Wokka, wokka: New-look Pac-Man hits Xbox Live

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 06 June 2007 02:46

Your IT - Entertainment

Pac-Man designer Toru Iwatani revamped his classic 1981 game especially for the finals of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship, and the result is available from today for all-comers at Xbox Live Arcade.

Apart from a modern widescreen HD look and fresh soundtracks, the main features of the Championship Edition are new mazes that change shape during play and new timed modes.

Championship Mode features Iwatani's new mazes and a five minute limit.

The other new modes provide mazes with either many or few power pellets, a Manhattan-inspired course, a turbo-speed maze, a darkness course where the maze walls are hidden, and a hybrid or "Overall" course that combines the other modes.

Pac-Man Championship Edition will be available for download from 9am GMT today for 800 Microsoft Points.

As for the championship itself, Carlos Daniel Borrego from Mexico vanquished nine rivals from Austria, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan, the UK and the US. His score of 222,160 in the final round won him including 26 years of free Quiznos toasted subs (one sandwich a week for 26 years, valued at $US13,520), 100,000 Microsoft Points, and a one-off Xbox 360 signed by Iwatani and featuring a Pac-Man inspired design.

"It is a thrill to hold the title and to have won it by playing on the new game. This is amazing, and I want to dedicate it to my family and Mexico!" said Borrego, who has been playing Pac-Man since 1985.