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Namco Museum DS

Posted October 7th 2007 by Stephanie DeSiena.

How many times can you repackage the same games and market it to nostalgia-hungry teenagers with too much money to spend? According to Namco that number doesn't exist, but luckily for them they have some of the most famous franchises in gaming. Namco Museum DS is the handheld version of their highly successful Namco Museum line of port compilations (duh), ready-made for those of us who can't get enough of seeing all the different ways we can experience Dig Dug. Thanks to its portability, you can now do crazy things while playing your favorite dated arcade games, like... like, you can hang upside down! You can surf while getting in a round of Mappy, the ultimate game of cat and mouse! So while you suckers are out there with your fancy high definition teevees playing your fancy murder simulators while drinking shots of straight vodka, I'll be playing an 8-bit game about shooting bees in space.

Namco Museum DS contains seven arcade classics: Pac-Man, Galaga, Galaxian, Xevious, The Tower of Druaga, Dig Dug II, and Mappy. Additionally, Namco was kind enough to include the former GameCube exclusive title Pac-Man Vs., a multiplayer-only game which pits a single player controlling Pac-Man against up to three friends playing as ghosts. This mode is (wisely) fully available in single-card download play. Barring the inclusion of Pac-Man Vs., this may seem like your typical – if even paltry – collection of games that Namco has rehashed trillions of times. However, there is something notable about this particular version of the Museum: the ports were handled by M2 instead of the usual Digital Eclipse. For those of you not in the know, M2 ports SEGA games to the Wii Virtual Console, and they've worked on fan-favorite overseas compilations such as SEGA Ages: Gunstar Heroes Treasure Box.

So, let's talk about the games. It's true, there aren't many. Compared to previous Namco Museum titles, this collection contains only a fraction of games that could have been included. That isn't to say that every arcade game Namco left out would have been suitable for casual on-the-go play, which is perhaps the point of including the titles that actually are available. There isn't a single title present that can't be played in quick relaxing sessions (with the exception of Xevious, as it actually demands pretty quick reaction times or else there's no way to proceed). But games like Pac-Man, Mappy, Dig Dug II – these games are difficult, sure, but also very simple in design, so getting progressively better at them is possible with each credit.

It isn't rare to see game companies sell mini versions of their bigger budget-priced compilations, yet each and every time most people will question the Gods as to why there aren't as many games on the handheld versions as there are on the big boys' versions. The answer is because I don't want to play Rolling Thunder on the train, and neither do you. I don't want to be hunched over my DS trying to figure out where I'm supposed to be going in speedy games like Pole Position, I don't want to sweat trying to kill fire birds in intense games like Dragon Spirit, and I don't want to vomit up my lunch playing Bosconian. I just want to sit on my damn butt and play my damn game about running away from damn ghosts. That said, there is a conspicuous absence of Ms. Pac-Man. Regardless, if I'm going to have only seven games to choose from for casual play on the go, then they had better be fast, fun, and easy to play. And that fits for pretty much all seven, except for Tower of Druaga because it's probably the hardest game ever made. I'm serious, I've never played a harder game than Druaga, which pits a tiny little knight who moves at a snail's pace against teleporting wizards that shoot electricity at you at mach four.

Other things that set this version apart from the pack are the settings options for each game. They range from neat to intriguing to cute, and every game has a different set of "hardcore" options available from the start. For example, it's possible to enable and disable certain glitches that were present in the original games' releases. The most novel of the hardcore settings can be found in Xevious: an option that emulates the screen burn-in that occurs when the game's title screen is imprinted on an arcade monitor. Also present is the standard host of options such as difficulty settings, points, lives, and so on, and this can also be done in the DIP Switch mode which actually has you looking at the original arcade board and flipping switches on the touch screen to set the options.

The extras in the game are also interesting for hardcore fans. There's a sound test with unused background music for certain games, a nice artwork section with Japanese instruction print-outs, flyers, and more detailed views of the arcade boards, game facts, and hints. It's actually missing a lot of compilation staples such as developer interviews and time lines, but there are certainly extras available haven't been seen before in one package.

As far as the porting itself goes, everything found here is arcade perfect. Original aspect ratios are available, although the game fields are certainly very tiny on a single screen. A cool addition is the ability to tate your DS – that is, turn it on its side – and flip the playing field so that it's possible to see an even more authentic replica of the original games. Unfortunately, it makes them awkward to play, as most of them require the use of both the d-pad and the face buttons, and that requires some difficult hand maneuvering with the DS flipped. The graphics for Pac-Man Vs. were obviously downscaled, however the maps present are only the tiniest bit different from the original designs.

Alternative single DS multiplayer is available for the 2-player arcade games, but Pac-Man Vs. steals the show as the most fun you'll have with friends, which is to say it's just generally a blast. One player controls Pac-Man and up to three others control the ghosts, and there's a mad race to see who can reach a pre-determined point score before the others. The ghost players have a limited view of their areas on the top screen, while the Pac-Man player can see the entire field on his or her bottom screen. This makes for some surprisingly fun action and is most certainly accessible even by someone who has never even heard of Pac-Man.

Steady Beat - The arcade may be closed up, but there's still a cure for joystick fever.

This game is easily recommended for Namco fans who don't already have their favorite arcade games on the go in previous collections. If you're on the fence, the $20 budget cost is certainly worth it if you have some friends with DS systems. Unfortunately, it's barren in the unlockables area, but that won't deter the casual handheld gamer from picking it up for a few quick rounds of Galaga when an arcade is nowhere in sight. While it's easy to claim this as yet another Namco nostalgia cash-in, the fun features and alluring price point makes it a worthy addition to any DS library. Should you be in the mood for some real old-school fun, there are very few alternatives.

Posted in: Reviews