Namco is no stranger to retro gaming collections. The company started firing out its Namco Museum series in the PlayStation 1 era, while its mobile division has been busily mining the archives for several years. And now the publisher has announced Namco Generations, a new series of downloadable retro titles available for Xbox Live and PSN.
Apparently, Namco Generations releases will add HD graphics and 'enhanced gameplay features' to the original titles. The first in the series, which launched yesterday on XBLA and is hitting PSN on November 24, will be the previously announced Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, the sequel to the excellent Xbox Live Arcade and mobile title from 2007. Pac-Man C.E added new maze designs and fruits to the classic recipe and the DX version will bring in a new rainbow-coloured ghost-type that can be triggered to follow Pac-Man around the maze (Games Radar has a good preview here). The series will also come with its own community news service boasting, 'behind-the-scene information, insider tips, and other special announcements'.
What do you think? Have we seen enough of these old Namco favourites? And when they are brought to new platforms, should they be left well alone? Wii owners have been treated to many ageing greats via the Virtual Console and plenty have acquitted themselves well without high score tables and visual refreshes.
I'd argue, however, that a good update is always welcome. Pac-Man C.E was a really interesting take on the classic gameplay, and elsewhere, I loved Taito's Space Invaders Extreme titles on the DS, which brought new visuals and enemies to the old shoot-'em-up.
But back to Namco, the next titles to appear in the series will be Galaga Legions DX and Aero-Cross, a 'reimagining' of the 1985 arcade title, Metro-Cross. If you accept the whole Generations premise, what titles would you like to see on the list? Dig-Dug in HD? Rally X with open maps and short cuts? Pole Position with multiplayer?
