Let us now praise Pacman

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3420983.stm

true or false: Pacman is the only video game over 20 years old that is still fun to play

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

that was meant to link here not an image

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 11:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Yay, i love pacman!

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Friday, 23 January 2004 11:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Bah! Blatant rip off of Hungry Horace.

― robster (robster), Friday, 23 January 2004 11:51 (twenty-two years ago)

What about Horace goes Skiing?

― Pinkpanther (Pinkpanther), Friday, 23 January 2004 11:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Bah! Frogger was a blatant etc...

― robster (robster), Friday, 23 January 2004 12:01 (twenty-two years ago)

20 years old? That'd make it.... 1984. When was Burger Time released?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Burger Time 1982. Pac Man 1980.

Pac Man is always over-rated. There are loads of better videogames pre-1984. But I kind of agree with the question in that videogames (and I mean coin-ops) didn't start to get really good until about 1984. The period from 1984 to 1986 was just incredible.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Is Burger Time the best video game ever?

Apart from Pirates, obviously.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm curious to know if anyone still plays coin-ops. What are the good games nowadays? What do they offer technically that can't be done on PC, x-box etc? I was last in an arcade about 8 years ago.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:45 (twenty-two years ago)

The glacial aesthetics of Asteroids remain unsurpassed in my book.*

Pixilated at the Stevenage Bowl Arcade 1980-1984, Jerry T Nipper (Roaring Meg Press, 1984).

― Jerry the Nipper (Jerrynipper), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

DDR, Para Para, Marvel Vs Capcom et al, Streetfighter series, other rhythm action games, shooters... arcades are GREBT.

― Sarah (starry), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.tripoint.org/games/literature/books/invasion.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 23 January 2004 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

For the return of the Pac, Nintendo has put a unique twist on the classic gameplay, turning the iconic coin-waster into a multi-player extravaganza.

yay! more reworded press-releases as news!

anyway, the positing of pac man as the only fun two decade-old game is so muthafuckin' false.

for example:

Galaga, Star Wars, Ms Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and fuckin' TEMPEST

hell, the only "Classic" game that ISN'T fun to play is DRAGON'S LAIR. an interesting idea, but fucking HORRID implementation, completely non-existant gameplay, etc.

also, there's some fun history here, along with video of the games, etc.

― Huggy Dork (Kingfish), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I never got past the second level of Pac Man. I sucked at it.

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Martin AMIS????

― Luigi Vampa (Horace Mann), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:27 (twenty-two years ago)

wm h is a thug before his time man just like that nigga pac man always hated never overrated!!
-- ethan
--------------------

Pac-Man was, indeed, before his time.
-- matthew m.

----------------------------

just like that nigga pac-man!!
-- ethan

― strongo hulkington (dubplatestyle), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, Luigi. Prior to his writing career, Martin Amis wrote books telling you how to get high scores on Caterpillar.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:37 (twenty-two years ago)

I have never seen the "Pac-Man, Jr." intermission on Ms. Pac-Man. They Meet, The Chase, that's all I've seen. I'll probably see it online somewhere before I see it on the coin-op which actually makes me sad for a second.

But, Galaga. Like an old friend.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:38 (twenty-two years ago)

there's just something i love about Pacman. the simplicity is so perfectly judged, the graphics are neon-like, cute ghosts, the glorious sound effects, the daft 'bite out of hamburger' story that explains the character design...and was this the first game to utilise fruit as power-up iconography?

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Pac-Man was originally called Puck-Man, until a shrewd Namco employee spotted the opportunity for kids to scrape at the logo, creating an altogether ruder-sounding game.

Love that BBC.

― Chuck Tatum (Chuck Tatum), Friday, 23 January 2004 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Munching Sun And The Angry Ghosts was sadly considered not snappy enough

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:01 (twenty-two years ago)

ditto Wokka-Wokka Maze Negotiator

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:02 (twenty-two years ago)

Invasion of the Space Invaders...from SPACE!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

What the hell does "scrape at the logo" even mean?

I recently got ahold of the new Jakks Pacific Namco joystick game thingamabob, which has Pacman, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Bosconian and Rally X built right in. It plugs right into your TV through the RCA connectors. Check it.

I also downloaded Pacman to my Sanyo 5500 phone.

I am such a geek that I did see the Pac Man Jr. intermission on Ms. Pac Man.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:04 (twenty-two years ago)

What the hell does "scrape at the logo" even mean?

Sean, you're such a saint.

(Psssst., What other letter of the alphabet can you create out of removing part of the letter "P"?)

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

DOH

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

See now, I was thinking the other way, that they changed it because it WOULD give them the opportunity to yadda yadda if they CHANGED it. Obviously I'm retaining my innocent memories of the game, blinding me from seeing FILTHY ALTERNATIVES.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

What I miss is arcade games EVERYWHERE!! In the grocery store especially. Kroger's had Galaga. The local IGA had Pac-Man and Donkey Kong (the latter of which I hated because Mario never seemed like he jumped high enough). Interminable waits at the airport could, with enough whinging for quarters, be whiled away on the lost and long-lamented "mezzanine" level, which was home to table-top Pac-Man, Asteroids, and Space Invaders. (I remember getting an education in the pleasures of risky behavior by watching two VERY good and much older guys who considered anything short of eating EVERY ghost with each power pill a failure. I asked them why they didn't just want to get to the next board. They looked at me like I was from Mars and lit another cigarette.) And down the hallway towards the gates was STAR CASTLE. Talk about yr glacial majesty!!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Star Castle was the bomb. I also miss Omega Race. Raster graphics ruled.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Video games in Pizza Hut! Video games at the gas station! Video GAAAAAAAAAAMES!

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:40 (twenty-two years ago)

...in the disco, at the Taco Bell?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:44 (twenty-two years ago)

ahhhh table top games, games in grocery stores, heaven

Up until a few years ago the best place in this shitty hole of a town was an arcade with 50 or 60 games that had been set up in an old garage. It was all vintage games, a token a play and you got 40 tokens, a whole night of fun for $5. The place was smelly, dripping in grafitti and full of shady people including the drunk guy who would always be kicking Ms. Pac Man and screaming "burning whore! filthy burning whore!" On the jukebox, amongst the bad rap was AC/DC Back In Black which never failed to make the gaming better. There was also a "snack bar" where they would toast you a slice of frozen pizza in a toaster oven for a buck and give it to you on a greasy paper plate. I enjoyed the Ms. Pac Man but my favorite was a shooter where you travel around in a jeep and kill tanks and pick up missiles(forget the name.) The place was heaven, but they started doing raves there and then it got shut down for too many drugs. :(

― sucka (sucka), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I fondly remember being on a high school band trip and finding a table-top Pac-Man in a hotel. Oh the epic battles that ensued.

We also had a great Ms. Pac Man in the Union at college, I saw the hell out of the 'Pac-Man Jr.' cut scene.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 23 January 2004 18:58 (twenty-two years ago)

Ooh, I totally remember the travel around in a jeep and kill tanks and pick up missiles game! Yeah, what was that called?

I think the "video games everywhere" thing got replaced with "ATMs everywhere". Except for Golden Tee; that sucker is pretty much de rigeur for any bar these days. Yeah, it was always a thrill going to new grocery store or a new pizza place or whatever; you were always thinking "I wonder what video games they have!"

Jdsalmon OTM about Dragon's Lair. That thing totally sucked.

― Broheems (diamond), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:03 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a weird little place called Barcade in L.A. It's like someone's second story apartment in east Hollywood. It's filled with old videogames, beer and smoke. It's kinda claustrophobic.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:06 (twenty-two years ago)

In the O.C. (more specifically downtown Fullerton) is a classic video game arcade called The Reagan Years.

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:10 (twenty-two years ago)

In the O.C.

ARRGGG. Sorry, it's just that I still categorically refuse to believe anyone anywhere referred to this place as that before that damned show.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

dude, I've called it the OC for a long time, honest.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Somehow the Orange Curtain is more evocative (if superseded by history). At best "the OC" sounds like what the brahs in Huntington Beach might say -- which given McG's background makes perfect sense.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, it's what we Angelinos were calling it.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

sorry, Ned,

In God's County, CA....

― donut bitch (donut), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:40 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, it's what we Angelinos were calling it.

SO MUCH IS CLEAR. Stereotyping! Bigotry!

In God's County, CA....

http://www.crystalcathedral.org/rssp/images/fuqua.cover.jpg

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 19:49 (twenty-two years ago)

So I rented the "Dragon's Lair" DVD from Netflix. You can play it on your remote control (!) or just let the damn game play itself out (takes about 15 minutes.) There's also some classic videotape of ourselves at age 8-12 talking about how hard it is to play.

"Dragon's Lair" gets major points taken off since it was the first video game to cost fuckin' fifty cents. You can put those points back on though if you can tell me which Playboy centerfold Princess Daphne was modeled on.

I can't believe that the thread has gone on this far without some smartass mentioning that weird "Lucky Wander Boy" game he played once when he was on a family vacation.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 23 January 2004 20:01 (twenty-two years ago)

i got the Dragon's Lair DVD for christmas. i find that it works better as a cultural artifact than an actual game. Plus, with the trailers for other games and archived news reports on the discs, there's plenty of 1983 fun.

― Huggy Dork (Kingfish), Friday, 23 January 2004 20:18 (twenty-two years ago)

when i was 11 my local video store brought in two arcade machines featuring Chase HQ and Gemini Wing and well there went my life basically...

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 23 January 2004 20:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Don Bluth is currently trying to sell hollywood on a CGI Dragon's Lair feature.

― sucka (sucka), Friday, 23 January 2004 20:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, and if you put a stethoscope up to my skull, you'd hear the theme to "Mappy" being played incessantly.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Friday, 23 January 2004 20:25 (twenty-two years ago)

ive been meaning to pick up on of these. i gave some out as xmas presents

http://designermagazine.tripod.com/AtariGamesPIC1.jpg

― kephm, Friday, 23 January 2004 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE

http://www.ataritimes.com/arcade/images/tempest.gif

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Friday, 23 January 2004 21:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Ah. The beauty, the purity.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 23 January 2004 21:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Gauntlet man GAUNTLET! For nerds too cool to for D&D, we had Gauntlet!

― Leee Majors (Leee), Friday, 23 January 2004 22:48 (twenty-two years ago)

PEOPLE WE HAVE LOST THE PLOT LET US GO BACK TO THIS HYPOTHETICAAL FUCK-MAN

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:24 (twenty-two years ago)

HA HA DAN.

I ACTUALLY HAVE THAT MARTIN AMIS BOOK AND IT IS ACTUALLY NOT TOO BAD!@#

BEST ARKADE GAME = DEFENDER, FUX0RZ!@~# I ACTUALLY HAEV TEH 1337 ANALOG SYNTHESISER MODULE BLACET "DARK STAR CHAOS" WHICH = BASED ON TEH SOUND CHIP FROM "DEFENDER" M/C!@#

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.veltz.dk/jpg/showcase/FantasyFuckMan.jpg

You gotta be careful when you do a GIS for Fuck-Man from work.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Lock'N'Chase is Pac Man for intellectuals.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:49 (twenty-two years ago)

defender! norman otm. it's the only arcade game my dad ever loved (so i love it too).

― cozen (Cozen), Saturday, 24 January 2004 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

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