| Ms. Pac-Man | |
|---|---|
 North American sales flyer | |
| Developer(s) | General Computer Corporation Midway |
| Publisher(s) | Midway |
| Designer(s) | Steve Golson |
| Composer(s) | Chris Rode |
| Series | Pac-Man |
| Platform(s) | Arcade,Atari 2600,Atari 5200,Atari 7800,Atari 8-bit,VIC-20,Commodore 64,ZX Spectrum,IBM PC,Apple II,TI-99/4A,Genesis,Master System,NES,Super NES,Game Boy,Game Boy Color,Game Gear,Lynx |
| Release | [a] |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | 1-2 players alternating turns |
| Arcade system | Namco Pac-Man |
Ms. Pac-Man[b] is amazearcade video game developed byGeneral Computer Corporation and published byMidway in 1982.[a] It is a sequel toPac-Man (1980) and the first entry in the series to not be made byNamco. Controlling thetitle character,Pac-Man's wife, the player is tasked with eating all of the pellets in an enclosed maze while avoiding four coloredghosts. Eating the larger "power pellets" lets the player eat the ghosts, which turn blue and flee.
General Computer made the game as a modification kit for the originalPac-Man, titledCrazy Otto. However, due to previous legal action withAtari, Inc., GCC was forced to present the project to Midway, the North American distributor ofPac-Man. Midway purchased the project and enlisted GCC to use the game as a basis for the sequel toPac-Man. Multiple names were considered for the game, includingMiss Pac-Man andMrs. Pac-Man, before the final name was chosen for being easier to pronounce. While development had started without Namco's consent, company presidentMasaya Nakamura was brought in and provided feedback on the player character's design. The company ultimately collected the same royalties on each cabinet as they had withPac-Man.
Ms. Pac-Man was acclaimed by critics for its improvements to the original gameplay and for having a female protagonist; some have described it as superior toPac-Man. It has been listed among thegreatest video games of all time and as one of the most successful American arcade games ever made.[2] The game's success inspired a variety of successful merchandise, several ports for numerous home consoles and handheld systems, a television cartoon that included Pac-Man, and numerous video game sequels and remakes which spawned aMs. Pac-Man video game spin-off series. The rights to the game are owned by Namco's successor company,Bandai Namco Entertainment. However, the game and its title character have suffered legal ownership issues between Namco and General Computer Corporation.[3]
The gameplay is very similar to that ofPac-Man. The player earns points by eating pellets and avoiding ghosts (contact with one causesMs. Pac-Man to lose a life). Eating an energizer (or "power pellet") causes the ghosts to turn blue, allowing them to be eaten for extra points. Bonus fruits can be eaten for increasing point values, twice per round. As the rounds progress, the speed increases, and energizers generally lessen the duration of the ghosts' vulnerability, eventually stopping altogether.
Ms. Pac-Man was originally conceived as an enhancement kit forPac-Man calledCrazy Otto, created by programmers employed at theGeneral Computer Corporation (GCC).[5] WhileCrazy Otto was in development, GCC settled a lawsuit withAtari, Inc. over theirMissile Command conversion kitSuper Missile Attack. Part of the settlement terms barred GCC from selling conversion kits without consent from the original game manufacturer.[6]
Rather than scrappingCrazy Otto entirely, the programmers chose to present the finished game to Midway,Namco's American distributor ofPac-Man. Midway was enthusiastic that such a game had come to their attention, as they were hoping to capitalize on the success ofPac-Man with a sequel. They bought the rights toCrazy Otto and worked with GCC and Namco to prepare the game for release. In the final development, the game's name and characters experienced multiple changes.Sprites, text and minor game elements were altered to better reflect thePac-Man series.
The game was initially titledSuper Pac-Man, containingPac-Man as the lead character. Inspired by the cutscenes ofCrazy Otto, featuring Crazy Otto's female counterpart. The lead character was made female and the game was renamedPac-Woman. That name was dropped in favor ofMiss Pac-Man, but the developers then realized that, given the third intermission showing a stork delivering a baby to Pac-Man and the player's character, confusion could arise about their relationship. In light of this, the name was changed toMrs. Pac-Man, and then finally toMs. Pac-Man, which rolled off the tongue more easily. Programmer Steve Golson said: "In the span of just two weeks, it went fromCrazy Otto toSuper Pac-Man toMiss Pac-Man."[7] These later changes (Miss,Mrs., andMs.) all occurred within 72 hours of actual production.[8]
Shortly before release, Stan Jarocki of Midway stated thatMs. Pac-Man was conceived in part as a response to the originalPac-Man being "the first commercial videogame to involve large numbers of women as players," and it was "our way of thanking all those lady arcaders who have played and enjoyedPac-Man."[9] According to one 1982 estimate, a majority ofPac-Man players were women.[10] This is corroborated by marketing chief Michael Leone of the Castle Park Entertainment Center, who noted his company "noticed a recent trend in our game pavilions that indicates a tremendous female acceptance of thePac-Man game", further noting it "was only natural for Midway...to introduce a Ms. Pac-Man."[11]
GCC co-founder Doug Macrae notedMasaya Nakamura, Namco's president at the time, gave him direct feedback on the Ms. Pac-Man character.[12] In an interview, Macrae said: "We sent out ROMs to Midway, and they sent them over to Japan for the President of Namco, Masaya Nakamura, to look at. He said: 'Love the concept, get rid of the hair.'" He added: "There was a little bit of embarrassment [at Namco] of the fact that the sequel was being done somewhere other than in their own laboratories. ...The arrangement that Namco had with Midway was that Namco would still get their royalty onMs. Pac-Man...and Midway could choose to do whatever they wanted in paying us a royalty in addition to Namco."[12]
Toru Iwatani, the creator ofPac-Man, is not known to have publicly commented onMs. Pac-Man, despite questions from reporters.[7]
Reporter Patrick Goldstein of theLos Angeles Times reported that the game made its public debut on February 3, 1982 "in typical showbusiness style at a press conference at the Castle Park Entertainment Center in Sherman Oaks." He noted that "[t]he game is expected to appear in many video arcades during the next few weeks."
Atari, Inc. released versions for theAtari 2600,Atari 5200,Atari 7800 andAtari 8-bit computers. There were also versions for theVIC-20,Commodore 64,ZX Spectrum,IBM PC compatibles,Apple II andTI-99/4A released under theAtarisoft label. UnlikePac-Man, most home versions ofMs. Pac-Man include all three intermission screens from the arcade game. The Atari 2600 rendition ofPac-Man was infamous for its flashing ghosts, while the 2600 port ofMs. Pac-Man had minimal flicker.
A tabletop version ofMs. Pac-Man was released in 1983 byColeco. The unit was shaped like a miniature arcade cabinet, was controlled with a small built-in joystick, and used a multicolorvacuum fluorescent display.[13] It was a runner-up forStand-Alone Game of the Year at the 1983Arcade Awards held in January 1984.[14]
Ms. Pac-Man has been re-released into new arcade cabinets since. In 2001, Namco released an arcade board with bothMs. Pac-Man andGalaga in honor of the 20th anniversary of both games with the subtitle "20 Year Reunion / Class of 1981". It also hasPac-Man as a hidden bonus game. The later 25th Anniversary Edition in 2005 allows all three games to be selected on the main menu.[15] As part ofPac-Man's 30th anniversary,Ms. Pac-Man is one of the games included on the home version ofPac-Man's Arcade Party arcade machine.Pac-Man's Arcade Party was succeeded in 2018 byPac-Man's Pixel Bash, which added 19 games to the existing roster, butMs. Pac-Man was only available if the machine was set to Free Play.[16]
In June 2020, Tastemakers'Arcade1Up decided to announce thatMs. Pac-Man would finally be added to their lineup of 3/4 scale arcade cabinets.[17] The unit will also contain a few other Bandai Namco arcade games, includingGalaxian,Pac-Mania andPac-Man Plus.
Additionally, a standalone, battery-powered version of the game released byJakks Pacific can be plugged directly into a television.Ms. Pac-Man and four other games (Galaga,Mappy,Xevious, andPole Position) are included in a self-contained joystick hand controller.[18]
Ms. Pac-Man has also been retroactivelyported and adapted to various home and portable systems, which are detailed in the table below:
| Release date | System | Developer/Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Tengen | Unlicensed port with many extras. It featured four different sets of mazes: the original arcade mazes, bigger mazes, smaller mazes and "strange" mazes. There was also a Pac-Booster option that let players make Ms. Pac-Man move much faster, which was only available in the original arcade game from a maintenance menu. These versions also allowed two people to play simultaneously, with player 2 as Pac-Man. The game ends at level 32, with an intermission where Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man say good-bye. |
| 1991 | Atari Lynx | Atari Corporation | Introduces new mazes, a fourth intermission and a power-up that gives the player a temporary speed boost.[19] |
| 1991 | Sega Genesis/Master System | Tengen | A port of the NES version by Tengen including all the extras. In 1995 released for Mega Drive in Europe byTime Warner Interactive. |
| 1993 | Game Gear | Namco | Re-issued byMajesco Sales in 2000. |
| November 1993 | Nintendo Entertainment System | Namco | Namco's own licensed NES port.[20] |
| 1994 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Namco | Appears as an unlockable minigame inPac-Man 2: The New Adventures (SNES only). |
| 1996 | Super Nintendo Entertainment System | Williams Entertainment | A port of the Genesis version by Tengen including the extra features. |
| 1996 | CD-i | Namco | As part ofArcade Classics, released in Europe. |
| June 1996 | PlayStation | Namco | As part ofNamco Museum Vol. 3. It has all of the extra features of Tengen's ports, even though neither Tengen nor Williams made this version. |
| 1998 | Windows | Microsoft | As part ofMicrosoft Revenge of Arcade. Rereleased in 2000 as part ofMicrosoft Return of Arcade. |
| 1999 | Game Boy Color | Namco | With the subtitleSpecial Color Edition. Includes two new mazes and a bonus game (Super Pac-Man). |
| 1999/2001 | Nintendo 64/Dreamcast/Game Boy Advance/PlayStation 2/GameCube/Xbox | Namco | As part ofNamco Museum 64 (on Nintendo 64), later brought to other systems asNamco Museum. |
| February 26, 2002 | Game Boy Advance/PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube/Windows | Namco | Appears as an unlockable minigame inPac-Man World 2. |
| c. 2003 | J2ME/BREW | Namco | First release formobile phones. |
| 2004 | Xbox | Microsoft | Included with everyXbox Live Arcade disc. |
| February 2005 | PlayStation Portable | Namco | As part ofNamco Museum Battle Collection. |
| August 2005 | Game Boy Advance/PlayStation 2/Xbox/GameCube/Windows | Namco | As part ofNamco Museum 50th Anniversary. |
| January 9, 2007 | Xbox 360 | Namco Bandai Games | Released on theXbox Live Arcade service, featuring an online leaderboard and twelve achievements.[21] Forwards compatible onXbox One andXbox Series X and Series S. |
| July 11, 2008 | iOS | Namco Bandai Games | Released on theApp Store service.[22] It was delisted in 2022.[23] |
| 2010 | Android | Namco Bandai Games | Released on theGoogle Play Store service. It was delisted in 2022[23] |
| 2014 | PlayStation 3/Windows/Xbox 360 | Bandai Namco Games | Asdownloadable content in thePac-Man Museum compilation. This compilation was delisted in 2020. |
| April 19, 2016 | PlayStation 4/Xbox One/Windows | Bandai Namco Entertainment | As a part of theArcade Game Series and downloadable from theMicrosoft Store,Steam andPlayStation Store services.[24][25] |
Regarding legal issues in later years, the character's final official, playable appearance was in aPac-Man crossover event forSonic Dash in 2018, while her final official appearance whatsoever was as a minor cameo in the background of thePac-Land stage inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, later in the same year.
The GCC group agreed on October 29, 1981, to give the rights toMs. Pac-Man to Midway in exchange for royalty payments for the game's sale. At the time, Midway held the license from Namco for distribution ofPac-Man games, advertising, and merchandise in North America. After the game became wildly successful, Midway and GCC undertook a legal battle concerning merchandise royalties before ultimately reaching a settlement in 1983. This settlement stated that GCC members would be paid royalties by Midway for usage of Ms. Pac-Man in commercial contexts.[26]
Namco (nowBandai Namco) made an additional agreement with the GCC stakeholders in 2008. While Bandai Namco does control the Ms. Pac-Man copyright and intellectual property, some royalty rights and obligations are unresolved.[27]
In August 2019,AtGames, a company that specializes inmicroconsoles featuring older arcade games, acquired the royalties owed to GCC.[27] AtGames had initially approached the GCC group members about licensingMs. Pac-Man for potential products. Bandai Namco, upon learning that AtGames had been seeking these rights for a possible mini-arcade game, filed a lawsuit against AtGames alleging AtGames misrepresented itself as licensed to makeMs. Pac-Man products, and createdMs. Pac-Man mini-cabinets under those claims. It also alleged false advertising, unfair competition, and copyright infringement.[27]
The case was ultimatelydismissed with prejudice on October 27, 2020, following a request by Bandai Namco. Presiding JudgeVince Chhabria stated that "all involved parties [had] resolved the case of their own accord."[28] The details of the settlement were kept confidential, and the current status of theMs. Pac-Man royalties is undisclosed.[29]
Beginning with theArcade Archives release ofPac-Land in 2022, the Ms. Pac-Man character has been removed from games which previously featured her. In her place is a new character known as Pac-Mom, who also replaces her in thePac-Man Museum+ versions ofPac-Land,Pac-In-Time andPac-Attack, and inPac-Man World Re-Pac, a remake ofPac-Man World. The character had also been removed from theArcade Archives release ofTinkle Pit in 2024, which saw Pac-Mom replace Ms. Pac-Man's appearances in the game. Bandai Namco has not given an official reason for the change, but news outlets have assumed that it was done to avoid legal problems with AtGames.[30][31][32][33]
In the United States,Ms. Pac-Man topped the monthlyRePlay uprightarcade cabinet charts for much of 1982, including most months between April[34] and December.[35]Pac-Man andMs. Pac-Man also topped the USRePlaycocktail arcade cabinet charts for 23 months, from February 1982[36] through 1983[37] up until February 1984.[38] It was listed as the highest-grossing arcade game of 1982 byCash Box[39] and the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA),[40] whereasRePlay magazine listedDonkey Kong as the year's highest-grossing title.[41]Cash Box later listedMs. Pac-Man as one of the top two highest-grossing arcade games of 1983, along withPole Position.[42] It was later listed by AMOA as one of the top five highest-grossing arcade video games of 1984.[43]
Ms. Pac-Man sold 125,000 arcade units by 1988, grossed$1.2 billion by 1987,[44] and has grossed$1.5 billion ($3.6 billion adjusted for inflation) as of 1995[update].[45]InfoWorld stated that Atarisoft'sMs. Pac-Man for the Commodore 64 was as good as the best-selling Atari 8-bit version.[46] The Genesis version of the game sold more than one million copies in the United States.[47]
The arcade game was awarded a Certificate of Merit as runner-up forCoin-Op Game of the Year at the 1982Arcade Awards held in January 1983.[14]
In January 1984, the Atari 2600 port ofMs. Pac-Man won theVideogame of the Year award at the 1983Arcade Awards, tied withLady Bug.[14]
Computer Games magazine called the Commodore 64 version a "Spectacular" and "Incredible" conversion, while stating that the Atari 5200 and IBM PC versions suffered from limitations, but were nevertheless "enjoyable" ports.[48] They later gave a "Classic" rating for other home computer versions, callingMs. Pac-Man the "greatest" maze game.[49] Reviewing the Super NES version, three ofElectronic Gaming Monthly's four reviewers said the gameplay is timeless and universally appealing, and the enhancements appealing. The fourth, Sushi-X, felt the original game was a cheap cash-in on the popularity ofPac-Man, and had not aged well.[50] Doctor Devon ofGamePro liked the original game, but questioned the value of the Super NES port since it has somewhat frustrating controls, and sinceMs. Pac-Man had already appeared on the Super NES in the form of an unlockable inPac-Man 2: The New Adventures.[51]
InSTart,Clayton Walnum praised the Lynx version's new mazes and the added twist of the lightning power-ups, and found the game transferred well to the small screen.[52] Julian Rignall reviewed the Atari Lynx port forCVG Magazine, writing that "it offers a fun and non-violent challenge which will appeal to anyone" giving a final score of 79 out of 100.[53] Les Ellis reviewed the game forRaze in February 1991, stating that he liked the "neat little between-level scenes" and the "jolly title tune", and giving the game a final score of 79%.[54] Robert A. Jung ofIGN gave the Lynx version a final score of eight out of ten, writing: "A decent adaptation overall, and a good game in its own right."[55]
Reviewing the Game Gear version,GamePro commented "If you loved thePac-Man games, then you lovedMs. Pac-Man, and if you lovedMs. Pac-Man at the arcades, you'll love her here, too."[56]
In 1996,Electronic Gaming Monthly reported that the Genesis version ofMs. Pac-Man, which was released in 1991, was still among the top 20 best-selling Genesis games.[57] The same year,Next Generation ranked the arcade version as number 12 on their "Top 100 Games of All Time", saying that it has aged far better than the originalPac-Man due to its smarter monster AI, varied mazes, moving fruits and intermissions. They added: "It has the broadest appeal of any gameNext Generation has seen, with the possible exception ofTetris. Women love it. Men Love it. Children love it."[58] In 1997,Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the Genesis and Super NES versions as number 89 on their "100 Best Games of All Time", stating that the "Two-player simultaneous play and new mazes completely revive this classic."[59] In 1999,Next Generation listedMs. Pac-Man as number 41 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting: "It sounds easier than it is, and it makes the game one we consistently go back to, week after week."[60]
In 2009,Game Informer putMs. Pac-Man tenth on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it "trumped [the originalPac-Man] in nearly every way".[61] This is down one rank fromGame Informer's previous best games of all-time list.[62]Entertainment Weekly calledMs. Pac-Man one of the top ten games for the Atari 2600 in 2013.[63] In 2016,Ms. Pac-Man placed fifth onTime's "The 50 Best Video Games of All Time" list.[64] In 2022,The Strong National Museum of Play inductedMs. Pac-Man to itsWorld Video Game Hall of Fame.[65]
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