) in Russ's hand.

Texas Instruments released a clone called ''Munch Man'' for the TI-99 home computer line in 1982, in which the player lays down a "track" (or "links," in Munch Man parlance), as he progresses through the maze instead of eating pills – a change made by TI to avoid possible lawsuits from Midway.

In 1981,Leisure and Allied. released Ghostmuncher / Galaxian . This game was a dual bootleg of Pac-Man and Galaxian. You can change the game with the Dip Switch. In this bootleg, the colors, sounds and names of the ghosts have been changed. The "Galaxian" bootleg is also sped up significantly. {Link without Title}

In the 1990's, Microhard/Magic Games released Funny Strip . This is a maze game & a rip-off of Pac-Man & Ms. Pac-Man featuring nudity whenever "STRIP TEASE" is spelled out. The letters
that spell this appear after certain ghosts turn into them after a pill is eaten. {Link without Title}

In 1992, Creative Dimensions released a Pac-Man knock off called CD-Man. The game featured a CD-Man, instead of Pac-Man, eating dots and running from enemies such as spiders and sharks. {Link without Title}

In 1994, Virtuality released with Pac-man . This was followed up by a sequel called Twinkle {Link without Title} in this version they colored Pac-Man orange and gave him sunglasses.

In 1999, ESD released Multi Champ Deluxe. Multi Champ Deluxe is a adult orientated multi game system, where the player chooses a girl and then 1 of 6 games, win the game to save the girl. Games include clones of Pac-man, tetris and columns styled games, as well as pang, Mahjong, and a solitaire card game. [http://www.highwaygames.com/db_images/screen_thumb_1232.jpg

In 2000, Genie released . Player 1 controls Puckman and Player 2 controls Pikachu 's head.

Grandpa Pac-Man was an unofficial sequel created by Lafe Travis Games for the PC and is available as Freeware . Grandpa Pac-Man has 13 mazes to master, 12 intermissions, and 30 different prizes to gobble up. {Link without Title}


Pac-Man VR

See Also: Pac-Man VR


In 1996, Virtuality Ltd released a Virtual Reality version of Pac-Man entitled Pac-Man VR. This game was officially licensed from Namco Holding Corp.

Here is part of the promo that was originally on Virtuality's web site (which no longer exists), which describes the game:

''PAC-MAN fever is spreading again with this new fully immersive 3D virtual reality game from Virtuality in which the player actually becomes PAC-MAN himself. Through a licensing agreement with NAMCO, the creators of the original PAC-MAN, Virtuality brings this fun packed game for Solo, Duo and Quattro Series 2000 SU systems.''

''Retaining all of the original gameplay, Virtuality have enhanced this classic game by networking up to four PAC-MAN characters together, enabling them to see, talk and compete with each in the same virtual maze whilst still trying to outwit the ghosts.''

You can view a copy of the page here: {Link without Title}


Pac-Man Arrangement

See Also: Pac-Man Arrangement


In 1996, Pac-Man rereleased in the arcades and packaged along with an updated version titled '' Pac-Man Arrangement ''. Out of the three released Arrangement editions, Rally-X and Dig Dug , Pac-Man is the most bizarre, straying very much away from the original game and completely revamping the feel and pacing.


Pac-Man Vs.

See Also: Pac-Man Vs.


In 2003, a new version called '' Pac-Man Vs. '' for the Nintendo GameCube allowed four players to play simultaneously via the GameCube-Game Boy Advance Cable .


NOMENCLATURE CONFLICTS

There have been various debates over the naming of some of the items in the game.


Ghosts vs. monsters

The longest-running of these debates are of the villains. The four villains of the game have been called both "monsters" and "ghosts." Among the general population, "ghosts" seems to have become more popular. On the original gameplay instructions located next to the screen, however, the successive "200, 400, 800, 1600" scoring is referred to as "Monster point value." In '' Pac-Mania '', the artwork next to the screen also calls them "monsters," and "The Sand Box" level introduction screen warns, "Beware of bouncing ''monsters''." On the cabinet artwork for the earlier American games, the villains were also drawn as furry monsters.

The term "ghosts" originates from the Failed Atari 2600 Port . Technical limitations caused the villains to flicker, and the game's manual dubbed them "ghosts" so as to cover up the flaw. Although the game was ultimately unsuccessful due to these flaws, the term stuck, and soon spread to all of the Bubble Gum cards, stickers, and other merchandise released afterwards.

On the Japanese cabinet art and flyers, the villains appeared somewhat like sheeted ghosts. These became the basis for most drawings on the various merchandise. Consequently, cabinet artwork for later arcade games depicted the villains as more ghost-like.

The TV cartoon version compromised between the two conflicting names by calling them "ghost-monsters." Despite the name, however, the villains' characteristics were more ghost-like than monster-like. Their outfits, for instance, were now Linen "ghost suits" kept stored in a closet. The villains also appeared to be Spirit s with eyes under the suits. However, the game Intermissions show that they have fleshy bodies.

One theoretical way to explain the differences could be in the change that occurs in the monsters when the player eats a "power pellet" (aka "energizer," "energy dot," or "power pill"). The "energized" monsters change in appearance to a blue shade with yellow eyes. During this phase the monsters become like ghosts, which are soft enough for Pac-Man to consume without danger.


Power pellets

On the instruction cards, the power items were called "energizers", but on the Atari 2600 port they were called '''"power pills"''', and on the cartoon they were called '''"power pellets"''' ("pellet" is considered more appropriate, since "pill" might suggest a drug reference). The 240 basic ten-point items on the game are simply called "dots" on the card. Again, the Atari 2600 version changed the dots to "video wafers" (because of their rectangular shape, no doubt). "Pac away" was used as the verb for the act of "eating" them. But there were no such pellets in the cartoon, but rather all were power pellets. (The act of one character eating another was called "'''chomping'''" in the cartoon).


Fruits

The fruits were not officially classified in the original instruction cards and were not represented in the cartoon. Players have generally adopted the name of "fruits" to the bonus items that appear in the middle of the board. Pac-Mania officially calls them fruits; when a fruit appears, a notification says, "Fruit target." Jr. Pac-Man calls them "bonus symbols," but that game had toys instead of fruits. The static square-within-a-square prize in the center of the Atari 2600 board is called a Vitamin by the game's instruction manual. Strategy guides published in the 1980's (mostly about the arcade versions) commonly referred to the fruits as simply "prizes" to accommodate the objects which were not actually fruit (such as the bells, keys, galaxian ships, etc).


Who's the Boss?

Another series of inconsistencies in the history of the game is the different Personalities and roles of the ghost-monsters. In the original game, and most others afterward, the order of the listed villains in the intro screen shows Blinky as the leader. In the actual gameplay, he is the one who pursues you the most aggressively, especially in the state of Cruise Elroy. He is often followed by Pinky. Then Inky often cuts Pac-Man's escape route off, as was stated. Clyde always seems to be wandering off and doesn't get in the way as much. This pattern was followed consistently, until the cartoon, in which the personalities were changed, with Clyde as the Boss , Inky as the Dumb one, Sue (a purple ghost who originally appeared as Clyde's orange replacement in Ms. Pac-Man, she later appeared in ''Pac-Land'' and ''Pac-Mania'') as also bossy and Blinky as very timid. (Only Pinky’s personality matched 'his' Character as a tough bully.)

The games released after the TV series continued the original roles, until ''Pac-Land'', which was based squarely on the cartoon. While the four male ghosts basically do not differ from each other in their moves (they mostly bob up and down in their Vehicle s), the eyes now reflected the cartoon, with Clyde as the Angry -looking leader, Blinky as timid looking and Inky as Stupid -looking, with crossed eyes. Sue was also particularly Aggressive , lurking behind you if you moved too slowly through the game. These were the basic drawings of the ghosts used on most merchandise and newer game artwork to the present.

''Pac-Mania'' changed things again. The facial expressions were not used in the game or cabinet artwork, with the Exception of Sue's angry eyes in the game. The screen displaying the list of high-scores, however, shows the cartoon ghosts chasing Pac-Man, with Blinky having the angry "boss" eyes, while Inky still having the Goofy crossed eyes. On the other hand, the screen-side art somewhat followed the cartoon, listing "Clyde" as "The Boss. He’s super fast when mad." (Which would presumably refer to the "Cruise Elroy" associated with the true boss, Blinky.) Blinky is listed as "The slow, absent minded one." However, on the actual gameplay, players see pretty much the same pattern from the original game, with Blinky coming fast, Pinky being tough, Inky moderately tough, and Clyde hardly bothering the player at all. The difference is Sue, who is once again very aggressive (and now often gives you more trouble than Blinky), along with the game's new ghosts, Funky and Spunky.

In ''Pac-Man Arrangement'', the personality- Swap introduced by the cartoon completely affected the personalities in the game. The different- Color ed ghosts still act the normal way, but now, on the introductory screen where the ghosts are listed, players see that Blinky and Clyde have swapped sheets! (Clyde is now wearing red, and Blinky is the orange one at the bottom).


PORTS

''Pac-Man'' is one of the few games to have been consistently re-released for over two decades. In the 1980s, it was released for the (2005). An Xbox 360 port, to be distributed through the Xbox Live Arcade , was announced in April 2006.

Namco has repeatedly rereleased this game in arcades. In 2001, Namco released a ''20-Year Reunion'' game that combined ''Ms. Pac-Man'' and '''' machines are far easier to locate in today's arcades than a dedicated Pac-Man.

Only '' Space Invaders '' has managed this feat. However, aside from a Game Boy conversion in 1990 and a SNES conversion in 1994, the game saw few re-releases between 1982 and the game's 25th anniversary in 2005.

Namco's wireless division released a line of PAC-MAN games for the cell phone in 2002, starting with the original arcade version and following up with PAC-MAN game extensions like PAC-MAN Bowling, PAC-MANIA (a 3D PAC-MAN game) and PAC-MAN Pinball. This division (Namco Networks America Inc.) also launched a networked game, Ms. PAC-MAN For Prizes, in 2004. PAC-MAN mobile games are available on both BREW and JAVA platforms across major cellular carriers, as well as on Palm PDAs and Windows PC phones.


Failed Atari port

port of ''Pac-Man'' was a commercial disaster.]]

The first attempt to Adapt ''Pac-Man'' to the home video game market was a disastrous failure. Atari Inc. bought the home video rights to the game, and it promoted the release of the Atari 2600 version of the game with an enormous marketing campaign. In the eyes of the public, the combination of the world's most popular home video game console with the world's most popular arcade game seemed like a "can't miss" blockbuster. However, the actual Atari 2600 adaptation of the game ended up being panned by critics as stiff and lifeless, somehow managing to remove the colorful, "fun" aspect of ''Pac-Man'' from the game. It was one of two major home video game releases (along with the Atari 2600 version of '' E.T. '') that may have triggered the Video Game Crash Of 1983 .

Reports have it that the miserable port of the game to the 2600 was largely due to an overzealous Atari marketing department. As Atari planned for the development of ''Pac-Man'' for the 2600, some marketing executives approached one of their principal Game Programmer s, Tod Frye , about doing a version of the game. He said he already had a Prototype developed and showed it to them. It lacked polish, but the executives were so eager to start selling the game (due in part to the approaching 1981 Christmas season) that they overlooked its flaws and ordered production of the game based on the unfinished prototype. Atari allegedly paid Frye $1 million for his work, which today is equated to about $2.23 million.

Unfortunately, the public did not overlook the game's blemishes, and many consumers instead purchased similar offerings from competing Video Game Publisher s. The sales figures would normally have been respectable (seven out of every ten of the ten million user base bought the game), except that Atari produced twelve million cartridges, which led to a large loss for the company.

The game suffers from poor design choices as well as limitations of the hardware, which only draws one enemy on the screen at a time, so that each of the game's four enemies only appears in one of every four Frame s; due to Persistence Of Vision this presents the illusion of having four enemies on the screen at once, but they flicker badly. For this reason, the game's instruction manual calls the enemies "ghosts" instead of "monsters". The ghosts are very subtly tinted different colors, but this can be very hard to see on most television sets, and otherwise there are no differences between the ghosts. Unlike the arcade game in which the monsters' eyes indicate their direction of movement, the eyes of this version's ghosts spin constantly. The ghosts move according to much simpler patterns which do not appear to depend on the location of Pac-Man. Pac-Man himself has been likened to a Wrench with an eye, and his mouth continues to open and close even when he is not moving, and he moves up and down corridors sideways. The dots are actually dashes, and the sound of eating them is a harsh tone, unlike the "waaka waaka" sound of the arcade. The maze has been viewed as very unsimilar to the original arcade game in structure (the escape tunnels are located at the top and bottom of the screen) and in color (this version has orange walls and a blue background). The "fruit" has become a two-color rectangle which does not change from board to board.

It is interesting to note that, despite its perceived inferiority, sound effects from the Atari 2600 version of Pac-Man are possibly the sounds most often used as Stock Sound Effects in films and television series to represent the sounds of a game being played in the background of a scene. This continued for years after the crash of 1983, and despite the fact that the game shown in any given TV or movie scene was usually a completely different video game, and sometimes not even being played on an Atari 2600; the sounds have even been used to represent background noise from arcade machines.


BOARD GAMES


In 1982, Milton Bradley released a Board Game based on Pac-Man. {Link without Title}

In 1982, Milton Bradley released a board game based on Ms. Pac-Man {Link without Title}


GALLERY


  Image:A5200 PacManpng "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Atari_5200" class="copylinks">Atari 5200 ( 1983 )
  Image:C64 Pac-Manpng "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Commodore_64" class="copylinks">Commodore 64 ( 1983 )
  Image:Intv Pac-Manpng "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/Intellivision" class="copylinks">Intellivision ( 1983 )
  Image:SAM Coupé Pac-Manpng "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/SAM_Coupé" class="copylinks">SAM Coupé ( 1991 )
  Image:NES Pac-manpng "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/encyclopedia/entry/NES" class="copylinks">NES ( 1993 )


  Author Green, Chris
  Year June 17, 2002
  Url http://wwwsaloncom/ent/masterpiece/2002/06/17/pac_man/printhtml
  Title Pac-Man
  Publisher Saloncom
  Accessdate February 12
  Accessyear 2006





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