WAKA WAKA WAKA WAKA!
Waka waka waka is one of the most recognizable sounds in gaming (go away Shakira!) and it belongs to the nomnoming yellow ball called Pac-Man. Starting way back in the 80s and arcade machines, Pac-Man is one of the longest-running, best-selling, and most beloved gaming franchises that influenced pop culture and is often at the forefront of representation of gaming as a whole.
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Basic info
Pac-Man is a Japanese video game franchise developed, published and owned by Bandai Namco Entertainment, a video game publisher that was previously known as Namco. The eponymous first entry was released in arcades in 1980 by Namco, and published by Midway Games in North America. Most Pac-Man games are maze chase games, but it has also delved into other genres, such as platformers, racing, and sports. Several games in the series were released for a multitude of home consoles and are included in many Bandai Namco video game compilations. Pac-Man is one of the longest-running, best-selling, and highest-grossing video game franchises in history, and the game has seen regular releases for over 40 years, has sold nearly 48 million copies across all of the platforms. The franchise has been seen as important and influential, and is often used as a representation for 1980s popular culture and video games as a whole.
Fun facts
- PacMan was created by Toru Iwatani - he was 24 at the time and the idea for the characters appearance came to him when he removed a slice from a pizza.
- The name on the other hand was inspired by the onomatopoeic phrase paku paku - which means "chomp chomp". The original name Puck Man was changed by Midway for the US release because they were worried someone could easily change it into something vulgar, or pronounce it purposely wrong - hence PacMan. This was referenced in the movie Scott Pilgrim vs The World as well.
- Ghosts (in the original game) actually have unique names and personalities - Blinky always chases Pacman, Pinky attempts to ambush him, Inky is randomized and Clyde with act as an enforcer and close in on the PacMan.
- The power pill which gives PacMan strength/shield was partially influenced by Popeye and spinach - it also marks one of the first examples of "power up" in gaming.
- PacMan also features one of the first examples of cutscenes with small animated sequences/breaks between levels showing PacMan being chased by the ghosts and vice versa.
- The PacMan defense is a strategy in which a company targeted for a hostile takeover attempts to purchase the acquirer.
Cheats
- Not a lot of cheats available for an arcade game from the 80s but, there is a trick.
- If you eat one ghost on board 1, two ghosts on board 2, three ghosts on board 3, and finally four ghosts on board 4 - after which you press Up, Down, Up and then die - you'll have infinite lives.
- Sadly this trick is for the infamous Atari 2600 port of the game.
