Namco today released Pac-Man Championship Edition DX for Xbox Live Arcade, with plans to release it for the PS3 on November 23. The Xbox 360 version is available now for 800 Microsoft Points; the PS3 version next week will cost $9.99.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX takes the beloved PAC-MAN gameplay and twists it a bit. In addition to more mazes and modes, the game also includes multitudes of sleeping ghosts that infest each maze. As Pac-Man runs past these ghosts, they become angry and chase him until he finds a Power Pellet. If a ghost gets too close, a slowdown effect will begin, giving the player an extra vital second to figure out the best course of action. If the ghost train becomes too much to handle, players can set off a bomb which sends all active ghosts back to the center of each maze.
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX includes two new modes in addition to the Score Attack mode, in which players must collect as many points as possible before time runs out. Time Trials has players clearing out a set number of laps around each maze as fast as they can. Ghost Combo, the other mode, forgoes gobbling Pac-Dots for chomping as many ghosts as possible. Players’ scores are determined on the consecutive number of ghosts Pac-Man eats while chaining together Power Pellets.
Graphically, the game will include “hypnotic” neon graphics, interchangeable character sprites and maze designs.