PAC-MAN 99 Announced Exclusively For Nintendo Switch Online

This looks really cool. I'm loving these concepts of turning old games into a last-man-standing thing. Plus, more free stuff for NSO users is always welcome.

"Do something fresh and/or new with Pac-Man or Draw 25"

Nice, will give that a bite.

Looks like this game is being published by Bandai Namco, as opposed to the Tetris and Super Mario Bros. ones, which were both published by Nintendo.

Nintendo: Check it out—Pacman 99 is coming very soon guys! Wait, what? Mario 35? Never heard of it.

Pac-Man World All-Stars for Switch?? They'll have to take it down in a few months but still.

Just saw and made a thread for it on the forum, lol.

No idea about this one, I feel like it'll end up being like Tetris 99 to me...won't be as enjoyable.

I'll just stick with Mario 35...oh right, I can't...Nintendo removed it from existence...

Any extra incentives to add value to NSO are welcome.

Now lets hope this one won't disappear from the face of the earth.

Pretty cool. My subscription runs out tomorrow so I guess I gotta renew it now lol.

Well ok then! The ghost smorgasbord looks fun and I might try this once or twice, but the intensity will scare me off quickly I’m afraid.
Can you earn a Ms. Pac-man skin? 😁

Saw the eShop page has some additional content you can pay for. The $20 expansion pack includes Password-Enabled Multiplayer, which was a free option in Tetris 99. Kinda lame. The additional Namco Arcade-themed skins look cool though. But would it kill Namco to recognize Libble Rabble?

I like how they worked in the CE ghost trains. And 8 strats (4 buffs, 4 attacks) is wild! Can't wait for tomorrow!

Oh, I'm all for this. Love Tetris 99.

I guess we know why the software update came about, huh? Tetris 99 had similar happen, didn't it?

Oh lord these are gonna last forever...

me with Mario 35: meh

me with Pac-Man 99: YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This looks amazing. MS. PAC-MAN was the arcade game that made me a gamer. This is pure candy.

While I think NSO is poor value for money, a battle royale WarioWare game might be just the thing to tip me over.

What's a good excuse for calling in sick?

This looks really fun. Will definitely check it out.

You guys are so easy to please. While the other guys have modern games on their subscription services, you guys are all excited over Pac-Man.

Oh wow, first Tetris, then Mario and now Pac man, this is great!!
Now only I will say this: Paku Paku!!!

The dlc looks promising. Cannot wait!

This kinda came out of left field, didn't it? Either way it's neat.

Sure, it would make sense if Super Mario Bros 35 moved over for this.... if Tetris 99 had disappeared when SMB 35 came out.

This is nice and whatever.... but I'd rather still have Mario 35

Can't say I feel much for this, except for Apathy.

@Burning_Spear

You have to attend your dear friend Mario’s funeral.

I was hoping for a battle royale kind of playing field.

Nah...
It will be fated like Mario 35 when the game pulled out from eshop / NSO.
NAMCO collection on PSP was already enough.

Is this an out of season April Fools joke?
^{_{I hope not}}

@Anti-Matter if there are literally DLCs that cost money, I don't think that this is going anytime soon.

@HotGoomba
I prefer PACMAN 3D Remake on PSP from NAMCO Collection rather than 2D style PACMAN.
Also, i can play other NAMCO games, not just only PACMAN.

I figured we would get something to replace Mario 35 I was hoping for Zelda 35, but I’ll take this!
As a huge Pac-Man Vs fan...this is right up my alley!

I thought Tetris 99 was such a cool idea when it came out. Mario 35 was (lol) awesome as well, and this is a great addition! It's so cool to be able to play an arcade classic while competing with tons of people.

Nice but all these battle royale mode for old games are starting to get old. What's next a Pong 99, then a Galaga 99, then a Sonic 99, then a Donkey Kong 99, then a Mega Man 99? Soon being a Switch Online Subscriber basically means be a battle royale participant.

I've never played Pac-Man! So I guess I'll see what it's all about

all of a sudden I have a PAC-MAN fever of 99 degrees Fahrenheit

@idork99 Not much of a fever.

I miss Super Mario 35. It's sad that it was dropped. Oh well, if they don't want to keep something popular up, then they can just let the modders do it no matter how much they HATE it when we pirate their games.

This is awesome. Love Pac-Man and I think it fits better for Battle Royale than Super Mario

Offline mode? Sounds like we may get a cartridge for this one, just like Tetris.

Hunh. For a minute I thought this was just a re-brand of Pac-Man: Mega Tunnel Battle, which came out on Stadia last October and is a 64-person Pac-Man battle royale (and it's actually quite good)... but nope, they indeed appear to have made a second, completely different Pac-Man battle royale for Switch.

<shrug> Okay. It'll probably also be fun.

This sounds pretty cool.

I'll definitely check it out, as I do like me some Pac-Man.

@Xenobound94 tbh, while this is just an hypothesis, I could see Mario 35(or a new iteration with tweaks, like a "Mario 99" however unwieldy THAT might be) coming back later in the year as a "surprise" and after enough time for stuff like re: this Pac Man 99 to get established with less risk of "The Mario" overshadowing it.

Either ways, the timing of this reveal is... interesting.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT Again WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?????? this is a dream!

I'm not into pac-man.

I got retro/pixel games out of my system. So, I don't play any games on NSO. 3D games would get my interest, though.

Seems cool. I'll probably play it for 15 minutes like with Mario and Tetris, and call it a day. Still waiting on some more retro games Nintendo.

Will definitely try this one, Pac-Man is always fun. Really like Tetris 99, didn't click with Mario 35.

Well, it's no Pac-Man World 2 HD, but I'm excited!

@Dark-Luigi doubtful if they’re offering paid content. Mario 35 had zero paid extra content.

This is the single greatest thing that’s ever happened.

I used to play PAC-MAN until it crashed back in the day. This was on a BBC Micro though so no idea if that was a great achievement or not.

@Crono1973 I’m sure 99% of the people here are aware of the other subscription services and would have them if it appeals to them.

This looks like a fun way to play Pac-Man. Can’t wait to try it out.

RIP Pac-Man March 31, 2022. Just short of 42 years.

Ugh, Battle Royale. I never really enjoyed Super Mario 35 and I MOST ESPECIALLY HATE Tetris 99. I have my doubts for this, but whatever. It's not like I actually have NSO to begin with.

What next? The Legend of Zelda 35? I will hate Nintendo, because what I really want to see is a Four Swords re-release (not to be confused with Four Swords Adventures).

Okay. I’m down with this. What’s next- bomberman? That would translate well too. Let’s take all the classics that have gone stale on creativity and give them this limited time battle royale experiences! Tetris 99 has opened the door wide open

@Silly_G mmm

Why can’t this be available for people who don’t have NSO

And this one will probably be sold in physical form too, and won't be temporary. That's the way.

This looks like absolute madness. Awesome!

Most overrated game in history.

@thaimbomb
Nope, it's still fun.

ok.... I'm just gonna take a second to talk about how fricken awesome that is!!!!

I'm keen to give this a try.

@Teksetter here's hoping lol

Sorry but this is getting bizarre. Is Nintendo deliberately trying to be unexciting for me?

This looks really good. Will give it loads of tries

@anoyonmus : If Tetris 99 is any indication, you should be able to download and open the software, but it will prompt you to subscribe to NSO once you try to enter the Pac-Man 99 mode.

You will need to pay for the relevant DLC to be able to play the game offline though.

I'll bite if there is a physical release similar to Tetris 99 with all of the DLC on the cartridge.

I'll certainly give it a try but would have much rather kept (or even the option to buy for a one off fee) Super Mario 35

@Slowdive Right? Pac-Man 40th anniversary was pretty underwhelming.

The best thing we got was the Pac-Man Championship Edition demake and that was based upon a ROM hack from a decade ago.

Just yesterday I randomly thought to myself a Pac-Man battle royale would be neat, and now here we are!

I loooove Tetris 99 so I'm really looking forward to this one.

Next up: We’re announcing another new Battle Royale game, Bomberman 99!!

Nice, Space Invaders 99 could be fun too

Time to dig out the arcade stick, this looks like fun

So much for Zelda 35, have Nintendo forgotten about Zelda 35 year completely?
Except for Skyward Sword HD, there has been nothing

@TheRenegade908 there is a 64 player Battle Royal Bomberman game on the way, free to play. Its called 'Bomberman R Online', it used to be a Stadia exclusive.

@Sun_wukong That's actually been announced for later in the year! Okay, not 99 but Battle Royale.

Very excited to try this but expecting it to be the hardest of the three Battle Royale games (if you only get one life)

Shame the themes aren't unlockable as that was one of the best features of Tetris 99 but Namco is publishing this one so I guess they wanna make their money.

Now where's my Switch Tekken game Namco?!

I'm already getting Pac-Man fever again!!!

Scott: “Hey, you know Pac-Man?”
Ramona: “I know of him...”

Oh and I hope the soundtrack is as amazing as Pacman Championship Edition 2!

I'm awful at Pac-Man, I'll still play this!

So let me get this straight. Mario needs an anniversary to keep his battle royale game up, but tetris and pac man don't????

I don't follow this logic.

@Yosher Nintendo only has space for two Battle Royale games at a time in their PACKED NSO lineup... 😏

(Still hoping for N64 to be added soon 🙏)

This was the plan all along. Make a special game for the Mario 35th anniversary and release the Pac-Man 99 game after it ends.

Wow, there are 20 themes. I wonder if "newer" Namco franchises like Tekken and Ridge Racer will be represented.

Haha one last Mario 35 mention crow barred into an article lol. (Honestly, what you said makes no sense.)

This game looks superb!

Paid content? Looks like Namco are dragging Nintendo along with the industry lol.

Oh boy, another way to play PAC-MAN...

I don't know, I thought the idea was neat when Tetris 99 came out, but honestly, is this all NSO is for? Certainly not the online experience.

I personally couldn’t get into Tetris 99 or Mario 35 but this looks to be quite fun!

For the nerds out there...like me.

Pac-Man 99 runs on the Nintendoware ‘Bezel Engine’. Also used for Tetris 99, Super Mario 35, Brain Training and Clubhouse Games.

Vroom in the Night Sky uses it too.

Got here when there was 99 comments, lol. :3

Seems like a fun thing for a late celebration of Pacman's 40th anniversary.

Mario resurrected like a Phoenix, and out of the ashes comes...... a cheese

Fun, loved those pacman 4p gamecube variants etc..

would be a bit scared to buy dlc for it, after Mario 35..

@romanista Nintendo said from Day 1 Mario 35 was limited, so don't worry.

Cool, although I never liked Pac-Man as a game. I hope we see more of those arcade 99 games. Ice Climbers 99 anyone?

This looks cool. Will install when available.

Love T99 but didn't get on with SMB35 so we'll see how this one works out.

Oh, you can view all the DLC here if you scroll right down! https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/pac-man-99-switch/

I love PacMan, but I'm also a bit rubbish at it. So I'm looking forward to seeing just how badly I do here!

(insert usual grumble about not being able to get Ms PacMan on Switch because of all those licensing issues here).

I don't totally get all the DLC options though, that's just a nasty cash grab!

@mr_benn I'll miss unlocking the themes like in Tetris 99. Also loved unlocking all the levels in Mario 35. Really hope there's at least badges to earn as these kind of incentives keep me coming back to these games.

@Clyde_Radcliffe Word. I wonder what's keeping them. Probably in over their heads from the Switch success or something.

Yeah, I'm into this. I'll have to see what the DLC packs contain, if there's a substantial enough single-player experience I'll probably spring for the lot. Pac Man CE DX is one of my favourite games ever, but the sequel was overly-complicated and a bit of a disappointment.

Not a big fan of Pac-Man, but will give this a go. The dlc seems a bit steep, especially compared to the value given with Tetris 99.

Reminds me.

I'm not paying for the DLC unless this game ends up popular enough to warrent an expansion based on Miyamoto's Pac-Man Versus.

Really cool idea, but I suck at Pac-Man so I'm passing

Gotta love these surprise spins on classic formulas. SMB35 was good but didn't grab me as I thought it would. Tetris 99 is my jam we'll see if this game can compete for my attention. I do have to admit though Pac-Man games of any kind give me mad anxiety as I get further into it so it will be interesting to see how this one makes me feel.

@romanista it’s not a limited release. Unlike Mario 35.

Pac Man sucks. These days it's just a cheap IP used in movies/games to make a quick buck.

This Looks ridiculous, and i love it

(wonders about the status of a certain PAC-MAN LIVE STUDIO (or Pac-Man Live Studio) after having learned of this PAC-MAN 99 (or Pac-Man 99)

Ready for a Zelda 99 dungeon BR next.

Can't wait to play this, this was one of the games I was hoping to see them do next.

@Crono1973 You're not wrong. I'm a simple man with simple tastes. And it doesn't get much simpler than Pac Man.

@Clyde_Radcliffe @sanderev I know... But due to the NSO connection and the history that just feel a floating... we'll see.. maybe the offline is so good I'll buy it anyway..

looks s----y. completely uninterested

I was never good at Pac man, but I think I'll give this one a try.

Mario died for this. Let's all give it a go in remembrance of him.

@Ghost_of_Hasashi “ What's next a Pong 99, then a Galaga 99, then a Sonic 99, then a Donkey Kong 99, then a Mega Man 99?”

That all sounds awesome. You’re hired!

Very cool. I will definitely be playing this.

Pretty cool, but I am terrible at Pacman! Even more so than Tetris! I don't think I will be playing this one.

@Prizm Pac-Man is a fantastic game, even today. I especially like Pac-Man Championship Edition 1 & 2 which have some modern touches made to the old formula.

Speaking of CE, glad to see Pac-Man 99 taking notes from it, especially ghost trains.

Again? I find these type of games kind of boring. Oh well, will probably give it a try, it doesn't look too bad.

For some reason I can still play Mario 35 on my Switch and there are other people still playing it too?????

@thesilverbrick There is no ADD if you substract first.

@Burning_Spear doesn't matter. Just tell them you have to swallow a lot of pills to feel better

uEAAAH bAebAy

I'm going to hold off on the dlc in hopes that a physical release becomes available in the near future.

FYI: This game is now downloadable but still locked for play.

Wow oh wow did this make my day! Cannot wait to get home later!

Why is this still not out why they said today

Yeah this isn't out yet for my area either.

It's live now! Go!!!