Bandai Pac-Man Connect and Play brings back some very fond memories of being at my local Bumpers arcade playing video games back in the 80s. The PAC-MAN Connect-and-Play video game unit has 12 of the greatest retro arcade games we all know and love.
Retro video games include Pac-Man, Pac-Man Plus, Bosgonian, Galaxian, Mappy, Super Pac-Man, Galaga, Dig Dug, Rally X, Pac & Pal, Xeviou, and the all-new game Pac-Man 256 Level game.
This is the first time Bandai offers fans of the classic Pac-Man Game the chance to play the 256 levels of Pac-Man. An interesting Fact about the original Pac-Man was that there was supposed to be no ending. However, there was a bug in the program that would cause the game to abruptly end at level 255 of Pac-Man. The Pac-Man 256 Challenge lets you begin where the error in the original game left off, which shows Bandai’s efforts of fixing this error that left so many of us in utter frustration.
The controller is designed to resemble a controller from an Arcade version of Pac-Man and it resembles the classic game character in shape. Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect and Play does require batteries to operate as it uses 4 – AA batteries which are not included.
This battery-operated old-school joystick connects right to your TV using the AV connectors. This is the only downfall, as I would love to have had a cordless version. The other downfall is the AV cord that connects to the television is a little short.
For our setup we have the Bandai’s Pac-Man connected to our 85-inch LG Smart-TV which is, of course, a flat-screen, so it doesn’t tie up the cord, yet there is only about 2-3 feet of AV cord available for gameplay. This doesn’t give you much distance from the TV screen. The other downfall is that Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect and Play instructions tell the user to hold the A-B button down at the same time to return to the select game screen, but it doesn’t work. We tried several different times during the game, at the end of the game, and at the credits, and it still won’t. It is possible we have a faulty game controller, so I can’t say if all the game controllers do this without further testing.
Our Thoughts
All-and-All this is an excellent release by Bandai. Both my wife and I love the classic versions of the games. We can play these games for hours including our youngest daughter. I think she is hooked on Rally-X and she does very well kicking Mommy and Daddy’s butt. Rally-X is a maze and driving video arcade game developed and released by Namco in 1980. Miss P says Rally X is her favorite game on the system.
Even if you’re not a huge Pac-Man fan, you can play Gallactica, which is another one of my favorites. With 12 classic games in one handheld device, you are sure to find a favorite! It also features a concealed storage space for cords.
Get yourself Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect and Play. You won’t be disappointed. It’s available at Walmart, Amazon.ca, Mastermind Toys, Amazon.com, Best Buy, and of course Toys-R-Us. Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect and Play is for Ages 4 and up. Even my aunt and Adult daughter want a Bandai’s Pac-Man Connect and Play after seeing ours.
About BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc.
BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc., part of BANDAI NAMCO Holdings Inc., is a leading global publisher and developer of interactive entertainment for all major video game consoles, iOS, Android, and online platforms. The company is known for creating and publishing many of the industry’s top video game franchises including PAC-MAN®, GALAGA®, TEKKEN®, SOULCALIBUR®, and ACE COMBAT®. BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment America Inc. is the premier publisher in the Western hemisphere for anime based video games including NARUTO SHIPPUDEN™, DRAGON BALL Z®, and ONE PIECE®. More information about the company and its products can be found at http://www.bandainamcoent.com , www.facebook.com/BandaiNamcoUS or https://www.twitter.com/BandaiNamcoUS .
