Ludography
58/100
Players5 ratings

Where to get it

Pac-Man Collection cover

2001 · Bundle / compilation · Mass Media Inc. · Arcade · Maze

Pac-Man Collection

Bundle / compilation

One of the first video games ever created, PAC-MAN still happens to be one of the best, as well. This comprehensive collection includes three unique Pac-Man titles in one complete package. Inside you'll find the original Pac-Man which has you traversing mazes, avoiding deadly ghosts, and chomping down nutritious dots; Pac-Mania is a 3D take on the first version, in which you can actually jump over the ghosts; and Pac-Attack is a Tetris-like experience that'll have you lining up blocks in a fast-paced environment.

Released
12 July 2001
Platforms
Atari 7800Game Boy AdvanceWii U
Genres
ArcadeMazePuzzle
Developers
Mass Media Inc.
Publishers
Namco
Modes
Single-player
Perspective
Bird view / IsometricSide view
Themes
Action
Country
United States
Age ratings
PEGI 3ESRB ECERO A
Languages
English
Copies sold
2.9 million

About

Pac-Man Collection is a 2001 video game compilation developed by Mass Media and published by Namco for the Game Boy Advance. It includes four titles in the Pac-Man series — the original Pac-Man (1980), Pac-Mania (1987), Pac-Attack (1993), and Pac-Man Arrangement (1996), the latter of which was originally exclusive to the arcade game Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2. Each game includes customizable features such as the ability to alter the number of starting lives or difficulty, with all being stripped of multiplayer features.

Development of the game was headed by California-based studio Mass Media, who previously worked on several Namco Museum collections for other platforms. It was first announced on April 24, 2001 under the name Pac-Man Fever, before being presented at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) tradeshow. 9 million copies worldwide, making it the ninth best-selling Game Boy Advance game of all time. Critics reacted positively to the title's selection of games and customizable features, although some criticized the exclusion of games such as Ms.

Keywords

  • maze
  • compilation
  • action-adventure
  • abstract
  • wii u virtual console

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Development

Pac-Man Collection was released on July 12, 2001 in North America, December 7, 2001 in Europe and Australia, and on January 11, 2002 in Japan. Development of the game was headed by California-based studio Mass Media, who previously worked with Namco on several Namco Museum collections for various platforms. The game was first announced on April 24 under the working title Pac-Man Fever, before being presented at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) convention in Los Angeles, California. It is Namco's second title released for the Game Boy Advance, following Namco Museum from earlier that year.

The game was distributed by Infogrames in Europe. In Japan, the game was re-released under the Value Selection budget brand on February 2, 2006. Alongside the Family Computer conversion of Pac-Land, it was digitally re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console on June 11, 2014 to celebrate Pac-Man's inclusion as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U.

Reception

Pac-Man Collection was received positively by reviewers, who commended the title for its selection of titles and customizable features. It holds a 79/100 on aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The game was also a commercial success; it became the 6th best-selling handheld game in North America between January 2000 and August 2006, selling over 1.6 million copies and generating more than $25 million in revenue. By 2007 it sold over 2.9 million copies worldwide, making it the ninth best-selling Game Boy Advance game of all time.

IGN, who gave it the "Editor's Choice" award, stated that the game's selection of titles made it an easy sell for Pac-Man fans, while Allgame called it a must-own for its customization features and inclusion of Pac-Man Arrangement. Allgame also praised the collection's sharp graphics and impressive 3D effects in games such as Pac-Mania. In their brief review, GamePro noted of the game's responsive controls and fast-paced action of Pac-Man Arrangement. GameSpy found the selection of titles and solid emulation quality to make it "worthwhile addition to any retro fans portable library", saying that the original Pac-Man alone made it worth a purchase.

Releases by platformdates and regions as published

PlatformReleasedRegions
Game Boy Advance12 July 2001Worldwide
Wii U10 June 2014Japan · North America 10 June 2014 · Japan 11 June 2014 · North America 12 June 2014 · Europe 12 June 2014

Editions and related releases

Includes
Pac-ManiaKorogashi Puzzle Katamari DamacyPac-ManPac-Man Arrangement

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Platform libraries

Publishers

Description adapted from its source, CC BY-SA 4.0.