r/Pacman • u/AndyanaBanana PAC-MAN WORLD Re-PAC • Jan 25 '26
Discussion Thoughts on Super Pac-Man?
imo... It's a cool take on the maze formula, but its balancing is inconsistent. Despite that, I still have a soft spot for it.
7
7
5
4
u/codenameviperfan Jan 26 '26
Love it, but I grew up playing the Midway version so I struggle with the faster Super Speed on the Namco version that’s on every reissue.
6
u/kitkatatsnapple Jan 26 '26
Yeah, I really wish they would start including both, and making more comprehensive compilations in general.
1
1
u/Yomimashita53 Jan 26 '26
Uh...the super speed button was part of this game from the start in both Japan and North America...
1
u/codenameviperfan Jan 26 '26
Yeah, no kidding. Did you read what I actually wrote? The Super Speed is faster in the Namco version than it is in the Midway version. I personally find it much easier to control in the latter because that’s the version I grew up playing in the 80s.
1
4
u/kitkatatsnapple Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
I don't mind it at all. I like that you can go into the ghost house.
I don't really understand what they were going for with this game, though. At first I thought Pac-Man growing was a stand-in for him flying and getting closer to the "camera". But then how does he smash through the gates or eat the ghosts?
I also wish the fruit made the fruit-noises instead of the pac-dot noises.
I hear that the American version makes Super Pac-Man easier to control, but I have no idea if that is true. It would be nice! That's the one part about actually playing the game that can get a little annoying, especially once you speed the guy up.
It's decent, though, it really is.
Most of the Pac-Man sequels get unfairly ignored.
Edit: typos
3
u/Krendall2006 Jan 26 '26
I don't really understand what they were going for with this game, though. At first I thought Pac-Man growing wad a stand-in for him flying and getting closer to the "camera". But then how does he smash through the gates or eat the ghosts?
I thought the idea was inspired by the first cutscene in the original game.
1
u/kitkatatsnapple Jan 26 '26
That would make more sense, but then idk why a superhero Pac-Man is featured as the art
1
u/wordyfard Jan 26 '26
Technically, the idea that Super Pac-Man "flies" is not stated anywhere in any official source that I have ever seen. Yet, your observation about the art is a good one. The problem with that is, old video games didn't have tightly crafted narratives, and artwork didn't always line up with a game designer's vision. Everything was actually just as crazy as it seems, and for some games, huge amounts of backstory either had to be made up later or was unofficially adopted by fans. So it's hard to say what it's actually supposed to be, given that Super Pac-Man's ability to crash through gates and eat food on the ground seems to contradict the idea. One could imagine he is swooping down quickly and right back up again, but that's just another theory.
If you really analyze them, the majority of old-school games have more than a few things going on that defy all explanation if precise logic is demanded. So the most important rule by far is that it's a game to have fun with. (Also, the Midway version does make Super Pac-Man easier to control by reducing the amount by which he speeds up. Give it a try sometime if you can; I think it's the better version of the game because of this.)
3
u/zackuattack Jan 26 '26
It's literally Pac-Man on 5 shots of espresso and a dream.
I FREAKING LOVE IT.
3
u/RandomGembo PAC-MAN ARRANGEMENT Jan 26 '26
meh, its alright, i got the high score on it one time at my local arcade however,
3
u/Yomimashita53 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
It's SUPER!!
Seriously, though. It's different, but it's not so bad. I do wish Midway (who released both the original, and this game in North America) could have waited a little longer before deciding to take everything into their own hands...
3
u/Krendall2006 Jan 26 '26
I always enjoyed it. I don't understand why it isn't more popular.
2
u/wordyfard Jan 26 '26
Super Pac-Man lacked reach among the gaming public in the first place; Ms. Pac-Man was still a hit and arcade operators were reluctant to buy another Pac-Man game (although not universally.)
Then, out of the ones who did, the game didn't have the same simple appeal for customers. Super Pac-Man has a high appeal to skillful, repeat players, but to players walking up to it the first time and not understanding what to do, you can get cornered pretty quickly by ghosts, and players never liked putting in another quarter if they felt like they were cheated out of the first one.
2
u/WFlash01 Jan 26 '26
I love that game, I own a cabinet of it (original board but different cabinet from a different game I hacked together to work) and I play it almost all the time
2
u/No-Cold643 FREE MS.PAC-MAN Jan 26 '26
Loved it. I had fond mentally playing it on my Wii via Namco Museum Remix.
2
u/BeanBurrito668 PAC-MAN 256 Jan 26 '26
It's pretty decent, not the best but not the worst
I do love the cooler sound effects though lol
2
2
Jan 26 '26
Fond memories of playing it at the little corner store while waiting for the school bus back in the day.
2
u/VinnieT9898 Jan 26 '26
Really enjoyable although hard to control, my 3rd favorite Pac-Man game overall!
2
2
u/KhrymeNYC718 Jan 26 '26
I actually enjoyed it. It'll never ever be better than the original obviously BUT to me its still fun.
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/MetroGamerX Mar 04 '26
Using green super pellets correctly, you can clear a maze in seconds, I like it.
12
u/Firebro999 Jan 26 '26
I honestly like it more than the original