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May 11, 2006 | 2:03 PM PST
by: Matthew Green
Lots of popular franchise characters have joined the competitive world of mascot go-kart racing, and after so many years and so many sub-par games, the general concept of slapping beloved (or merely tolerated) characters behind the wheel has become a gaming genre unto itself. Sometimes, however, such a typically cookie cutter game can still surprise. Namco Bandai is working on a go-kart racer featuring not only Pac-Man, but also a collection of other classic Namco characters ranging from Dig Dug’s Fygar and Pooka to Katamari Damacy’s Prince of All Cosmos. A demo of the new Pac-Man World Rally is on display at E3 this year and we’ve taken it for an early test drive.
The gameplay behind World Rally is about one would expect from this type of game. Players must zoom around wacky 3D racetracks packed with obstacles and hazards in a race to beat the other drivers to the finish line. The thing that makes World Rally different from its go-kart kin involves the collection of those famous power pellets. Scarf down enough pellets on the track and our driver turned into a giant wheeled munching Pac-Man while the CPU competition turned into blue ghosts on unicycles. Driving into these new ghosts devoured them, allowing us to establish a comfortable lead. That is, until a CPU player pulled the same trick and tried to devour us.
World Rally’s main draw has to be its cast of characters. Most of the selectable characters were locked out in this demo version, but we took both The Prince from Katamari and Fygar from Dig Dug for spins around the track. Other playable characters include Pac-Man himself, several familiar ghosts, and Pooka (also from Dig Dug). Each character drives around in a custom go-kart. For example, The Prince’s vehicle is actually just four small katamari that serve as wheels. The Prince hovers above these katamari with twin exhaust pipes that extend from his ears. It’s very clever and made us smile continually.
The Advanced Media Network will have more information regarding Pac-Man World Rally in the weeks ahead.
The gameplay behind World Rally is about one would expect from this type of game. Players must zoom around wacky 3D racetracks packed with obstacles and hazards in a race to beat the other drivers to the finish line. The thing that makes World Rally different from its go-kart kin involves the collection of those famous power pellets. Scarf down enough pellets on the track and our driver turned into a giant wheeled munching Pac-Man while the CPU competition turned into blue ghosts on unicycles. Driving into these new ghosts devoured them, allowing us to establish a comfortable lead. That is, until a CPU player pulled the same trick and tried to devour us.
World Rally’s main draw has to be its cast of characters. Most of the selectable characters were locked out in this demo version, but we took both The Prince from Katamari and Fygar from Dig Dug for spins around the track. Other playable characters include Pac-Man himself, several familiar ghosts, and Pooka (also from Dig Dug). Each character drives around in a custom go-kart. For example, The Prince’s vehicle is actually just four small katamari that serve as wheels. The Prince hovers above these katamari with twin exhaust pipes that extend from his ears. It’s very clever and made us smile continually.
The Advanced Media Network will have more information regarding Pac-Man World Rally in the weeks ahead.
November 20, 2009
