Arcade Maze Game Review: Pac & Pal

Pac & Pal is the black sheep of the Pac-Man series. It was primarily released in Japan, other than three hundred machines released to Europe as Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp, with Pac-Man's dog from the Hanna Barbara cartoon replacing the titular pal. It took the unpopular elements of Super Pac-Man and ran with them, making a game that is arguably the most polarizing in the entire series.

Pac-Man has to collect all of the items on the screen. Like Super Pac-Man, they are all locked behind doors. Unlike those games however, the doors are unlocked by collecting face-down cards scattered around the maze which will flip to reveal an item on the board. The game's titular pal, or the dog in Pac-Man & Chomp Chomp's case, is not much of a friend as they will attempt to steal the item before Pac-Man can get it and then take them to the ghosts where they will be out of Pac-Man's reach forever.

The weirdest part is that there are no power pellets here. If Pac-Man manages to collect an item, either before Pac-Man's pal Miru can collect it or by stealing it back from her, he will become larger and turn blue. This will enable him to turn the table on the ghosts trying to catch him. Unlike other games in the series, Pac-Man can not just walk into the ghosts. There is now an action button that will cause Pac-Man to emit a ray which will stun the ghosts temporarily.

Like Super Pac-Man before it, Pac & Pal contains stages with three levels each that then goes into a bonus stage. In the bonus stage, Pac-Man collects cards. The cards contain dollar symbols, Pac-Man's pal, or a ghost. If Pac-Man collects his pal, the final score is doubled. If a ghost is turned over before the end, the stage ends immediately. The cards are not randomized as they all have a pattern, so they can be memorized in order to provide the largest score possible.

This game does have one thing that this game, arguably, going for it compared to its predecessors. The game does not just have sound effects during gameplay, but actually has a stage tune that plays during gameplay. It is just one tune, so it can be repetitive, but it is a fun upbeat melody.

Pac & Pal is a weird game. Moreso than even Super Pac-Man, it takes all of the elements that made Pac-Man popular and threw them out the window. It takes the doors of the aforementioned title and makes them even stranger by locking them behind cards rather than keys. It adds a weird chase mechanic that ends up being kind of pointless other than point-wise as the game continues whether Pac-Man catches up to the items or not. If the pal ends up returning the item to the ghosts, it will still count as the item being removed from the board. It also strangely adds an action button for a ray power that Pac-Man had not had prior to this title. It is a strange game to rate, as it is not the best maze game out there, but it is definitely not like any other Pac-Man title. In any case, it is not a must play for fans of maze games or Pac-Man fans.

Final Verdict:

3 out of 5

Pac-Man Plus Review

Jr. Pac-Man Review Coming Soon

Arcade Maze Game Review: Super Pac-Man

The Midway Manufacturing Company licensed a conversion kit named Crazy Otto from General Computer Corporation to create Ms. Pac-Man, the first sequel to Pac-Man, the popular maze game it licensed for distribution from Namco. Six months later, Namco released its own sequel, Super Pac-Man. The latter was heavily overshadowed by the former, and for good reason, yet Super Pac-Man still remains a fascinating game in its own right.

While Ms. Pac-Man enhances the features that made Pac-Man such a fun game, Super Pac-Man deviates from the original by introducing features that weren't as well received by the general public, yet adds a new layer of strategy to the usual gameplay. It takes two non-essential elements from the original game and re-purposes them to make them part of the core gameplay. The first is keys, which were originally used as the most valuable of the items which granted bonuses in the original Pac-Man arcade game. Here, they unlock doors which are needed to collect all of the fruits in order to finish each level. The second is the giant Pac-Man form, which was originally seen as a joke sequence in a cutscene in the original game. This form allows Pac-Man to go through doors to eat the fruits within without needing the keys to unlock the door first.

The rest of the formula of the game is similar, yet noticeably different. Pac-Man needs to eat all of the fruits, rather than pellets, to progress. The fruits add points while the only pellets are now the larger pellets which give Pac-Man his larger super form and also allow him to eat the ghosts that chase him around the stage. When not powered up by the large power pellets, Pac-Man will lose a life upon being touched by a ghost.

There is another major difference. There are still three levels between stages, but the game doesn't have cutscenes between stages. Instead, there are now bonus stages in which Pac-Man has to clear a maze within the time limit while entirely in his large super form.

The sound effects from the original game return, along side new sound effects for the collecting of keys. The opening music also returns, albeit in a slightly faster and higher pitched form. The most memorable music of the original two games in the series came from the cutscenes, however, and without these the music is a bit lacking compared to the other games. The early 1980s Pac-Man games, however, were never were music-heavy due to the restrictions of their time, so this isn't too much of a loss.

Super Pac-Man is a game that takes most things about previous Pac-Man titles and tosses them out the window for something new. The basic eating and chasing mechanic is still there, making it feel familiar, but the addition of keys and the reduction of edible items due to the larger fruit graphics and fewer item placements makes it feel strangely unfamiliar at the same time. This makes it a bit of a less accessible title than its immediate predecessors, but it is still an excellent example of an arcade maze game that is well worth playing at least once.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Ms. Pac-Man Review

Pac-Man Plus Review

McDonalds x Mobile Suit Gundam Promotion: Tartar Yurinchi-style Chicken Tatsuta and Japanese Citrus Yogurt Flavor McFizz

 

I have been in Japan for a month, so I have been posting photos from my daily life on Facebook. People have enjoyed my descriptions of food, especially of Japanese-style food at American fast food chains, so I've decided to take the meaning of my Adventuress blog to another level with travel blogging.

Tonight, I stopped in McDonalds directly outside Shin-Koiwa Station. They are holding a promotion for the 35th anniversary of the 1991 introduction of the McDonalds Tatsuta Chicken.

 

Tatsuta-age is a method of deep-frying where meat is marinated in soy sauce and ginger before being coated in potato starch. Traditional tatsuta-age also marinates the meat in sake, but McDonalds does not list the Japanese rice wine in its ingredients list.

The Chicken Tatsuga anniversary is being celebrated using characters and moments from the 1979 mechanized robot anime, Mobile Suit Gundam, as can be seen in the advertisement below:

The 2026 promotion adds a Tartar Yurinchi-style Chicken Tatsuta in a hefty Gunham box. 

Yurinchi is a fusion of the Chinese You Lin Ji (Oil Drenched Chicken) with the Japanese flavor profile of scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic.

The Yurinchi flavor comes in the form of a creamy tartar sauce with lots of savory umami flavor.

The chicken rests on top of a bed of shredded cabbage. The savory profile and crunch of the chicken really does mix well with the mild, earthy flavor of the cabbage. 

Along with the soft bun, it is a real treat for all of your mouth's senses. This is one of those limited time items where it really is a shame it is not on the permanent menu.

Next up is the limited time drink, a McFizz with a flavor profile consisting of Japanese citrus and yogurt.

The cup contains an image from the iconic final shot, or last shooting, of the original Gundam anime. The carbonated drink itself is a blend of sweet and tangy, with a slight sour kick, owing to its blend of amanatsu, hyuganatsu, and yuzu citrus fruits. It also contains a very slight yogurt flavor, which I only noticed in its pleasant aftertaste. It was very refreshing and paired well with the savory chicken.

The last item on my list of dinner items was a bacon potato pie. This was included in one of the Chicken Tatsuga combo meals, so I thought I would give this unique McDonalds item a try.

The pie itself was fried to perfection. It was golden brown, crispy, and flaky.

The inside was pure mashed potato goodness, with plenty of bacon. It is back bacon, also known as Canadian bacon, rather than the browned pork strips called bacon in the United States.

This whole meal was delicious. I continue to be impressed with how delicious and unique fast food from American chains are in Japan.

Mult-Genre Video Game Compilation Review: Atari Vault

Atari released many compilations of its Atari 2600 games, even going as far back as the Atari Corporation days in the 1980s. The Atari Vault compilation, known on Atari VCS as the Atari VCS Vault, added arcade games to the mix.

Atari Vault contained ninety-one unique games and nine Atari 2600 ports of Atari arcade games. It contains arcade games from the original Atari, Inc. such as Asteroids, Asteroids Deluxe, Black Widow, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Liberator, Lunar Lander, Major Havoc, Millipede, Missile  Command, Pong, Red Baron, Space Duel, Super Breakout, Tempest, and Warlords. 

Any arcade games released under the Atari banner post-1983 are not included in this compilation, as the arcade division became Atari Games, under Warner Communications. The home division, which included all Atari arcade games created pre-split, became Atari Corporation after the acquisition by Tramel Technology. The latter is now owned by Atari, S.A., formerly known as Infogrames. The former is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, or whatever the company will be called after its upcoming acquisition by Paramount Skydance.

Because Atari, S.A. includes every release created for the home market by both Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation, Atari 2600 games make up the bulk of this compilation. It includes the Atari 2600 version of Breakout and Night Driver, which, surprisingly, are the only versions of the games included in this compilation with the arcade versions noticeably absent. On the topic of Atari 2600 versions of arcade games, Atari Vault also includes Atari 2600 ports of Asteroids, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Gravitar, Millipede, Missile Command, Super Breakout, and Warlords.

The many Atari 2600 games in the compilation includes 3-D Tic-Tac-Toe, Adventure, Air-Sea Battle, Backgammon, Basic Math, Basketball, Blackjack, Bowling, Brain Games, Canyon Bomber, Casino, Championship Soccer, Checkers, Chess, Circus Atari, Code Breaker, Combat, Combat 2, Concentration, Demons to Diamonds, Desert Falcon, Dodge 'Em, Double Dunk, Fatal Run, Flag Capture, Football, Golf, Hangman, Homerun, Human Cannonball, Maze Craze, Miniature Golf, Outlaw, Quadrun, Radar Lock, Realsports Baseball, Realsports Basketball, Realsports Boxing, Realsports Football, Realsports Soccer, Realsports Tennis, Realsports Volleyball, Sentinel, Sky Diver, Slot Machine, Slot Racers, Space War, Sprint 2, Sprint Master, Star Raiders, Star Ship, Steeplechase, Stellar Track, Street Racer, Stunt Cycle, Submarine Commander, Super Baseball, Super Football, Surround, Sword Quest Earthworld, Sword Quest Fireworld, Sword Quest Waterworld, Video Cube, Video Olympics, Video Pinball, and Yars' Revenge.

Most of the games included in the compilation were developed by Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation, but there are a few included which Atari, S.A. includes the intellectual property rights but were not developed Atari companies. This includes the Axlon games Off the Wall and Secret Quest. It also includes a game that was first released in Legacy Engineering's Atari Flashback 2 in 2005, Save Mary. Speaking of the Atari Flashback 2, the compilation also includes another game first released on that console, Return to Haunted House. This game is a modification of Haunted House which serves as a sequel to that game, and was created by the late Curt Vendel of Legacy Engineering.

Atari Vault includes many games for the arcade and Atari 2600 created by Atari, Inc. and Atari Corporation. It includes a lot of classic games, as well as some oddballs such as an Atari 2600 adaptation of the classic children's game Hangman. It does include a few games developed by other developers, including two games that weren't previously released outside of the Atari Flashback consoles. The 50 game Atari Vault DLC would include more oddball games, games by other developers, and games for consoles other than the Atari 2600, but the main Atari Vault includes a lot of games that should make Atari fans happy.

Final Verdict:

3½ out of 5

Arcade Fighting Game Update Review: Virtua Fighter 2.1

Updates of video games have been common in video games since the beginning. From the multitude of Pong variations to the dozens of Street Fighter II versions, arcade updates are a fact of life. Sometimes the updates just fix bugs or tweak gameplay, while other times the changes are of the visual sort. Virtua Fighter 2.1 is the latter.

Compared to Virtua Fighter 2, Virtua Fighter 2.1 has a higher brightness level by default. The characters also have different colored clothing. Some characters have slightly remodeled clothing items, such as Pai Chan's hat, Sarah Bryant's blouse and bra combo, Jeffry McWild's white athletic shirt, and Jacky Bryant's jacket.

Gameplay wise, 2.1 has better balances for character moves, improved controls and character movement, and improved contact on ground-based moves such as Shun-Di's falling attacks. The biggest change, however, is the fact that the game's metal villainess Dural can now be selected as a playable fighter.

The gameplay changes are actually a very welcome addition, as it makes the game feel a lot tighter than it did in the regular version of Virtua Fighter 2. These changes made it into later versions of the game. They could optionally be used in the ports to home consoles. Later releases of games in the Like a Dragon series even added both Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 2.1 cabinets to in-game arcades.

Virtua Fighter 2.1 is a fine update to Virtua Fighter 2. The graphical changes are purely cosmetic, but the real meat comes in the improved gameplay. The improved controls and movement make it feel smoother than ever. The improved contact detection for ground-based moves makes it nearly a necessary update. The best part is the addition of Dural as a playable character. It's one update that is certainly well worth playing.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Stealth Action Game Compilation Review: Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is the latest in a long line of compilations featuring Metal Gear games. It made its own name, however, by having several things going for it that no other compilation before it had.

The first volume of the Master Collection is headlined by the first three Metal Gear Solid games, but it actually contains seven games and two variants. The games that have appeared in other compilations over the years include the console versions of the mobile remakes of the MSX2 versions of Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.

Beyond these games, the compilation also saw the first re-release of the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version of Metal Gear and the NES-exclusive sequel Snake's Revenge. It also was the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral, which was originally released only in Japan. This game combined the international version of Metal Gear Solid, with the English voices and the choice of Japanese or English subtitles with the VR Missions. Integral was actually the original release of the latter before it was released in North America as Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions and in Europe as Metal Gear Solid: Special Missions.

Beyond the included games, the Master Collection also includes the motion comics Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid  and Metal Gear Solid 2: Bande Dessinée, which digitized IDW Publishing's graphic novel adaptation of Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty.

Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 is a large treasure trove of Metal Gear games that were released throughout three decades. However, its value will largely come down to whether you don't own another Metal Gear Solid compilation and whether the compilation-exclusive games such as the NES version of Metal Gear and Snake's Revenge as well as the first international release of Metal Gear Solid: Integral matter to you. If either of those cases turn out to be yes for you, then this compilation is well worth picking up.

Final Verdict:

4½ out of 5

Action Stealth Game Review: Metal Gear 2 - Solid Snake

While it was the giant success that Metal Gear Solid would become upon its release over ten years after the start of the series, the original Metal Gear was enough of a success that two sequels from two separate teams were put into production. 

The Ultra Games version of Metal Gear received the Nintendo Entertainment System exclusive Snake's Revenge in Europe and North America. This sequel led series creator Hideo Kojima to put Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake into production for MSX2. Unlike the original MSX2 version of Metal Gear, which received an official English version in Europe, Solid Snake was only released in Japan. This led to somewhat of a mythical release, as Metal Gear 2 was only available via a fan translation until an English version of the mobile remake was included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in 2006.

The gameplay retained the stealth action gameplay of the original game, but it introduced several concepts that would remain part of the series going forward. including crawling, and crouching. There was also more danger which could be spotted with the radar. Enemies now respond to sound produced by Snake such as footsteps. To avoid being spotted, Snake now can hide under tables or inside lockers.

The graphics of Metal Gear 2 for MSX2 were very similar to those of the original MSX2 version of the first game. This meant that they were in a classic overhead style with characters and locations being as well-detailed as 8-bit graphics allowed. The music and sound effects, likewise, also fit in the game well.

Hideo Kojima is a fan of American action films, which shows in his game design as well as in the design of the detailed character portraits in Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Some obvious ones include Mel Gibson as Solid Snake and Sean Connery as Big Boss. Other character portraits include Platoon's Tom Berenger as Grey Fox was based on Tom Berenger in Platoon, Rambo's Richard Crenna as Roy Campbell, and Gunhed's Brenda Bakke as Holly White.

Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake was a huge step forward for the series. The new elements were a necessary evolution which would be included in all of the games moving forward. The radar, enemies hearing sounds of footsteps, and the ability to hide in lockers, would become a huge part of Metal Gear Solid when it released eight years later.

Final Verdict:

4 out of 5

Metal Gear (Ultra Games) Review

Metal Gear Solid Review