I'm currently playing:

[Ex_Mosquito]

Nice, I tired to tackle Pacland before, I got sidetracked by something else, though. What version are playing btw? The USA version is a lot faster than the Japanese version. You can tell what version by the length of his nose. Small = USA / Big = JPN

Also if you're after a good superplay for some of the more advanced secrets and scoring there is an excellent in-built ninja Gamest WR caliber replay on 'Namco Arcade' on IOS. I watched the first 25mins and I was blown away..

[pubjoe]

Haha! Now you mention it I remember the nose thing. I have the stubby US version.

Thanks for the superplay. I don't want to watch it yet. Not until I'm better at the game and have begun discovering some of the secrets. I've noticed that little flower appearing from time to time and wondered what that is.

I've always liked Pac Land since first playing it at an arcade nearly 30 years ago. This was pre Super Mario Brothers and it was amazing.

A lot of people ignore Pac Land but I don't understand why. Absolute classic. It's as much the first proper scrolling platformer as Mario64 was the first proper 3D one. It also stands out from every other platformer with it's frantic and very tough gameplay. I like Wonderboy, but that seems both simplistic and easy compared to Pac Land even though it came out two years later. Wonderboy is a slog and I can only handle one credit. But Pac Land, me and Nath must have played over 50 credits between us today. Each game only a few minutes.

The graphic style is also superb. I love Pac Man's determined expressions. And I really love the way his mouth nomnoms when you get the power pill.

I've so far managed to get to trip 3 from the start. And I've got 95% through trip 5 (I stupidly fell at the last hole) after many many attempts using the level select.

You really have to use the no-joystick, 3-button layout with this game. It's just not right otherwise.

[grainflavour]

I managed to get 2 credits on Ikaruga on my Astro City before bed last night. Wow what a difference a tate screen makes, really is a beautiful game and the explosions are immense.

[IDCHAPPY]

3 hours of Forza, took me back to GT on the Playstation 2

[instant_classic]

Haha! Now you mention it I remember the nose thing. I have the stubby US version.

Thanks for the superplay. I don't want to watch it yet. Not until I'm better at the game and have begun discovering some of the secrets. I've noticed that little flower appearing from time to time and wondered what that is.

I've always liked Pac Land since first playing it at an arcade nearly 30 years ago. This was pre Super Mario Brothers and it was amazing.

A lot of people ignore Pac Land but I don't understand why. Absolute classic. It's as much the first proper scrolling platformer as Mario64 was the first proper 3D one. It also stands out from every other platformer with it's frantic and very tough gameplay. I like Wonderboy, but that seems both simplistic and easy compared to Pac Land even though it came out two years later. Wonderboy is a slog and I can only handle one credit. But Pac Land, me and Nath must have played over 50 credits between us today. Each game only a few minutes.

The graphic style is also superb. I love Pac Man's determined expressions. And I really love the way his mouth nomnoms when you get the power pill.

I've so far managed to get to trip 3 from the start. And I've got 95% through trip 5 (I stupidly fell at the last hole) after many many attempts using the level select.

You really have to use the no-joystick, 3-button layout with this game. It's just not right otherwise.

I have been thinking about what pcb I want to buy next and pac land may just be the one I too played the dedicated cab at play expo and I agree it is a great platformer (my mate also happens to be pretty **** hot at it too)

How much does a pac land pcb run you these days?? Looked on ebay and not much there

[pubjoe]

Mine was from System11, £75 for the board. Lu got it for me as a present. Then you need a Namco adapter. Preferably one like this one that System11 ordered for me. It has the two extra power connectors which are omitted from many others: http://www.mikesarcade.com/cgi-bin/stor ... AMCO2JAMMA"

[Ex_Mosquito]

@Pubjoe: Yeah it's defiantly an overlooked classic, so many neat secrets and subtleties to the controls. I remember it being everywhere when I used to go the seaside and caravan park arcades in the 80's. Strangely enough the best players I'd see playing it were girls. At home it used to next to R-Type in my local videoshop and girls used to be hogging it all day on a Saturday with the average credit taking at lease 45mins. It was pretty impressive.

@instant_classic: I have a Pacland converter if you're after one. I got the molex connectors off FrancoB and I got donated the other parts so it didn't cost me anything. Just cover the postage and you can have it.

[pubjoe]

Yeah actually I remember it was my sister who first played it. I could only watch as I'd spent all my money on Paperboy.

...I since had a few goes at the arcade but a couple of visits later, Space Harrier was out and PacMan could go **** himself.

so many neat secrets and subtleties to the controls.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean but I've taken to tapping one direction closely followed by the other in order to pigeon step on tricky platform sections.

This is another point for button controls. Tapping a direction kind of thrusts PacMan forward and this makes more sense with TracknField-ish controls. A joystick is misleading, and for me, made it appear less precise.

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By the way, you know that sneaky purple fellow who's always creeping up behind you. My son has named him 'Sexy Ghost'.

[crunchywasp]

My son has named him 'Sexy Ghost'.

He looks a bit

[pubjoe]

It cracked me up when he said it. ..."Why helloo there" ..."Fancy bumping into you here".

He's seen the and I think that's probably what he was referring to.

[IDCHAPPY]

Adrian(cmonkey) on UKVAC has dissected this game pretty thoroughly. There;s a big thread about it over there somewhere

[pubjoe]

Great. Thanks. I'll also save that until I'm more into it.

[pubjoe]

Actually I'll share the background music lyrics that Nath and I are working on. It started off as "Run-ning-through-the-land ... jump-ing-ov-er-swim-ming-pools", but that's now changed to "dodg-ing-all-the-cars ... run-ning-from-the-sex-y-ghost".

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Another stupid thing. He asked me what the story was to Wonderboy. I said Wonderboy has a disorder which causes his vitality to rapidly drain away until he suddenly dies. He has to constantly barge on and eat every snack he sees, killing anything that gets in his way. Food goes straight through him, that's why he wears a nappy. His life is a non-stop adventure and the game is just another day.

[Ex_Mosquito]

@Pubjoe: Perhaps I didn't word it right. What I meant was that the control has a lot of variables, it's not just on/off. There is a certain unnatural feeling to controlling Pacman, at first it feels a bit restrictive with the weight and inertia but over time you get a feel for it and it feels rewarding. You can defiantly tell a seasoned Pacman player by his confident control.

Lol at the lyrics!

Hmm you make a good argument about Wonderboy. Personally I prefer Wonderboy as a game. The thing I don't like about Pacland is that it doesn't really end. It's still a stone-cold classic, though.

[pubjoe]

Ah yeah I know what you mean. The inertia is what I was trying to refer to aswell. It's a fun control scheme. You tap the back button a couple of time to skid and turn quickly. Clustered enemies frequently surround you so you have to get used to it. I'm still pretty **** at the game.

Wonderboy's a different game. I think I like them both equally for their strengths (I got them both for christmas ). I find Pac Land is definitely much more one-more-go-ish. But then as I say, I'm **** at it, which makes it more fun.

[crunchywasp]

Actually I'll share the background music lyrics that Nath and I are working on. It started off as "Run-ning-through-the-land ... jump-ing-ov-er-swim-ming-pools", but that's now changed to "dodg-ing-all-the-cars ... run-ning-from-the-sex-y-ghost".

I can't play these old games without making up lyrics

I've not played Pac Land since I was a kid. I didn't play it much though and I don't remember actually liking it that much. Looking at it again on YouTube's bringing back some memories and it does look like fun. As a kid I had no idea about the secrets etc. and I've always thought it was just a straight platformer.

Another stupid thing. He asked me what the story was to Wonderboy. I said Wonderboy has a disorder which causes his vitality to rapidly drain away until he suddenly dies. He has to constantly barge on and eat every snack he sees, killing anything that gets in his way. Food goes straight through him, that's why he wears a nappy. His life is a non-stop adventure and the game is just another day.

When you put it like that his life sounds more like a non-stop battle with terminal illness. Maybe that's what Sega intended?

[pubjoe]

I'm up for a little Ibara/Pacland swapsie sometime. I can add another board or two to make it fairer.

Yeah I might be overhyping it slightly but it is really good. It's more the control scheme that separates it. I keep banging on about the buttons thing, but I do think that the fact that it had to default to joystick control in old standard cabinets spoiled the game a fair bit.

[crunchywasp]

A straight Ibara / Pac Land swap would be grand once you've both had your fill and can bear to part with it for a bit PL does look a lot of fun.

[grainflavour]

I've just been looking at a youtube video of Pacland as I've never seen the game before and it looks......a bit crap Defo need to have a bash at this and see what the fuss is about.

[gargoyle67]

It's def one of those hidden gems, It always used to be a girlie game in the arcade I only started playing it on the PC engine and loved it, Deceptively hard to master but loads of fun to play, Finding secrets is pure