Namco Museum (PlayStation 2)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.8 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 12/21/2001
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 12/04/2001
• Originally published on GameSpot: Namco Museum (PlayStation 2) Review

Namco has been releasing its classic arcade lineup on modern game consoles for years. The company started its retro kick by releasing a five-volume series on the PlayStation, starting in 1996. Since then, various incarnations of these collections have showed up on the Dreamcast, the N64, and the Game Boy Advance. Now, Namco is bringing the PlayStation 2 into the act. While Namco Museum is fine for PS2 owners who are looking for arcade classics, players who own most of these games in another format needn't bother adding this to their collection.

From the classic arcade era, Namco Museum for the PS2 contains Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaxian, Galaga, Dig Dug, Pole Position, and Pole Position II. Achieving certain score goals in some games will unlock Pac-Mania and Pac-Attack, the Tetris-like puzzle game with Pac-Man in it. The game also features arranged versions of Galaga, Dig-Dug, and Pac-Man--these games were released in arcades in the mid-90s when Namco released combo cabinets containing these updates along with the original versions. While the arrangement versions of these games are neat--Galaga Arrangement being the best of the three--you'll probably agree that the classic versions are still the better games.

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