Namco Museum Essentials | |
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Developer(s) | Cattle Call [lower-alpha 1] |
Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games |
Series | Namco Museum |
Platform(s) | PlayStation 3 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Various |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Namco Museum Essentials [lower-alpha 2] is a 2009 video game compilation developed by Cattle Call and published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3. The collection includes five Namco arcade games from the 1980s: Pac-Man (1980), Galaga (1981), Dig Dug (1982), Xevious (1983), and Dragon Spirit (1987), alongside an exclusive Xevious sequel, Xevious Resurrection. Player progress is rewarded with stamps, which could be redeemed for virtual items in the now-defunct PlayStation Home service. Stamps also award points when collected, used to unlock extra features such as wallpapers.
The ".comm" in the game's Japanese title is thought to stand for "community", based on the game's online functionality. To help promote the game, Namco Bandai set up a custom PlayStation Home hub space featuring a demo of the game. Upon release, Namco Museum Essentials was met with a mixed reception from critics; although it was criticized for its small game library and lack of multiplayer in most of the games, reviewers praised the emulation quality, unlockable extras and presentation. It was removed from the PlayStation Store on March 15, 2018.
Namco Museum Essentials consists of six games - five of these are Namco arcade games from the 1980s, while the sixth, Xevious Resurrection , is exclusive to this collection. [1] The arcade games allow the player to start on any stage the player had previously been to, as well as featuring a score attack mode where the player is to gain as many points possible before dying. [1] [2] In-game options allow the player to change the number of lives and border artwork. Multiplayer is excluded from each game, with the exception of Xevious Resurrection. [1]
By completing certain objectives in each of the games, players are rewarded with stamps that were redeemable for items in the now-defunct PlayStation Home service, such as shirts, hats and arcade cabinets; [3] the game includes over 50 unlockable items. [2] Stamps also award points when unlocked, which can increase a player's account level; [2] reaching new levels can also unlock items such as wallpapers. [1] Online leaderboards are also present, allowing players to view scores from other users around the world as well as from friends. [1] Players also have access to a sound test and the ability to record a friend's progress. [4]
Xevious Resurrection is a vertical-scrolling shooter video game, serving as a modern update of the original Xevious arcade game. Up to two players control their respective Solvalou starships — white for player one and black for player two — and must wipe out the Xevious forces and their supercomputer leader GAMP before they take over Earth. The Solvalou have two weapons at their disposal: an "air zapper" that can destroy flying enemies, and a "blaster bomb" that can destroy ground-stationed enemies. New to this game is a shield system that the Solvalou can use to protect themselves from enemy projectiles for a short period of time. Using the shield depletes a potion of the "shield meter" at the sides of the screen, which can be refilled by collected orange triangular-shaped pickups dropped by certain enemies. [5]
The game is composed of several stages, referred in-game as "areas", consisting of outer space, forests, deserts featuring the Nazca lines from Peru, [6] and mechanical bases, similar to Solvalou and Xevious 3D/G . [7] Some areas feature bosses that the player must defeat in order to progress, one being a rematch with the Andor Genesis mothership from the first Xevious game. Bombing pre-determined spots on the ground in some areas can reveal Sol towers, which can be destroyed for extra points, and Rally-X Special Flags that will award the player an extra life when collected. [6] Players can earn stamps by completing certain in-game objectives, unlocking special items for their PlayStation Home digital apartment.
Namco Museum Essentials was published by Namco Bandai Games for the PlayStation 3. Development was outsourced to Cattle Call, [8] and titled Namco Museum.comm for its Japanese release - the ".comm" believed to mean "community", in reference to the game's online services. [9] To help promote the game, Namco Bandai created a custom PlayStation Home hub area, [10] which was also used to promote their other digital-only games - players could unlock additional items for their PlayStation Home upon visiting the space and could also play a demo of Essentials, [11] [12] which was titled Namco Museum BETA [lower-alpha 3] in Japan. [6] The game was one of the earliest titles to utilize PlayStation Home's rewards system. [13] Xevious Resurrection was created to remake the core Xevious gameplay for a modern shoot'em up audience. [14] Essentials was released in Japan on January 29, 2009, [6] in North America on July 16, 2009, [15] and in Europe on April 1, 2010. [15] The game was pulled from the PlayStation Store on March 15, 2018. [16]
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | 64/100 [17] |
Publication | Score |
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GamePro | 3.5/5 [18] |
IGN | 7.5/10 [1] |
Play | 60% [19] |
Push Square | [15] |
Upon release, Namco Museum Essentials was met with mixed reviews from critics. Although criticism was drawn towards the small game library and lack of online multiplayer, praise was given to the game's presentation, emulation quality and unlockable extras. It holds a 64 out of 100 on Metacritic.
In their review, IGN called the overall presentation "top-notch", praising the game's use of PlayStation Home and bonus content, which they noted added replay value to the games. [1] Push Square stated that the unlockable extras and leaderboards "brings the classics into the 21st-century", as well as praising the emulation quality. [15] GamePro complemented the addition of the stamp system, claiming that it gave the game more depth. [18]
Despite this, reviewers were critical of the small game library and lack of multiplayer. GamePro criticized the game library for being too small and lacking any updated visuals or features, as well as criticizing the lack of multiplayer and "unnecessarily large" file size. [18] Similarly, IGN expressed disappointment that multiplayer was excluded from the games except Xevious Resurrection, as well as being critical of the small game library. [1] Although GamePro disliked the game's price point, advising readers to "choose wisely" before purchasing, [18] Push Square contested this, saying that it was "worth the chance" to fans of Namco's game catalog. [15] In a retrospective review of Xevious Resurrection, Sam Derboo of Hardcore Gaming 101 said the game's graphics were "very effective" for their budget, noting how the backgrounds resembled satellite photographs. [7]
Namco Limited was a Japanese multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Namco Taiwan in Kaohsiung, and Shanghai Namco in mainland China.
Xevious is a vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco in 1982. It was released in Japan by Namco and in North America by Atari, Inc. Controlling the Solvalou starship, the player attacks Xevious forces before they destroy all of mankind. The Solvalou has two weapons at its disposal: a zapper to destroy flying craft, and a blaster to bomb ground installations and enemies. It runs on the Namco Galaga arcade system.
Rally-X is a maze chase arcade video game developed in Japan and Germany by Namco and released in 1980. In North America, it was distributed by Midway Manufacturing and in Europe by Karateco. Players drive a blue Formula One race car through a multidirectional scrolling maze to collect yellow flags. Boulders block some paths and must be avoided. Red enemy cars pursue the player in an attempt to collide with them. Red cars can be temporarily stunned by laying down smoke screens at the cost of fuel. Rally-X is one of the first games with bonus stages and continuously-playing background music.
Namco Museum is a series of video game compilations developed and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment for home video game consoles. The first title in the series, Namco Museum Vol. 1, was released for the PlayStation in 1995. Entries in the series have been released for multiple platforms, including the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Xbox 360. the latest being Namco Museum Archives Vol. 2, released in 2020.
Namco Museum Battle Collection is a 2005 video game compilation developed by Tose and published by Namco for the PlayStation Portable; the first Namco Museum since the PS1 series to be developed in Japan. It includes 21 games - four of these are brand-new "arrangement" remakes of older Namco games, while the rest are emulated ports of Namco arcade games from the 1970s and 1980s. These ports include an options menu that allows the player to modify the in-game settings, such as the screen orientation and number of lives. Players can send one-level demos to a friend's console via the "Game Sharing" option in the main menu.
Namco Classic Collection Vol. 1 is a 1995 arcade game compilation developed and published by Namco. It includes three of the company's most well-known games from the early 1980s — Galaga (1981), Xevious (1983), and Mappy (1983) — alongside brand-new "Arrangement" remakes of these games that have updated gameplay, visuals, and sounds. The arcade originals are also modified slightly to end after a certain number of rounds. Super Xevious (1984) is also playable. It ran on the Namco ND-1 arcade system, being one of the first games to utilize it.
Solvalou is a 1991 first-person rail shooter arcade game developed and published in Japan by Namco. The sixth entry in the Xevious series, the player takes control of the Solvalou starship from a first-person perspective as it must destroy the Xevious forces before they take control of Earth. The Solvalou has two weapon types: an air zapper to destroy air-based enemies, and a blaster bomb to destroy ground-stationed enemies. It runs on the Namco System 21 arcade board.
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Super Xevious: GAMP no Nazo is a 1986 vertically scrolling shooter video game developed and published by Namco for the Family Computer in Japan. It is the sequel to Xevious, a popular arcade game released in late 1982, and the fourth installment in the Xevious franchise overall. The player controls a spaceship named the Solvalou in its mission to destroy a powerful supercomputer named GAMP, which took over Earth during an ice age. GAMP no Nazo features a heavy focus on puzzle-solving, with each of the game's 21 levels posing a puzzle that must be solved to progress.
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Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is a video game compilation developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. It was released in North America in 2008 and in Europe and Japan in 2009. Part of its Namco Museum series, Virtual Arcade includes 34 titles; nine of these are Namco Bandai-published Xbox Live Arcade games, and the rest are arcade games that are only accessible through the disc. Players can access the Xbox Live Arcade games through their dashboard if the disc is in the console.
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Bandai Namco Studios Inc. is a Japanese video game developer headquartered in Kōtō, Tokyo. Its offices in Malaysia and Singapore, Bandai Namco Studios Malaysia and Bandai Namco Studios Singapore, are based out of Selangor, Malaysia and Infinite Studios, Singapore respectively. Bandai Namco Studios is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Entertainment, which itself is a subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings. The company works under its parent company as a keiretsu; Bandai Namco Studios creates video games for home consoles, handheld systems, mobile devices and arcade hardware, while Bandai Namco Entertainment handles the managing, marketing and publishing of these products.
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Namco Museum Vol. 1 is a 1995 arcade video game compilation developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation. The collection includes seven arcade games developed by the company that were originally released in the 1980s, such as Pac-Man, Galaga and Pole Position. The compilation features a 3D open-world virtual museum that the player can interact with, the games being housed in themed rooms with exhibits, such as promotional flyers, cabinet artwork and instruction cards. Players can also view Namco product catalogs, promotional pamphlets and front cover scans of the company's Japanese press literature.
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Namcot Collection, also known as Namco Museum Archives, is a 2020 video game compilation published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. Originally released in Japan for the Nintendo Switch, it was localized for international territories as two separate collections, Namco Museum Archives Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, for the Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Windows. Namcot Collection includes a wide array of video games published by Namco for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System, with save states, achievements, and homebrew ports of Pac-Man Championship Edition and Gaplus.