Ah, sweet Galaga

rated

As videogames get all grown up, there's a definite nostalgia for the classics of yesteryear. Art-school bohemians snap up Atari t-shirts and uberhip DJs are spinning "Pac Man Fever" in danceclubs all over town. Some of it is just retro-fadding, like bell bottoms and Bonne Bell lip gloss, stupid the first time around and only back 'cause we're oh-so-ironic. But there are some true classics, games that you can still find tucked away in the corners of neighborhood bars and neglected 7-Elevens, scarred by cigarette burns and crusted with spilled Slurpee, but still always worth a quarter.

In recent years game companies gave realized that a) we're suckers for this kind of nostalgia and b) they have all these classics sitting in the vaults when they could be out there working for a living. We've seen a lot of reissues and repackages, and some pretty good ones, though they often pull the old bait and switch -- suck you in with Xevious, then stick you with Mappy, Gaplus and Grabda, whatever the hell they are. But this incarnation of Namco Museum (it's been on the PlayStation for years) is one of the best packages I've seen, with six true classics: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pole Position, Dig-Dug, Galaga and Galaxian. Man, what more do you really have to say?

The Facts
A quick run-down for the kiddies: Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man? If you haven't heard of these, you must be some kind of Amish hermit, so you don't have Internet access and you can't read this. Pole Position is one of the original racing classics; the arcade stand-up broke new ground with gas and brake pedals, a steering wheel and a shifter. But even at home it's good, if straightforward, racing action. (Only one track, though; the others didn't come along until Pole Position II.) Dig-Dug features a weird little guy with a bicycle pump and underground monsters. You tunnel through the ground and blow 'em up; it's very odd, but strangely addictive. Galaga and Galaxian are variations on the Space Invaders theme. Galaxian is just OK, but Galaga is a true gem, with rapid fire and a "fighter rescue" that gives you a two-ship super shooter.

Of course, the high-score boards are intact, giving you all the reason you need to play game after game; there's nothing like filling up the board with alternating "SUK" and "DIK." (I'm still trying to find the narcissist who put "GOD" on every Galaga machine in Southern California in the mid-'80s … hey, think it was Mike Wilson?)

Normally the next paragraph would be spent comparing the conversions to the original, but these are the originals, from the actual ROMs of the old arcade games. That's right, it's not "just like the real thing," it is the real thing. With one exception.

Control Freak
There are a few problems with the controls which make the games more difficult than their arcade versions; Dig-Dug, in particular, is hard to get going the way you want, and Galaga's rapid-fire gunning is hard to duplicate without an arcade cabinet to slam on. On the other hand, using the triggers to shift and brake in Pole Position is perfect, and the mini-joystick does fairly well for Pac-Man and his lady. For purists, the arcade stick peripheral definitely gives a better approximation of the original.

I wish I could give an infinity rating in the "Replay" category -- you really can play these games forever. With no story holding you back, you can fight off wave after wave of invading aliens, underground freaks and mazebound ghosts, and when you finally eat it, you're almost always in the mood for more. Multiplayer follows the classic model -- you go, then I go, then you go again. Not exactly Counterstrike, but it works.

Namco also threw in a weak VMU game called Pac-It, loosely based on Pac-Man -- very loosely -- but you won't play it more than once. Developers still haven't really succeeded in accomplishing anything interesting with the VMU.

Control issues aside, this is a winner. That said, kiddies raised on Resident Evil and Quake may not be all that impressed. There really are people who'd rather watch Armageddon than Citizen Kane ("Dude, two words -- Liv Tyler"). Likewise, some people will be underwhelmed by the old-school graphics and tinny beeps. So you should play them, you should like them, and even if you don't, it's a learning experience. God, I'm old.

Game Quick Look overall score: 9  Sound  Replayability  Interface  Multiplayer  GamePlay  Graphics