Happy 25th birthday Pac-Man!

[ralphwiggum 6]

this is kinda funny since I was shopping at Besybuy today and they had the Pac-Man game just before the register.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/fun.games/06/15/pac.man.25.ap/index.html

Quote[/b] ](AP) -- For a video game, Pac-Man is getting downright old. The ghost-wary hero with an insatiable appetite for dots turns 25 this month.

From the early 1980s "Pac-Mania" to today's endless sequels and rip-offs, the original master of maze management remains a bright yellow circle on the cultural radar.

But there was more to Pac-Man's broad appeal than eating dots and dodging on-screen archrivals Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde.

"This was the first time a player took on a persona in the game. Instead of controlling inanimate objects like tanks, paddles and missile bases, players now controlled a 'living' creature," says Leonard Herman, author of "Phoenix: The Rise and Fall of Videogames." "It was something that people could identify, like a hero."

It all began in Japan, when Toru Iwatani, a young designer at Namco, caught inspiration from a pizza that was missing a slice. Puck-Man, as it was originally called, was born. Because of obvious similarities to a certain four-letter profanity, "Puck" became "Pac" when it debuted in the U.S. in 1980.

Its success spawned a romantic interest (Ms. Pac-Man), a child (Junior Pac-Man), a cartoon show and hundreds of licensed products. The phenomenon even reached the pop music charts when "Pac-Man Fever" by Buckner & Garcia drove us all crazy in 1982.

Billy Mitchell, the first and only person known to play a perfect game of Pac-Man (he racked up a score of 3,333,360 after clearing all 256 levels in more than six hours in 1999, according to video game record keepers Twin Galaxies) says Pac's popularity was in its nonviolent simplicity.

"The fact that it's cute, it's almost like a hero running around the board from bad guys. It's not an appeal based on violence," the 39-year-old from Hollywood, Florida, said. "Whether it was an 80-year-old lady or a kid, everyone could adapt to the Pac-Man world."

Billions of quarters later, Pac-Man's influence continues.

As part of a final project for a class in New York University's Interactive Telecommunications graduate program last year, students with cell phones and Wi-Fi Internet connections mimicked the game, tracking their movements on a grid spanning several city blocks.

They called this analog re-enactment, where four people dressed as ghosts searched for Pac-Man on the streets around New York's Washington Square Park, Pac-Manhattan.

"We never had anyone clear the entire board," said Frank Lantz, a game designer who taught the course.

Namco, which can't offer an exact date for Pac-Man's birth, sold 293,822 of the arcade machines between 1980 and '87. It shows no signs of giving up on the franchise.

The company has several new games this year, including "Pac-Mania 3D," "Pac-Man World 3," Pac-Pix" and "Pac-Man Pinball." It even began making a special 25th anniversary edition of the old arcade machine.

"People say, 'Who buys Pac-Man?' It's one of the few games where the answer is, 'Everyone,"' said Scott Rubin, general manager of Namco America.

Herman said Pac-Man's place in video game history is forever secure, saying: "It was a milestone of video game history."

[CJE 0]

I remember playing that game.

I think it was class.

Should be re-released in 3d version methinks.

[Espectro (DayZ) 0]

I never like it, really..

... sorry guys

[PainDealer 0]

I've never played pac-man that much but hey that yellow fella is the ancestor of every game

[Gadger 0]

Too O/T for O/T; closing....

Pac-Man, not really my thing.

[hellfish6 7]

I'm older than PacMan.

[cozza 24]

I never got into pac man. Maybe cos when I got into games there we many pacman wannabes out there.

[Sniperwolf572 758]

There was an 3d pacman on PlayStation.

[SpongeBob 0]

There was an 3d pacman on PlayStation.

Wasn't that the same ported over from the arcade version. I remember playing that one.

And what's the difference between Pac-Man and Mrs. Pac-Man? Are the games any different?

[Guest Ti0n3r]

Pacman was actually one of the first computer games I ever saw.

[Llauma 0]

I guess most people here are too young to remember the time when pacman was something unique. Sure many have propably played it when they were younger but that's several years later when there were much better games available. I guess you need to be at least 30 if not older to remember the time.

No offence to people like Batdog but you can't propably even remember when Doom was released and when it was something really cool.

[Balschoiw 0]

I still have PacMan and PacGirl on my PDA.

Now PONG is old imo...

I still have a lot of the LED and LCD games from that time.

They are soooo battery consuming

[FatNinjaKid 0]

back when I was young we were too poor for pac-man. We only had this clone with mutant spiders. I can't remember what it was called. But I do remember my sister used to play it all the time until she finally reached level 99. After that the game started again from level one. We used to talk about it for weeks.

[SFWanabe 0]

Happy B-day Pacman!!!

[red oct 2]

never really played pac man. i mostly fell under the Super Mario crowd.

[Winters 1]

Sorry im late to this party but heres my contribution.

Pac-Man Fever

   

I gotta pocket full of quarters, and I'm headed to the arcade.

I don't have a lot of money but I'm bringing everything I've made.

I've gotta callus on my finger, and my shoulder's hurtin' too.

I'm gonna eat 'em all up, just as soon as they turn blue.

'Cause I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

It's driving me crazy, driving me crazy.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.

I've got all the patterns down, up until the ninth key.

I've got Speedy on my tail, and I know it's either him or me.

So I'm heading out the back door, and in the other side.

Gonna eat the cherries up, and take 'em all for a ride.

'Cause I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

It's driving me crazy, driving me crazy.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.

I'm gonna fake it to the left, and move to the right,

'Cause Pokey's too slow,and Blinky's out of sight.

Now I've got 'em on the run, and I'm looking for the high score.

So it's once around the block, and I'll slide back out the side door.

I'm really cookin' now, eating everything in sight.

All my money's gone, so I'll be back tommorow night.

'Cause I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

It's driving me crazy, driving me crazy.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.

I've got Pac-Man Fever, Pac-Man Fever.

I'm going out of my mind, going out of my mind.  

 

Bucker & Garcia

© BGO Music, Inc.

[lee_h._oswald 0]

Happy bday good old Pacman.

MfG Lee

[mechastalin 0]

As someone who was 3 when DooM was released I defiently have an appreciation for old games most people my age don't.Hell I still play DooM online and mod it often.I originally played it on the 32x and it scared the hell out of me.I couldnt bring myself to play it until only a couple years ago.But if you want old,Give Space Wars a shot.

[cozza 24]

No offence to people like Batdog but you can't propably even remember when Doom was released and when it was something really cool.

Just a Q. When was Doom released, I remenber playing it in grade 3 Ohh... No offence taken

[Balschoiw 0]

Version 1.0 was released on December 10th, 1993

[mechastalin 0]

I've played the Alphas :P

[Balschoiw 0]

sure, sure...

Keeping in mind that the first Alphas had one micro level only with only shotgun and no effect of firing on monsters....or ammocount.

Those Alphas were techdemos, but not really playable.

The monsters didn´t even move....

The first really playable version is the Beta Press Release from October 1993.

Don´t mess with a former DOOM addict

[mechastalin 0]

Yes I have played the alphas they're available as public domain here. http://toastytech.com/dooma/