There's this pizza joint down the street, it must be at least 20 years old. A lot of the decor has been untouched in the place. In addition to the ancient purple-and-red drank machine, an original Ms. Pac-Man arcade cabinet remains intact and with a playable stick. I sneak in a game or two if I have to wait for my pizzer. After all these years, I still enjoy the hell out of the franchise that introduced me to the world of video gaming.



I got to thumb through old family photos at my parent's house recently. I'm gracing a ringer Pac-Man shirt in my pre-schooler years in a handful of the pictures. You flip through it some more and you can find a set of pics from my cousin's ?th birthday party. You see me watching a head-to-head Ms. Pac-Man tabletop match with great enthusiasm and lust.



Does anyone remember the puffy Pac stickers? (Sorry, I couldn't find a picture.) All throughout that glorious decade, everything PM sold well (cartoon show, toys, stationary, food, etc.). I liked Pac-Man a lot back then, according to my moms.

Check out this ridiculous PM cereal commercial. Yes, you can also do the Pac-Man.



That same cousin had handed down his Atari 2600, my very first console. It was quite a revolution, I didn't have to nag for quarters in public, now I could eat all the ghosts I want at home. (God, I miss my 2600.) Why the hell am I taking you on this trivial trip down Memory Lane? You'll see in a few...



I had a chance to attend the recent Pac-Man World Championship event at the Supper Club in Manhattan on behalf of the almighty Destructoid. (Check out Dick McVengeance's post with .tiff's photos.) So we get the big announcement from Pac-Man creator, Toru Iwatani. I'm half disappointed (Bioshock? Zune Gaming? Cease & Desist? I have my sources...) and the other half psyched about the new game. Pac-Man Championship Edition looks crispified in HD. I got to try 3 of the modes. I enjoyed it a lot. 800 MS points is not too bad for 30+ new levels, a good amount of different modes and going head-to-head on XBLA.



As a gamer that was weened on the Pac-Mans, I was pleasantly surprised and feeling good about, possibly, the last incarnation of PM as we know it. So there it is, kids. Full circle, as promised.

Enjoy some footage I shot from the event including the final championship round and a glimpse at the one-off Pac-Man limited edition 360. Click here for the YouTube.

Also, owlies...