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Namco Museum Remix
Author: Brian Ehlert

Namco Museum Remix has set out to be more than the traditional compilation of classic games. While the majority of games are ports of their arcade counterparts, there are a few games that have been completely redesigned, which is where the "remix" comes into play.

The first game I chose was Galaga Remix, which sends Pac-Man down a rollercoaster-type course. As Pac-Man progresses, waves of Galaga enemies appear in their traditional formations. Pointing the Wii Remote on the screen will bring up a cross-hair, and then a press of the A or B button will send bullets downrange.

Pac-Man serves little purpose in the level, although there were a few times during the course that an enemy would block his path and need to be destroyed before continuing. Unlike the original Galaga, you don't control the movement of your ship, therefore the game was not too challenging. The game consists entirely of moving a cursor on the screen and holding down the B button. It was a very simplistic game that was mildly entertaining, but there's little to no strategy involved.

After Galaga, I played through a game of Gator Panic Remix, which is, surprisingly, the classic arcade game in a virtual form. For those unfamiliar, Gator Panic is the Whack-A-Mole style game where alligators move out of a cave and you hit them on the head with a hammer to go back in. There are two levels of three gators; players use the Nunchuk to point at the gator they want to strike and then swing the Wii Remote to cause a floating Pac-Man to come down and attack the gator.

The gators come in two forms: green, which require a single strike to retreat; and red which you continue to strike repeatedly until they finally move back into the cave. Gator Panic Remix delivered the authentic arcade feel of the original Gator Panic on a home console. In fact, the only thing missing from the experience was the joy of trying to smash the gators so hard that they break. True to the original, Gator Panic Remix provides a few minutes of fun, but it will rapidly lose its appeal with continued play.

The last game I played was Pac-Motos. Players take control of a Pac-Man on a floating platform, using the Nunchuk's analog stick to roll into the enemies and bump them off the platform. There were objects in the way, and judging from screenshots, further levels will get more complicated by adding boosters and boss battles, among other things.

You begin the game with three lives, and if you happen to fall off, you continue exactly where you left off instead of the level resetting. I imagine this will help minimize frustration for some players in their effort to knock off the enemies and clear the stage. It's unfortunate, however, the game does not use the tilt sensors of the Wii Remote; such a control scheme would have made this simple game more immersing.

The total games that were available in the demo version included the new games of Pac-Motos, Rally-X Remix, Pac 'N Roll Remix and Gator Panix Remix; and Cutie Q, Dig Dug, Galaxian, Gaplus, Mappy, Pac & Pal, Pac-Mania, Super Pac-Man and Xevious for the classic editions. The new remixed games I played were fun, but they alone would not justify the purchase of this title. If you are interested in the classic game collection, the new remixes could provide just enough variety to make this worth your money.

Namco Museum Remix is currently scheduled to be released on October 23rd for $39.99. Check back with The Wiire for the review to find out if these games provide hours of entertainment, or if they are better left for the museum.

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