| Namco Museum Virtual Arcade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Namco Bandai Games |
| Publisher | Namco Bandai Games[a] |
| Director | Todd Thorson |
| Series | Namco Museum |
| Platform | Xbox Live Arcade |
| Release | |
| Genre | Various |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade[b] is avideo game compilation developed and published byNamco Bandai Games for theXbox 360. It was released in North America in 2008 and in Europe and Japan in 2009. Part of itsNamco Museum series,Virtual Arcade includes 34 titles; nine of these are Namco Bandai-publishedXbox Live Arcade games, and the rest arearcade games that are only accessible through the disc. Players can access the Xbox Live Arcade games through theirdashboard if the disc is in the console.
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is acompilation of video games published byNamco and its successor,Namco Bandai Games. The collection contains 34 games that encompass a variety of genres, includingmaze chasers,shoot 'em ups, andplatformers.[1] It is divided into two sets of games that can be selected in the in-game menu. The first set contains nine Namco Bandai-published games forXbox Live Arcade, which in addition to being selectable through the main menu can also be accessed through the Xbox 360'sdashboard, as long as the disc is in the console. Some of these are ports of arcade games likePac-Man (1980) andXevious (1983), while others such asPac-Man Championship Edition (2007) are brand-new sequels with different gameplay structures and mechanics. These Xbox Live Arcade games also containachievements and online leaderboards. The second set of games is only available on the disc, and includes 22 Namco arcade games from the 1970s and 1980s as well as three "Arrangement" remakes ofPac-Man,Galaga (1981), andDig Dug (1982).[2] Players can modify in-game settings such as controller inputs, difficulty, and the starting number of lives.[1] This would also be the last timeMs. Pac-Man (1982) would be included in a Namco Museum video game compilation, as future reissues were strictly standalone or on dedicatedminicades.
Namco Museum Virtual Arcade was developed and published byNamco Bandai Games for theXbox 360. Its development was handled by the company's North American division, with its marketing director Todd Thorson serving as the project director.Virtual Arcade was designed to be the largest and most comprehensive inNamco Museum line of compilations, in addition to serving as a convenient and affordable way for consumers to play its back catalog.[4][5] The collection is the firstNamco Museum to includeSky Kid Deluxe (1986),[6] which had previously been rereleased in Japan throughNamco Collection Vol. 1 (1999) forWindows.[7] The three Arrangement games were taken from thePlayStation Portable gameNamco Museum Battle Collection (2005), and were upscaled and modified to supporthigh definition video and improved sound.[8]Pac-Man Championship Edition,Galaga Legions, andMr. Driller Online were added to the lineup to represent the company's ability to produce well-designed followups to its older arcade games.[3]
Namco Bandai Games announcedVirtual Arcade at the 2008Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3),[9] and released it in North America on November 4, 2008.[4] The game was later released in Europe on May 15, 2009, in Australia on May 21, 2009,[10] and in Japan on November 5, 2009.[8] In the European version,Metro-Cross is renamedRetro-Cross.[11][6]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 63/100[12] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| GameSpot | 7.5/10[14] |
| GamesRadar+ |   [13] |
| Hardcore Gamer | 3.5/5[15] |
| IGN | 6.5/10[2] |
| Jeuxvideo.com | 13/20[11] |
| Retro Gamer | 80%[6] |
According to thereview aggregator websiteMetacritic,Namco Museum Virtual Arcade received "mixed or average reviews", holding a 63/100 on the site.[12] It sold 5,912 copies in Japan by the end of 2009, making it one of the worst-sellingNamco Museum games in the country.[16]
Critics were generally pleased with the selection of games. Steve Hannley, a reviewer forGamesRadar+, wrote: "For the right buyer, this is a gleaming golden treasure even with bits of tarnish here and there."[13] Out of the included titles,Pac-Man Championship Edition andGalaga Legions were considered the highlights of the package.[13][2][6]Jeuxvideo.com author Pixelpirate recommendedVirtual Arcade for those games alone.[11] The inclusion of Namco Bandai's Xbox Live Arcade library was also met with praise, and critics said this helped make the collection worth the purchase.[14][15][2] Among the Museum games, critics foundDragon Spirit,Pole Position, andMetro-Cross to be some of the standouts.[15][2][6]GameSpot's Don Francis felt the library relied too heavily onPac-Man games, but possessed a good selection of titles regardless.[14] Writing forIGN, Ryan Geddes pointed out that most of the games were included in pastNamco Museum collections, and said those are likely worth seeking out instead ofVirtual Arcade.[2]
The collection drew largely negative responses towards its presentation. The menu layout was criticized for being needlessly complicated and making it difficult to navigate through the different libraries.[15][2] Francis and a reviewer forRetro Gamer showed frustration towards this menu as hindering what is otherwise a well-made compilation.[14][6] Pixelpirate similarly found the menu difficult to use, but praised its minimalist art style and background music.[11] The lack of included extras was criticized by Geddes, who unfavorably compared it to collections likeActivision Anthology that contained additional content like developer interviews and artwork scans.[2] Some also disliked the controls for certain games, though they attributed this to the poor quality of the Xbox 360'sdirectional pad and not the pack itself.[13][15]
