Namco Museum Vol. 3

UPC: 722674020619

Platform: PlayStation

Publisher: Namco Hometek, Inc.

Developer: Namco Ltd.

Category: Compilation

Style(s): Multi-Genre Compilation

Synopsis: Namco Museum Vol. 3 offers up six more coin-op classics from the vaults of gaming's distant past. Titles include Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Pole Position II, Phozon and The Tower of Druaga. In addition to the games, this collection contains a museum in which you can view collectible videogame items (relevant to the games on this disc) such as screen overlays, advertisements and merchandise. A theater is included in which you can watch a slide show or hear the games' various music and sound effects. Also, you can toggle dip switches (or simply access the options window) in order change settings such as difficulty levels and number of lives. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Package Contents: 28-page Instruction Manual

Controls: Joystick/Gamepad

The manual covers the basics of each game along with everything you'll need to explore the museums and such. More importantly, a can't-do-without hint book is available that tells you how to uncover all the treasures in The Tower of Druaga. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

The games in Namco Museum Vol. 3 are simplistic when compared with most PlayStation games, but perfect when compared to their arcade counterparts. Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position II are sleekly designed, colorful and nice to look at. Galaga, though colorful, looks too much like Space Invaders. The characters in The Tower of Druaga are very small and Phozon is mostly puzzle pieces. Dig Dug looks as weird and as distinctive as it ever did. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Most fans of classic arcade gaming will tell you that Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug are two of the greatest titles ever created. Both are colorfully cute maze contests with a smooth rate of difficulty progression, infinite replay value, and loads of fun. These games alone are worth the purchase price of Namco Museum Vol. 3. Ms. Pac-Man does suffer a bit from lack of joystick control, but the game is still very playable. Both games, along with all the games on the disc, are arcade-perfect recreations. The third most recognizable game in this collection is Galaxian, which hearkens back to the pre-rapid-fire days of gaming when you actually had to aim and time your shots. Although not as intense as Galaga (which appears on Namco Museum Vol. 1), Galaxian is a challenging and entertaining shooter that is perfectly suited for the PS control pad. Many fans will still get a kick out of scoring 800 points by killing the boss after having destroyed both of its escorts. Next on the list is Pole Position II, which looks and plays almost exactly like Pole Position, a game included on the Namco Museum Vol. 1 disc. Although it is indeed similar to its predecessor, Pole Position II does offer four tracks (as opposed to one in the original game) and a special turbo charge when you run over a puddle at a high enough rate of speed. You can't turn as quickly with the control pad in Pole Position II as you can with the arcade steering wheel, and the game is hopelessly dated when compared to Ridge Racer and other modern racing games. However, it is fast and challenging, and it offers the most important thing one should look for in a game: fun. Coming in at a tie for last in this impromptu popularity contest are Phozon and The Tower of Druaga, a pair of games which most people have never even seen in the arcades. While hardly classics in the truest sense of the word, both games are interesting and brutally challenging. Phozon is a puzzle game like no other. Your visual spacing techniques along with your ability to make precise movements will be rigorously tested. This arcade oddity is maddening in that it is very difficult to position the Moleks in exactly the right places on the Chemics, especially after a few levels into the game. To give you an edge, you can pause the game anytime you like in order to figure out where the pieces should go in the more complicated puzzles. Obviously, this is impossible when playing the arcade game. The Tower of Druaga is not a great game by any stretch, but it does work better at home than in the arcades. It's a slow game that requires patience as you maneuver your character through scrolling mazes. The game is hard because your sword is short and slow on the draw. Battling the legions of slimy, quivering blobs gets old pretty fast. While there are tons of levels and a different treasure is in each level, the game lacks the action and excitement of Wizard of Wor, Gauntlet and other games of its type. Namco Museum Vol. 3 is a must-have for retro-gamers. It includes four legendary favorites along with two flawed, though challenging obscurities. Once you add this game to your collection, it will likely stay there for the duration. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Thanks to memory cards, you can keep track of your high scores forever and ever. And trust me, with Ms. Pac-Man and Dig Dug especially, you'll want to challenge yourself with these games again and again. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Again, arcade perfection. Ms. Pac-Man has the most memorable music and sound effects while The Tower of Druaga has a sweeping score that is surprisingly epic. ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

Super fun (Ms. Pac-Man), super fun (Dig Dug), fun (Galaxian), fun (Pole Position II), kind of fun (Phozon) and almost fun (The Tower of Druaga). ~ Brett Alan Weiss, All Game Guide

the game requires Joystick/Gamepad.