Pac-Man Museum + Must-Play Multiplayer Games

Pac-Man Museum+ was released in May earlier this year and is full of Pac-Man goodness. Some of the titles in this 14-game collection you have no doubt played before, like the original arcade staple Pac-Man or in previous Namco collections. But some of these titles you probably aren't familiar with, like Pac-Man 256 or the Japan-exclusive Pac & Pal. 

When you first start, you control Pac-Man and explore your little arcade; there isn't much here as you will need to collect coins to buy decorations. But you will need more arcade games if you want it to feel like the real thing! To unlock new game cabinets, you must play the titles you currently have unlocked at least twice. You can't just jump in and play the titles you want; it will take some work. Each game has unique requirements, like playing Pac-In Time twice, so once the challenge is complete, the new game becomes available. There are a lot of super fun single-player games here, but there are also some multiplayer titles that support up to four players that are worth trying out with your friends and family.

Pac-Man Battle Royale

Pac-Man Battle Royale is the version of Pac-Man you play against friends when you are at the arcade or theatre. Each character is a different coloured Pac-Man, and you try to collect regular dots and eat the super pellet to make you huge in order to eat ghosts and your Pac-Man buddies. The layout of this game is similar to Pac-Man Championship Edition, where you have to eat the bonus fruit or item to make more pellets appear. It gets crazy when multiple players get the super pellet and bounce into each other, hoping the other person's power will run out before yours. This title is "first to three", meaning whoever gets three victories first is the grand winner. The cool part is each person will have a comment saying one of their achievements, such as "ate the most ghosts". Don't forget the screen wraps around, allowing you to run from the right edge to the left and vice versa, and top and bottom too.

Pac-Man 256

This title may feel similar to you if you have played Crossy Road before. The only difference is that instead of just a chicken crossing the road, you can be in control of a variety of different styles of Pac-Man, a robot, or a chicken. Pac-Man 256 is an endless vertical runner where you try to stay away from the bottom of the screen. On the bottom is crazy glitchy code — accurately named Glitchy — that you would see in a video game kill screen. But this colourful text isn't your only foe; many ghosts are trying to block the path. This game does help you out, though; you can unlock weapons that you can use during your attempt to get as far as you can go. Some items available for your loadout include lasers, fire, freeze, bombs, and tornadoes; select three things that can drop in the level to help you out. If you spend coins, you can level up all these power-ups to strengthen them and increase their duration. If you get trapped and die, your surviving teammates can bring you back to life by collecting the Pac-Man-shaped icons that will appear on the map, and you will respawn right on that spot. Pac-Man 256 is a crazy fun game to play with friends; it's fast-paced and hectic, so you will have to work as a team to take down the enemies and constantly keep reviving each other! Remember that if you eat 256 Pac-Dots in a row, you get a blast that will clear all the enemies on the screen. Play and see how long your team can last, and try to set a new high score. This game is incredibly addicting! With a wide variety of stages to play, like "Moon Landing" with UFOs instead of ghosts or "The Office" with computer chairs pursuing you, there are a lot of new levels to try out. I guarantee you won't be able to play it only once!

These are just a couple of the must-play titles on this collection that would be great to play with friends on your next game night!

Have you had a chance to check out this collection yet? If so, which games are your favourite? Leave a comment below and let me know! I would also love to hear what kind of high scores people have gotten on Pac-Man 256; it's so much fun!