Gears of War is not Super Mario Bros. Its graphics are far superior, it lasts several thousand percent longer and realism-wise, it puts Mario’s debut adventure, with its mushrooms that go up to your elbows and fat 45 year old men that can leap over walls, to shame. However, few would argue that both games are, if not ’10 out of 10’ games, then very close to it.
Recently, Digital Lard presented a review of NES Classics: Pac-Man for the Gameboy Advance. Essentially, this game is Pac-Man exactly as it was twenty-five years ago. It received a ‘7 out of 10’ rating, which translates to ‘Above Average’. In comparison to our other reviews, it’s better than Phoenix Wright and worse than Family Guy. Uh… is that right? Surely, some argue, Pac-Man should be held aloft, high above all comparison, and revered as a god amongst video games. “Step away from me, mere modern contraptions” Pac says, perched on his Power Pill-studded throne and surrounded by a red-bowed harem. “I’m the boss you’ll never beat!”
So, it might offend some big Pac fans, but a Digital Lard review is never intended to be a final judgement on a game’s cultural or historical standing. That’s not why NES Classics: Pac-Man was given that 7. Every game review is approached with the question in mind ‘Is this game worth shelling out for?’ It’s the question all gamers ask themselves, and the biggest deciding factor when hunting for new games, and that’s why we focus on it. We don’t want you wasting your money on trash.
Pac-Man isn’t trash, but it is a very basic game. It’s probably not going to hold your attention for weeks. Days, maybe. Hours, definitely. But in this day and age, the kids aren’t going to be queuing round the block for a taste of the Yellow Man. And that’s why it got that rating. It’s good, damn good, but you might want to think before spending a significant amount of money on it.
Pac-Man, like all classic games, changed our little world. Massive explosions in a tiny space, radically changing the way we look at the hobby. But the review, and all our reviews, are not commenting on the impact and effect of the games. If that was the case, it would definitely be a 10 out of 10 gaming revolution. What Digital Lard does review is the experience of the entire package. To put it bluntly, we look at the physical object – the cartridge or disc that you have to hand over money for – and how much of that money it’s actually worth. And that’s why we’re a 10 out of 10 website.