No one could have anticipated that it would become one of the most beloved games of all time when it hit arcades in Japan in 1980 and globally in 1981. Designed by Toru Iwatani at Namco Ltd, Pac-Man, its ghosts and its famous ‘wakka wakka wakka’ sound soon became gaming icons around the world.

Microsoft and Namco Bandai Games today unveiled Pac-Man Championship Edition, featuring new Pac-Man mazes designed by Iwatani, the first new mazes in 26 years and available exclusively on the Xbox 360. Pac-Man Championship Edition is available to download on Xbox Live Arcade from 9:00 BST today. It will cost you 800 Microsoft Points.

Gamers can expect the same Pac-Man game of the 80’s but Pac-Man Championship Edition has been updated with new features. These features include new mazes that dynamically change shape during game play, six new timed game modes, new soundtracks and classic 2D Pac-Man presentation with HD graphics. Pac-Man Championship Edition features Xbox Live leaderboards as well as achievements and gamerscore.

New game modes

The Championship Mode is the main game mode designed by Namco Bandai Games and Iwatani specifically for the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Like the other modes within the Pac-Man Championship Edition, it features redesigned mazes with wide maze walls and a widescreen configuration to better enable high-speed game play. Players will be faced with a timed limit of five minutes.

Challenge Mode 1 is the Patience and Reward Course, an evolution of the Championship Mode that has a timed limit of 10 minutes. Prepare to be offered fewer power pellets in Patience mazes while Reward mazes provide large number of power pellets. These both promise to offer unique challenges and rewards for players. Challenge Mode 2 is the Darkness Course that poses a timed limit of 10 minutes. Players will be faced with only the area directly around Pac-Man and the Ghosts being visible with the maze walls being hidden.

Extra Mode 1 is the Freeway Course that players will need to overcome in the timed limit of 5 minutes. This is an extremely high-speed mode for advanced players, featuring warp-speed Pac-Man and ghosts as well as loads of tunnels. Extra Mode 2 is the Manhattan Course with a timed limit of 5 minutes. This mode was inspired by Manhattan’s streets, the home for the first-ever Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Championship. Extra Mode 3 is the Overall Course that must be completed in the timed limit of 10 minutes. All the other modes have been mixed to produce extreme mazes for Pac-Man fans.

Next evolution of Pac-Man

“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.”

“I’m deeply honored that people view Pac-Man as my lasting legacy and am so excited to come full circle by releasing the Pac-Man Championship Edition with its exciting new mazes and modes on Xbox LIVE Arcade on Xbox 360,” said Iwatani, creator of Pac-Man and currently a professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University. “It gives me great joy to know that my final contributions in my corporate career were to crown the Xbox 360 Pac-Man World Champion and to leave the world with an amazing new Pac-Man game for generations to enjoy.”