Namco Arcade Golf is a mobile game developed by Distinctive Developments and released in 2007 by Namco Bandai Networks Europe. It is a mini-golf game themed after Namco arcade games, including Pac-Man.
Namco Arcade Golf was originally released exclusively in Europe; some variants of the game use a 3D game engine, while others use a 2D engine with pixel graphics. A modified variant of the game titled Pac-Man Arcade Golf was released in North America a year later; this version was solely released in 2D form.
Gameplay[]
Namco Arcade Golf is a miniature golf game played in an overhead, third-person perspective. The game features three sets of nine hole courses, taking place in Europe, America, and Japan (in that order). After aiming their shot, a power meter controls the strength of the player's swing. Pac-Man talks to the player throughout the game (such as stating the course's par), and also acts as a tutorial guide. The 3D-based versions of the game allow the player to rotate the game's camera to view the playfield; the 2D versions do not have this feature.
Each course takes place in an arcade, with Fruits and Tokens appearing on the green; in addition to arcade machines with hallowed-out front areas. Fruits can be collected for bonus points; tokens are collected in order to play the arcade machines, which is done by swinging a ball into the machines' front holes. There are four minigames that can be played through the arcade cabinets, including Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug, and Claw Grab. The former three are simplified versions of their Namco arcade games, while Claw Grab is a simple crane/claw machine game.
Playable characters[]
- Alfie - a male player from the U.K., age 29; he is skilled at Pac-Man.
- Carla - a female player from Germany, age 24; she is skilled at Dig Dug.
- Zane - a male player from the U.S.A., age 25; he is skilled at Galaxian.
- Mizuki - a female player from Japan, age 18; she is skilled at Claw Grab.
Pac-Man Arcade Golf[]
Pac-Man Arcade Golf title screen.
Pac-Man Arcade Golf is a U.S.-published version of Namco Arcade Golf (specifically its 2D engine version), released in 2008 by Namco Networks. This variant features near-identical gameplay mechanics and course layouts to the original, but has heavily altered visual design.
Changes from Namco Arcade Golf[]
- All graphics have been completely redone. The Pac-Man version has more varied level themes, including a beach-themed course and a grassy outdoor area.
- Pac-Man is added as a playable character. The four human players from the original are replaced with different human characters: Midori, Simon, Nina, and Chuck.
- Despite also being added as a playable character, Pac-Man still provides commentary in-game; though his dialogue appears to have been rewritten.
- An extended soundtrack appears to have been added to the game (whereas Namco Arcade Golf only has a title screen theme).
- The Claw Grab minigame now features the logo to clubNAMCO on the machine's back, in reference to the Namco Networks-run shopping website of the same name.
Playable characters[]
- Midori - a female player from Tokyo, Japan, age 19; she is 5'3" tall. Her occupation is being the "Karaoke Queen", and she is skilled at Claw Grab.
- Simon - a male player from Surrey, England, age 26; he is 6'3" tall. He works as a fashion designer, and he is skilled at Galaxian.
- Nina - a female player from Miami, Florida, age 23; she is 5'8" tall. Her occupation is being a jet setter, and she is skilled at Dig Dug.
- Chuck - a male player from Nashville, Tennessee, age 39; he is 5'10" tall. He is an ex-pro golfer, and he is skilled at Pac-Man.
- Pac-Man - a male player from Pac-Land; his age is "timeless", and he is five Pac-Dots tall. His occupation is being the "King of the Arcade", and he is skilled at all minigames.
Trivia[]
- The lead artist for Pac-Man Arcade Golf, Sean Worsham, released many pieces of concept artwork for the game on his Flickr account in 2011.[1] The artwork shows concepts that seemingly weren't utilized in the final game; though due to limited known information about the game itself, it is unknown exactly which concepts did not make the final cut.
- Worsham's Flickr page also features concept artwork for other Namco Networks productions, such as the mobile Mr. Do! and BurgerTime ports.[1]
- One of the music tracks in Pac-Man Arcade Golf was later used in an advertisement for the iPhone version of the original Pac-Man.[2][3]
Gallery[]
Namco Arcade Golf[]
Screenshots[]
Pac-Man Arcade Golf[]
Screenshots[]
Concept Artwork[]
Artwork[]
