Ms. Pac-Man

Ms. Pac Man is by far the greatest Pac Man game created. It is a smoother game than original "Pac Man" and is entirely less gimmicky than any sequel version such as "Super Pac Man", "Pac Man Jr." or any of the others. This is a pure game requiring skill and reflexes that is not duplicated in any of todays "high tech" games on Playstation 2, Xbox, Game Cube... take your pick. Oftentimes, experts on these newer game systems laugh at Ms. Pac Man, only to be slaughtered within the first two mazes because they don't know how to handle this game of true skill, although simple, that existed prior to the games we now have. Ms. Pac Man appears in many different versions, from Original Arcade to the sit down "cocktail" version, to the home plug and play, to the recent 20th Anniversary Version combo w/ Galaga, to name the most common. You can usually find it in two versions, "slow" Ms. Pac Man and "fast" Ms. Pac Man. Fast Ms. Pac Man seems to be the rarer find, and I personally prefer it to the slow version. Some say it is easier, (and no doubt, higher scores can be achieved) but I find it to take more skill to wield a faster character through the mazes and around the ghosts than the slower and more cumbersome Ms. Pac Man, who oftentimes finds herself outraced by the ghosts even though the player is not necessarily at fault for bad play. In the arcade version, when you die, you are offered the chance to continue for another 25 cents. True players will NOT put in the "continue" credits, and instead allow their original tokens to represent their score and advancement through the game. All too often Ms. Pac Man players find a high score on a game that has been achieved by a lower class player who has pumped quarters into the game to rack up the high score, reflecting a false representation of their actual skill. So, I urge you, if you respect the game, NOT to continue your credits, and instead allow the game to expire and then attempt high score from "zero" as all true players do. Good Luck... and urge your local restaurant or bar to include Ms. Pac Man in their arcade...

Apparently, when pacman first hit arcade screens world wide , the most avid players of the game were female. As a result of this I think that Ms pacman was created for the girl gamers who helped to make every ones favourite dot chomper into a house hold name.

Ms pacman is essentially the same game as pacman with the only real difference being that Ms Pacman (who is basically pacman with added lipstick , a bow , a beauty spot and mascara splurged eye lashes ) is the main character instead of Pac.

It's a heartless cash in , but do you know what ? It doesn't matter . Pacman is one of the greatest games ever and since this game is a clone of the original , Ms Pacman is a classic by default !

Ms Pacman is an early example of milking a game franchise shamelessly, but its addictive and fun enough to make you not care !

Following the tremendous success of the first Pac-Man from 1980, Midway obtained the rights to the game and developed a clone with a new character: Pac-Mans wife, Ms. Pacman. What's so fitting about this was because the creator, Toru Iwatani, wanted the game to appeal more to women. And as expected, half of the original Pac-Man players in arcades were girls. Sure, you could say this was to capitalize on the first Pac-Man, but it was still a great game.

The graphics and sounds are a step-up from the original with clearer audio, brighter and stronger colors, and more fluid sprite animation. There's even a new sound for Ms. Pac-Man as she eats dots. Plus, like Donkey Kong released the previous year, there's a bit of story thrown in showing Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man meeting up, falling in love, and having a kid, Pac-Man Jr. Since onscreen story telling was relatively new for video games at the time, this is remarkable.

While the game's basic formula was the same as Pac-Man, there were notable differences that amped up the difficulty. For starters, there were four different mazes instead of just one and most of them have warp tunnels leading off the stages that allow you to teleport from one side of the level to the other. As the game progresses, the power pellets weaken until the ghosts eventually become immune to them so it's important to eat as many as you can sooner rather than later. The ghosts themselves are smarter and more persistent in their pursuit of Ms. Pac-Man. This made the game more challenging and, for some arcade goers, superior to the prequel.

No doubt, this game is fondly remembered fondly by gamers who grew up in the 80s.

This is another one of my favorite video games of all time and this game for the record is one that came out on my birth year which makes it all the cooler. Much like with the "Empire Strikes Back" this game was not just one of the first sequels in video games ever but also one of the first truly great sequels in video game ever.

This game is a childhood gem, as it was one of the first video games I've every played when I was six years old, I'll admit at first, I wasn't very good but as I played on I got better and just fell in love with it. But also I love mazes their my favorite kind of puzzles, it was the first kind of puzzle I did when I was little and to this day I still do them, there is always something fascinating about its architecture but also gives you a sense of satisfaction or completeness being able to go though and find your way from point A to B; just looking at how far you gone and what you've done to get to the finish is even more fascinating that getting there at all. This game is truly a timeless classic as to this day there is almost not one place that I don't see this game in, even in the most sophisticated video arcades like "Dave and Busters" , conventions, you name it like any great classic well known film or literary novel it's there to stay.

Not much to say, it's the same game mechanics as the original Pac-Man are the same but with a few details that really elevate this up from its predecessor. As much as I liked the first Pac-Man game it was a tad redundant because of the fact you ran the same maze over an over again what really changed was the speed and chase formation patterns of the Ghosts. This game still has that however there are significant improvements.

For one thing there are different mazes which make it great and more challenging. I really love that aspect because it really keeps the game fresh and interesting. These mazes are just as much the star as the characters themselves. I really love the design as they are unique in both color and arrangement. When you have a go around on a certain maze twice your pretty much use to it, but once you get onto a whole different maze it causes you to adapt quickly, new maze means new rules.

I really like that your character is a little faster making the control and gameplay a little more fluid. I also like that the fruit you always try to chomp down on is moving which makes you chances of getting it a little better, but you still must get it before it reaches the other side. I even like the cut scenes which tell a story, it's a basic simple romance story on how both Ms. Pac Man and Pac Man had a relationship. It's nothing much but all the same it was an actually story, which is part of what makes the game revolutionary and a first and rare as it's been unheard of video games having cut scenes telling an ongoing story as you play; it was defiantly before games like "Ninja Gaiden" series for the NES, "Mass Effect" franchise, and many more thought the years.

Ms. Pac Man is a timeless classic that is still up to speed.

Rating: 4 stars

Ms. Pac-Man might look like just a slightly updated version of the original Pac-Man, but make no mistake - she's a trailblazer in her own right. Released in 1982, Ms. Pac-Man took a wildly popular concept and made it even better: smarter ghosts, multiple maze designs, faster gameplay, and a touch of personality. And in doing so, it arguably became the definitive Pac-Man experience.

What really sets Ms. Pac-Man apart is its pace and unpredictability. The ghosts no longer follow set patterns, making the game more challenging and engaging. The addition of multiple maze layouts keeps things fresh, and the moving fruit adds a clever gameplay twist. It's still a simple concept - eat the dots, avoid the ghosts - but there's something timeless and addictive about how it's executed here.

There's also something charming about how the game introduces a female character with just a bow, lipstick, and a wink - it's campy by today's standards, but back then, it was actually a rare moment of gender representation in games. And it worked. Ms. Pac-Man didn't just live in Pac-Man's shadow - she became a cultural icon herself.

Whether you're playing it in an arcade, on an old console, or via emulation, Ms. Pac-Man still holds up. It's tight, stylish, and endlessly replayable - a true classic that helped define what video games could be.

TL;DR: Ms. Pac-Man isn't just a sequel - it's a smarter, faster, and more fun evolution of the arcade classic. A must-play for retro gamers and a crown jewel of the golden age of arcades.