Namco Museum

Namco Museum brings back pixel perfect emulation of some classic arcades, such as Galaga, Pac-Man or Splatterhouse. It also includes Pac-Man Vs. four player asymmetric game, but t lacks of extra content and there are too few games available.

Namco Museum does a lot of things right - but despite the wonderful presentation, it’s still only focused on a limited audience. Putting a value on retro games can often be difficult given how easy it is to obtain and play these titles elsewhere; that said, Namco have put together an extremely desirable package that fits very nicely on the Switch. If it was cheaper it would be easier to recommend to everyone, but as it stands you’re only likely to pick this one up if you’ve got some retro-tinted specs like me. For those of us who do though, it’s a fantastic trip down memory lane.

Quotation forthcoming.

Most of these games translate well to the Switch, the improved graphics exploding with color. Playing in 4:3 suits some games better than others, so it’s not a perfect fit. The JoyCons are a great control tool, even if a few games struggle (I’m looking at you Sky Kid, you menace) on the Switch. This was a fun little jaunt down memory lane, but it’s really nothing more than another Namco collection in new digs.

Despite $30 being an expensive price tag, the games included in this collection are worth your while with Pac-Man Vs. taking the collection over the top.

A high price point and some subjective duds make Namco Museum a stretch in terms of outright value, but the influence these games had on the industry makes them worth at least a cursory glance in the rearview mirror.

In any case, this Namco Museum release on the Switch is as good as its precursors and brilliantly accentuated with the local multiplayer focused Pac-Man Vs. but it is currently overpriced and I hope this is not a new trend when it comes to future retro gaming releases on the Switch.

Pac-Man Vs. is a genuine classic that deserves a bigger audience, but the high price and limited selection of other games makes this an expensive retro indulgence.

Namco Museum offers players eleven arcade greats in a nice new package on Switch. Getting to take these games on-the-go is a nice treat, but they're still the same old games that have been re-released quite often. Pac-Man Vs. does give you a cool addition though, and it's much easier to play this time around.

A nice selection of classic games with a good customization options for each title, but there are some key titles missing, as well as those documents or that extra information you would expect from a "museum".

It does not justify its too high pricing.

Namco Museum on the Nintendo Switch offers a few arcade classics on the go but not really much else. The lack of online or even local multi-Switch play for all but one title, no real extras and the fact that the selection is kinda meager make this a pass for most people. It’s the absolute minimum to expect out of such a title.

The games are still funny, even more on the go thanks to the Nintendo Switch handheld nature, but there could have been more of them.

Ultimately, by neglecting to tell the stories about these games, Namco Museum on Switch leaves its selections in the unenviable position of selling their legacies to contemporary players on gameplay alone. Namco Museum would have prospective players believe that these selections are valuable, timeless experiences, but the reality is that no game is timeless — every one exists in its own moment, a photograph with its horizons safely tucked away in the background. For players that have the memories, maybe a faithful recreation is enough. But the rest? They’ll be left wondering what all the fuss was about.

All up, Namco Museum on the Switch is a solid bunch of games – 11 really fun titles that will have something for everyone. A lot of care has gone into presenting the titles and giving you extra ways to play them. If you are chasing the high score or looking for something fun to play with friends you cannot go wrong with Namco Museum.

I’m not totally sure as to who the target audience is for this collection. Older gamers who would have enjoyed these games in an arcade have had several other ways in which to play a lot of these games through the years. And that isn’t including games such as Pac-Man Championship Edition, which brings the classic gameplay up to date with modern gaming mechanics. Younger gamers, who may have never played any of these games, probably won’t enjoy most of them due to their money stealing design. I certainly would encourage youngsters to try out Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug, as they are genuine classics, but $30 for two or three games that I would play long-term just doesn’t seem like good value. This game is probably best being held off on until a price drop.

Namco Museum is only really worth purchasing if you either have an unhealthy obsession with at least three of Namco’s arcade classics, or want an immensely fun party game and don’t care too much about the price or extras. It’s great to see that they won’t be forgotten, but aside from Sky Kid there were no games that I hadn’t already played that I liked. Namco Museum is certainly well put together and presented, but the selection of games just aren’t completely enticing.

Difficult to be enthusiastic about this new compilation of Namco's games, because there are two problems. First of all, the selling price is too high and the choice of the games are not very interesting. Forget about it and save your money.

Namco Museum is a collection of arcade games from Bandai Namco's past. Even though some of the games are timeless, they don't seem to capture that same kind of magic like they would in an arcade hall. Because of that, Namco Museum falls short.