DS Critic Reviews

Younger kids will likely be turned off by the simplistic game designs and even simpler graphics and sound, then again, there is nothing like a good father-son rivalry and dad might just have a chance with one of the eight games waiting inside this classic collection.

Namco Bandai's latest arcade collection contains stellar arcade hits allong with some sentimental favorites: "Pac-Man", "Galaga", "Galaxian", "Xevious", "Mappy", "The Tower of Druaga", and "Dig Dug"--all simple to learn and play and virtually impossible to master. [Nov 2007, p.105]

Buy it for Pac-Man Vs. and/or if you don’t yet have a handheld version of the other games.

Love the hardcore customization options. Not so hot on the small list of games in the collection.

The collection itself is great, but the way it's been fleshed out is really impressive. The full-fledged treatment of each game makes this edition of Namco Museum really feel like a museum.

As a classics collection (a Namco Museum, if you will), it fails pretty hard. It's lacking some much-needed games, and its meager selection of seven classic titles pales to the 21 in the PSP Museum. Pac-Man Vs., however, is excellent.

This collection has a few dull spots, particularly with some lame gameplay options that make it more boring than expected. It's nice having classic games on the DS, but this is not the best Namco Museum out there.

What clearly makes this package stand out is the presentation: easily negotiable menus via touch-screen, a multitude of options to tinker with, perfectly emulated conversions of Namco’s retro classics, support for DS Download and Play, and everything moving along at lightning speed with nary a hint of loading time.

The one saving grace is the presence of Pac-Man Vs., a sincerely cool multiplayer take on the legendary maze-chase game that got a bit of a bum rap when Nintendo tried to transform it into the cornerstone of the company's business model.

There are some real gems to be had here - just not enough.