is a 2001 video game compilation developed by Mass Media and published by Namco for the Game Boy Advance. It includes four titles in the Pac-Man series — the original Pac-Man (1980), Pac-Mania (1987), Pac-Attack (1993), and Pac-Man Arrangement (1996), the latter of which was originally exclusive to the arcade game Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2. Each game includes customizable features such as the ability to alter the number of starting lives or difficulty, with all being stripped of multiplayer features.

Development of the game was headed by California-based studio Mass Media, who previously worked on several Namco Museum collections for other platforms. It was first announced on April 24, 2001 under the name Pac-Man Fever, before being presented at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) tradeshow. Pac-Man Collection was a commercial success — by 2007 it sold over 2.9 million copies worldwide, making it the ninth best-selling Game Boy Advance game of all time. Critics reacted positively to the title's selection of games and customizable features, although some criticized the exclusion of games such as Ms. Pac-Man and inability to save high-scores. It was re-released as a budget title in Japan in 2006, and later digitally on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2014.

Games

thumb|left|In-game screenshot, showing the player highlighting Pac-Man Arrangement in the main menu

Pac-Man Collection includes four games from Namco's Pac-Man franchise — the original Pac-Man (1980), Pac-Mania (1987), Pac-Attack (1993) and Pac-Man Arrangement (1996), the latter of which was originally exclusive to the compilation arcade game Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2.

Development and release

Pac-Man Collection was released on July 12, 2001 in North America, December 7, 2001 in Europe and Australia, and on January 11, 2002 in Japan. Development of the game was headed by California-based studio Mass Media, who previously worked with Namco on several Namco Museum collections for various platforms. before being presented at the 2001 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) convention in Los Angeles, California. It is Namco's second title released for the Game Boy Advance, following Namco Museum from earlier that year. Alongside the Family Computer conversion of Pac-Land, it was digitally re-released for the Wii U Virtual Console on June 11, 2014 to celebrate Pac-Man's inclusion as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS & Wii U.

Reception

Pac-Man Collection was received positively by reviewers, who commended the title for its selection of titles and customizable features. It holds a 79/100 on aggregator website Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". By 2007 it sold over 2.9 million copies worldwide, making it the ninth best-selling Game Boy Advance game of all time.

IGN, who gave it the "Editor's Choice" award, stated that the game's selection of titles made it an easy sell for Pac-Man fans,

Notes

References

  • Official Japanese website