Pac-Man World 3
Encyclopedia
is a video game that was released on November 15, 2005 in North America
for PlayStation 2
, Nintendo GameCube
, Xbox
, PlayStation Portable
, Nintendo DS
, and PC
. It is the third game in the Pac-Man World series. It also marks the 25th anniversary
of the Pac-Man
arcade game. This game features more fighting and more melee combat than the first two Pac-Man World games. It also features a speaking Pac-Man for the first time.
Now Pac-man must join forces with the ghosts, Orson, Pinky, and Clyde to stop Erwin before he destroys both the Real World and the Spectral Realm.
Pac-Man retains his moves from the previous two Pac-Man World games, like the butt-bounce and the rev-roll, and he gets the ability to punch. Now, butt-bouncing three times in a row will create a shock-wave that will affect enemies circling in on Pac-Man. However, the shock-wave won't go out very far, so it's not very useful. Also, when Pac-Man rev-rolls, pressing the jump button will not make Pac-Man stop rev-rolling. He will jump as he's rolling instead.
Normal attacks don't work on Spectral monsters, but Pac-Man can eat a power pellet, turning the ghosts blue, just like the original.
There is a museum accessible by the main menu. where you can look at Pac-Man game history, and play Pac-Man itself. The game is an port of the original, and, unlike the previous Pac-Man World games, there is no border around the vertical game screen.
), as well as the ability to punch, has also sparked controversy among fans.
The Nintendo DS release, in particular, was poorly received for glitches.
name over the years.
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
for PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, and PC
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. It is the third game in the Pac-Man World series. It also marks the 25th anniversary
Anniversary
An anniversary is a day that commemorates or celebrates a past event that occurred on the same day of the year as the initial event. For example, the first event is the initial occurrence or, if planned, the inaugural of the event. One year later would be the first anniversary of that event...
of the Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
arcade game. This game features more fighting and more melee combat than the first two Pac-Man World games. It also features a speaking Pac-Man for the first time.
Plot
In a search for power, a short evil genius called Erwin has found a way to suck raw energy out of the world of the Ghosts (the Spectral Realm). He has created a syphon that can penetrate into the Spectral Realm. This is causing the Spectral Realm to collapse into the real world (Pac-Land), bringing about an environmental catastrophe. Meanwhile, Pac-Man is celebrating his 25th birthday with his family when he is teleported by Orson, a former nemesis of Pac-Man from the first Pac-Man World video game. Orson communicates to him and tells him about the Spectral Realm (after Pac-Man complains to Orson about messing up his party and throwing him into a trash pit). Pac-Man is attacked by fiery Spectral monsters of the orange, green, and purple varieties which have been driven mad by Erwin's hypnosis with Inky and Blinky have been kidnapped as part of Erwin's evil scheme, but Pinky and Clyde managed to escape.Now Pac-man must join forces with the ghosts, Orson, Pinky, and Clyde to stop Erwin before he destroys both the Real World and the Spectral Realm.
Gameplay
Cutscenes pop up throughout the game, and instead of having just subtitles, the characters speak as well. The subtitles are configurable in the game's settings.Pac-Man retains his moves from the previous two Pac-Man World games, like the butt-bounce and the rev-roll, and he gets the ability to punch. Now, butt-bouncing three times in a row will create a shock-wave that will affect enemies circling in on Pac-Man. However, the shock-wave won't go out very far, so it's not very useful. Also, when Pac-Man rev-rolls, pressing the jump button will not make Pac-Man stop rev-rolling. He will jump as he's rolling instead.
Normal attacks don't work on Spectral monsters, but Pac-Man can eat a power pellet, turning the ghosts blue, just like the original.
There is a museum accessible by the main menu. where you can look at Pac-Man game history, and play Pac-Man itself. The game is an port of the original, and, unlike the previous Pac-Man World games, there is no border around the vertical game screen.
Reception
The game generally received average ratings from critics and has been somewhat controversial among fans. Critics praised the inclusion of elements from the previous two games, while criticism focused on the repetition and lower difficulty. The plot-driven elements, most especially a speaking Pac-Man (Voiced by Martin ShermanMartin Sherman
Martin Sherman is an American dramatist and screenwriter, best known for his Pulitzer Prize-nominated play Bent , which explores the persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust...
), as well as the ability to punch, has also sparked controversy among fans.
The Nintendo DS release, in particular, was poorly received for glitches.
Trivia
- Pac-Man makes a reference to Pac-Man WorldPac-Man Worldwas released on the 20th anniversary of the creation of Pac-Man. It is a 3D based free roaming platform game for the PlayStation released on September 30, 1999...
in this game. When he is about to fall into the cake, he says that his birthday is still better than his 20th. - In the ending cutscene the ghosts call Ms. Pac-Man "Mrs. Munchy", but in the Pac-Man cartoon they call her by her real name. The ghosts must have forgot her
name over the years.