FIRST IMPRESSIONS : PAC-MAN CHAMPIONSHIP EDITION

Normally I wait until the following week to talk about an Xbox Live Arcade, but this week I’ve decided to break with tradition as there are a few things I feel need to be said about Pac-Man Championship Edition for the Xbox 360.

First and foremost, let me say that I love what they’ve done with the gameplay – specifically the “Championship” game mode. If you like Pac-Man, I can just about guarantee you’re going to find something to like in this game. It’s got all the charm of the original Pac-Man with enough twists and enhancements to make it feel “new”. This is one of those rare Live Arcade games that I feel is actually worth the 800 point ($10) price tag. Simply put, unlike so many other recent attempts by Namco to cash in on the Pac-Man name, this one actually does the original justice.

That’s not to say that there aren’t some problems here though. As can be expected, the Xbox 360 controller’s d-pad once again proves that it’s ill suited to being used as a 4-way arcade controller. While Namco seems to have managed to improved it’s response somewhat, when the game is moving hyper-fast and you need to make sharp turns, it’s going to let you down.

While that’s the same thing we’ve come to expect from any of the Pac-Man titles on Xbox Live Arcade, the second problem I’ve encountered is one that I really didn’t expect to find. Every single game mode in Pac-Man Championship Edition uses a 5 or 10 minute timer to control the pace of the action. Unfortunately, when you’re not playing in a competition, what this often does is cut you off just as you were beginning to really get into the groove of the game. Let me tell you, nothing is more annoying than when an arcade game cuts you off while you still have 5 lives left. At the very least, Namco should have included a version of the Championship Mode that wasn’t dependent on a timer. It’s an omission that takes a bit of fun away from what is otherwise a must-buy title.

In closing, I can only hope that at some point we’ll see some kind of (hopefully free) downloadable content that will add this missing mode and make this otherwise excellent game feel complete. Bottom line? I’d call this one a “Buy” for most Pac-Man fans and a “Try first” for everyone else.

• Pac-Man Championship Edition – Xbox.com

XBOX 360 NCAA FOOTBALL ‘07 – FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I just got this one in the mail today from Gamefly and felt the need to post here with some first impressions. The game is miles ahead of last year’s extremely disappointing Madden NFL ’06 for the Xbox 360 and finally offers 360 users a bit of football fun.

The game has the same feel as the original Xbox version of Madden ’06, but without the “Quarterback Vision” passing cone feature – in other words, it’s fast, somewhat arcade-like and completely playable. If you liked Madden on the “current gen” consoles, then you’re certainly going to like NCAA Football ’07.

While I’m still waiting for Microsoft to add ESPN NFL2K5 to the backwards compatibility list, there’s now at least one game out there that will let you experience football on the 360 and not cause you to walk away in disgust. Here’s to hoping that Madden ’07 will make the jump in quality as well when it hits the 360 next month.

For a more detailed review of the game, why not click here and find out what Gamespot had to say about NCAA Football ’07 on the 360?