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The OnePlus Nord 2 Pac-Man Edition could be the best smartphone collaboration ever
This playful limited-edition phone even glows in the dark
OnePlus is no stranger to limited-edition devices, with several McLaren-branded phones under its belt as well as eye-catching tie-ins with the likes of Star Wars and Cyberpunk 2077. Its latest collaboration with Japanese game publisher Bandai Namco has spawned the most fun smartphone of the year. Announced a few days ago without being fully revealed, we've now had a chance to go hands-on with the OnePlus Nord 2 x Pac-Man Edition, and it's another welcome blast of video game nostalgia.
Play with an AR Gundam mech on your smartphone
Watching PAC-MAN go in a circle is a little mesmerizing
Google loves to demonstrate its ability to create fun toys, particularly with the use of augmented reality. We've seen plenty of AR demonstrations in the past with animals and other common objects, and there have even been some trademark collaborations to play with, but now Google is diving into the world of anime with an assortment of iconic Japanese characters like PAC-MAN and Gundam.
Stadia is offering three days of free demos, starting today
Games include Stadia-first 'Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle' and 'Immortals Fenyx Rising'
In a bid to drive interest in its game-streaming platform, Google is running a three-day event during which you can play some demos of upcoming titles free of charge. Each game is available for seven days, so you'll have plenty of time to give them a try. The demos are available to new or existing Stadia users — and don't worry, if you're signing up for the first time, you won't need to hand over any card details or anything.
Pac-Man Geo brings the classic arcade game to your city streets, but it's in rough shape
It simply isn't ready for prime time
Many developers have been trying to copy the success of Niantic's Pokémon GO with clones that offer similar gameplay, and so it's easy to jump to conclusions when new map-based mobile titles are revealed. Surprisingly Bandai Namco has actually come up with a unique way to utilize the map, and so Pac-Man Geo is a game where players will create new mazes out of the streets in their cities. While there's still a collection aspect in the title, seeing that high-scores will unlock collectible landmarks, at least the core Pac-Man gameplay has been retained. Pac-Man Geo is a brand-new listing on the Play Store, and it's already available for pre-registration.
There are already more than a few Pac-Man games available on Android, but are there any that combine Disney properties with everyone's favorite dot-eating arcade character? Well, there is now with the release of PAC-MAN: Ralph Breaks the Maze. It ties into the upcoming Disney movie Ralph Breaks the Internet, and despite what you may think, the game is actually pretty good.
Updates to the Play Games app aren't as free flowing as they are for many of Google's other apps, but they often do bring pretty big changes or additions. The latest version bump gives Play Games a huge visual makeover that looks cleaner and puts installed games front and center. There are also three included mini-games to play if you get bored and don't have something else installed yet.
Leave it to Bandai Namco to try and squeeze every single nickel they can out of their aging Pac-Man property. Their latest release PAC-MAN Hats 2 is the sequel to the now defunct PAC-MAN Hats and is a free-to-play gacha game that has you collecting unique hats. These hats contain special powers that will help you gain an advantage over on the many ghosts chasing you as you munch down every last Pac-Dot scattered throughout each stage.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we have a unique roguelike, a zen garden game, two takes on Snake, a surprising military sim, a simple racer, and the sequel to The Sandbox. Without further ado:
Lately it seems that "retro" games have become synonymous with faux NES-era pixelated graphics. And while some pixel art is impressive, it's often just a means of seeming somewhat trendy without having to put in the extra effort and expense of making high-resolution 2D graphics work well. Not so with the latest SHIELD exclusive: Pix the Cat manages to blend truly nostalgic gameplay with absolutely gorgeous 2D visuals for an altogether unique experience. Unfortunately you'll need either a SHIELD Android TV or SHIELD Tablet (and a hefty $10) to play it.
If you're a console gamer, you know that late summer is something of a dead zone for major game releases, as all the big studios gear up for blockbusters in October and November. Mobile gaming isn't following that trend at all: we had some fantastic releases in August, servicing every niche from casual to hardcore. We've got big franchise releases from Fallout and Pac-Man, and more interesting indie releases like Card Crawl. Pick your poison from our seven favorites below, along with honorable mentions.
Just days after releasing a new gameplay teaser, Pac-Man 256 From Hipster Whale has hit the Play Store. This officially licensed take on Pac-Man is part classic arcade eating simulator and part endless runner, plus a delightful homage to the level 256 glitch of the original. It's free-to-play, but the in-app purchases actually seem very fair once you figure it all out.
There have been a lot of Pac-Man games over the years, but there are only so many ways you can tweak the "run around a maze and eat things" genre. Hipster Whale (the developer of Crossy Road) has found a new one, though. After partnering with Namco, Hipster Whale came up with Pac-Man 256, a homage to the infamous level 256 glitch in the original game. A new gameplay video is now out, and it looks awesome.
Remember that one bit in Metal Gear Solid where the boss starts to mess with you, the player, and for a few minutes you wonder if A) the game is broken or B) you've actually gone insane trying to follow a Hideo Kojima plotline? GLTCH is that experience, boiled down to its essentials and turned into a mobile game.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got not one but two takes on Snake and Pac-Man, a game where you engage in blatantly illegal fishing techniques, and a new kid-friendly LEGO title. Without further ado:
There are three parts to any good Pac-Man game: a maze, some ghosts, and a little yellow dude eating dots and going "wakka wakka." That's it. Despite this seemingly simple formula, Namco has tried to make Pac-Man a mascot for the ages a la Mario, putting him in everything from platformers to kart racers to freaking Tekken. The latest indignity is Pac-Man Dash, in which the little yellow guy jumps on the endless runner bandwagon.
Welcome to the latest entry in our Bonus Round series, wherein we tell you all about the new Android games of the day that we couldn't get to during our regular news rounds. Consider this a quick update for the dedicated gamers who can't wait for our bi-weekly roundups, and don't want to wade through a whole day's worth of news just to get their pixelated fix. Today we've got a long-overdue iOS port, a 2D game that will blow your mind with its insane graphics, an interesting take on Pac-Man, and a cutesy over-the-shoulder shooter. Without further ado:
Sometimes, classic games are just better. If you're tired of playing through endless variations of Temple Run and flinging animated birds across your smartphone display, then you'll no doubt be glad to hear that NAMCO has just released PAC-MAN + Tournaments on Android.
Touchscreens have allowed a whole new era of innovation in mobile gaming and so far it's been pretty great. Sometimes, though, you just need buttons. There are a variety of companies out there trying to create the right solution and this isn't even the first review I've done on a third-party controller. With a unique grip to hold your smartphone, though, this one actually seemed like it stood a fighting chance of not disappearing into the nearest drawer. Of course, hardware is rarely the real problem for Android controllers, is it? But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
It's not every day that I shoot videos of Android games (in fact, this is my first one ever) but when I saw EVAC HD hit the Market yesterday, I felt the need to do it. It wasn't even the graphics, which, by the way, are awesome, it wasn't the gameplay, which is also good - it was the music and the sounds that captivated me. I have only one way to describe them - "magical".