Namco Museum Archives Vol 1 Reviews
NES and Namco fans will be happy with the titles on offer here. Some of them have never been released in the west before and the star of the show – Pac-Man Championship Edition – is an entirely new NES port created just for this collection. Each of the 11 games has at least some value, but the bare-bones nature of the presentation is a little disappointing: for a game with Museum in the title, we'd hoped each game would have been celebrated a little more with art and behind-the-scenes info.
A good chance to experience classic games with some new features, but sadly at a hefty price.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
The name "Museum archives" perfectly embodies the essence of the Namco Museum Archives - Volume 1 collection. Not all games have retained their fascination, but this is a great way to look at the game history through the early works of Namco.
Review in Russian | Read full review
If it were one complete collection it’d be easily recommended but, as two separate purchases, these are for hardcore Namco fans only.
A Namco-centric collection of classics, which will be interesting exclusively to ex-Nintendo owners. Not exactly a mandatory buy for the others.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A fascinating collection that brings attention to a crucial moment in video game history. These aren't all the best ways to play these games (and some of them are just not fun at all), but that isn't necessarily the point. Unreleased games and new "bonus" titles not available anywhere else make this a must-have for history enthusiasts.
Namco Museum Archives is a collection of the company's NES classics, no more, no less. While the emulation is great and the original games are a good touch, the "Museum" part of the title rings hollow.
Overall, the two-volume set that honors the NAMCOT brand is worth a go, especially if you revel in 8-bit history. It's a neat departure from the usual Museum releases, but there are certainly some forgettable titles amongst the bunch.
For the most part, you're getting 11 games in Namco Museum Archives Vol 1, at least three of which are classics, fewer lesser-known ones, and at least one you've probably never played for one low price. This makes it easy to recommend, as classics like Pac-Man are likely to be a hit regardless. As long as you understand these titles aren't perfect and enjoy classic shooters, arcade-style games, and silly hack and slash titles, you'll probably get your money's worth.
Ultimately, there’s nothing in Namco Museum Archives Vol 1 that’s going to win you over if you aren’t already a fan of retro games. But if you enjoyed any of these arcade classics in your youth, it’s perhaps the best and easiest way to replay them. The selection of games on offer is varied, and they’re pleasantly presented with enough features to make them accessible to a new generation of players. The inclusion of a new Pac-Man game is a nice bonus; and the fact that a couple of these games haven’t been available outside of Japan until now is a boon. It’s a shame the collection doesn’t try harder to live up to its ‘Museum’ title, but it’s hard to argue with its excellent value for money.
Today, Bosconian is an early Namco title that holds up very well indeed. It’s something a little bit different from the other shoot ’em ups of the era — and its accessibility makes it a great title for taking your first steps into early ’80s blasters if you’ve previously found the unforgiving nature of fixed shooters a bit tough to get to grips with!
There are many, many ways that NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Vol 1 could be better, but as a whole, fans of retro gaming will definitely love this. Apart from the greedy idea of separating 20 super-old games between two collections, the only thing really holding this back right now is its price. So, put it on your wishlist… and wait.
Split archives aside, your love of Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 will be dependent on how much you love the NES and how you feel about this mix. Half of these games are better represented by their arcade versions, and depending on your platform of choice, you may already have access to them via the older Namco Museum compilations. However, NES originals like Splatterhouse and Dragon Spirit are as excellent today as they were decades ago, while the demake of Pac-Man Championship Edition simply has to be seen to be believed. For the investment price of $19.99, retro fans will like this title quite a bit.
Namco Museum Archive Vol 1 is like a fresh air for you. It awakes tons of good memories and feels really nostalgic. Here we have the games that we grew up with and made history in game industry. Variety of genres with smooth controls and new features like manual save or replay function, make this collection worthy. I mean, who doesn't love Pac-Man!
Review in Persian | Read full review
You buy either of these collections and you'll be coming back to them for years to come.
All that being said, it is overall hard to recommend Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 aside from checking out old Famicom and NES versions of games. The two major exceptions are Pac-Man Championship Edition and the previously Japan-only Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti. If you want to see a neat demake of a great Pac-Man game or a cool never-before-seen Namco platformer, by all means go dive into this collection. But aside from those two games, there isn't much here but NES and Famicom versions of arcade games.
Namco Museum Archives Vol 1 is a solid collection of NES gems. From faithful arcade-at-home ports to a couple of delightful out of the ordinary inclusions, you're bound to have a blast playing through these 8-bit classics.
Namco Museum Archives: Volume 1 and 2 is yet another worthy compilation that feels right at home on the Switch.
If all of this was in a single collection, it would be a no brainer to recommend to anyone that is a fan of retro arcade games, or is just looking for a bit of classic fun. But split across two collections, it’s not as easy to recommend.
NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES Volume 1 includes 10 classic Namco games for Famicom and adds the 8-bit version of a more current game as an extra. A correct selection of titles, a good emulation from M2 and an attractive price is the letter of introduction of the first volume of the Namco compilation that would not have hurt any more extra content.
Review in Spanish | Read full review