Pac-Man (universe): Difference between revisions
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It introduced what is argued to be the first original gaming mascot, and in doing so demonstrated the potential of characters in video games. It was the first video game to feature power-ups, and is often credited as the first game to feature cutscenes, albeit not to the degree that Nintendo's own revolutionary arcade game, {{uv|Donkey Kong}}, had the following year. Finally, it opened gaming to female audiences, and it was gaming's first licensing success. Pac-Man was determined to have the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers. | It introduced what is argued to be the first original gaming mascot, and in doing so demonstrated the potential of characters in video games. It was the first video game to feature power-ups, and is often credited as the first game to feature cutscenes, albeit not to the degree that Nintendo's own revolutionary arcade game, {{uv|Donkey Kong}}, had the following year. Finally, it opened gaming to female audiences, and it was gaming's first licensing success. Pac-Man was determined to have the highest brand awareness of any video game character among American consumers. | ||
''Pac-Man'' became one of few games to have been consistently published for over three decades, with many remakes and sequels released on numerous platforms. This is not to mention the influx of unauthorized ''Pac-Man'' clones that took place soon after the original release, nor of the ill-fated port of the game for the Atari 2600 (which ironically was a contributing factor to the infamous {{s|wikipedia|1983 video game crash}} in North America due to the debilitating technical limitations of the console). An American-produced derivative titled ''Ms. Pac-Man'' garnered a great deal of success of its own due to improvements over the original title; despite its development happening without Namco's consent, the company approved of the character, received the rights to the property, and subsequently included the feminine take on ''Pac-Man'' in various ''Pac-Man'' compilations and ports. | ''Pac-Man'' became one of few games to have been consistently published for over three decades, with many remakes and sequels released on numerous platforms. This is not to mention the influx of unauthorized ''Pac-Man'' clones that took place soon after the original release, nor of the ill-fated port of the game for the Atari 2600 (which ironically was a contributing factor to the infamous {{s|wikipedia|1983 video game crash}} in North America due to the debilitating technical limitations of the console). An American-produced derivative titled ''Ms. Pac-Man'', developed by Namco licensee Midway (today Warner Bros. subsidiary NetherRealm Studios), garnered a great deal of success of its own due to improvements over the original title; despite its development happening without Namco's consent, the company approved of the character, received the rights to the property, and subsequently included the feminine take on ''Pac-Man'' in various ''Pac-Man'' compilations and ports. | ||
As the series progressed with continued releases that explored different genres, the iconic yellow wedge shape that ordinarily defined the title character onscreen was phased out for a design closer to his appearance on the promotional artwork printed on the arcade machines themselves — an abstract, spherical humanoid with rudimentary limbs and a massive face with a stick-like nose that varied in length between appearances. This design was first seen in-game in the 1984 title ''Pac-Land'', in part to tie in with a [[wikipedia:Pac-Man (TV series)|Hanna-Barbera animated series]] about Pac-Man that ran for two seasons in 1982 and 1983. ''Pac-Land'' is considered an innovative title in itself as one of the first side-scrolling platform games, and one of the first games to include {{s|wikipedia|parallax scrolling}}. It is considered a major foundation for later mascot platformers, codified by 1985's ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' | As the series progressed with continued releases that explored different genres, the iconic yellow wedge shape that ordinarily defined the title character onscreen was phased out for a design closer to his appearance on the promotional artwork printed on the arcade machines themselves — an abstract, spherical humanoid with rudimentary limbs and a massive face with a stick-like nose that varied in length between appearances. This design was first seen in-game in the 1984 title ''Pac-Land'', in part to tie in with a [[wikipedia:Pac-Man (TV series)|Hanna-Barbera animated series]] about Pac-Man that ran for two seasons in 1982 and 1983. ''Pac-Land'' is considered an innovative title in itself as one of the first side-scrolling platform games, and one of the first games to include {{s|wikipedia|parallax scrolling}}. It is considered a major foundation for later mascot platformers, codified by 1985's ''[[Super Mario Bros.]]'' | ||