Product type Video game console Markets Japan | Owner Namco | |
A Namco Plug & Play Game is any of a series of models dedicated to games by Namco which make up a subset of Jakks Pacific's Plug It In & Play TV Games plug & play game system lineup with the exception of the newest one called Pac-Man Connect and Play which was handled by Bandai America instead of Jakks Pacific. They should not be confused with the Japan-only Namco Nostalgia pair of plug & play games directly from Namco Bandai Games.
Contents
Pac-Man
This first unit in the series contains Pac-Man, Galaxian, Rally-X, Dig Dug, and Bosconian. The original version of the game did not save high scores but there is a variant of this unit, in a pocket-size form factor, which is smaller and has the ability to save high scores.
Ms. Pac-Man
This unit contains Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mappy, Xevious, and Pole Position. After Jakks Pacific introduced their proprietary GameKey expansion card concept, a revision of this model included a GameKey slot and allowed to save high scores. Two GameKeys were released for this model: one with Dig Dug and New Rally-X and one with Pac-Man, Rally-X, and Bosconian. The third version of this unit removes the GameKey slot but it does save high scores. A fourth revision (identified by a grey coloured joystick panel) has the two extra games ("New Rally-X" and "Bosconian") of the later wireless edition.
Wireless Ms. Pac-Man
This unit contains all of the games from the Ms. Pac-Man unit, Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga, Mappy, Xevious and Pole Position plus New Rally-X, and Bosconian. It consists of a wireless controller and an infrared receiver base which connects to the television. This model was the first to save high scores.
Super Pac-Man
This unit contains Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Man Plus, and it can save high scores. The presence of Pac-Man Plus here marks the first time the game has ever received a home port.
Pac-Man Arcade Gold
This unit combines the Pac-Man and Super Pac-Man units' contents, replacing Rally-X with New Rally-X. Thus, the games contained within are Pac-Man, Galaxian, New Rally-X, Dig Dug, Bosconian, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Man Plus. It saves high scores.
Retro Arcade Featuring Pac-Man
This unit combines the contents of the Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Super Pac-Man units, with the omission of Ms. Pac-Man and the replacement of Rally-X with New Rally-X. Thus, the games contained within are Pac-Man, Galaxian, New Rally-X, Dig Dug, Bosconian, Galaga, Mappy, Xevious, Pole Position, Super Pac-Man, Pac & Pal, and Pac-Man Plus. It saves high scores.
Pac-Man Connect and Play
Bandai released a Pac-Man plug & play system to tie in with the Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures TV show. The games that the system boasts uses every game's original coding, making it possible to play to Pac-Man's infamous 256th glitched split-screen level. It also features the same games as the Retro Arcade, excluding Pole Position, which is replaced with a new game called Pac-Man 256 (not to be confused with the game on smartphones, consoles, and Steam called Pac-Man 256 from the developers of Crossy Road). The game starts out with level 255 so that players would not have to play all 256 levels. It also features a compartment to store the TV wires, and a display side.