Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 & 2 Review | A Trip Down 8-bit Memory Lane

Worth checking out for retro gaming fans!

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Playing Namco Museum Archives Volume 1 & 2 definitely brought back memories. It just goes to show that I am getting old as I know most of the games that are in the Museum Archives. These archives focus on the 8-bit games that where released on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom, which are the only type games played back in the 80s and 90s. Each volume consists of 11 games. All titles originate from the arcade and home consoles, which also includes Pac-Man and Galaga.

NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES VOL 1:

  • Galaxian
  • Xevious
  • Dragon Buster
  • PAC-MAN
  • Dig-Dug
  • Mappy
  • PAC-MAN Championship Edition
  • SpatterHouse Wanpaku Graffiti
  • Dragon Spirit: The New Legend

This volume consists of classic titles like Pac-Man and Mappy. Playing these games made me think how bad I was when playing way back, because I totally suck now that I played them once again. Are the controls the same? Mostly I’d say. And while a modern controller doesn’t feel 100% like a classic joystick, the enjoyment I felt playing Pac-Man is still there as I try hard not to get eaten. The 8-bit version really is nostalgic; seeing these arcade classics again goes to show how far the industry has come, so it’s great to see these arcade games on a home console. Though as I mentioned, the whole collection is 8-bit, so it might frustrate you, especially if you’re not used to these types of arcade games.

This volume actually consist the 2007 Pac-Man Championship game which you can actually play on PS3 or the sequel that is in PS4. It still maintains the core of the game wherein you gather points in a certain amount of time in the game to get a high score and get your name on the board.

As for the best game for me, in this collection it’s a toss-up between Pac-Man Championship Edition and the original Pac-Man. These are classic games for me, so I just had a lot of fun spending a lot of time to get the highest score on the board and seeing how long I can really last in the game. I have actually competed with my siblings for the 1st place in the board but I lost sadly. Still, it was a great experience because my parents were even familiar with the games, which is a total shocker and that they wanted to play as well. Such a good game to spend time with family.

NAMCO MUSEUM ARCHIVES VOL 2:

  • Gaplus
  • Dragon Buster II
  • Battle City
  • Mendel Palace
  • Rolling Thunder
  • Legacy of the Wizard
  • Super Xevious
  • Dig Dug II
  • Pac-Land
  • Mappy Land
  • Galaga

Volume Two also has a lot of amazing titles! The stand-outs for me are Galaga, Rolling Thunder, and Gaplus. Each game has better details on the gameplay side, plus the soundtrack is rather good as well. The rest of the games in the volume is a hit or miss for me though; but still, there’s a lot to enjoy in this second volume.

It is fascinating that Bandai Namco took the chance to bring back the NAMCOT titles in their 8-bit forms. I’m sure a lot of people who played these during the generation of 8-bit games surely will find this nostalgic and enjoyable, and of course, a fun walk down memory lane. These games are a reminder of how innovative and creative old games were.

These are some neat set of volumes, bringing back these old titles, even down to how they were really played back then. Best of all, the collections include games that weren’t given wide console releases, so it’s amazing that now we can just simply play all these amazing titles in our consoles or on PC.

Final Verdict – 7.5/10

Overall, if you’re looking for an experience that’ll take you to a trip down memory lane, these two Namco Museum Archives volumes are really worth it for you to play.

Playing some nostalgic games once in awhile really does help on bringing back some memories in which made me fall in love in playing games. Not just console games but all games in general.