Official Pac-Man's Amazing Full Colour Fan Club! - Pac-Man General Thread

[Bowserlick]

Pac-Man's inclusion will give rise to a renaissance of Pac-Man games and fanbase.

 

[8-peacock-8]

http://normalboots.com/video/pac-man-know-gaming-feat-brutalmoose/

 

[Pacack]

http://normalboots.com/video/pac-man-know-gaming-feat-brutalmoose/

...why do I have the distinct feeling that Pac-Man and Pac-Man: Championship Edition were such great games only because of Iwatani's genius? Seriously, that guy should have had the same thing done to him that was done to Gunpei Yukoi when he created the Ultra Hand. Then Pac-Man might've been even more successful than he already was.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

Despite having developed a number of games countable on one hand, Iwatani is one of my favorite game designers because he was so forward-thinking for his time. And unlike others in his position, he didn't attempt to capitalize on his hit and make an inordinate amount of money. The game he created was really a labor of love; it was fun for him, and I think that sense of fun in designing a game is lost on a lot of contemporary designers (no doubt because of technological demands as a factor). Everything he accomplished in his career came from being self-taught, and while he apparently never learned how to program, his game design philosophy always stayed rooted in simplicity, and I think these factors may have helped contribute to his design philosophy, which seems to substitute the common mantra of "What can we do with this?" with ""What should we do with this?"

There was some discussion on Pac-Man's personality and character on the last page. Everyone has their favorite portrayal of the character, whether it's been done before or exists only in fantasy, but I found Iwatani's explanation of the character perhaps the most appealing of them all:

"Pac Man’s character is difficult to explain even to the Japanese–he is an innocent character. He hasn’t been educated to discern between good and evil. He acts more like a small child than a grown-up person. Think of him as a child learning in the course of his daily activities. If someone tells him guns are evil, he would be the type to rush out and eat guns. But he would most probably eat any gun, even the pistols of policemen who need them. He’s indiscriminate because he’s naive. But he learns from experience that some people, like policemen, should have pistols and that he can’t eat just any pistol in sight."

Japanese views on guns aside, I feel that if Pac-Man, as a character, had been handled more closely to this description in his post-arcade games, he would've been a lot more approachable and enjoyable. I'd like to see Namco take this characterization for a spin after the awkward, moody portrayal of Ghostly Adventures finally goes out to pasture.

 

[Pacack]

Despite having developed a number of games countable on one hand, Iwatani is one of my favorite game designers because he was so forward-thinking for his time. And unlike others in his position, he didn't attempt to capitalize on his hit and make an inordinate amount of money. The game he created was really a labor of love; it was fun for him, and I think that sense of fun in designing a game is lost on a lot of contemporary designers (no doubt because of technological demands as a factor). Everything he accomplished in his career came from being self-taught, and while he apparently never learned how to program, his game design philosophy always stayed rooted in simplicity, and I think these factors may have helped contribute to his design philosophy, which seems to substitute the common mantra of "What can we do with this?" with ""What should we do with this?"

There was some discussion on Pac-Man's personality and character on the last page. Everyone has their favorite portrayal of the character, whether it's been done before or exists only in fantasy, but I found Iwatani's explanation of the character perhaps the most appealing of them all:

"Pac Man’s character is difficult to explain even to the Japanese–he is an innocent character. He hasn’t been educated to discern between good and evil. He acts more like a small child than a grown-up person. Think of him as a child learning in the course of his daily activities. If someone tells him guns are evil, he would be the type to rush out and eat guns. But he would most probably eat any gun, even the pistols of policemen who need them. He’s indiscriminate because he’s naive. But he learns from experience that some people, like policemen, should have pistols and that he can’t eat just any pistol in sight."

Japanese views on guns aside, I feel that if Pac-Man, as a character, had been handled more closely to this description in his post-arcade games, he would've been a lot more approachable and enjoyable. I'd like to see Namco take this characterization for a spin after the awkward, moody portrayal of Ghostly Adventures finally goes out to pasture.

I...would genuinely be really happy to see them return to their roots like this. It's not at all what I'd imagine, but that's because I grew up with a different Pac-Man than Iwatani's original one.

Also, @JamesDNaux 's design would have been the kind of direction I'd imagine them going for if they stuck to that.

Look at him!!! Isn't he so cute and innocent-looking?

 

[SegaNintendoUbisoft]

Using other Namco games for his moveset? Seems like something Sakuari would do.

 

[Bauske]

"Pac Man’s character is difficult to explain even to the Japanese–he is an innocent character. He hasn’t been educated to discern between good and evil. He acts more like a small child than a grown-up person. Think of him as a child learning in the course of his daily activities. If someone tells him guns are evil, he would be the type to rush out and eat guns. But he would most probably eat any gun, even the pistols of policemen who need them. He’s indiscriminate because he’s naive. But he learns from experience that some people, like policemen, should have pistols and that he can’t eat just any pistol in sight."

That Iwatani quote is one of my favorite quotes ever.

http://normalboots.com/video/pac-man-know-gaming-feat-brutalmoose/

This video got me thinking. Seeing how Ms. Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and Junior Pac-Man weren't officially created by Namco, and were therefor cloned games, it's a wonder Namco even accepts them as canon at all. Ms. Pac-Man I don't think they could really ignore, since that game was so incredibly popular in the US. Makes me wonder if it was popular in Japan at all. Regardless, they've used Ms. Pac-Man, Junior Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and even Professor Pac-Man in their games in the past, so I guess they eventually accepted these spin offs as their own.

In that sense, imagine if they never did accept those other spin offs. Imagine if none of those characters were in any future games, e.g. Pac-Man World, Pac-Man 2, etc. Namco would have to create other characters to fit the universe. Maybe characters like the ones that appeared in Pac-Man Party. Or maybe characters like the ones that are in Ghostly Adventures. It's an interesting thing to think about.

 

[8-peacock-8]

That Iwatani quote is one of my favorite quotes ever.



This video got me thinking. Seeing how Ms. Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and Junior Pac-Man weren't officially created by Namco, and were therefor cloned games, it's a wonder Namco even accepts them as canon at all. Ms. Pac-Man I don't think they could really ignore, since that game was so incredibly popular in the US. Makes me wonder if it was popular in Japan at all. Regardless, they've used Ms. Pac-Man, Junior Pac-Man, Baby Pac-Man, and even Professor Pac-Man in their games in the past, so I guess they eventually accepted these spin offs as their own.

In that sense, imagine if they never did accept those other spin offs. Imagine if none of those characters were in any future games, e.g. Pac-Man World, Pac-Man 2, etc. Namco would have to create other characters to fit the universe. Maybe characters like the ones that appeared in Pac-Man Party. Or maybe characters like the ones that are in Ghostly Adventures. It's an interesting thing to think about.

They were all in games together if i remember correctly. SO yeah. They're canon.

 

[Bauske]

They were all in games together if i remember correctly. SO yeah. They're canon.

I know. I stated that. xD I was saying imagine if they didn't. Imagine if Midway never created those other clones. It just seems funny to me that Ms. Pac-Man, one of the most popular Pac-Man franchise games, was never even meant to exist in the first place. It wasn't a creation of Namco. Sure they accepted and used it later, but it makes me wonder where Pac-Man would have been had that never happened.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

I know. I stated that. xD I was saying imagine if they didn't. Imagine if Midway never created those other clones. It just seems funny to me that Ms. Pac-Man, one of the most popular Pac-Man franchise games, was never even meant to exist in the first place. It wasn't a creation of Namco. Sure they accepted and used it later, but it makes me wonder where Pac-Man would have been had that never happened.

I think that Pac-Man would still be remembered fondly as a relic of gaming's past, but to a lesser extent than we know it. It'd be remembered more like Pong or Asteroids, but it wouldn't have become the long-living cultural phenomenon that it was. Pac-Man's osmosis into pop culture was really spurred by the success of Ms. Pac-Man, which put the original to shame, in terms of popularity and revenue. The fact that the off-shoot originated in the US under the direction of Midway means that it never really took off the same way in Japan, and so Pac-Man as a pop-cultural franchise never became a thing there. That's why I think Pac-Man is more unpopular and contested as a Smash newcomer in Japan, and why he's got a bigger support base over here. He's not seen as "important" over there as he is in the West. It really was the success of Ms. Pac-Man, I think, that gave the franchise that needed leap from being just a fad to a massive cultural phenomenon.

With all of this in mind, I personally probably would have preferred the route the franchise could have taken if all of those clones hadn't dictated and shaped how the series developed. I never liked the whole "Pac-Man lives in a world full of round people just like him" approach, and I think that if Namco had taken the lead in continuing the series, we would have seen a more interesting world with more varied character designs. Once Midway found success with their off-shoots, however, Namco was basically forced to adopt their elements into the series' canon.

 

[WVdUde]

Adding Pac-Man would create interesting event matches... Pac-Man's Mansion: Gloomy Manor is being invaded by ghosts and Luigi is not there to stop them! Pac-Man, do your thing and chomp some phantoms! Pac-Man X Luigi/ Mario Bros crossover ftw,

 

[WVdUde]

Adding Pac-Man would create interesting event matches... Pac-Man's Mansion: Gloomy Manor is being invaded by ghosts and Luigi is not there to stop them! Pac-Man, do your thing and chomp some phantoms! Pac-Man X Luigi/ Mario Bros crossover ftw,

Sorry, attached it as a file instead of as an image.

 

[WVdUde]

I...would genuinely be really happy to see them return to their roots like this. It's not at all what I'd imagine, but that's because I grew up with a different Pac-Man than Iwatani's original one.

Also, @JamesDNaux 's design would have been the kind of direction I'd imagine them going for if they stuck to that.

Look at him!!! Isn't he so cute and innocent-looking?

Actually I think that his Pac-Man is a better design than any of these two Pacs. Maybe if they made Megaman look like his old NES sprite they'd go in this direction to try to make him look like a cute interpretation of his old arcade self.

 

[Nu~]

Actually I think that his Pac-Man is a better design than any of these two Pacs. Maybe if they made Megaman look like his old NES sprite they'd go in this direction to try to make him look like a cute interpretation of his old arcade self.

I know you are new here, but please try not to double or triple post, you can save space by putting everything in one post.

 

[WVdUde]

I know you are new here, but please try not to double or triple post, you can save space by putting everything in one post.

Right, sorry about that. May have been Smashing since Melee but boarding is a bit new to me. Too used to Miiverse and its character limits I guess. And also, thanks for the likes.

 

[Nu~]

Right, sorry about that. May have been Smashing since Melee but boarding is a bit new to me. Too used to Miiverse and its character limits I guess. And also, thanks for the likes.

Don't worry 'bout it, i understand. And about the likes, no problem. I think the picture is pretty cool.

 

[Deleted member]

I think that Pac-Man would still be remembered fondly as a relic of gaming's past, but to a lesser extent than we know it. It'd be remembered more like Pong or Asteroids, but it wouldn't have become the long-living cultural phenomenon that it was. Pac-Man's osmosis into pop culture was really spurred by the success of Ms. Pac-Man, which put the original to shame, in terms of popularity and revenue. The fact that the off-shoot originated in the US under the direction of Midway means that it never really took off the same way in Japan, and so Pac-Man as a pop-cultural franchise never became a thing there. That's why I think Pac-Man is more unpopular and contested as a Smash newcomer in Japan, and why he's got a bigger support base over here. He's not seen as "important" over there as he is in the West. It really was the success of Ms. Pac-Man, I think, that gave the franchise that needed leap from being just a fad to a massive cultural phenomenon.

With all of this in mind, I personally probably would have preferred the route the franchise could have taken if all of those clones hadn't dictated and shaped how the series developed. I never liked the whole "Pac-Man lives in a world full of round people just like him" approach, and I think that if Namco had taken the lead in continuing the series, we would have seen a more interesting world with more varied character designs. Once Midway found success with their off-shoots, however, Namco was basically forced to adopt their elements into the series' canon.

Fascinating insight into the development of Pac-Man, I never realized how the defunct Midway had such a huge influence on Pac-Man an popularity at home in the East. It's an inevitable misfortune of long-standing IPs that they eventually become disheveled by reboots or new artists until they are unrecognizable. Though what we can always remember is that original message that resonated in Pac-Man Arcade that is ever-lasting, and everything else positive we may take from the expanded games. It's a shame that the original creator wasn't allowed total creative control over the character and games, as I'm sure he'd be as instrumental as Miyamoto in steering Pac-Man on the right path, but short-term financial gain obviously superseded the long-term, in the era before video game mascots came into existence. I wonder if given the chance, how Pac-Man would've developed without Ms. Pac-Man.

Thanks for the inspiring post, Turtles.

 

[Shalashaska]

He's certainly not one of my most wanted, but I still support his inclusion, at least somewhat. He also seems pretty likely, due to the fact that he's the mascot of Namco. The leak saying he would be playable is valid so far, but that doesn't mean it's true. Hopefully it isn't, I'm not too keen on having playable Miis in Smash. It might be inevitable regardless of the leak, however.

Getting back to the topic at hand, I think Pac-Man would be a fun character to play as. I especially liked that moveset up there with classic Namco game references in his smash attacks.

 

[CyberWolfBia]

Hey guys, sorry for the absence ... I've been a little busy, the college is consuming my time over the weekend, and I'm a bit stressed with work. I hope to return to frequently post here again soon. But until then, keep the thread moving, Pac-Supporters! =). see ya.

 

[SonicMario]

He's certainly not one of my most wanted, but I still support his inclusion, at least somewhat. He also seems pretty likely, due to the fact that he's the mascot of Namco. The leak saying he would be playable is valid so far, but that doesn't mean it's true. Hopefully it isn't, I'm not too keen on having playable Miis in Smash. It might be inevitable regardless of the leak, however.

Getting back to the topic at hand, I think Pac-Man would be a fun character to play as. I especially liked that moveset up there with classic Namco game references in his smash attacks.

I think Playable Miis should be tolerable enough, so the newer gamers can have their fun playing as themselves as one of the game's selling points.

While veteran gamers flock to Mario Vs. Sonic Vs. Megaman Vs. Pac-Man as another selling point xP

It'd be an attempt to consider all demographics. Which Nintendo has tried to do since 2006. Whether or not they were right to do that is in the eye of the beholder. But regardless.

 

[Pacack]

You guys seen the new thing that Premium members have? I may buy Premium when Pac's revealed just so I can use him in my posts.

 

[Deleted member]

Lets not get too far ahead of ourselves! They did get imaginative using this forum as a base, the SWF staff are some of the most talented when it comes to this template and making the most of it.

 

[Bauske]

You guys seen the new thing that Premium members have? I may buy Premium when Pac's revealed just so I can use him in my posts.

Haha I thought of this exactly when I saw those. I'll definitely be getting premium and putting Pac-Man in my messages if he gets announced.

 

[Guybrush20X6]

A recent interview with Kojima put Snake's Smash status into question. Will he be back, will the game only have two third parties or will someone, or somesphere, else take the crown?

 

[False Sense]

A recent interview with Kojima put Snake's Smash status into question. Will he be back, will the game only have two third parties or will someone, or somesphere, else take the crown?

My personal preference would be to have Snake return and have Pac-Man join the battle. In regards to that interview, I find it almost a little hard to believe that Sakurai never so much as talked to Kojima about Snake reappearing, especially when Snake was apparently requested for by Kojima since Melee, and was in Brawl pretty early on.

But I guess if Snake doesn't return, that boosts up Pac-Man's chances a little bit due to having less Third Parties to deal with. I do think we'll probably get at least three total third part characters. Whether the third is Snake or Pac-Man, or whether or not we end up getting both, is still up in the air.

 

[Deleted member]

It'd be a shame to lose Sake, but I'd be happy if Pac-Man took a place in Smash Bros as a third-party. He's, in my opinion, the perfect Namco-Bandai rep has an incredibly important part to play in history as one of the first video game mascots. He's one of the only characters I'd want in over Snake period, because of the historical significance, and his set could emphasize the aspects of Sonic's set I like (butt bounce, rev roll) while bringing in fun new elements.

But I'd not want Snake removed, or any character who has a unique set that is really good like that, to get Pac-Man in. Both, or maybe Simon Belmont or Bomber-Man alongside Pac-is obviously the best outcome.

 

[SegaNintendoUbisoft]

I don't really want Snake to return, nothing against him, in fact, I like him as a character. He just doesn't fit in the Smash Bros universe. If we were to have a Konami rep, it should be Simon Belmont.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

Snake is one of my favorite characters to ever become playable in a Smash game, so I'd hate to see him go. However, I knew ever since he was announced for Brawl that he'd likely be a one-time guest character, so I'm prepared to accept his departure if it comes to that. My ideal third-party line-up would be: Sonic, Mega Man, Snake, and Pac-Man. I'd also accept Simon Belmont as a Snake replacement, though I'd rather have Snake, since I like Metal Gear. Excited for Phantom Pain, even though I most likely won't be buying it.

Still, if the only way to get Pac-Man were to trade out Snake, I'd do it in a (pained) heartbeat.

I have a gut feeling we're going to have 3 or 4 third-parties. No more, and no less.

 

[Smashoperatingbuddy123]

Well E3 is when we are most likely to get are answer so we will wait till then.

But snake not getting confirmed on the 20th hurts him even more oviously.

 

[Pacack]

How are my fellow Pac people today?

 

[BluePikmin11]

Today, we are rating Pac-Man in his uniqueness, can you guys prove that Pac-Man has the tools to be a stand-out fighter in Smash.
http://smashboards.com/threads/the-uniqueness-tier-list-third-party-week-pac-man.347531/page-25
If you would like to participate, please do so. Any contribution is greatly appreciated!

 

[kylexv]

Someone wanna make a moveset on classic Pac?

I have an idea for the newcomer banner:
Pac-Man and Mario are cornered by a ghost and Bowser in the Maze.

 

[Pacack]

Here's my reply for BluePikmin's uniqueness thing.

"With Pac-Man's ridiculous amount of adventures, he's hardly lacking in abilities. Pac-Man could be practically anything, really.

My personal favorite playstyle for Pac-Man would focus almost entirely on stage presence. He would be fairly small and have the best maneuverability in the game (he could switch directions without any lag), but be a tad on the slow side for balance purposes. Pac-Man's attacks would be used to force his opponents to take a certain path just as Pac-Man's movements caused the ghosts to move in predictable patterns in his original arcade game. Possible specials include a cherry bomb for his down-b that would act like a mine (could lay a maximun of 3-4 times), ghosts that move in predefined patterns, pellet projectiles that bounce off of hard surfaces (sounds bland at first, but keep in mind how many directions you could make the thing go), a moving chomp attack that activates super armor and has high knockback at the expense of being slow at activating, and several other abilities from Namco arcade classics including inflating pookas that stay on screen and do damage to anyone who touches them (they would stay longer the more they're inflated), galaxians that fly in unpredictable patterns, galaga flagships that abduct the opponent and take them to another place on the screen, Mappy doors that turn on a forward moving shockwave that pushes the opponent (but which do no damage), a ship, missile, mine, or asteroid from Bosconian, cars from Pole Position or Rally X (he could even ride a car as a reference to Mario Kart Arcade GP), one of the many enemy ships from Xevious, and many, many more that I'm not including do to their relative obscurity.

Keep in mind that this is in no way the only playstyle for Pac-Man that we at the support thread have come up with. It's just my personal favorite.

From an asthetic standpoint is the only place I can really say Pac-Man suffers. He fits in fine with the Nintendo cast, but he's admittedly not a character that stands out at first glance.

I would give Pac-Man a very solid A."

...I really need to stop being lazy and make a moveset.

 

[WVdUde]

Don't worry 'bout it, i understand. And about the likes, no problem. I think the picture is pretty cool.

Thabks man, also nice to see you after a couple long (for me) weeks. I think that we all need to keep posting here and spreading the word. A big following and lots support may help out our cause. Proud to be part of the devoted Pac-fans already here.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

Thabks man, also nice to see you after a couple long (for me) weeks. I think that we all need to keep posting here and spreading the word. A big following and lots support may help out our cause. Proud to be part of the devoted Pac-fans already here.

There's not much of anything we can presumably do, since the roster has long since been decided. All we can really do now is cross our fingers and hope for the best. Still, I agree that it's important to show support for a character, no matter how far along the game is in production. At the very least, a strong support base at the end of the production cycle can at least show the developer that the character is in good standing to become playable next time. In the event that Pac-Man is not playable this time around, he's going to need a strong cult of support in order to make it into the next outing, since it's doubtful Namco-Bandai will be working on it.

 

[Nu~]

There's not much of anything we can presumably do, since the roster has long since been decided. All we can really do now is cross our fingers and hope for the best. Still, I agree that it's important to show support for a character, no matter how far along the game is in production. At the very least, a strong support base at the end of the production cycle can at least show the developer that the character is in good standing to become playable next time. In the event that Pac-Man is not playable this time around, he's going to need a strong cult of support in order to make it into the next outing, since it's doubtful Namco-Bandai will be working on it.

I have been thinking for a while now, if sakurai hasn't talked to konami about adding snake, does that mean he really was never put in the game?

 

[Deleted member]

I have been thinking for a while now, if sakurai hasn't talked to konami about adding snake, does that mean he really was never put in the game?

No, we don't know the details of the deal that was made between Konami and Nintendo. I imagine it was a mutual agreement to allow Snake's likeness in Brawl, but may have extended to any future Smash Bros game as it's not as though Konami doesn't want the exposure that brings.

As far as dealings with Namco go, one of the benefits of a close working relationship is that it would be all too easy for Sakurai to ask for permission to use the character and no one in the media would find out, unless it was leaked. So I'm not too afraid if we don't hear anything out of the rumour mill. All we can do at this point is hope for Pac-Man to get into the game.

 

[True Blue Warrior]

E3 is going to be very interesting. Hopefully, Pac-Man ends up being one of the characters revealed there.

 

[CyberWolfBia]

Well, took a while, but that's what I promised! The Maze "256"! (did my best with manipulation the 75m pieces to make this seem a 3D stage, but in any case, I ask apologizes for some bad touches);

as we talked here, the purpose of the stage, it's be a Retro alike 75m from Brawl; but I put in practice some other ideas;... like the illumination, ... the characters would have these spotlight following them wherever they go (derived from the idea that was said here from neon colors in the ground... I thought that would be better keep the maze itself blue as the original game); the Ghosts are in 3D Models and they're generic ones (having their own light with respective colors),... the Original Ghost Gang should be Pac's AT anyway; =P... the Pac-Dots in the background are just tiny lamps that stay blinking/shining, nothing but a decoration;

here is a explanation about the K.O. extremities for the stage \/;

Spoiler

well, I think that's it! 8D... should be a great stage to play casually... not sure about competition;.. considering that Mario Bros., New Pork City and 75m are always banned... but I did thinking in the homage for the character and his series, nothing more!

Let me know what you guys think! =)

Spoiler

BONUS:

 

[Deleted member]

Amazing work!

I absolutely love it, seriously. I can actually see it get any casual play over 75m due to the more traditional shape and size of the stage. Very accurate scaling on the models too, and the little easter egg pro-friendly version is a great touch. I recommend editing it out and reposting it for the new page, everyone must see this fantastic mock-up.