Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness

by Namco

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00004U4QA
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 17, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,645 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: Sega Dreamcast

Amazon.com Review

Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness takes the original formula and updates it for the new millennium. The most striking change is the game's new 3-D orientation. The play is expanded, but it is largely based on the original. Maze Madness involves a weird story of gems being scattered throughout Pac-Land. A witch is after the gems, so you must find them all before she does.

Maze Madness is a bit of a misleading title, because while the game does involve mazes, it's the puzzles that will stop your progress. Most of the puzzles aren't that hard, but a few will stump you for a bit. There are blocks to push, TNT to explode, and springboards that propel you upward.

Players are awarded stars for completing different tasks, such as finding all the fruit in a level, munching all the pellets in a level, or beating the level in time-trial mode. Initially, earning one star per level will get you to the next stage, but you must go back and earn more stars to unlock later levels.

Maze Madness' graphics are smooth and crisp, but they aren't very detailed. The game has the look and feel of a cartoon's minimal lighting effects. Ms. Pac-Man herself is just a round polygonal sphere with some textures, arms, and legs glued on. There are a few particle effects in the title that look very good, but Namco didn't do too much else to tax the Dreamcast's graphics abilities.

Where this game excels is in the level design. A puzzle game like this is made or broken on the ingenuity of the levels. Also, Maze Madness features some multiplayer options, which, combined with its simple, family-friendly gameplay, makes it an excellent choice for a party game. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• Extremely simple yet addicting gameplay

Cons:

• Graphics are a little too simple

Amazon.com Product Description

Ms. Pac Man makes her return to the screen in Ms. Pac Man Maze Madness. Explore 180 mazes throughout four worlds. While the environment has moved from 2-D to 3-D, the game controls have remained true to the original arcade game--only the directional pad is used. Pick up power pellets to chomp on ghosts and new enemies, such as centipedes, Neander-Pacs, and baby dragons. Up to four players can engage in a variety of games, including Ghost Tag, where three players are ghosts and one player is Ms. Pac-Man; and Dot Mania, in which players compete to eat the most dots in a maze.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Addictive ol school gaming, November 21, 2000

By 

NecroComicon (The Inn at Innsmouth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (Video Game)

On the surface this looked like another bland remake of an old game I was thinking frogger or the new centipede. It has the old school version as well as a new 3d adventure where you guess what eat the pellets. This game is strangely engrossing you will find yourself returning to it again and again because of the endless amount of levels. A good deal plenty of gaming for the money.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ooo!! Ooo!! Ask me what my favorite game is!!, January 12, 2001

By 

Beverly Fuller (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (Video Game)

I have this on the Nintendo 64 and I bought it for my nephew for his Playstation. I absolutely love this game! My 3 year old loves it. Everyone who comes to my house loves it. The only drawback is that there are some bonus levels and extra stages on the Playstation and Dreamcast versions that are not available on Nintendo 64. Now, I have to buy the one for the Playstation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun for the Whole Family, April 20, 2002

By 

Deborah A. Woehr (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (Video Game)

I bought this game, wondering if it was similar to the retro-Centipede. It was better in many ways. Like Centipede, you can play either the classic version or the new. Personally, I like the new game better. The music is superior, the graphics are good, and the adventure theme makes the game more challenging than the "antique".
The object of the game is to eat all the dots and collect all the fruit. This isn't an easy feat. There are several gadgets you have to work to get around in the levels. Those are easy to learn, thanks to the tutorial in the first level. Not only do you have to avoid/eat the ghosts, but there are other nasty creatures as well, such as exploding bottle rockets (in the China Town level), feral cats (in the Ice level), and guard dogs (in the Haunted House level). When you complete each level, you have the option of playing a bonus game or moving on to the next level. What's more, you can either play the Quest level or the Timed level. The latter involves getting Ms. Pac-Man through the maze in a minute or two. For experienced gamers, this isn't a problem. For novice users, it will prove more frustrating.
The haunted house level was my favorite. There were so many monsters and pitfalls that it kept me entertained for hours. I found that if I kept going in full circle, I was able to collect everything. What frustrated me in the other levels was that I couldn't get to all the dots and fruits, which is needed to earn a star, which determines whether or not you can go to the next level. I learned that there were secret doors, but sometimes I couldn't access them. Then there was the issue of the controls. The slightest push could send Ms. Pac-Man to her doom. There were many times where I lost a life because I had moved the controller one way, but went the other. That didn't matter because you can go back to the previous level and collect more health/life icons. By the time I finished the game, I had collected more than 150 lives.
Despite the frustrations, this is a very good game the whole family will enjoy. Highly recommended.

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