“Namco was one of four companies outside of Apple picked to inaugurate Apple’s premium iPod games service—games you can buy from the iTunes store for $4.99 a pop. It’s nice to have such a beloved classic on the iPod, though the game itself doesn’t succeed quite as well as I had hoped it would,” Peter Cohen writes for Playlist.
“What’s of key difference in this version of Pac-Mac is the control—instead of using a joystick, like in the arcades, you’re using a virtual joystick, if you will, by gently touching the cardinal directions of the click wheel. You don’t need to actually press the buttons—moving your thumb over the Menu, play/pause, rewind, and fast forward keys is enough to get the on-screen joystick to respond. It takes a little getting used to, and it’s more difficult than it should be—Pac-Man really requires lightning reflexes, and the iPod’s click wheel just doesn’t feel that precise,” Cohen writes.
Cohen awards Pac-Man for iPod 2.5 out of 5 stars in his full review here.
We need Missle Command! Or Defender. Or Joust!
why don’t they have a chess game to download?
I want that video game where men pee on my face!!!
I’d lik to something from the myst series on the ipod.
Most gameson the iPod just suck
There I said it. Now do you want to know why?
1: Small screen
2: Controls not game friendly.
3: Drains battery.
You know it seems to be a trend with Apple lately, their stuff just isn’t quite good enough.
For instance the iPod HiFi, games on the iPod, video on the iPod, slow USB2 interface, iTunes 7 looks like Windows, lapbook problems galore
I’m just not impressed with Apple’s latest offerings
Chess! Yessireebob! With Blitz and Customizable opponent options! Should be free tho! Itunes should have a free section to prime the pumps!
3rd!
SHUFFLE PUCK CAFE! ZOMG
Feeding The Birds = flame bait
I’m not impressed with your analysis either. An iPod primary function is not a game machine, it’s an add on and Apple is not going to change their controls just to suit a time filler like Pac Man. It’s a digital audio device primarily. As for video, I don’t know what the whining is about. Yes, the screen is small, it’s a handheld device. You want to carry around a 60″ plasma screen, generator and DVD player then you can have the video experience you desire. For portable video in a handheld factor it is fine. I saw some Rose Bowl highlights and I could easily watch the game and see the ball as it was passed, etc.
In short, it’s primary function is music, and it does it well. Secondary function is now video. It does an acceptable job on video because by its very nature it is limited in size. For its size it does great. Video games, etc. will evolve for the iPod now that the market has appeared.
I bought texas hold’em and that is a great texas hold’em! No joke.
I give it 5 out of 5, easily. Very challenging… Funny thing – first casino you play is in Cupertino, California!
Feeding The Birds, you can keep changing your name from thread to thread spouting off your incoherent crap, but as long as you keep
making
spaces
between
your
“thoughts”
it’s kinda easy to recognize it’s you.
The iPod is not made for games, but they’re simply time wasters if you have nothing better to do. What’s more is games like Pac-Man are optional! You don’t want it? Don’t buy it. I must say though, I would rather play a game on my iPod than on my cell phone.
For the upcoming wide screen iPod:
Duke Nukem Forever, Solarian, Maelstrom, Chiral, Arashi, Bolo, and of course, Marathon.
Feeding the birds has a point – and most of the rebuttal posts actually make the same point. The gaming experience on the iPod, thus far, doesn’t seem optimal because the iPod wasn’t designed for games.
The rest of the post is pure flamebait.
I can think of a few games perfect for the iPod, but its not a gaming machine, my NDS is for that.
Apple is just trying to make the iPod more entertaining! When they open-source gaming for the iPod, well, then alot of cool innovative games will come out.
one game that would be perfect: asteroids.
The ulitmate game for the iPod would be Tempest! Anyone remember that game, with the little wheel you’d spin to move the spider thing at the top of the cylinder? That would make some great gameplay on the iPod click-wheel.
I want an RPG like Final Fantasy and a strategy game like Dual Strike on the DS. That would be awesome and I wouldn’t need my DS Lite for causal mobile gaming.
Make it happen™
glad to see apple is keeping up with those ‘cutting edge’ games.
They should be looking at games that usesd a dial, like tempest and tetris.
But all of these are just a bonus for those with the newer iPods. I don’t think anyone is planning on buying the device for games.
This first round of games on the iPod are just baby steps, folks. Testing the waters like they did when they started with just 5 TV shows not too long ago.
Yawn..these flame wars are getting so old.
If you don’t like the game, don’t buy it. Don’t like Apple’s quality, go somewhere else.
Why do people think that if their specific need is not meet the device is crap? Jeez, go buy something else then and let the rest of us enjoy our purchase.
I wanna see TEMPEST!
OzzysCross101
‘Feed the birds’ is using white space effectively to get his/her point across.
http://www.hutchcc.edu/faculty/johnsonr/1_tutorials/effective_design/page_design/white_space.htm
Or it could be that Feeding the birds is a experienced law
student/paralegal where double spaced lines is the norm and
most annoying to read with run on sentances and chock full of
legal mobo jumbo designed to utterly befuddle the less astute
minds of those reading this site. USC 4545.65 1987.C
Bird turd feeder
How do you explain all those games sold on smaller screens like cell phones. Retro games are popular and Apple has a huge playing field here by opening up the pod to games.
Now Apple please add another scroll wheel and give me Robotron, maybe Berzerk.
bring on Frogger
A matter of fact, all Apple products just plain suck. The good stuff was the Performas of the early ’90’s
MAME is free. And so are the games. PodMAME. Do it.