Play Free Pacman Game
Click the 'Start Game' button to
play the free Pacman online game and use the arrow keys to control the direction
of Pac Man. Pacman History
This online Pacman game has its roots as a Japanese arcade game developed by Namco (now
Namco Bandai) and licensed for distribution in the U.S. by
Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Pac
Man is universally considered as one of the classics of the
medium, virtually synonymous with video games, and an icon of
1980s popular culture. When it was released, the
game became a social phenomenon.
When Pacman was released, most arcade video games in North
America were primarily space shooters such as
Space Invaders, Defender, or
Asteroids. The most visible minority
were sports games that were mostly derivative of Pong. Pacman
succeeded by creating a new genre and appealing to both males
and females.
The Pacman game is often credited with being a landmark in video
game history, and is among the most famous arcade games of all
time. The character also appears in more than 30 officially
licensed games and sequels, as well as in numerous unauthorized
clones and bootlegs.
How to Play Online Pacman
The player controls Pac-Man through a maze, eating dots.
When all dots are eaten, Pac-Man is taken to the next stage.
Four ghosts (known to most gamers as Blinky, Pinky, Inky and
Clyde) roam the maze, trying to catch Pac-Man. If a ghost
touches Pac-Man, a life is lost. When all lives have been lost,
the game ends.
Near the corners of the maze are four larger, flashing dots
known as "energizers" or "power pellets", which provide Packman
with the temporary ability to eat the ghosts. The ghosts turn
deep blue, reverse direction, and usually move more slowly when
Pac-Man eats an energizer. When a ghost is eaten, its eyes
return to the "ghost pen" where it is regenerated in its normal
color. Blue ghosts flash white before they become dangerous
again and the amount of time the ghosts remain vulnerable varies
from one board to the next, but the time period generally
becomes shorter as the game progresses. In later stages, the
ghosts do not change colors at all, but still reverse direction
when an energizer is eaten.
In addition to dots and energizers, bonus items, usually
referred to as fruits (though not all items are fruits) appear
near the center of the maze twice per level. These items score
extra bonus points when eaten. The items change and bonus values
increase throughout the game.
Packman is awarded a single bonus life at 10,000 points by
default. DIP switches inside the machine can change the required
points or disable the bonus life altogether.
Ghosts in Pacman
The player controls Pac-Man through a maze, eating dots.
When all dots are eaten, Pacman is taken to the next stage.
Four ghosts (known to most gamers as Blinky, Pinky, Inky and
Clyde) roam the maze, trying to catch Pac-Man. If a ghost
touches Pac-Man, a life is lost. When all lives have been lost,
the game ends.
Near the corners of the maze are four larger, flashing dots
known as "energizers" or "power pellets", which provide Pac-Man
with the temporary ability to eat the ghosts. The ghosts turn
deep blue, reverse direction, and usually move more slowly when
Pac-Man eats an energizer. When a ghost is eaten, its eyes
return to the "ghost pen" where it is regenerated in its normal
color. Blue ghosts flash white before they become dangerous
again and the amount of time the ghosts remain vulnerable varies
from one board to the next, but the time period generally
becomes shorter as the game progresses. In later stages, the
ghosts do not change colors at all, but still reverse direction
when an energizer is eaten.
Pacman Intermissions
During the opening boards of the game, the linearity of
the game's progression is interrupted by "intermissions" �
humorous animated scenes featuring Pac-Man and the ghosts. There
are three different intermissions:
- Blinky chases Pac-Man off the screen. Blinky
reappears as a vulnerable blue monster coming the opposite
direction, being chased by a giant Pac-Man. This
intermission plays after Board 2.
- Blinky chases Pac-Man across the screen, but his pelt
is caught on a tack in the floor, and part of it is ripped
off revealing his pinkness. This intermission plays after
Board 5.
- Blinky, with the corner of his pelt sewn back on,
chases Pac-Man across the screen. Blinky reappears coming
back the opposite direction, pinked, dragging his pelt
behind him. This intermission plays after Boards 9, 13 and
17.
The Last Level in Pacman
A perfect Pac-Man game would be logically defined as one
where the player completes all 256 levels with a maximum point
score and without losing a life. However, the final board
is not intact (due to a bug) and thus not entirely playable in
the normal sense of the game. Nevertheless, the first perfect
game was verified by the Twin Galaxies Intergalactic Scoreboard
on July 3, 1999. Billy Mitchell, of Hollywood, FL,
achieved the feat in six hours. To attain the maximum possible
score of 3,333,360 points, it was necessary for Mitchell to eat
every fruit, every Power Pellet, every blue ghost and every dot
for 256 boards without losing a single life. But then it
gets complicated. The reason a player must not lose a life
through the first 255 boards is the complex final split-screen
of board 256. Amongst the jumbled mess on the right side are 9
pellets (90 points), which actually get replaced after a life is
lost. So to maximize the potential points a player needs all of
the bonus lives intact (the reappearance of pellets is a result
of the code bug on this board; it doesn't happen on any of the
first 255 screens). You can also download Pacman since
it's a flash game which will allow you to play it locally on
your computer. More
Free Arcade Games here.
|
 |
