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Quick Jump:
Ms. Pac-Man TV Games
The Jakks Ms. Pac-Man TV Games controller contains a collection of five Namco arcade classics: Ms. Pac-Man (of course!), Pole Position, Xevious, Galaga, and Mappy.
The Ms. Pac-Man TV Games Controller
The controller itself consists of a traditional ball-style joystick and two fire buttons, along with a menu button and on/off switch, all in a simple but well-designed housing.
"So, how do you play Pole Position with a joystick?" I hear you ask. Well, the joystick is very unique — in addition to directional movement, the joystick can be "twisted" left or right. It's not quite the same as a rotary joystick, but it works well enough for Pole Position.
Steer with a joystick? Yes, actually...
The joystick is a bit stiff and creaky, and does take some getting used to. Also, the buttons are on the left hand side, which is more "Atari Perfect" than "Arcade Perfect." Still, it's not that major of a hurdle — I found the game much easier to play once I discovered that it plays best when you put the controller on the floor or a table instead of trying to hold it in your hands.
The Ms. Pac-Man Games Menu
The games themselves are fairly faithful reproductions of the classic Namco arcade games. They're not emulated, so they're not "arcade perfect," but they are pretty good imitations of the real games, with graphics and sound that is very close to the originals.
Still, all was not perfect — some of the sound effects were a bit off (the opening Xevious theme, for example, made me cringe every time I heard it), and once in a while you'd see something that didn't quite look right (Ms. Pac-Man's death sequence, for example). Overall though, it's a good job, and the gameplay felt right.
The Simulated, not Emulated, Ms. Pac-Man
The choices in the Ms. Pac-Man package are great — every game is a true arcade classic, and I enjoyed playing each of them. The unit keeps high scores, but only until it's turned off. It's a single-player experience, as well, since you only have one controller, but since all the games in the collection are were "one player at a time" games in the arcade, it works out well.
Xevious on my TV? Cool...
Overall, the Ms-Pac Man TV Games collection is a winner in my opinion. It's not perfect, but for less that $20 this games package gives you more gaming "bang per buck" than practically any other gaming system.
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