Namco Museum Vol. 3 (Playstation)

Ouch, history can hurt. Especially the second time around. And that s what the Namco Museum Vol 3 is all about, to sound like an old man, When I was a kid, we didn t have graphics, we had imagination. Well, that sums up Namco Museum, When I was a kid.

First off, can you say Atari? If you can, did you know that Atari was originally followed by numbers like 2600? That s right, the games on here are all about the ancient Atari and early 80 s. Even your first NES games (which were released in about 1985) look better than the original arcade formats of these Namco titles, so I don t recommend buying this game if you re looking for the next big graphic adventure. It s very simple, using the classic circle with disappearing wedge and bow for Mrs. Pac Man. The stars are more like dots than spectral light in Galaxian. And the space man in Dig Dug still has his disappearing umbilical cord that he uses to inflate his opponents. Overall, it s the same low rez that some of us older gamers grew up on.

My problem isn t with the actual games themselves, but rather Namco added a museum mode where you navigate around a poorly rendered museum. The concept is novel, but having to walk at a painstakingly slow pace through what would probably look cooler as a wire frame building with solid color walls and deformed art was just annoying. You can opt out of museum mode, but within Museum mode are various items and brief histories of them and the games. It is interesting to read this, but after you have read everything, the experience is soon lost. Museum mode has you choose which door you want to go through (one door for each game, so six in all). They then throw you into a room (after an atrocious loading time) that is themed for the game. For instance, the Mrs. Pac Man room has Mrs. Pac Man, Pac Man, and Pac Man Jr as a family. Once in the game specific room, you must locate the arcade version of the game and stand in front of it to play. Again, my complaint is that you spend so much time trying to get where you re going, that museum mode just becomes an annoyance.

The games themselves have all been brought back to their 4-bit goodness (maybe 2-bit in some cases).

Mrs. Pac Man
Yes, just as you remember her, she s back. The same simple control scheme of up, down, left, and right will navigate her around the maze while munching pellets and avoiding the ghosts. Mrs. Pac Man features the mini-movies that portrayed cute little interruptions to the main game like Mrs. Pac Man and Pac Man sharing a kiss or miscellaneous ghost related outtakes. This may not be the main attraction to this collection, but it is the most fun.

Dig Dug
Dig tunnels to find and destroy enemies by inflating them. This game actually lets you attack. You play as a space man shaped character and you get a hose (which looks like an umbilical cord) that you can attach to monsters and inflate them. Once you completely inflate them, they explode. The only limitation is rocks (which you can t dig through). Some enemies can teleport through the dirt, which makes the move quicker than you. This game was fun when I was a kid, but playing it here was just frustrating.

Galaxian
You must use your ship to carve your destiny in space. Well, kinda. Galaxian is simply Space Invaders, except it has stars in the background and more color. You shoot at the enemies as they shoot back or try to dive bomb you in a kamikaze fashion. A very simple game that has lead to a few drinking games I don t care to mention. Still, it s one that anyone can enjoy, but its repetitive nature makes it a source of short lived entertainment.

Pole Position II
Before there was Gran Turismo, before there was Ridge Racer (also Namco), before there was anything worth while that resembled driving, there was Pole Position. This is the sequel to Pole Position, but it s more like Pole Position 1.2. It features a little higher resolution than the original, but nothing compared to modern games (remember, released in 1983). The game uses up to go, down to break and the button to change from high and low gear. This game has the most annoying sounds of any title I ve played. The engine on the car is basically a single tone that gets higher or lower as you speed up. If you stay in low gear too long, you may want to mute the television because the high-pitched cue to shift is ear splittingly atrocious. This game is only fun if you don t understand the concept of Flash Games on the internet. You race around the same 4 tracks with timed checkpoints and no end in sight. Urgh, I have no idea why I used to love this one as a kid.

Tower of Druaga
A lesser known game, this is like Gauntlet for the lone adventurer. You move, attack hordes of monsters, and die. The problem with this game is that you have to collect items to progress through the levels. It s not always clear how to get there, and there is more frustration involved than success. If there was a strategy guide for this game, I d recommend using it, but only if you have nothing else to play. I mean, this is the type of game that you torture someone with by locking them in a room for a year with only this game as entertainment. I thank God I ve never played this before, and probably won t again.

Phozon
This is kinda a neat game here. It s like space invaders meets chemistry. The basis is that you re a molecule and you have to complete a pattern by moving around the screen and catching other molecules. If you catch a piece in the wrong location, you can shoot it off by hitting the rejection button. Limited play on this title, but for a few moments, it is quite amusing.

OK, you get six games, but of them, only two have much play value. For this reason, I wouldn t recommend the Namco Museum Vol. 3. Since Emulation is illegal, you really don t have many choices when it comes to getting these games. Honestly, I would search for alternative methods of securing these titles if you feel the urge to play them. Remember, everything gets spoofed on the internet, so you could probably find a site you can play them for free on. Much better than wasting the $10 I spent on this. Even my kids (who it was intended for) hated most of the games. Sorry Namco, you blew it with this one.