The New Crack

Earlier this week, the Pac-Man World Championships were held in "The Big Apple". The event featured 10 combatants, battling for world supremacy with X-Box 360 controllers in hand. The group arrived, expecting to play the 26 year old classic and rock it hard. Instead, they were treated to a brand new version of the legendary classic, created by Toru Iwatani himself. The game premired on X-Box Live this past Wednesday and I've played the hell out of it.

Pac-Man Championship Edition is friggin' awsome. It's addictive, fast and full of intense power pellet combos. It's beautiful, plays like a dream and sounds phenominal. Just as you thought you were going to play your final game, you end playing a dozen more to try to bust your high-score and rank higher on the X-Box Live leaderboards.

This my friends is what great gaming is all about. No frustrating camera angles. No complex or non-responsive controls. At it's heart, the new Pac-Man is just pure gratification. This is why we play video games.

What a way for Iwatani-san to retire, with a bang!