Namco Museum
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Namco Museum refers to the series of video game compilations released by Namco for various 32-bit and above consoles, containing releases of their games from the 1980s. Namco has continued releasing the games spanning over a decade (1995 to 2009).
The series began on the PlayStation with the tentatively named Namco Museum Volume 1, indicating Namco's intent to make further installments of the series. The series ran until Volume 5 on the PlayStation, covering various games from the late 1980s, before moving onto the Nintendo 64, and all of the sixth generation and seventh generation systems.
Namco Museum Volume 1
| Namco Museum Volume 1 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | November 22, 1995 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
This was the first in the long series for the PlayStation and contains Pac-Man (1980), Rally-X (1980), New Rally-X (1981), Galaga (1981), Bosconian (1981), Pole Position (1982), and Toy Pop (1986), which was relatively unknown.
All of the games were ported from the original arcade version's source code — Galaga and Pac-Man allowed for an alternative screenmode to compensate for the lack of vertical monitor, whereby the scoreboard was located on the left of the screen, or rotated the image 90 degrees if the user possessed a vertical monitor or was willing to risk placing the television/monitor on its side. The games in Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary Arcade Collection were emulated using the original game ROMs.
The control systems of six of the games were well preserved. Since the PlayStation's analog controller was not available at the time, and analog control for Pole Position is only supported in this compilation by Namco's neGcon joypad.
The package also featured a "museum" mode where the player could walk through a virtual museum containing various curiosities surrounding the games including images of the mainboards, marketing material and conceptual artwork (all from the Japanese releases; neither this nor the others contain any American materials). For this reason, the games themselves are based on the Japanese releases, although for the U.S. the games retain their U.S. changes (i.e., Pac-Man is still "Pac-Man", as opposed to "Puckman"; the ghosts still have their U.S. names, etc).
Namco Museum Volume 2
| Namco Museum Volume 2 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | February 9, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
The second installment of the PlayStation series features Mappy (1983), Xevious (1982), Galaga sequel Gaplus (1984), Grobda (1984) (a Xevious "spinoff"), Dragon Buster (1984) and Super Pac-Man (1982) (in western versions), and Cutie Q (1979). Although Cutie Q is only playable in the Japanese version, its code can be found on the American release of this compilation. It enjoyed similar success to the original, and contained a similar "museum" mode. The Japanese version also features Bomb Bee (1979) as a hidden game. There is a glitch in this volume where in Dragon Buster the high score is not saved properly. It is shown in the record book, but does not appear in-game. The default hi-score is 10,000.
Namco Museum Volume 3
| Namco Museum Volume 3 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | June 21, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
The third PlayStation volume contains Galaxian (1979), Dig Dug (1982), Pac-Man sequel Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Pole Position II (1983), The Tower of Druaga (1984) and Phozon (1983). The first four were well-known in the U.S., but the latter two were relatively unknown. It contained the now-customary museum mode. Two unique versions of The Tower of Druaga were also hidden in this volume. One called "Another Tower", and the other called "Darkness Tower". Both are harder than the original and require different methods to beat the game.
Namco Museum Volume 4
| Namco Museum Volume 4 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | November 8, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
Volume 4 for the PlayStation features Pac-Land (1984), Assault (1988), Ordyne (1988), the sequel to The Tower of Druaga known as The Return of Ishtar (1986) Genpei Tōma Den (1986), and Assault Plus (1988) as a hidden game. The usual museum mode was included. Genpei Tōma Den was renamed "Genji and the Heike Clans" in this collection.
Namco Museum Volume 5
| Namco Museum Volume 5 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | February 28, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
Volume 5 for the PlayStation features Pac-Mania (1987), Dragon Spirit (1987), Metro-Cross (1985), Baraduke (1985) and Valkyrie No Densetsu (1989), as well as the standard museum mode. Valkyrie No Densetsu was renamed "Legend of the Valkyrie" in this collection.
Namco Museum Encore
This title was released for the PlayStation. It was also the only one not to feature a Pac-Man game. It features seven titles: Dragon Saber (1990), Wonder Momo (1987), Rompers (1989), Motos (1985), Sky Kid (1985), King and Balloon (1980), and Rolling Thunder (1986). Encore was only released in Japan.
Namco Museum, Namco Museum 64 (N64, DC)
| Namco Museum/Namco Museum 64 | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Mass Media |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64, Dreamcast |
| Release | November 29, 1999 |
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast versions of Namco Museum features the same six games. Although the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast didn't get multiple volumes of Namco Museum like the PlayStation did, Namco picked out the most popular games (in the west) from the PlayStation versions and included them in a single compilation. The Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast versions featured Pac-Man (1980), Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Galaga (1981), Galaxian (1979), Dig Dug (1982), and Pole Position (1982), but no museum mode as with the PlayStation versions. Both the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast versions of this collection are available only in North America.
Namco Museum (Game Boy Advance)
The Game Boy Advance version featured the games: Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Galaga (1981), Galaxian (1979), Dig Dug (1982), and Pole Position (1982). All of these games appeared in the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast port. This compilation did not save high scores. A Pac-Man-themed compilation with a similar interface, Pac-Man Collection, was released a month after.
Namco Museum (GC, Xbox, PS2)
The PlayStation 2 in 2001, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube in 2002 were host to yet another version of the series. The version on these consoles include all the games from the Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast version plus Pac-Man Arrangement (1996), Galaga Arrangement (1995), Dig Dug Arrangement (1996), Pac-Attack (1993), Pac-Mania (1987), and Pole Position II (1983). Pac-Attack and Pac-Mania must be unlocked by scoring 25000 in Pac-Man, and 20000 in Ms. Pac-Man respectively. This version of Namco Museum marks the first version in the series to include a non-arcade game (Pac-Attack, originally released on Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo and also previously included in the Japanese-only Namco Anthology Vol. 2, and Pac-Man Collection). The pitch of the audio in Pac-Man Arrangement and Dig Dug Arrangement have been changed slightly from their original aspect. This collection is available only in North America.
Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary
This title refers to Namco's 50 years as a company which originally manufactured toys in 1955. It was the second collection to be released on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube. It was also released on the PC and includes sixteen games: Pac-Man (1980), Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Galaga (1981), Galaxian (1979), Dig Dug (1982), Pole Position (1982), Pole Position II (1983), Rolling Thunder (1986), Rally-X (1980), Bosconian (1981), Dragon Spirit (1987), Sky Kid (1985), Xevious (1982), Mappy (1983), Pac-Mania (1987), and Galaga '88 (1987). Both Pac-Mania and Galaga '88 are locked initially and require 15000 in Pac-Man, 20000 Ms. Pac-Man and then 40000 in Galaga to unlock.
Because this museum was developed by Digital Eclipse rather than Mass Media, it features "true" arcade game emulation, retains most (but not all) correct sounds, and eliminates the Japanese Pac-Man/Ms. Pac-Man side art. Also, the Nintendo GameCube version allows the player to insert a limited number of credits, about 5 or 6, by repeatedly pressing the Z button when the game first starts, but then players can only exit to the main menu during game play. The PS2, Xbox, and PC versions allow the player to exit a game at any time, but skips being able to add credits. For Dragon Spirit, Pac-Mania, and Galaga '88, the continue features from the original arcade versions have only been retained in the PC version.
This collection also features five songs from the 1980s: "Come on Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners, "Working for the Weekend" by Loverboy, "She Drives Me Crazy" by Fine Young Cannibals, "Talking in Your Sleep" by The Romantics and "Joystick" by Dazz Band, which are played in the game selection menu. As in the previous collection, there is no actual museum content.
There is also a scaled down version for the Game Boy Advance which includes five games: Pac-Man (1980), Ms. Pac-Man (1981), Rally-X (1980), Galaga (1981), and Dig Dug (1982). Like the original Namco Museum for the Game Boy Advance, this version did not save high scores.
Namco Museum Battle Collection
This title was released on the PlayStation Portable in 2005. It contains over twenty of Namco's games such as Pac-Man (1980) and Galaga (1981). In addition, "Arrangement" variants are available for Pac-Man, Galaga, New Rally-X (1981), and Dig Dug (1982), which have updated gameplay, graphics and can be played in a versus or cooperative mode using the PSP's ad hoc feature. Game Sharing, a feature that had not yet been used on the PSP, was introduced in this game. This allowed others PSPs in the area to download the first few levels of some of the games.
The Japanese version is divided into two volumes, with the second containing three extra games: Dragon Spirit, Motos Arrangement, and Pac-Man Arrangement Plus.
Namco Museum Remix
This game was released on October 23, 2007 for Wii. This compilation features the original arcade versions of Cutie Q (1979), Dig Dug (1982), Galaxian (1979), Gaplus (1984), Mappy (1983), Pac & Pal (1983), Pac-Mania (1987), Super Pac-Man (1982) and Xevious (1982). It also featured re-vamped versions of certain games: Pac 'n Roll Remix, Galaga Remix, Pac-Motos, Rally-X Remix, and Gator Panic Remix. When played on multiplayer, the Miis are used. This will become obsolete in November 2010 when Namco Museum Megamix comes out because that will have everything this collection has plus more.
Namco Museum DS
| Namco Museum DS | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | M2 |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DS |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
A release of the series for the Nintendo DS was released in late 2007. As well as the original Pac-Man (1980) it also features a port of Pac-Man Vs., the well-received multi-player version that was only previously available on the Nintendo GameCube. There are also seven other games which are on this cartridge: Galaga (1981), Xevious (1982), Super Xevious (1984), Galaxian (1979), Mappy (1983), The Tower of Druaga (1984), and 2 versions of Dig Dug II (1985). This game also allows access to each game's DIP switches, but some Arcade-exclusive options are left out such as the "Rack-Test" on Pac-Man.
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade
| Namco Museum Virtual Arcade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco Bandai America Nvidia |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Platform(s) | Xbox 360 |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
This collection was released for the Xbox 360 on November 4, 2008 in North America, May 15, 2009 in Europe, and June 3, 2009 in Australia. Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is made up of two sets of games. The first set includes nine Xbox Live Arcade games. While they do come with the disc, they aren't actually accessible from the disc itself. Instead, it adds these to your Xbox Live Arcade menu. The second set includes Museum games; these are the ones accessible directly from the disc. They don't come with achievements or online play. Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is the first Namco Museum game to include Sky Kid Deluxe (1986), while all of the rest were already or previously available on consoles.
Xbox Live Arcade Games
- Dig Dug (1982)
- Galaga (1981)
- Galaga Legions (2008)
- Mr. Driller Online (2008)
- Ms. Pac-Man (1981)
- New Rally-X (1981)
- Pac-Man (1980)
- Pac-Man Championship Edition (2007)
- Xevious (1982)
Museum Games
- Baraduke (1985)
- Bosconian (1981)
- Dig Dug II (1985)
- Dragon Buster (1984)
- Dragon Spirit (1987)
- Galaga '88 (1987)
- Galaxian (1979)
- Grobda (1984)
- King & Balloon (1980)
- Mappy (1983)
- Metro-Cross (1985)
- Motos (1985)
- Pac & Pal (1983)
- Pac-Mania (1987)
- Pole Position (1982)
- Pole Position II (1983)
- Rally-X (1980)
- Rolling Thunder (1986)
- Sky Kid (1985)
- Sky Kid Deluxe (1986)
- Super Pac-Man (1982)
- The Tower of Druaga (1984)
Arrangement Games
- Dig Dug Arrangement (2005)
- Galaga Arrangement (2005)
- Pac-Man Arrangement (2005)
The Arrangement games are placed with the Museum games, and are the same as they were on the PSP's Namco Museum Battle Collection, although New Rally-X Arrangement isn't included this time. Additionally, on all games, the original 2-player modes from the original arcade versions (where applicable) do not appear here; all games are one player only. The Xbox Live Arcade games have "multiplayer" modes, but only online. The Xbox Live Arcade games can only be played when the disc is inside the system. The games must be downloaded from Xbox Live Marketplace for their regular prices in order for the games to be retained in the system's game library.
Reception: Praised for selection of XBLA games, but a disappointing presentation lowered most scores.
IGN: 6.5 GameSpot: 7.5 Metacritic Average: 69
Namco Museum Essentials for the PlayStation Network
| Namco Museum Essentials | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 (PlayStation Network) |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Compilation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player, Multiplayer |
Namco Bandai released a new downloadable Namco Museum on the Japanese PlayStation Store with the name Namco Museum.comm on January 29, 2009, the ".comm" is thought to stand for communication. They've also released the download-able Namco Museum in North America under the name Namco Museum Essentials on July 16, 2009.[1] The game was finally released in Europe and Australia on April 1, 2010 with the North American title. It includes Pac-Man (1980), Dig Dug (1982), Galaga (1981), Xevious (1982), Dragon Spirit (1987), and Xevious Resurrection (2009), a new game in the Xevious series.
Playstation Home includes a virtual arcade space with sample versions of the games. The Playstation Store also feature a trial version that only includes the first few levels of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Galaga and Xevious.
Virtual Console Arcade
A lot of Namco arcade games never released before on a home console, like Emeraldia and Cosmo Gang the Puzzle have been released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan. Outside of Japan, Gaplus, Mappy and The Tower of Druaga were released on March 25, 2009. In Japan, games including Burning Force, Cosmo Gang the Video, Dragon Buster, Dragon Saber, Dragon Spirit, Finest Hour, Galaga '88, Knuckle Heads, Marvel Land, Pac-Mania, Phelios, Rolling Thunder, Sky Kid, Wonder Momo, Xevious, and many more have been released. A full list is in this link.
Namco Museum Megamix
A new Namco Museum is coming out this November for Wii. It's supposed to be an updated version of Namco Museum Remix and include everything that has plus more arcade games and one more remixed game.
Classic Games
- Bosconian
- Cutie Q
- Dig Dug
- Dig Dug II
- Galaga
- Galaxian
- Gaplus
- Grobda
- King & Balloon
- Mappy
- Motos
- New Rally-X
- Pac & Pal
- Pac-Man
- Pac-Mania
- Rally-X
- Super Pac-Man
- Xevious
Remixed Games
- Grobda Remix
- Pac-Motos
- Pac-N-Roll Remix
- Galaga Remix
- Rally-X Remix
- Gator Panic Remix
Table of Namco Museum games
This is a table of which Namco games are in which Namco Museum collections, not including Namco Museum Encore, which was only released in Japan.
U = Unlockable with the points shown for whatever game is shown.
S = Secret, found a different way than unlocking by points
E = Exclusive, only on that Namco Museum
J = Japanese version only / Available on Japanese Virtual Console
W = On Virtual Console games only, W stands for Western Wiis including North America, Europe, and Australia.
The only Virtual Console Arcade games on this table are the ones that have also been included in Namco Museum compilations, there are many more Namco arcade games that are on the Virtual Console Arcade that aren't on any Namco Museum compilations.
Other Collections
- Namco plug-n-play games - A series of "Plug It In & Play TV Games" featuring Namco arcade games
- Microsoft Arcade - Two collections of Namco arcade games for PC
- Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1 - An arcade machine with of 3 Namco arcade games that also contain updated versions of each game
- Namco Classic Collection Vol. 2 - Another arcade machine with 3 more Namco arcade games that also contain updated versions of each game
- Namco Anthology - Two Japan only collections of Namco's older console games
- NamCollection - A Japan only PS2 collection of 5 Playstation games by Namco
- Pac-Man Collection - A collection of 4 Pac-Man games for Game Boy Advance
- Xevious 3D/G+ - A collection of 4 Xevious games for Playstation
See Also
References
External links
