Page 25 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #8

Key feature(s): Pac-Man has a love interest in this excellent, though familiar, sequel. Pac-Man's
paramour addresses a few of the original game's limitations while retaining everything that made it
a blockbuster. While the play mechanics and scoring are identical to the original, there are now four
mazes, each represented by a different color, two additional warp tunnels, and new bonus items that
bounce within the maze. The orange ghost known as "Clyde" has been ditched in favor of "Sue" for
reasons unknown.

Release info: Arcade mod specialists General Computer Corporation created a Pac-Man clone
called "Crazy Otto" and sold it to Bally/Midway, whose developers changed the artwork and sprites
to create an unofficial Pac-Man sequel. Fearing legal repercussions, Bally/Midway turned over the
rights to Namco and distributed the title in the States. Ms. Pac-Man was a runaway hit, but
Bally/Midway could not duplicate its success despite persistent attempts at unauthorized sequels
and spinoffs. Eventually Namco revoked Bally/Midway's license.

Key feature(s): American licensee Bally/Midway released a number of unofficial Pac-Man titles
apart from Japanese developer Namco, with the biggest being 1981's Ms. Pac-Man. To combat
unauthorized U.S. hacks of the original Pac-Man, Bally/Midway decided to create a legal coin-op
update called Pac-Man Plus.

The developers mixed things up a bit by speeding up the action and introducing trippy new effects
after consuming one of the teal-colored maze's four power pellets. Ghosts, dots, or even the maze
itself can disappear from view, or three ghosts may turn blue instead of all four. The snacks
themselves, ranging from peas to pancakes, also function like power-ups instead of score bonuses.

What went wrong? Unlike Namco's Super Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus keeps most of the original's
signature features intact. The problem is that once you've played Ms. Pac-Man, it's hard to go back
to playing on just one maze, and the random power-ups in this version are more annoying than fun.
These features were clearly designed to keep players from mastering the game, or following specific
patterns, so the quarters would keep flowing. Yet the approach backfired, with players shunning this
version in favor of the familiar Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man.

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