Today we’re going to look at the Namco TV Games, a plug-and-play system that features Pacman 30th anniversary and four other arcade games like the stickers on the side. I like how they have the space art on one side and the other games on the other. If you put it sideways, it even kind of looks like an arcade cabinet from the side. It runs on four double-A batteries.
This unit does work. Voilá has a reset button and your standard joystick and button setup. One thing I don’t like is this corner right here. It kind of caught my palm a little bit and made it uncomfortable as I was playing. That ties into what the joystick feels like.
just a fairly simple
It’s just a fairly simple standard setup, but anyway, let’s go ahead and take this unit. Let’s plug it in and play it and see how it holds up today. Let’s go to the games. The Namco pac-man TV games plug-and-play unit carries the copyright year of 2003, and it appears to be a follow-up of sorts to the successful Atari plug-and-play joystick jack, released earlier.
When you start up the unit, you are treated to a nice, simple menu showing you the five arcade games included in this unit. The first game is the 1980s classic pac-man, which was meant to be the main selling point of this unit. In it, you play as a free-roaming head stuck in a strange purgatory.
The second game on the system
The second game on the system is 1979’s Galaxian, the oldest game on the system. Galaxian plays like a mix between Space Invaders and Galaga. Its sequel You can shoot one shot at a time, and you have to wait for that shot to disappear before you can shoot again. It is an OK game, but honestly, I’d rather play Space Invaders or Galaga than Galaxian. The third game is the 1980s rally-x rally-x, which is secretly Speed Racer’s older brother, Rex.
Wait a minute I think I’m confusing that with something else. Well, it may not have a speed racer, but it does have At first, it’s somewhat like a combination of Pac-Man and a racing game. You use a joystick to move around a maze, collecting flags scattered throughout. Collect all the flags and you get to move on to the next one.
There are also boulders and enemy cars that, if they contact you, will cause you to lose light. You also have a limited supply of fuel to get all the flags. If a car is hot on your tail, you can press the button to use a smoke screen that also uses some of your fuel. You may recognize some of the flags as they would later appear in other Namco games like Xevious and even the recently released Super Smash Brothers on the Wii U.
But it’s not a title I plan to go back to often. The 4th game on the unit is one of my all-time favorites. In 1982’s Dig Dug, you dig tunnels, eliminating enemies by either blowing them up with your air hose or dropping giant boulders on top of them, which is a humane thing to do.
Did you know
Did you know that Dig Dug might be the first arcade game character to be officially divorced and his kid went on to star in the Mr. Driller series of games. Perhaps he was doing all that digging and exterminating to pay off his alimony. The fifth and final game on the unit is 1981’s Boss Canyon, which sounds like something you’d order from Alan Garden.
Yes, I’d like the unlimited breadsticks to Zuppa Toscana and fettuccine with biscotti and sauce in the game. You pilot a ship that destroys giant mother ships by either blasting all their parts on the outside or getting a perfect shot on their inner weak spot when exposed. You also have to deal with other enemies.
So what did I think of the Namco Pac-Man TV games plug-and-play unit?
So where am I going to rank it? Well, it’s going to be close to its follow-up, the MS Pacman 30th anniversary plug-and-play unit, which is currently at the number 6 position and while I enjoyed pac-man and Dig Dug, the MS pac-man unit just has a better selection with MS pac-man, Galaga Xevious and even a great rendition of Pole Position with the twisty joystick.
So I’ll use the 10 plug-and-play units. So far, the Namco Pac-Man TV games plug-and-play system is going to come in at the number seven position. Some fun can be had with this one, but it has its limits. For more information, you can also follow me on both Facebook and Twitter. Thank you for giving me a little part of your day.
