The Pop-Culture E-Zine
What do you get when you dig out a huge playfield with Caterpillar heavy machinery and then play one of the most iconic arcade games of all time celebrating its 40th anniversary?
You get Cat Trial 9: PAC-MAN, an awesome real life PAC-MAN game with huge Caterpillar earth movers. Who wouldn’t want to play this?! This just oozes coolness!
source: Cat® Products
The folks at Replay Magazine have been quite busy of late conducting classic gaming surveys, like Your Top 4 Favourite Classic Video Game Characters of All-Time, and their latest one, Your Top 10 Favourite Classic Video Games.
We were quite surprised to see Ms. Pac-Man at number 1, but then again, it is the best arcade Pac-Man game, so it deserves to be on any favourite classic video games lists. Galaga (woohoo!) was up there in second spot and of course, Donkey Kong! Oh yeah, great to see our fave arcade game of all time, Double Dragon, make the list too. But what happened to Street Fighter II?
Your Top 10 Favourite Classic Video Games by Replay Magazine:
image source: Click Americana
The good folks at Replay Magazine recently conducted a survey to find out who was our favourite video game character of all time.
Well, it was no surprise to see the usual suspects, however, we honestly thought Mario would be on top of the list. Oh yeah, how did Dirk the Dragon Slayer (Dragon’s Lair) make it in third spot and where was Sonic The Hedgehog?!
Upon reflection, the iconic yellow dot-muncher definitely deserves to be on top. We can’t wait for Replay’s next surveys, so stay tuned.
Top 4 Favourite Video Game Characters of all-time:
image source: Just Kidding
Well, well, well, the yellow dot (or is it pill?) muncher turns 40 years old today [May 22]!
Ah, what a time to be alive to see a childhood video game (character) we cherished reach such a huge milestone! The year-long Pac-Man 40th anniversary celebrations kick on, so make sure you do not miss out!
If you didn’t know about Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man 40th anniversary year-long celebrations then have a read of this and then go Join the Pac!
image source: Pac-Man Official Site
Are you sick of mucking around with MAME to get your classic arcade gaming fix?
Well, if you didn’t know, the Internet Archive has you sorted with their Internet Arcade. The Internet Arcade is a web-based library of classic arcade (coin-operated) video games from the 1970s through to the 1990s. You can play all of these classics in your browser, with the emulation being in JSMAME, which is part of the JSMESS software package.
So no more stuffing about configurations and chasing questionable ROM files all over the net, the Internet Arcade has you sorted with well over 1,700 games! Well, don’t sit there and stare at this, go and play some classic arcade games.
Waka waka waka waka waka waka
To celebrate the iconic yellow pill muncher’s 40th anniversary this year, Tamagotchi and PAC-MAN have teamed up to bring fans a new virtual pet experience – PAC-MAN TAMAGOTCHI!
The Tamagotchi device stars PAC-MAN as the virtual pet character with iconic PAC-MAN features – see further below!
Officially released on March 15th, PAC-MAN Tamagotchi is now available on store shelves. This is perfect for on-the-go entertainment – it fits easily into pockets or bags and it even includes a wearable key-chain allowing kids or their parents to tend to their PAC-MAN Tamagotchi wherever they go!
PAC-MAN Tamagotchi Features:
The PAC-MAN Tamagotchi also comes in a Deluxe Assortment that includes a PAC-MAN case to protect your device! Join the PAC and get ready to commemorate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary as a pop culture and video game icon!
Available from:
image source: Tamagotchi US
Even though I have been gaming for over three decades, I am still your average gamer. The 80s arcade games definitely toughened me and sharpened my skills, but there were some games that no matter how sharp I was, I could never beat them.
The following list of wickedly difficult games is an admission of sorts that I never got to see the end credits. Heck, I don’t even think I saw more than a few levels (without cheating) on any of these games.
What are some of your most hardest games ever played? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook.
Contra / Gryzor / Probotector
Ghosts’n Goblins
Mega Man
Battletoads
Bionic Commando
Green Beret / Rush’n Attack
Impossible Mission
Robotron:2084
Rolling Thunder
Defender
Robocop
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
ESWAT: Ciyt Under Siege
Slap Fight
Hellfire
Rick Dangerous
Airwolf
Paperboy
Game Over
By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.
Recently, I walked through a very crowded arcade/restaurant and noticed that all the large, supersized arcade games were classics, like Pac-man, Galaga and Space Invaders. They’re large, they’re loud, and, with the large groups around them, they’re popular.
Playing Galaga on a 10-foot high screen gave me a new appreciation for the 1981 game. I never got to play Galaga in an arcade but playing the fixed shooter game on such a large scale was slightly thrilling. It really was something for the senses. My hand-eye coordination was sharp enough to reach several levels. When you’re playing on such a big screen, the enemy ship’s formations are easier to predict; however, it’s still difficult to get set and aim with some accuracy.
When you’re playing a supersized classic, a crowd seems to gather around you as you reach higher levels. That was fun with Galaga, but not so much with the large Pac-Man. For some reason, for me, playing Pac-Man on an enormous screen was difficult. Maybe because I’m so used to playing the iconic game on a small screen. It was sort of intimidating seeing the assorted colored ghosts that large.
I didn’t play Pac-Man for very long. My loses were a little embarrassing. With the games being supersized, for everyone in the arcade to see, it’s humiliating when you perform poorly.
They should supersize more classic games like Donkey Kong and Double Dragon. The enormous Alien game, where you try to kill as many of the xenomorphs and facehuggers as possible, was a blast as well. They had a large Mario Kart game, but with the huge throng gathered around it, I didn’t even attempt to play it.
Playing something vintage in a new, unique way is really exhilarating. And it’s cool to see that the old games enlarged are as prevalent as ever.
image sources: Bandai Namco Amusements, National Event Pros & 8-Bit Central via Pinterest
BANDAI NAMCO ENTERTAINMENT INC. GETS SET TO CELEBRATE PAC-MAN’S 40th ANNIVERSARY WITH A MYRIAD OF PARTNERSHIPS AND EVENTS!
The Year-Long Celebration Kicks Off in 2020 as the Famous 80’s Icon Celebrates 40 Years of Entertaining Millions of Fans Around the World
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. is inviting all PAC-MAN fans around the world to “Join the PAC” and start getting ready for a year-long celebration in 2020 to commemorate PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary as a pop culture and video game icon. To get a sneak peek at the activities, partnerships, and surprises to come, visit https://www.pacman.com/en-us/.
Born on May 22, 1980, PAC-MAN immediately rose to meteoric popularity, first in video game arcades, then on the pop culture stage with hit song “PAC-MAN Fever” and through an array of branding and entertainment appearances. With a brand recognition rate of 90% around the world, PAC-MAN’s image and brand is one of the most recognised on the planet and is as strong as ever as he enters his 40th year of entertaining fans of all ages.
PAC-MAN’s 40th Anniversary celebration in 2020 will include the debut of a new PAC-MAN 40th Anniversary theme song, composed by world-renowned Japanese Techno artist Ken Ishii. It will be accompanied by a music video directed by Yuichi Kodama, who has won awards at the Cannes International Advertising Festival, the Clio Awards, and the One Show Interactive. He was also the chief video director for the flag handover ceremony at the Rio Olympics Closing Ceremony. Multiple branding crossovers with Kipling®, Champion®, TIMEX®, and BAIT® will become available throughout the year. Fans will also be able to “Join the PAC” at celebratory events taking place throughout the year around the world.
To learn more and stay tuned with everything about PAC-MAN’S 40th Anniversary celebrations, bookmark this site now.
We have always wanted to attend an amusement (trade) expo, and it doesn’t get any bigger than the Japan Amusement Expo (JAEPO), which was held over the last weekend.
The heavy hitters of the industry were all there showcasing their latest games and machines (Sega, Taito, Konami, Capcom, Bandai Namco), hoping to attract distributors and operators alike. Oh yeah, Taito’s ‘Mega Rage Darius’ throwback section was a nice touch and proved quite popular!
image source: megarage_mizo
Here are some highlights and new machines that caught our eye from JAEPO 2019. Obviously Space Invaders and anything pinball related caught our eye.
Taito stand
Taito’s Densha De Go (train simulator) – Standard and Kids versions
Taito – Space Invaders Gigamax (10P Space Invaders with a display that fits on a side of a building)
Taito / Raw Thrills – Halo: Fireteam Raven
Street Fighter V Type Arcade (Capcom @ Taito’s stand)
Taito – Space Invaders Pinball Jam
2人対戦ができる、スペースインベーダーデザインの『SPACE INVADERS PINBALL JAM』
打ち返したボールが相手側に落ちると得点が入ります！
残り時間が少なくなるとどんどんボールが増えていきます…(o_o)#タイトー #JAEPO2019 pic.twitter.com/nwu15dEe9W— タイトーゲーム@「ダライアス コズミックコレクション」予約受付中！ (@TAITO_Apps) January 25, 2019
Arcade1Up Japan – Space Invaders 40th Anniversary
Konami – stand
Konami – Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) 20th Anniversary Edition
Bandai Namco Technica – Pac-Man Panic Pinball
Bandai Namco Technica – Super Panic Ball (pinball)
Bandai Namco Technica – unique tool display from a Jersey Jack Pinball cabinet
exA-Arcadia – the NEOGEO MVS of our time!
Arcade Buttons galore!
image sources: Arcade Heroes, Taito Zuntata on Twitter, Taito, Arcade1Up Japan, BemaniStyle, exA-Arcadia & BK2000
