Pac-Man Championship Edition DX gained notoriety for becoming one of the most amazingly addictive downloadable games at the time of its launch back in 2010. I have fond memories of purchasing it on a Saturday morning and then just spending my entire day (then night, then weekend) playing the blissful, cathartic, stupendous arcade title. Namco Bandai will soon release a DLC pack, dubbed Pac-Man Championship Edition DX +, for the game, and it will feature new skins, levels, and music.
The new skins for CE DX + are based on both Dig Dug and Rally-X. It's kind of cool playing the game as someone other than Pac-Man, even though the original spherical yellow character is still charming as always. There aren't any actual gameplay changes, but the character and enemy alterations are a nice little novelty that's sure to please old school Namco Bandai fans.
Accompanying the new skins is a collection of brand new music. It's all fitting with both Dig Dug and Rally-X, and the new themes you hear are pretty enjoyable. The original soundtrack for the main game was incredibly impressive, and while these new tunes don't exactly match up with those songs, they're still good in their own right.
The flashy new visual options and music are just a part of what's included in the CE DX + DLC. Probably the most significant feature is the addition of brand new maps. These bring some nuances to the game and require you to learn a whole new set of mazes for Pac-Man to travel through. The maps I checked out seemed to be a bit tighter in terms of space, and enemies were spaced out in different ways from the main game. This means you'll have to learn to maneuver around a new collection of levels, which is definitely cool
Of course, to be completely honest, it's hard to say what CE DX + will really accomplish. It's certainly a cool idea, because more Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is never a bad thing. That said, this add-on content won't help to bring in new fans, nor will all existing fans purchase the DLC. Instead, it's easy to see diehards who continue to play this game to this day paying up for the extra content. As a huge fan of the main game, I may be one of those people come launch.
Release details are currently scarce regarding CE DX +. The DLC is scheduled for a late summer release, and it'll apply only to Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, not the original Pac-Man Championship Edition. If you still find yourself playing the game even after all of these years, the extra maps, skins, and music may be an enticing buy for you.
Want to talk about indie games, Kirby, or cheap pizza? Follow me on Twitter @dr_davidsanchez.
