Pac-Man Connect and Play - 12 Classic Games

Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect & Play 35th Anniversary Edition is one of those rare TV Games that sports an incredible low price with minimal sacrifice in quality. While not perfect, it does set a high standard for other TV Games to try and match. For those who just want to see videos of how each of the 12 included games performs, you can skip straight to the Menu and Games section of this review. Otherwise, start with Console and Control and read on from there to get the complete picture.Console and ControlThe Pac-Man Connect & Play 35th Anniversary Edition is a highly portable, self-contained unit. Pull apart the two pieces of the case and you’ll find the attached composite cables and a battery compartment. Four AA batteries are required, but not included, and there is no provision for using an AC adapter. The mono composite cables (yellow for video, white for audio) are fairly short at about 6 feet (1.8 meters), so you’ll either want to get extensions or settle for playing close to your TV.I’ve read reports that the previous versions of this product had poor joysticks. That seems to have been addressed with this edition branded with the 35th Anniversary markings, so you’ll want to be sure to specifically get that model (assuming there was an issue in the first place). With that said, because of the interesting looking, yet unfortunate, shape of the shell, this is not really great for handheld use. If you use it on a table top like I’ve been doing, then you’ll find the joystick and buttons incredibly responsive for each of the 12 included games. It really does have a nice arcade feel.Menu and GamesThe colorful menu screen appears to be in an unusual resolution, but looks nice enough and packs in a good amount of information. The nice thing about the menu is that all 12 game titles fit on one screen, so it’s easy to select your game of choice with the joystick and A button. What follows then is an alphabetical listing of the 12 games and a short, direct feed video showing each one in action:Bosconian—Although little known today, this 1981 free-roaming scrolling shooter was technically impressive for its time.Dig-Dug—One of the more original game creations, this 1982 release tasks you with digging underground tunnels to try and inflate and pop various monsters.Galaga—This 1981 sequel to Galaxian (also included) is arguably the definitive Space Invaders-style shooter.Galaxian—Namco’s full color answer to Taito’s legendary Space Invaders (1978), this straightforward shooter from 1979 is still fun for a spin.Mappy—Although the music gets repetitive, this 1983 release ups the cute factor for its challenging chase-and-evade platforming.New Rally-X—This 1981 update of the 1980 original (not included) mixes oversized Pac-Man-like mazes and flag collecting with frantic racing and evasion and some much-needed defense via strategic use of a smoke screen. The update features slightly easier gameplay than its predecessor and minor graphical and gameplay tweaks.Pac & Pal—This 1983 release was a Japanese exclusive that used the same arcade hardware as Super Pac-Man (also included). It’s yet another Pac-Man variation with oddball additional features like unlockable items (by turning over cards), an assistant (Miru, aka “Pal”), and the ability to shoot (spit) a ray, smoke, musical notes, freezing rays, or min-Pac-Men (Pac-Mans?).Pac-Man—The 1980 classic in all its glory. It’s a shame Ms. Pac-Man (1982) wasn’t thrown in as well.Pac-Man 256—This is the infamous glitch-fest that’s the 256th, and final, level of the original Pac-Man game, and about the only way most of us game playing mortals will get to experience it. Unfortunately for us same game playing mortals, we have to beat the 255th level first.Pac-Man Plus—A minor 1982 update of the original, you’ll mostly find slightly altered visuals, some new power-ups, and slightly more challenging play.Super Pac-Man—A 1982 variation on the Pac-Man theme, Super Pac-Man does away with pellets in favor of fruits and prizes, and adds additional features like speed boosts and super power-ups.Xevious—Among the first top-down vertical scrolling shooters, this 1982 release challenges you to shoot both air- and ground-based targets. This is also the one game that makes use of the second button on the controller.I’m not sure if these are emulations or just really good simulations, but I assume it’s the latter. As such, certain arcade patterns or exploits won’t work since the game logic isn’t the same. From a more practical standpoint, without me bothering to do an exhaustive and largely unnecessary 1:1 comparison between this and something like MAME, I can say that all of the games really do play, look, and sound great.Audio/VideoAs you can tell from the videos, each game is an audio-visual treat. Frankly I’m baffled at how Bandai was able to get the quality they were out of this device’s lowly composite connection, particularly since other TV Game devices don’t come anywhere close. However they did it, I’m glad they pulled it off, because this is now a target for other TV Game manufacturers that use composite output to try and match. Of course, it’s not quite perfect, and you will notice the occasional off-sound, but overall, it’s really impressive.ConclusionPrices vary wildly, so keep in mind what the actual list price is and go down from there. At any price up to the list price, though, it’s a steal, even if the joystick does get a bit creaky with heavy use. While I think I’m rightly critical of the superfluous Pac-Man pixel-shaped case design and too-short, hard-wired composite cables, I can’t think of much else I’d want changed. Even if you have emulation options or home ports you’re happy with, this convenient and flashy portable package is still something well worth a look. If you have friends or family that don’t have other options, yet still have an interest in classic gaming, then this moves from well worth a look to must buy.

I bought this for my kids and they love it. playing Pac-Man was a little hard to play with the joystick because it doesn't allow it to move as you want. But playing other games like Galaga gives you a very close sensation to the arcade. Playing this with my kids was fun, easy to connect, and just play. I, personally am not much fan of the shape was a little hard to hold, but all in all, is worth it!

The media could not be loaded. I got a jakks 5-in-1 plug and play ms pac man (that's insanely selling for $150+ now?) when it came out way back when, mainly for Galaga. With age and new technology, it doesn't work anymore. I saw this one works well on new widescreen tv's, so I decided to get one. It comes with seven more games, which is nice, but I'm only going to play Galaga. And maybe Galaxian since it's there. It plugs in using the same component rca plugs, one for video and one for audio, but is in widescreen. Instead of the scores, etc being on top, they're on the side of the screen. And it looks pretty good on the new screens, especially compared to the old one's standard definition.It plays really well. For Galaga anyway. Although I still suck at Galaga, it's definitely better than the 5-in-1, simply for the fact that the fire button is actually on the right side of the joystick. I tried out pac man and much like the old one, the joystick just doesn't work that well for it. It does okay, but I'm guessing anyone really into pac man wouldn't be too happy with the yellow guy not going the way they want. It's kind of the same thing with dig dug and rally x. The rest of the games seem to work okay I guess. With Galaga I don't notice any delay from the button when firing and the joystick moves well for it, but it only has to go left and right.I do have two issues with it so far. The first seems to be the most common complaint; This thing absolutely sucks to hold when you're playing. Yeah, it'a supposed to be a pixelated pac man and it looks neat, but apparently that's as far as they got when they were designing it. The sharp edges and corners make this better suited as a weapon than as a game controller. It's good plastic and constructed well, just a horrible end result with the design. I've been forced to wrap a towel around it and keep it wedged between my thighs while I'm playing it. It's not a deal-killer but as-is, it's really uncomfortable to hold and use. The other problem I have, and others may not, is pushing A+B to return to the main menu does nothing on mine. To me this isn't that big of a deal, because I really only play Galaga so I don't 'need' to return to the main menu. I guess it's easy enough to just turn it off an on again.Anyway, aside from those two things that I can deal with, I'm really happy with this - just because I can play Galaga and it only cost me $20!

I bought this as a stocking stuffer for my husband and it fit the bill perfectly! It's fun, easy and quick to setup and use, and has all the nostalgia of those great classic games. We loved booting it up and hearing that PacMan music, it really takes you back! I know other reviewers mention the cord being a bit short, and that is true but it's definitely not overly short. A couple people also complained about the design but it didn't bother us at all. I think if you're looking for a small gift that's well priced for what it offers, this is a great one. It's perfect to bring a smile to someone's face and enjoy some entertainment, and we always pull it out whenever we have people over and it's a hit!