Bandai Namco Is Bringing Its Retro Collection To The West As Namco Museum Archives

Mappy! Finally, probably my favorite old school arcade game there is.

I just picked up the Namco Museum for Switch a couple weeks ago while it was on sale so I'm good. I do wish Mappy was included in it though but I'm not going to purchase a whole other collection just for that.

A̶l̶s̶o̶.̶.̶.̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶M̶s̶.̶ ̶P̶a̶c̶-̶M̶a̶n̶?̶

I might just pick this up. Probably should add some retro compilations to my collection to complement my plug and plays.

Hm I would've considered if it was all a single collection. I think Namco Museum Arcade Pac is enough for me at the moment.

About Ms Pac-Man, she is more or less dead right now thanks to AtGames.

Mappy. I so played the crap out of that game on my 31-in-1 illegal NES cartridge bought in Singapore I think. Loved that cartridge.

@RupeeClock Interesting to hear, I had no idea! Thanks for the insight

wonder why Ms. Pac-Man is never part of any collection... such a better game than the original Pac-Man

What am I missing? Why are they releasing this when they have something similar already on Switch? I am so confused.

No Rally X, Pole Position, Ms. Pacman or Pacman Arrangement. If they were going to include Splatterhouse, why go with the watered down kids game for the NES? Namco is like Capcom with their old games. They know they can fit their whole 80s catalog in an SD card and they still drip feed us like we're too stupid to know better

I'm curious if we're going to get Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti as that would be the first time the game has been playable in the west, to my knowledge. I would probably pick up the first volume for that alone.

With that said, there's no reason this couldn't all be one pack. I can fit an entire NES library on a 4GB SD card so there's really no excuse to split the volumes up other than money.

@Onion @Papichulo They recently rereleased Mappy Kids (also Japan exclusive) in the west on the Evercade (complete with an original localisation and the accidental KKK references censored out), so it wouldn't surprise me if they localised the Famicom Splatterhouse game as well. I imagine they used it as opposed to the mainline Splatterhouse games as to make the compilation appropriate to a younger audience - it'd be kinda dumb to make a compilation filled with family friendly games then slap a single gorefest in the middle.

Aren’t most of these games on that Namco collection already on the switch?

I've still not pulled the trigger on the Namco collection that's already on Switch. I may get this first Archive when it comes over.

@Papichulo @Onion A collection's value is determined by more than how much space it occupies on a card.

I’m going to just say it: Namco games were never that great.

Not worth picking up if you have Namco Museum on Switch???

I would be very happy if B. Namco finally brings the original Pac-Land to Switch.

That demastered version of Pac-Man C.E. sounds pretty cool though.

I'll totally pick up volume 2 if Pac-Land is the arcade original. I have very fond memories of playing it in my local arcade when I was little.

@LEGEND_MARIOID @AG_Awesome Sounds like these are collections of the 8-bit versions of these games. I’ll stick with the arcade versions.

Where are Ms. Pac-Man and Pole Position 1 and 2? Will Namco ever release a truly comprehensive collection of their classic coin-ops?

But still only physical as the Japanese Namcot Collection?

My kingdom for Bosconian and Rally-X on Switch.

Pac-Man Championship Edition Demastered 8-Bit Version? But we still don’t have the regular version on Switch. Very odd.

I swear, Namco has to be one of the worst companies in terms of double dips. The majority of these have already been released tons of times over, but then they throw in a few exclusives (Battle City, Mendel Palace, Legacy of the Wizard, etc.) to get people to buy yet another compilation.

I think the fact that there's a whole Wikipedia article about Namco Museum and the amount of times they've re-released their arcade games sums it up.

@JedRock @Papichulo
Ms. Pac-Man wasn't made by Namco(t), so it wouldn't have made sense to be in a Namcot collection. If it was a Pac-Man collection yeah, but the game was made by Midway.

I wonder if Namco will ever acknowledge anything other than their early work. What’s stopping them from rereleasing the following:

-Ridge Racer
-Tekken 1-3
-Soul Edge

• Soul Caliber 1 and 2
  Point Blank
  Time Crisis

There are only so many times I can re-purchase Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and company. For the Switch, once (Namco Museum) is enough.

Good news for us retro fans but i feel they should’ve taken a look at the collection already released in the west and avoid duplicate titles like Rolling Thunder etc.
Also WHY is Ms Pac Man always overlooked whenever Namco puts these collections together??? Much too important a game to exclude in these 2 volumes! And a great & famous game at that! Also ..I will wait to buy these because last time I bought Namco Museum on Switch digitally only to see a retail version surface later on! 😤

That's nice, but I still wish Pac-Mania and Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, would get collected and released with some of these collections.

Great! I had it on my Amazon Japan wishlist, but now there's no need (depending on the price and if it comes physical as in Japan, of course).

But... While I read the article about volume 1, I never caught the one about volume 2. Was it even posted here on Nintendo Life?

I hope Rolling Thunder isn't the arcade version, because we already have it on Namco Museum.

By the way, it's quite surprising that the only version confirmed is Xbox One bound, considering that is the console they usually skip, especially when it comes to Japanese games.

@BanjoPickles Seriously... Soul Calibur 1 on its own would be out of this fruckin world.

@link3710 Ah.. ok.. got ya!! That makes sense, but I feel like it's a bit unfortunate. Thanks for the enlightenment

@aznable

It just makes no sense because Namco was one of the key players in revitalizing the arcade market in the 1990’s. You would think that they didn’t do anything past 1987, based on their compilations.

Seriously a demaster of pacman championship edition Just release the original on modern systems. It's much better than the second one

Wish they'd re-release the 5-volume Namco Museum for PS1...I will always regret being so closed minded and unwilling to give the PS1 a chance early on for this.

@Chunkboi79 CE2, maybe. CE DX+ though, that's a whole different game, one of my favorites of all time. Wish that would release for Switch.

@HexagonSun I would too.

The original hasn't officially been released on a Nintendo console so I've just been playing it on MAME and keyboard controls aren't the way to go.

Pac-man championship edition, 8bit demastered edition???? What the hell is this????

@link3710 Actually made by general computer corporation, Midway published it.

@Noid

That plus the fact the real Splatterhouse is on the other Switch collection so I imagine they're trying not to cannibalize any potential sales of it since the inclusion of Splatterhouse was a big selling point for a lot of fans. I imagine a lot less people are interested in Wanpaku Graffiti, though. I'd be interested in seeing it included though for the sake of having an officially translated and released version.

This needs Rally X. if its physical I will get it.

By now these collections should be $2, I have so many ways to play these games, I’ve probably paid for Dig Dug fifteen times by now. These packs do not have enough in them, we need one collection with like 50 games, like the Sega Genesis Switch cart, I’m not buying all the volumes to get maybe one game per pack that I don’t already have 15 copies of.

@blackknight77 yeah, it does! They seem very stingy with the games offered. I think they are betting that even though we have so many ways to play these games that they will have more value in being portable this time. I never undock my switch... well... except for maybe trying to find the cartridge slot!

The article doesn't really explain these collections properly... The new Japanese NAMCOT Collection is not based on the arcade originals but Namco's home conversions or 'domestic titles' (NAMCOT was a subsidiary they used for home versions in the 80s). These Western collections appears to be a variant of of that emulation engine (e.g. a NES emulator) with extra games, split across 2 collections but confusingly renamed NAMCO Museum Archives in the US. Note, the currently available collection is officially called Namco Museum Arcade Pac so it is different.

Yeah, but where's Wagyan Land, Star Luster, Family Jockey, and Yokai Dochuki? All four of these games are available on the namcot collection, but not here. At least you can buy the Namcot Collection games individually, so I can pick up just those 4, but its still very annoying, especially when we are getting other former Japan exclusive games as a part of this collection. And better yet, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE DRAGON BALL GAMES? Bamco has to have the video game rights for most of, if not the entirety of Shonen Jump with how many anime games they make, and they OWN GUNDAM. Gundam alone could probably make 5 collections and still have a few games left out, and that neglect hurts me more than anything else, especially with the fates that were met by other licensed games. Just put them out Bamco, how hard could it be to put some roms for some old NES Dragonball or Gundam games on an emulator and call it a day.

Also, to reiterate what a few other commentators have said - Ms Pac Man is often left out because there are ongoing legal disputes over royalties between Namco and the original programmers (who were NOT Namco employees).

Ms Pac Man was originally called Crazy Otto and was a hacked conversion board for Pac Man - when Bally Midway (the US Pac Man distributor) found out, they bought the game, had it modified and it subsequently negotiated with Namco, making it an 'Official' Pac Man game... with Namco taking the IP when Bally Midway went bust. However Namco stopped paying royalties to the original company some time ago thus giving the original team the (supposed) rights to sub licence it again... Namco disputes this obviously but they appear to be avoiding using the character / reissuing the game whilst this is sorted once and for all.

@nicols Licencing, source code, IP and contracts were basically a wild west of spoken agreements and handshakes back in the early days of the arcades, made even more complex as companies have sold the IP / merged / gone bust multiple times in the last 4 decades! I mean, there was an article on this very site a few years explaining that Nintendo didn't actually code Donkey Kong and ended up getting sued by their out-sourced coding company because Nintendo PIRATED of their own game to meet demand when Donkey Kong was a big hit and were also accused of stealing code out of the game to make DKjr and DK3!

I'm sure you guys will have a good time with it. Its not really grabbing me. I like Xevious though.

Looks interesting, so count me in. I'm fond of many of the NES ports from Namco and I'm always up for another classic gaming compilation.

Too bad the newly translated Mappy Kids isn't here as well. I wonder if Evercade has an exclusive on that or if it's being held back for a potential future volume.

That demaster of Championship Edition sounds interesting.

Glad I have Ms. Pac-Man on Xbox LIVE Arcade. Still, it'd be nice to have it, the Pole Position games, and other Namco coin-ops all in one place. Maybe if there's a "Namco Museum Archives Vol. 3"???

@Tandy255

Yeah, I thought I already own this? Well, most of this.

EDIT: Ohhhhh, now I get what it is.

And STILL, we have no new Ridge Racer. Sad, sad face.

@Illusion Bosconian is my all time favorite arcade game. Used to be in almost every Namco Museum collection but not lately... sigh...

Too many duplicates with Namco Museum Switch! What about Bosconian? Rally-X? Pole Position? Or lesser known games like Phelios? Cutie Q? Motos? Phozon? Blast Off? Baraduke? King & Balloon? Libble Rabble? Etc...

@blackknight77 Surprisingly Namco never made a Famicom version of Rally-X.
They left it to somewhat infamous unlicensed developer Sachen to make a clone of it called Jovial Race.
(most of Sachen's game were uninspired clones of better games, but they straight up made a bootleg port of a hack-n-slash beat-em-up called Gaiapolis that Konami themselves never cared to port to anything. And Super Pang, also a bootleg port. Hudson made a licensed version but never released it.)

I'd guess Mendel Palace and Legacy of the Wizard are included because Namco published the Japanese versions?

The thing about Ms. Pac-Man is that they allowed Tengen to make an enhanced port for the NES (later ported to the Genesis and much later SNES), then a few years after Namco themselves produced a merely serviceable port for the NES.

@AtlanteanMan This isn't an arcade collection. It's a collection of Famicom and NES games.

@alexybubble Of the 7 Dragon Ball games Bandai for the Famicom, only the first one I think is releaseable without translation work (since it got an off-brand localization for the NES called Dragon Power. Probably because DB was unknown to the US in 1987 and Bandai didn't want to pay for the license. Supposedly only France got the game with the license intact.)

However, as to Gundam games, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is partly such a big ripoff of Thexder that I'm surprised Game Arts/Square didn't sue. That game was once announced for a US release, I believe.

@Boopero I do have the Super Famicom port/remake of Libble Rabble. I think that is supposed to be on the Evercade collection. I suppose they probably do have enough early Genesis ports they could make a collection of them. (Phelios, Burning Force, Dangerous Seed, Marvel Land, Rolling Thunder 2 (I thought that was a console original, but I learned recently there was an arcade version)... probably more.)

@KingMike I have them all on my RG350 but it would be nice to have them on Switch. Namco Museum sets of late have really been lacking. And these new sets just duplicate too much from the existing Museum collection on Switch. I wish they would be more like SNK which has so many of their early games and Neo Geo available on the system.

I already own one.

Mendel Palace! One of the very first games developed by Game Freak. Worth it for that alone.

I try to buy physical whenever possible, so I will most likely end up importing the cart from Japan.

Gonna be picking it up just for mappy! Always loved that game since being a little kid.

Only the first set of games are on the Namcot Collection from what I see on amazon Japan.

@Expa0 to this day (I’m 37) I can vividly remember the ads in the video game magazines for this game. Idk why! It’s the only retro video game magazine as I remember so well. Never played the game for some reason. 🤷🏾‍♂️ Think I’ll give it a go!

No Ms. PAC-MAN no buy.

@stevep Heck, its gotten to the point where I mastered Dig Dug enough to get all the achievements in the 360 and XBONE versions. XD

Mappy-Land and Dig Dug are the only ones that I really enjoy on here...wonder if I can get those seperately

I... thought we already had this...

OK now to actually read the article. 🙂

I am just so gutted these aren't the coin-op versions

Can we get a proper Museum Volume 2 and 3 please. Galaxian, Ms. pac-man, Libble Rabble, Pac-Land, Xevious, Metro Cross, Ordyne, Soul Blade, Starblade, Tekken, Ridge Racer and Cyber Sled (with link up) would be superb!

Bah.

Got most of the ones I want in the Namco Collection already on the eShop. Now if Warner Bros, who owns Midway, would bring out a collection, that's a different story. Paperboy, Gauntlet, Toobin, Spy Hunter, Rampage...

@brandonbwii I’m going to just say it — you couldn’t be more wrong.

Pac/Ms. Pac/Dig Dug/Galaga/Galaxian all rock. And there are many very good second tier Namco arcade games from that era.

Oh, the confirmation of the date and it being so soon means there's no physical release planned. Well, I'll get it in Japan or if I have to go digital I'll get the Xbox One version, with achievements.

You had me at Splatterhouse Wanpaku Graffiti.

@Papichulo You had to realize that version of Splatterhouse is not a port, it's merely a spinoff and was made to attract a different audience. It's similar to what Konami did with the Castlevania franchise with Kid Dracula. A Castlevania spinoff that attract the younger player.

I'll probably get the second collection as well, but the first is a must buy for me, for the NES version of Dragon Spirit alone. I LOVED that game as a kid.

@Banedracul I second that! I saw Dragon Spirit on the list and internally yelped with joy lol

Even though there is some repeat titles here this is still great news BUT i will wait this time around and see if a retail version appears!! But Wow the retro news is just flowing this week!! 😃

Those are the nes versions? Then it's a big no.

Namco, please give us more Pac-Man Championship Edition games on Switch!

I don't have a lot of fond memories of those NES title when I was playing them as a Kid. I much rather have the arcade version of those missing on the Namco Museum already available on Switch...

Save states are fine for some of these, but, it doesn't work for the more arcadey games since it's way too easy to cheat, even on accident. Like Pacman for instance, you want to get a high score, but when I die to a ghost and rather than accept my score and go to Game Over I can just hit the load button and go a slightly different path, and suddenly I have infinite lives in a game that was designed for 3. Points lose their meaning when cheating is so easy, and without the score, it kinda takes away the purpose of the game.

Gaplus (aka Galaga 3) is the one with a new NES-ized version. Galaga already has a NES version. I was surprised by the inclusion of Legacy of the Wizard since it wasn't developed by Namco, only published by them in Japan. I'm glad it's included, though, since it's an excellent game.

Odd that Star Luster and Valkyrie no Bouken aren't included since they barely have any text at all and are mostly in English. Star Luster plays quite a bit like Atari's original Star Raiders on the Atari 800/5200.

Splatterhouse AC is already in the first Namco Museum for Switch. I don't mind the FC game being included since this is a collection of NES/FC games and it's a good game in its own right.

I am going to get more serious than everyone else, no Pac-Man Plus, no buy. Namco needs to bring every ROM hack back into their official release celebration.

Is this the thing where you have to buy all the games to get the Demastered Pac-Man Championship Edition?

I was tempted to import the Japanese release, but if it really only contains the first volume of games (with no physical option for the second) then I'll have to pass.

This does seem like quite a nice collection though, albeit with some overlap from the Namco Arcade Pac release from a couple of years ago.

Good god, Namco, are you EVER going to put Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man together in the same collection?? ...or Galaga and Galaxian, for that matter? I grew exhausted with these "volume" releases two decades ago. Enough, already.

@RupeeClock oh man same here... may double dip with a digital at some point if on sale

@TG16_IS_BAE

Kinda, yeah. That's how it worked in Japan, but not for the US version. In Japan, if you download the game, the "shell" of the game is free, with one game, Waygan Land. You can buy each additional game for around $2 each. If you get them all, then you unlock Pac-Man CE NES Edition. If you get the physical edition in Japan, you get CE automatically. Same with the US version, although it's not physical and the games are not "removable", it's all or nothing.

What makes me mad is that the US versions removed all of the bonus artwork and stuff. Barebones games only. In Japan, you get artwork of the cartridges, boxes, a cool shelf to display them on, as well as little virtual toys and stickers to collect, kinda like Smash Bros.