Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade

 Xbox 360
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 16
  3. Negative: 2 out of 16
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  1. Worth Playing
    80
    Even with these menu and presentation issues, Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is definitely worth picking up at the current price for classics like Dragon Spirit, Galaga '88, Mappy, Super Pac-Man and a few others that are worth trying, in addition to the XBLA content.
  2. GameSpot
    75
    Namco Museum is an impressive collection of classics that spans the entire history of arcade gaming.
  3. Gaming Age
    75
    I think Namco has covered their bases on this, their most complete collection of titles on one disc.
  5. My Gamer
    74
    The bottom line is simple. If you are a fan of classic Namco games, there is no reason to not buy this disc. If you have not yet bought any of the games available on Xbox Live, this is the way to do it because you are getting more than your money worth.
  6. TeamXbox
    72
    Despite all this chafe in the wheat, Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is a pretty decent package for the price.
  7. Video Game Talk
    70
    Though there's not much more to this release than the 25 classics and nine previously-available XBLA games, and the presentation isn't nearly as clean as it could be (likely because of technical requirements for the online play) there's a lot of fun to be had with these games, and with the XBLA games running five bucks a pop, this collection is a genuine bargain (if you like the XBLA games, that is.)
  8. Hardcore Gamer
    70
    Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is an impressive release from Namco Bandai that could have been even better.
  9. IGN
    65
    If you haven't yet downloaded Pac-Man C.E., Galaga Legions, Dig Dug or some of the other top-notch Namco XBLA offerings, Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is well worth the budget price tag.
  10. Official Xbox Magazine
    65
    A collection like this should be extremely quick, easy fun, and Museum's quirks detract too much from that. [Holiday 2008, p.74]
    All this publication's reviews
  11. GameZone
    64
    It's nice to have these classic games on hand in case I get the urge to host an impromptu Pac Man tournament.
  12. GamesRadar+
    60
    For the right buyer, this is a gleaming golden treasure even with bits of tarnish here and there.
  13. Everyeye.it
    60
    Namco Museum: Virtual Arcade will probably find a place in the hearts of old gen players. With 25 classic games and 9 live arcade this game could be a good choice for players that wants to revive the golden age of the videogames: the glorious '80!
  14. Gamer.nl
    60
    Namco Museum Virtual Arcade offers a lot of games for a low price, but it doesn't feel as if Namco thought the whole thing through when they assembled the compilation. Classic meets crap meets classic meets crap.
  15. X-ONE Magazine UK
    50
    Absolutely savaged by constant loading screens, it’s hard to appreciate the seven or so gems in Namco Museum.
  16. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    46
    A curio piece lacking enough quality games to justify the price tag. [July 2009, p.83]
    All this publication's reviews
  17. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    40
    This is a way to acquire the entire set at a lower price, but only hardcore retro collectors need apply. [June 2009, p.93]
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Awards & Rankings

87
#87 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2008

User Reviews

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User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 2 out of 6
  1. TheHumbleGamer
    Apr 27, 2017
    8
    What do you get when you put 25 classic Namco titles and 9 new ones and stick them all together on one disc? One of the best compilationsWhat do you get when you put 25 classic Namco titles and 9 new ones and stick them all together on one disc? One of the best compilations you'll ever have the privilege of owning ofcourse!

    Namco Museum Virtual Arcade is Namco's most complete compilation release to-date, with 34 titles in all and many, many hours of fun just waiting to be had.

    A full list of titles on the disc is as follows:
    (the following is copied from jsharbour's review)

    Live Arcade Games (with achievements):
    Dig Dug
    Galaga
    Ms. Pac-Man
    New Rally-X
    Pac-Man
    Xevious

    Emulated Classics:
    Baraduke
    Bosconian
    Dig Dug II
    Dig Dug Arrangement
    Dragon Buster
    Dragon Spirit
    Galaga '88
    Galaga Arrangement
    Galaxian
    Grobda
    King & Balloon
    Mappy
    Metro-Cross
    Pac & Pal
    Pac-Man Arrangement
    Pac-Mania
    Pole Position
    Pole Position II
    Rally-X
    Rolling Thunder
    Sky Kid
    Sky Kid Deluxe
    Super Pac-Man
    The Tower of Druaga    … Full Review »
  2. jsharbour
    Sep 20, 2015
    3
    I'm a fan of retro games, even though I'm not very good at them. I enjoy it because I played these games in the arcade as a kid. But, thisI'm a fan of retro games, even though I'm not very good at them. I enjoy it because I played these games in the arcade as a kid. But, this collection is CLUNKY. It's just not well done, feels thrown together without much thought put into it. The XBL games have achievements which is very cool, and the rest of the classic emulated games ran fine. But, loading times throughout are unacceptably slow. These ancient games are only about 256kb roms at most, so it's not like they have to stream content off the disc, they should come up immediately. I'm not impatient but by the time you wait for every game to load it's not easy to just jump in for a quick romp through a few old games--a-la popping in a quarter, like it should be. Why is it so slow? When I'm in the mood to play these games, I don't want it to be a small ordeal to get to playing. It's not convenient or pleasant, in other words. It's maybe a trite complaint but multiply it by 30 games and you have a frustration-inducing arcade experience--quite the opposite of what you want to feel when firing up ancient games for a little nostalgic fun.

    I was a little disappointed in the sluggishness of the emulated games, as well as the menus. There's obvious screen tearing in several games which hints at poor emulation running on the 360. The loading time for the menus and the disc startup is unacceptably slow. There is no title screen, just a menu to go to the XBL editions or the classic emulated versions. That's all there is for a title screen, so why does it take so long to load? I wouldn't think more than 2-3 seconds is needed. Also, after an XBLA game is finished, you're dumped back into your Games list, not Namco Museum, so you have to RUN IT ALL OVER AGAIN!

    I also had trouble getting the games to work well with my Street Fighter IV fightstick (which emulates the D-pad). Most games worked with it but responded poorly to the D-pad, as if the games are given priority control with the LS instead? I won't speculate, just disappointed that D-pad control is not very good. Dig Dug, for instance, is almost impossible to play with the stick, despite the fact that this and the other games were originally designed for exactly that kind of input. I won't fault the product for that, since it does not claim to support it, but basically that means D-pad input doesn't work very well. Why? I can guess that the delays in emulation have something to do with it, poor framerate, sluggish input. A casual player might not ever notice, but try playing with just the D-pad instead of LS.

    Since I'm so unhappy with it, I'm returning the game. I'll go back to Midway. If you enjoy just the Live Arcade remakes, then it's probably worth the purchase but the disc has to be inserted to play them!

    Live Arcade Games (with achievements):
    Dig Dug
    Galaga
    Ms. Pac-Man
    New Rally-X
    Pac-Man
    Xevious

    Emulated Classics:
    Baraduke
    Bosconian
    Dig Dug II
    Dig Dug Arrangement
    Dragon Buster
    Dragon Spirit
    Galaga '88
    Galaga Arrangement
    Galaxian
    Grobda
    King & Balloon
    Mappy
    Metro-Cross
    Pac & Pal
    Pac-Man Arrangement
    Pac-Mania
    Pole Position
    Pole Position II
    Rally-X
    Rolling Thunder
    Sky Kid
    Sky Kid Deluxe
    Super Pac-Man
    The Tower of Druaga    … Full Review »
  3. FNaF
    Dec 19, 2018
    7
    I wish one day I would give this game to my cousins who have a Xbox one, I would play with them!
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