Namco Pac Mans Arcade Party Cabaret Game Cabinet

Just had one of these delivered today.As a 42-year-old who grew up in the "Golden Age" of arcade gaming, and spent many hours AND quarters in several arcades, I have enjoyed most of the titles that are included with Pac-Man's Arcade Party for multiple decades.When the opportunity presented itself to own a machine like this, that could capture the feeling of playing some of the most popular titles of my youth in front of a stand-up machine, I jumped at the chance.

Having said that, there's opportunities to own all of these titles that won't cost you anywhere near $3000.Namco compilations containing several of these games have been around since the days of the original Playstation, and continue to be released with each new generation of home consoles.And with quality arcade sticks available for current consoles such as the Xbox 360 and PS3, you can find yourself a system AND controller that can give you almost every nuance of playing your favorite oldies for a fraction of Pac-Man's Arcade Party's cost.

As far as owning Pac-Man's Arcade Party goes, if you decide to cough up the coin, here is what you can expect:

1) Cabinet is solidly constructed and looks good too.Being a cabaret unit, it doesn't take up too much space, making it perfect for home use.The lighted marquee is a nice touch that gives the unit even more of an arcade feel.The silver T-moldings give the cabinet that extra level of classy polish.

2) Joystick and buttons are of good but not great quality.For almost $3000 I would expect top-of-the-line components being used for the controls.The joystick feels like it should be thicker and heavier.

3) The games actually look a little worse on the provided 19" LCD screen than they did on the CRT screens of old.The CRT screens had a way of softening and bleeding pixels together to give these aging titles a "smoother" look.The crispness of the LCD screen actually hurts these games from a visual standpoint.Colors also seemed a little dull, and there is no way to adjust the brightness, contrast, or any other settings of the screen.What you see it what you get.

4) The supplied joystick is a 4-way stick only.That means it's terrific for games using only two directions (like Galaxian and both Galagas) and four directions (such as Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Dig Dug).That also means it's absolutely terrible for games like Dragon Spirit and Xevious, as this joystick does not allow you to move diagonally in any direction.If Namco's plan was to supply only a four-way stick that cannot be switched to an 8-way stick, they should not have included titles that can require an 8-way stick to played properly.Dragon Spirit and Xevious are rendered almost unplayable due to this issue.At this price tag, every game that can't be enjoyed is a major setback.

Complaints aside, there is something cool about playing in front of a machine that has the LOOK of an arcade game, even if the 80s experience isn't delivered 100% intact.And some of the games here really work well on this cabinet, even with the LCD screen doing more to highlight each games' graphical age than to enhance their visuals.Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man really shine due to the four-way stick, and Galaxian and both Galagas are done justice as well.The other eight titles feel more like filler throw-ins, and some of those games, like Dragon Spirit and Xevious, simply cannot be played correctly with the limitations of the four-way stick.But to play Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man and Galaxian and Galaga and be able to do it on an arcade unit...at home no less...pretty amazing feeling, and one that brings back a lot of memories and nostalgia.For some, those "return to a simpler time" flashbacks coupled with an arcade-like experience might be enough to offset the high cost and lack of top-of-the-line components.But for most, the much cheaper home console compilations will probably be plenty adequate.

Hey. Anyone that's owned a Namco Museum game collection knows what I'm talking about. But this time, the arcade classics are coming back to the scene with this extremely epic machine! Not only does it have Pac-Man and Galaga, but with several more games included! PLUS, you don't even need more arcade machines for the other games! They are all crammed into here unharmed.

Pac-Man: Must I say anything about this one? It's one of the most addicting games of all time.

Ms. Pac-Man: Better than the original!

Galaxian: Namco's answer to Space Invaders, this shooter's in color and has aliens that dive toward you!

Galaga: This sequel to Galaxian makes it even better by being able to shoot multiple missles, as well as stunt-performing aliens.

Galaga '88: Oh, my god. Do NOT miss out on this one. It's got amazing graphics, sound effects, and you can even start with a double-ship (Although you'll have one less life)!

Pac-Mania: This pseudo-3D Pac-Man game has him star in a handful of different mazes, in a similar fashion to Ms. Pac-Man, but with even more variety.

Mappy: A classic cat 'n mouse chaser with a Pac-Man-ish goal Collect all objects in the level

Rally-X: More arcade game than racer, Rally X has you steer a car to collect flags on the road while smokescreening your enemies.

And yet there's some more games! Sadly, I do not know too much about a couple (Rolling Thunder...), but even if there are games you don't like, this machine is still worth it for AT LEAST a few classics fully restored in their arcade glory!

Buy Namco Pac Mans Arcade Party Cabaret Game Cabinet Now

We received the Namco Arcade this week, as promised.I had to tell my husband about it before Christmas, because my son and I couldn't move it by ourselves to the bar.He was SO excited, it was like watching a kid on Christmas morning!Looking forward to many hours of family fun and competition.

Read Best Reviews of Namco Pac Mans Arcade Party Cabaret Game Cabinet Here