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"That major Xbox announcement that was coming today? Nope, it wasn't the Xbox 720, but rather Pac-Man Championship Edition, exclusively for the Xbox 360. Ostensibly announced today at the Pac-Man championships in New York City, this variation of the pellet-munching classic promises to make \"video game history.\" How's it plan on doing that? Available tomorrow, June 6, 2007, for the asking price of 800 Microsoft Points ($10), Pac-Man: CE will be the same classic 2D Pac-Man gameplay with shiny new HD graphics, will contain \"first new Pac-Man mazes in more than 26 years,\" and sport new widescreen mazes with wide walls in the Championship mode. There are several additional modes for the competitive Pac-Man gamer, and the requisite leaderboards, achievements, and gamerscore points. While we may quarrel with the hyperbole of the announcement we would like to take the opportunity to salute the Pac-Nauts chomping it out in NYC right now.Update: The official site, with screens and video, is up. %Gallery-3684%Original \"Pac-Man\" Creator Surprises World With First New Mazes in 26 Years - Only on Xbox 360London - June 5, 2007 - The year was 1981: Big hair, leg warmers and high-waisted jeans were popular fashions, \"Raiders of the Lost Ark\" hit cinemas, and everyone was saving up their money to play the latest video games. Also that year, a new video game by game designer Toru Iwatani at NAMCO LTD. (currently NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.) hit arcades around the world and would soon become a pop-culture phenomenon and one of the most beloved games of all time. That game was \"Pac-Man&amp;reg;\".Today Microsoft Corp. and NAMCO BANDAI Games made video game history by unveiling the \"Pac-Man Championship Edition\" - featuring the first new Pac-Man mazes in more than 26 years - available only on the Xbox 360&amp;trade;.The \"Pac-Man Championship Edition\" is the same beloved \"Pac-Man\" game played in arcades of the '80s but is updated with new features that former \"Pac-Man\" fanatics and new generations of fans alike will love. It includes new mazes that dynamically change shape during gameplay, six new timed game modes, new soundtracks and high-definition (HD) graphics. Details include the following:&amp;middot; Classic 2-D \"Pac-Man\" presentation with a new, modern look in HD&amp;middot; Six new, timed game modes:- The Championship Mode. This is the main game mode designed by NAMCO BANDAI Games and Iwatani specifically for the championship round of the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. This mode &amp;ndash; as well as all others within the \"Pac-Man Championship Edition\" &amp;ndash; features redesigned mazes with wide maze walls and a widescreen configuration to better enable high-speed game play. Timed limit of five minutes.- Challenge Mode 1 (Patience and Reward Course). This mode is an evolution of the Championship Mode. Patience mazes strategically offer fewer Power Pellets and Reward mazes provide a large number of Power Pellets &amp;ndash; providing unique challenges and rewards for the player. Timed limit of 10 minutes.- Challenge Mode 2 (The Darkness Course). In this mode, only the area directly around Pac-Man and the Ghosts is visible and the maze walls are completely hidden. Timed limit of 10 minutes.- Extra Mode 1 (The Freeway Course). An extremely high-speed mode for advanced players, this mode features warp-speed Pac-Man and Ghosts and plenty of tunnels. Timed limit of five minutes.- Extra Mode 2 (The Manhattan Course). A mode inspired by the streets of Manhattan - the home for the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Timed limit of five minutes.- Extra Mode 3 (The Overall Course). A mix of all other modes resulting in extreme mazes for the most devout Pac-Man fans. Timed limit of 10 minutes.&amp;middot; Xbox LIVE leaderboards, Achievements and Gamerscore&amp;middot; Rated E for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board&amp;middot; Costs 800 Microsoft&amp;reg; Points&amp;middot; Available for download only on Xbox LIVE Arcade on the Xbox 360 starting at 0900 BST on Wednesday, June 6, 2007Since launching in 1980 in Japan and in 1981 around the world, \"Pac-Man,\" its host of ghosts and its famous \"wakka wakka wakka\" sound have become global pop-culture icons. This arcade game played an instrumental role in establishing the video game industry in the 1980s, while the launch of Xbox LIVE in 2002 was a key factor behind the rapid growth in popularity of online gaming. Today, Xbox LIVE Arcade is the premier online destination for digitally distributed HD games offering fans around the globe a great opportunity to connect, compete, and enjoy the fun.\"'Pac-Man' was the game that ignited the world's passion for video games, with every member of the family hooked on avoiding Clyde and eating up all the Power Pellets,\" said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. \"It is a tremendous honor that NAMCO BANDAI and Toru Iwatani are going to use the power of the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE Arcade platform to deliver the next evolution of 'Pac-Man' to the world.\"#########About Pac-ManAs the story goes, one day in 1979, Namco developer Toru Iwatani removed a single slice of pizza and, after looking down upon the rest of the pie, saw what was to become one of the most popular characters in gaming history. The release of Pac-Man to arcades a year later (1980) lead to the beginning of \"Pac-Mania,\" in which over the next few years would yield everything from character-based board games and breakfast cereal to a top 40 song and popular Saturday-morning cartoon. Namco Bandai Games estimates that the original Pac-Man arcade title has been played more than ten billion times in its 27-year history.About Toru IwataniBorn in Tokyo, Japan, in 1955, Toru Iwatani joined Namco in 1977. As a game designer, he created \"Pac-Man\" in 1980. Among its many achievements, \"Pac-Man\" was recognized in \"Guinness World Records 2005.\" As of April 2007, Iwatani serves as a professor of a game course in the Faculty of Arts at the Tokyo Polytechnic University. Iwatani also acts as a fellow (special advisor) for NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.About Xbox LIVE ArcadeXbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360 is the premier destination for digitally distributed high-definition games. Xbox LIVE Arcade is a fast-growing phenomenon with more than 25 million game downloads and a diverse library of original development and classic titles from the world's best independent and established developers and publishers. With a dynamically updated library and free* trials for every title, Xbox LIVE Arcade makes it easy for every type of gamer - from casual to hard-core - to get instantly immersed in the fun. Xbox LIVE Arcade also lets friends connect and play these incredible games either from the same room or from around the world via the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/games/livearcade.About Xbox 360Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a catalog of more than 160 high-definition games and is available in 37 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.About MicrosoftFounded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq \"MSFT\") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.*Connect-time charges may apply.Microsoft, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE and Xbox are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.PAC-MAN&amp;reg; &amp;amp; &amp;copy; 1980 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc.The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.For more information, please contact: Kate Szlendak / 0118 909 5334 / v-kaszle@microsoft.comNote to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft's corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft's Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.engadget.com/2007/06/05/pac-man-championship-edition-for-xbox-360-is-the-big-news/>