Pac-Man Rolls Onto the DS
Yes, that's another game coming for the pizza-faced character. Birthdays are good that way.
The success of Sega's Super Monkey Ball got people thinking about rolling balls through worlds again. Namco must have been paying attention, because it just finished up work on a ball rolling game of its own staring that 25-year-old yellow superstar, Pac-Man.
Pac 'N Roll for the DS sees our hero transformed into a ball by the no-doubt curmudgeonly Golvis. And with Pac-Land mysteriously transformed into Ghost-Land and all of Pac-Man's loved ones finding themselves trapped, it's up to you to roll for victory and freedom.
The game is controlled using the DS's touch-screen and stylus. You'll still do Pac-Man-esque stuff, like collecting pellets and felling ghosts, but the bulk of the gameplay is akin to Sega's seminal simian series with power-ups and enemies thrown in for good measure.
As a bonus, Namco has thrown in the original Pac-Man arcade game, which you'll be able to play over WiFi with a friend.
Look for the game to, cough, roll into stores on 28 October.
Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games