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{{DISPLAYTITLE:List of ''Pac-Man'' clones}}
{{DISPLAYTITLE:List of ''Pac-Man'' clones}}
In [[Video game|video gaming]], '''Pac-Man clones''' are [[Video game clone|unauthorized versions]] of [[Namco]]'s popular [[List of maze chase games|maze chase]] [[arcade game]] ''[[Pac-Man]]''. The combined sales of counterfeit [[Video game arcade cabinet|arcade machines]] sold nearly as many units as the original ''Pac-Man'', which had sold more than 300,000 machines.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Video Games|url=http://serialkiller.org/articles/videogames_history/videogames_history.pdf|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=14 March 2012|author=Leonard Herman, Jer Horwitz, Steve Kent, Skyler Miller|page=7|year=2002}}</ref>
In [[Video game|video gaming]], '''Pac-Man clones''' are [[Video game clone|unauthorized versions]] of [[Namco]]'s popular [[List of maze chase games|maze chase]] [[arcade game]] ''[[Pac-Man]]''. The combined sales of counterfeit [[Video game arcade cabinet|arcade machines]] sold nearly as many units as the original ''Pac-Man'', which had sold more than 300,000 machines.<ref>{{cite web|title=The History of Video Games|url=http://serialkiller.org/articles/videogames_history/videogames_history.pdf#page=7|publisher=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=14 March 2012|author=Leonard Herman, Jer Horwitz, Steve Kent, Skyler Miller|page=7|year=2002}}</ref>


==Arcade clones==
==Arcade clones==

Revision as of 17:22, 1 June 2012

In video gaming, Pac-Man clones are unauthorized versions of Namco's popular maze chase arcade game Pac-Man. The combined sales of counterfeit arcade machines sold nearly as many units as the original Pac-Man, which had sold more than 300,000 machines.[1]

Arcade clones

Hangly-Man (a mangling of the Japanese pronunciation of hungry man (Japanese: ハングリーマン Hangurī Man)) was one of the most notable Pac-man clones, a variant of which was Caterpillar Pac-Man made in 1981 by Phi. In the latter, one plays as a caterpillar, and the ghosts are replaced by spiders. Another notable clone was New Puck-X, which used an altered design of the original board, but, otherwise, the gameplay and graphics were identical to the original game. There was also a clone titled Piranha were Pac-Man was replaced by a Piranha & the ghosts are replaced by squids. Also in that clone there were no borders in the maze & the power-pellets were replaced with sea shells.

Lock 'n' Chase was developed and published by Data East in Japan in 1981, and was later published in North America by Taito. The game was later licensed to Mattel who produced the Intellivision and Atari 2600 home console versions in 1982 [1] [2] and an Apple II version in January 1983 [3]. Telegames later re-published the game for the Atari 2600 after acquiring rights from Mattel. Data East released a Nintendo Game Boy version of the game in 1990. [4] Here Pac-Man was replaced with a thief stealing coins from a bank vault. The ghosts were replaced with police, and the thief could temporarily block passages with doors.

Ms. Pac-Man was a General Computer Corporation (GCC)[2] conversion for the Pac-Man arcade game, originally called Crazy Otto. While Crazy Otto was under development, GCC settled a lawsuit with Atari over their Missile Command conversion kit Super Missile Attack. Part of the settlement terms barred GCC from selling future conversion kits without consent from the original game manufacturer. Rather than scrapping Crazy Otto entirely, the programmers decided to show it to Midway, Namco's American distributor of the original game. Midway had become impatient in waiting for Namco to release its next Pac-Man game (which would be Super Pac-Man), and were enthusiastic that such a game had come to their attention. They bought the rights to Crazy Otto, changed the sprites to fit the Pac-Man universe, renamed the game Ms. Pac-Man, and released it into arcades.[3]

Mighty Mouth was a game by A-1 Machines that District Court Judge Warren Keith Urbom described as "for all practical purposes, identical to ...Pac-Man"[4] Among the similarities cited were the color and shape of the player character and ghosts, the maze configurations, the sound effects, the paths of the characters in the attract mode and the paths of the characters in both the attract mode and a game where the player does not move.[5] Midway, owners of the Pac-Man copyrights, were granted summary judgment for copyright and trademark infringement in 1983.[6]

Contemporary home computer / console clones

Snapper for the BBC Micro and Acorn Electron were faithful clones of the Namco arcade game Pac-Man.[7] released by Acornsoft in 1982 and 1983.[8][9] In development, the game was titled Puc Man (the first Japanese title of the arcade game was Puck Man) but the name was changed before release to avoid legal action. However, the initial release of the game was so close to Pac-Man (including the design of the game's characters) that this version had to be withdrawn and re-released with the characters changed.[10][11] The player's character became a round yellow face with very short legs wearing a green cowboy hat and the ghosts became skinny humanoid monsters.

Munch Man was a 1982 Texas Instruments Pac-man clone the TI-99 home computer, in which the player lays down a "track" (or "links", in Munch Man parlance), as he progresses through the maze instead of eating pills — a change made by TI to avoid possible lawsuits from Midway.

In the 1990s, a company called Best Before Yesterday released a Pac-Man clone known as Maniac, which combined elements of Pac-Man with those of Hangman, played after each level. The game also played the popular song "Maniac" during gameplay. A turbo pellet is also included, with the phrase "Thunderbirds are Go!" heard whenever the pellet is acquired.

See also

References

  1. ^ Leonard Herman, Jer Horwitz, Steve Kent, Skyler Miller (2002). "The History of Video Games" (PDF). GameSpot. p. 7. Retrieved 14 March 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Ms. Pac-Man Videogame by Midway (1981) - The International Arcade Museum and the KLOV
  3. ^ Doug Macrae from GCC speaks at California Extreme 2010
  4. ^ Midway Mfg. Co. v. Dirkschneider (Dirkschneider I), 543 F.Supp. 466, 477 (D. Neb. 1981)
  5. ^ Dirkschneider I, 543 F.Supp. at 477
  6. ^ Midway Mfg. Co. v. Dirkschneider (Dirkschneider II), 571 F.Supp. 282 (D. Neb. 1983)
  7. ^ Jackson, Jane (December 1983). "The Micro User Games Software Review: Snapper Acornsoft". The Micro User (Issue 1-10). Retrieved 2010-10-03. SNAPPER is an attractive and incredibly frustrating version of Pacman.
  8. ^ Edwards, Dave A. "Snapper". Retrieved 2010-10-03. 1983: SNAPPER, Acornsoft, £9.20 (Tape), £16.50 (ROM Cart)
  9. ^ Reed, Martin. "Electron Games Reviews: Play it Again Sam 7". Electron User (Issue 6.9). Retrieved 2010-10-03. SNAPPER, Acornsoft's implementation of the ever-popular Pac Man, was one of the first games ever released for the Electron.
  10. ^ Robinson, Oliver. "Only the Best BBC Micro Games". Retrieved 2010-10-03. Snapper was one of the first Video Arcade Conversions made for the BBC by AcornSoft.
  11. ^ Reeves, Alex. "Classic Retro Games". Retro Gamer. Retrieved 2010-10-03. This is one of the many quality arcade conversions that Acornsoft created for the BBC Micro, being a very faithful example of Pac Man.
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