Namco Museum Megamix Review
Ever since the Earth was first formed, Namco has been repackaging games from its heyday to resell to new generations of gamers. Namco Museum Megamix for the Wii is one such collection. (Of course, this is not to be confused with the similarly titled Namco Museum Remix, which was released three years earlier with 10 fewer games than this version.)
To be honest, I don’t understand the point of these constant rereleases. It was understandable back in the PlayStation era when 5 games on one disc along with some trivia factoids was a bargain, but this game was released in 2010. We can steal all these oldies on our phones for free and read up about them on Wikipedia, yet Namco continues to put out their ancient arcade games piecemeal, each time “forgetting” a popular game or two in order to get you to buy the next collection. In this case, those forgotten games are things like Ms. Pac-Man and Tower of Druaga, left behind in favor of boring Space Invaders wannabes like King & Balloon and Galaxian. I mean, come on Namco. Do we really need a return of Cutie Q, the world’s worst Arkanoid clone? Do we really need not one, but two nearly identical versions of Rally-X? And here’s the biggest question of all: why do we keep getting this same shit over and over when we could be getting ports of games we haven’t seen a million times before, like the Namco Arrangements from ’95 and ’96, or Hopping Mappy, or Solvalou, or something that’s not FUCKING BOSCONIAN AGAIN
God I hate Cutie Q.
Even though there are a lot of bad games in this compilation, there are at least the usual suspects we’ve all come to know and love. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga, Mappy, Xevious, the works. They’re rounded out with some decent lesser known titles you probably haven’t played before, like Gaplus, Motos, and Grobda. However, they’re all hindered by one rather annoying quirk – the controls.
I haven’t talked about the menu yet, but here’s how it works: instead of selecting games from a list like every other arcade collection, you control Pac-Man in a carnival-like setting and roll around to various “attractions”. However, this can ONLY be done using the Nunchuck’s analog stick – not the Classic Controller or Wiimote. Unfortunately, using the Nunchuk to play any of the arcade games is an awful experience, as you’re unnaturally forced to use the C and Z buttons. There’s no option to use the A and B buttons like any normal game would let you do.
To get around this, you can simply unplug the Nunchuk and use the Wiimote alone or a Classic Controller (both vastly superior options). But when you quit the game and go back to the menu, you have to plug the Nunchuk back in again to get Pac-Man to move to another game! This is a painfully stupid oversight that will leave you groaning every time you have to reach for another controller just to switch from Dig Dug II to Pac & Pal.
There’s more to this Museum than just old arcade games though. Namco has seen it fit to create some new Remixes of its old classics, though much like the rest of the games, these wildly vary in quality. All of them share the common theme of shoving Pac-Man into them for whatever reason.
Galaga Remix: In this bastardization of Galaga, you watch Pac-Man roll down a series of tubes while you fend off incoming aliens using the pointer controls of the Wii Remote. It’s passable, but the main problem is that rail shooters either have to be challenging or have great visuals to be worthwhile, and this game doesn’t do either. I guess maybe they were going for more of a Galaxian³ feel, but it’s a poor remix of Galaga and an overall boring game either way.
lmao as if anybody else will play this with you
Gator Panic Remix: This is not only the worst game in this collection, but one of the worst Wii games I’ve ever played period. Based on not a classic arcade game, but a ticket redemption game, you must waggle like you’ve never waggled before to make Pac-Man bonk alligators on the head a la Whack a Mole. Let’s be real here – Namco was taking the piss with this one. Nobody could be stupid enough to think that this game would be fun without the physical action of swinging a mallet.
Grobda Remix: This game has you taking control of the eponymous tank (piloted by Pac-Man, of course) and shooting down foes using your super powerful laser beam while simultaneously absorbing their shots with your energy shield. Unlike the rest of the games it actually poses a challenge, but only if you’re going for a high score, since they scrapped the lives based system of the original game in favor of a time attack mode where death is just a slap on the wrist. It’s not the worst remix, but it’s not the greatest either.
Pac-Motos: This is probably the most successful remix of the six, mainly because it’s the only one that’s actually superior to the original. As with regular Motos, you play as a ball (The Pacster himself in this case) that must attempt to push all other enemies off of a grid. You can also get some powerups that allow you to jump, strengthen yourself, and boost. Even with the addition of some boss battles, there’s not much to it, but I found it to be my favorite game despite its simplicity.
Pac ‘N Roll Remix: The odd man out in this collection, Pac ‘n Roll was originally a DS game that had you swiping Pac-Man on the touch screen like a trackball in order to clear various obstacle courses. This version isn’t a remix so much as it is an enhanced port. An analog stick is a poor substitute for a touch screen though, so controlling Pac-Man can be quite a challenge while trying to collect the tiny Pac-Dots that litter the stages. It can be fun in short bursts, but the game is clearly suited for a handheld.
Rally-X Remix: Pac-Man drives around in a little yellow car collecting Special Flags and avoiding Joe Danger lookalikes in red cars. It’s a bit too easy, but it works. At least, it would if the controls were consistent. Pac-Man will occasionally completely ignore your commands and turn wherever he wants, and there’s nothing you can do to stop him. I’ve tried to determine what exactly causes this, but I can’t pinpoint any real reason beyond “the developers were idiots that couldn’t even program the simple action of moving up, right, left, and down properly”.
Though I’ll admit, it must be tough to steer without arms.
In conclusion, this game is not for those who are hoping to experience some of their favorite games in new ways. The majority of the remixes range from dreadfully dull to middlingly mediocre. This game is strictly for those who want to play old arcade classics on the Wii for cheap, and don’t mind a little frustration in the control schemes. If the idea of playing Pac-Mania for the 50th time excites you, then Namco Museum Megamix is the collection for you.
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