[Feature] Namco Roulette: An Introduction to Pac & Pals
Author: Patrick
Part of the appeal of Super Smash Bros. to me is the history behind it all. With their large cast of characters, range of collectibles and obscure music picks, I always seem to be discovering new games with each installment. The original game introduced me to Earthbound, while Melee first brought Fire Emblem to my attention. This new Smash Bros.’ cast of newcomers are largely from games released in the last few years, but what I find interesting how Namco-Bandai’s involvement in development resulted in Namco’s history finding a way into the game.
Pac-Man is one of my favourite characters to play as in the new Super Smash Bros. and it’s partially due to his “Namco Roulette” taunt. This taunt involves Pac-Man summoning a bunch of old Namco sprites from the company’s golden age for a quick cameo, but there’s no trophies or anything to give context to these characters. With that in mind, let’s look at all these Namco icons as we take either a trip down memory lane. Namco have a legacy of creating incredible arcade titles that still persists to this day –I’ve been hooked on Mobile Suit Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost lately- and it’s great to see it represented in Smash Bros. in some form. So let’s start by traveling thirty-five years back in time…
You can get a look at the amiibo functionality at the 4:56 mark!
It’s time for the latest Famitsu’s most wanted games chart! Final Fantasy XV, Bravely Second, Tales of Zestiria, Persona 5, and The Legend of Legacy are the new top five.
Head past the break for the full chart. All votes were cast between December 4 and December 10.
Assassination Classroom: Grand Siege on Kurosensei will be released in Japan on March 12.
Famitsu published a review for Final Fantasy Explorers in one of its issues earlier this month. Across four different reviewers, the game earned eights across the board for a total of 32 out of 40.
Of course, it helps to know what the editors actually said about Final Fantasy Explorers. We now have a complete translation of the game’s review. Continue on below to read it in full!
Three more Virtual Console titles have been rated for release in North America. On Wii U, we can look forward to Mario Party Advance and Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2. The ESRB also rated Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for 3DS.
It’s currently unclear when exactly all of these retro titles will be launching. Given their ratings though, this could be a sign that they’ll be available in the near future.
Late last week, Toys “R” Us cancelled a slew of amiibo pre-orders. We later learned that the issues came about due to an error within the retailer’s system, and the company was working on bringing back reservations.
Emails going out today confirm that Toys “R” Us is working on reinstating pre-orders. Keep track of future updates from the retailer. Here’s hoping any figures pre-ordered that were wrongly cancelled will be successfully restored.
