Pac-Man World 3

One of gaming's oldest heroes is celebrating his 25th birthday this year, and Pac-Man was planning to spend his special day celebrating with his spherical family and a particularly tasty-looking cake. The forces of evil have other ideas, though, and before Pac-Man is able to take his first bite of birthday cake, he's mysteriously and unceremoniously teleported from the idyllic Pac-Village to the far less picturesque Spectral Realm.

An evil genius named Erwin has created a machine that can penetrate this realm of the ghosts, and as a result, the realm has started to collapse into the real world. Your mission in Pac-Man World 3 is simply to save the world. Would Pac-Man have it any other way on his birthday?

In the 25 years since he first appeared in arcades, Pac-Man has evolved from a 2D negotiator of mazes into a 3D negotiator of levels that incorporate all manner of obstacles and hazards. Pac-Man's enemies have also evolved, and in addition to ghost-like monsters, you'll battle with plenty of different bad guys who can only be beat by using some of the numerous new moves that Namco's spherical hero has at his disposal.

Most enemies can't be chomped after swallowing a power pill, so veterans of the series will have to resort to punching them, butt-bouncing them, or just rolling into them like a bowling ball. The punch is the least powerful of these attacks, but it can be used against enemies who are immune to the butt-bounce attacks, and it's far easier to control than the rolling attack. The butt-bounce is Pac-Man’s power move, and you're able to string together a sequence of them for a devastating combo. The rolling attack is also very powerful, and when used correctly, it can take out four or five enemies simultaneously.

In Pac-Man World 3 you'll find that landing in pits of spikes or lakes of green gunge is a bad idea and that other hazards, such as jets of poisonous gas, are also best avoided. Not everything in the Spectral Realm is deadly to the touch, of course, and in addition to the pills that you'll be munching for points, you'll find plenty of power-ups, bonus items, and fruit to collect.

Another promised feature of Pac-Man World 3 is the ability to play certain levels as the ghosts Pinky and Clyde. Quite how Pac-Man's archenemies fit into the storyline of the upcoming game isn't clear at this point, but the possibility that they'll join forces with Pac-Man to combat the evil genius Erwin certainly can't be ruled out, as Pac-Man certainly has evolved in his 25-year lifespan, and looks set to join forces with his former arch enemies.

Pac-Man World 3 is due out on the 11th of May, on the PS2, PSP and Xbox. NZGamer will bring a you a full review when this title hits our shores.