Flyer for the 2003 Pac-Man coin pusher, a Pac-Man redemption game.
Redemption games are arcade/amusement machines that are played to earn prizes. Many Pac-Man themed redemption games have been produced over the years, starting in 1987.
List of Games[]
Medal games[]
Machines that dispense "medals", pog-like discs that can be exchanged for prizes. Commonly seen in Japan.
- Carnival (1987, Namco) - The player bets on what number the wheel will land on.
- Pac-Slot (1996, Namco) - Video slot machine that dispenses medals.
- Pac-Eight (1996, Namco) - Sequel to Pac-Slot; another video slot machine.
- Pac-Carnival (1996, Namco) - Video game adaptation of aforementioned Carnival.
- Pac Adventure (1997, Namco) - Coin pusher with video elements.
- Pac 'N Party (2000, Namco) - Lightgun game; protect Pac-Man from incoming monsters.
Ticket games[]
Machines that dispense tickets. Replaced medals as the go-to redemption format. Popular in almost all countries, especially the United States.
2010s series (Namco)[]
A distinct "series" of ticket redemption games was released from 2013 to 2015 by Bandai Namco Amusement America. The majority of these games use branding from Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.
- Pac-Man Ticket Mania/Pac-Man Chomp Mania (2013) - Simplified, ticket-dispensing version of Pac-Man with a giant screen.
- Pac-Man Ghost Bowling (2013) - A small Skee-Ball machine.
- Pac-Man Basket (2013) - Arcade basketball game.
- Pac-Man Swirl - (2014) - Clone of Slam-a-Winner from 2000.
- Pac-Man Alley Ball (2015) - Knock over ghost targets to turn them blue.
- Pac-Man Feast (2015) - Blast balls into Pac-Man's bucket. This game was seemingly only available in select European and Asian territories, not including North America or Japan.
Pac-Man Street Range series[]
A subsequent series of ticket redemption games, officially known as the "Pac-Man Street Range" line, was released in the early 2020s, and is currently still in production. These machines use distinct "street art"-like designs not seen on other Pac-Man releases.
- Pac-Man Baller (2022) - Arcade basketball game.
- Pac-Man Roller (2023) - A Skee-Ball machine.
- Pac-Man Pinger/Pac-Man Slider (2023) - An air hockey machine.
Other titles[]
- Pac-Man's Ticket Factory (2001, Namco-America) - Gameplay is unknown; was possibly unreleased.
- Pac-Man Air Hockey (2015, Bandai Namco Amusement Europe) - An air hockey machine featuring ticket redemption. Only released in Europe and Japan; otherwise unrelated to the machine below.
- Pac-Man Air Hockey (2016, Matic Entretenimento) - An air hockey machine; some versions feature ticket redemption. Only released in Brazil and North America; otherwise unrelated to the machine above.
- Pac-Man Hammer/Pac-Man Against Ghosts Hammer (2017-2019, Matic Entretenimento) - Whac-A-Mole machines with 6 or 3 moles to hit, respectively. Only released in Brazil.
- Pac-Man Panic! (2019, Guangzhou Wahlap Technology) - A multiplayer pinball game; some versions feature ticket redemption.
- Pac-Man Power Pellets (2022, Bandai Namco Amusement America) - Throw the balls into the colored Pac-Men's mouths.
It is believed that Pac-Man Hammer Match may be a ticket redemption game (at least in certain cabinet variants), though this is unconfirmed.
Prize games[]
Machines that dispense prizes directly, usually toys. Often harder to win than medal or ticket games. Commonly seen worldwide.
- Pac-Cap (1996, Namco) - Maneuver the prize-filled ball through the maze.
- Capsule Factory (2003, Namco-America) - Another ball-maneuvering game, with different rules than Pac-Cap.
- Pac-Grab (2004, Brent Sales/Namco Europe) - a series of crane/claw machines released in Europe. Models include Pac-Grab, Pac-Grab Jr., and Pac-Candy; the latter two are "winner every time" machines.
- Namco Fire Truck (2005, Namco USA) - a series of crane/claw machines released in the United States. There are several different models, including an alternate design known as Namco Ice Cream.
- Pac-Man Play - (201?, Namco USA) - another claw machine series.
Pachinko machines[]
Popular Japanese game where the goal is to win marbles, which are then exchanged for prizes.
- Fever Pac-World (2001, Sankyo) - A series of pachinko machines with video screens. Released in "SP", "DX", and "GP" models.
Gambling games[]
Particularly in select European countries, there are "redemption games" which dispense cash, but are not intended for casinos; effectively making them gambling machines. These games were generally not released in America; or if they were, they were converted into ticket redemption titles. Note that this list does not include standard slot machines or other directly casino-oriented games.
- Pac-Man (coin pusher) (2003, Mazooma/ICE) - 8-player coin pusher. Some versions dispense tickets while others dispense coins.
- Pac-Man Ball (2003, Namco) - Reskinned version of Namco's own Puzz Ball from 2001.
- Skill Ball Pac-Man (2016, Supernova Games) - Seemingly some form of bingo.
- Pac-Man (coin pusher) (2019, BullDog Games) - another coin pusher machine, sold in both 4 and 8-player models. Dispenses tickets and coins simultaneously.
Redemption game graphic kits[]
2013 flyer for a Pac-Man crane graphics kit.
From approximately 2013 to 2015, Brent Sales/Namco Europe released an assortment of sticker labels to customize redemption games into Pac-Man-themed designs. These graphics kits were also sold by Namco-America through the company's short-lived "Namco Prize America" division. Both general Pac-Man kits and Ghostly Adventures-themed kits were produced, among other brands and franchises.
The exact list of machines that had graphic kits available is unknown, though appears to include the following:
- Various claw/crane machines - Seemingly a "one size fits all" sticker, rather than being for specific models; the promotional image appears to show an "EX1" machine by Elaut (2001).
- Stacker[1] (2004)
- Dunk Tank Prize[1] (2011)
Trivia[]
- Coney Island once held a large redemption game called Get 'Em, Pac-Man!, seemingly originating from the early '80s. It is more of a carnival game, however, and the license is questionable.[2]
- Some Pac-Man redemption games were only distributed in arcade locations vended by Namco USA, particularly claw machines (such as the Pac-Man Play series).
- In an image from the now-defunct Namco USA website, a strangely-shaped Pac-Man machine appears in the doorway of an arcade.[3] In actuality, this machine is modified from the Sega SpongeBob SquarePants redemption game; as evident by alternate pictures of the same arcade showing the SpongeBob machine in its exact place.[4]
- While it is possible the arcade location genuinely altered the SpongeBob machine to become a pseudo-Pac-Man redemption game, the more likely truth is that it was merely a Photoshopped image for promotional purposes (likely covering up SpongeBob for copyright reasons). Additionally, upon very close inspection, the reflection of the machine on the ground appears to be of the SpongeBob artwork.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2014/10/pac-man-room-retrogaming-gamersunite.html
- ↑ https://www.flickr.com/photos/pactoys/3819951162/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20200314091402im_/https://www.namcoentertainment.com/images/default-source/default-album/updated_service_image-(1).png
- ↑ https://www.intergameonline.com/uploads/images/posts/Namco_c9f0f8.jpg