What’s so special about the 30th of anything? If it’s an anniversary, that means there have been 29 days earlier! Let’s face it: Unless you are celebrating your first birthday twins or triplets, the 30th is mostly a marketing gimmick. But still, with all due respect to the marketing department — we love you guys. Especially because in this case it gave us something pretty amazing. To mark 30 years of Pac-Man and its subsequent versions, the Japanese video game giant Bandai created an arcade machine called “Pac-Man CE” (short for “Compact Edition”) which brought Pac-Man back home for everyone to enjoy once again — and even better than before! Read on to learn more about this special edition machine as well as its historical significance in the world of gaming.
The Return of Pac-Man
In the late ’90s, the popularity of Pac-Man had shifted from arcades to home consoles. The transition, of course, was inevitable: home consoles were more accessible, easier to use, and offered more variety in terms of games. The Pac-Man series had already been ported to just about every home console and handheld system at the time. So what was next? The answer came in 2001, when Pac-Man was resurrected for the 21st century with Pac-Man VR. The VR headset-enabled game featured 3D graphics and allowed players to experience Pac-Man from a first-person perspective. It garnered a lot of attention and paved the way for more innovative Pac-Man games.
Packed with Retro Goodness
Despite being a brand-new edition, the Pac-Man CE is a retro game through and through. It comes complete with the original Pac-Man arcade cabinet design: a black finish, a yellow and black control panel, and an authentic coin slot. The Pac-Man CE also has the same yellow and black color scheme, and the same joystick and buttons with a “1” and “2” on them. The only real difference is that the arcade machine has a new Pac-Man logo and the word “CE” on the front of the cabinet. The Pac-Man CE also comes with 40 additional games in one, including the original Pac-Man. In fact, the CE has multiple versions of Pac-Man, including the Japanese, American, and Korean versions of the game.
New Features and Additional Games
The Pac-Man CE also includes special features that weren’t present in the original game. For example, the “Super Pac-Man” version on the CE has more than 1,000 levels for players to go through. The CE also features a multiplayer mode, leaderboards, and a “Ghost Hunter” mode that allows two people to play at the same time. The game also features a “Challenge Mode,” which allows players to compete in different challenges such as “Tower Mode,” where players have to climb the highest tower possible before the tower collapses. The CE also has a “Speed-up Challenge,” where the goal is to clear the stage as quickly as possible.
A Wonderful Pac-Man Reunion
The Pac-Man CE also allows players to play as the original Pac-Man character as well as his “family.” In other words, players can also play as Pac-Man’s wife, Ms. Pac-Man, his son, Jr. Pac-Man, and his daughter, Pinky. Ms. Pac-Man and Jr. Pac-Man are also available as playable characters in Pac-Man Championship Edition 2. You can play as either character in the “Family” mode of the Pac-Man CE. In addition to the “Family” mode, the Pac-Man CE also comes with other modes, including “Challenge,” “Score Attack,” “Time Attack,” and “Endless Challenge.”
A Final Tribute to the Greatest Game of All Time
There are many ways to celebrate a major milestone, and Pac-Man’s 30th anniversary was no different. The franchise’s creator, Toru Iwatani, decided to create a special tribute to Pac-Man and its fans. In May 2018, he held a 30th anniversary celebration in Tokyo, Japan. The celebration featured a Pac-Man exhibition, a Pac-Man art show, and the launch of a special edition machine called the “Pac-Man 30th Anniversary Edition.” The 30th Anniversary Edition of Pac-Man contains the complete original Pac-Man game, as well as remakes of the American and Japanese versions of the game. It also comes with other games from the Pac-Man series. It’s a beautiful machine that comes in three colors: slate blue, black, and yellow, just like the original Pac-Man arcade cabinet.
Conclusion
There are many reasons why Pac-Man is still celebrated to this day, but the main one is that it’s the greatest arcade game of all time. There will likely never be another game like Pac-Man that is as popular, innovative, or timeless. The Pac-Man CE is a wonderful tribute to a fantastic game and an arcade machine that will survive the test of time.