Pac Man Arcade Machines
Posted on: February 9, 2011
Arcade Machines Spotlight: Pac-Man
Anyone who has ever touched arcade machines is probably familiar with Pac-Man. A classic game released by Japanese gaming company Namco way back in 1980, Pac-Man took the gaming world by storm. Arcade cabinets of this game are still being sold in online shops today, and with good reason: it is a living, breathing example of how a simple premise can entertain players across different generations.
The immensely popular franchise actually started out as an arcade game called Puck-Man. Back then, it was a game that dared to be different from its shoot-em-up contemporaries that crowded around it in video arcades. Word has it that the original name was later changed to its current incarnation because Western gamers sometimes rendered it obscene by switching the first letter out for another one.
In any case, the game features the main protagonist—a hungry, yellow disc—chomping his way around a screen filled with pellets. The player controls Pac-Man using only a single joystick. The objective of the game has remained constant throughout all versions: clear the level of pellets and avoid (or eat) the ghosts who are out to get Pac-Man. Namco even threw in some bonus items and "coffee break" intermissions for added variety.
There are many reasons behind Pac-Man's worldwide success. Some say it had something to do with cute, quirky characters that stole the hearts of male and female players. Others say the music and sound effects did the trick. Still others claim that it was solid, old-fashioned and addictive gameplay that made it sell over 100,000 arcade machines in North America alone.
Perhaps all of them are correct. Regardless of the actual reason, the game was such a phenomenon that it actually spawned a legal term, an animated TV show, a hit disco theme along with multiple merchandise offshoots. It has even received an award by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most successful coin-operated game ever.
These days, it's customary for a hit arcade game to be ported over to consoles and portables. Pac-Man has seen intense chomping action on just about every system out there from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the PC to next-gen machines to mobile phones. The graphics may have gotten a noticeable upgrade and the gameplay may have been blessed with extra options, yet the basic principle behind the title is still intact
Still, there's nothing quite like firing up the game on a classic arcade cabinet, if only for nostalgia's sake. Gamers who wish to relive the thrills of old-school Pac-Man may purchase it from reliable online stores like Arcade-Machines.com. The store also features the game in its other incarnations, such as Ms. Pac Man and even an authentic arcade cocktail table of the game.
It's been roughly 30 years since the first Pac-Man arcade machines drew players to arcades in the early eighties, and the iconic title is still entertaining old and new enthusiasts today. From the way things are going, it looks like the game will be continue to be a solid hit for at least 30 more years.
Anyone who has ever touched arcade machines is probably familiar with Pac-Man. A classic game released by Japanese gaming company Namco way back in 1980, Pac-Man took the gaming world by storm. Arcade cabinets of this game are still being sold in online shops today, and with good reason: it is a living, breathing example of how a simple premise can entertain players across different generations.
The immensely popular franchise actually started out as an arcade game called Puck-Man. Back then, it was a game that dared to be different from its shoot-em-up contemporaries that crowded around it in video arcades. Word has it that the original name was later changed to its current incarnation because Western gamers sometimes rendered it obscene by switching the first letter out for another one.
In any case, the game features the main protagonist—a hungry, yellow disc—chomping his way around a screen filled with pellets. The player controls Pac-Man using only a single joystick. The objective of the game has remained constant throughout all versions: clear the level of pellets and avoid (or eat) the ghosts who are out to get Pac-Man. Namco even threw in some bonus items and "coffee break" intermissions for added variety.
There are many reasons behind Pac-Man's worldwide success. Some say it had something to do with cute, quirky characters that stole the hearts of male and female players. Others say the music and sound effects did the trick. Still others claim that it was solid, old-fashioned and addictive gameplay that made it sell over 100,000 arcade machines in North America alone.
Perhaps all of them are correct. Regardless of the actual reason, the game was such a phenomenon that it actually spawned a legal term, an animated TV show, a hit disco theme along with multiple merchandise offshoots. It has even received an award by the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most successful coin-operated game ever.
These days, it's customary for a hit arcade game to be ported over to consoles and portables. Pac-Man has seen intense chomping action on just about every system out there from the Nintendo Entertainment System to the PC to next-gen machines to mobile phones. The graphics may have gotten a noticeable upgrade and the gameplay may have been blessed with extra options, yet the basic principle behind the title is still intact
Still, there's nothing quite like firing up the game on a classic arcade cabinet, if only for nostalgia's sake. Gamers who wish to relive the thrills of old-school Pac-Man may purchase it from reliable online stores like Arcade-Machines.com. The store also features the game in its other incarnations, such as Ms. Pac Man and even an authentic arcade cocktail table of the game.
It's been roughly 30 years since the first Pac-Man arcade machines drew players to arcades in the early eighties, and the iconic title is still entertaining old and new enthusiasts today. From the way things are going, it looks like the game will be continue to be a solid hit for at least 30 more years.