PMCEDX, whose acronym seems like a stock index, is a follow-up to Pac-Man Championship Edition, released for XBL and PSN, as well as various mobile editions, back in 2007. It was designed by the legendary Tōru Iwatani, creator of the original Pac-Man arcade game in 1980. It was also Iwatani's last game for Namco before he retired in 2007.
Both DX and the original game make a wonderful effort at bringing The Yellow One into modern gaming. Sure, you still control the little yellow eating machine scarfing up dots in a maze while avoiding deadly ghosts roaming the playfield, but new play-modes and a frenetic, yet manageable pace make the effort much more than just a retro remake. DX particularly shines, building on the already sturdy foundation of Mr. Iwatani by adding game mechanics that increase the fun and strategy while keeping things just as frantic.
This is the crux of the game's success: things get insanely fast and furious, while somehow allowing the player to remain in control of the proceedings. Progressing through variations of the game modes, which prompt gamers to get total high scores or eat the most blue ghosts in a row, as the player moves around the mazes, things speed up to an almost impossible tempo. Clever mechanics keep things in check, such as keeping a subtle glow around Pac so you can keep track of him, or having things slow down a-la bullet time to let you get out of close scrapes.
This updated version of Pac-Man is a rarity these days: a retro remake that is not made simply to cash in on the memory of a truly classic video game, but a fun and fantastic outing in its own right.
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