Namco Museum 64

If I were to ask you what some of the best video games in history are, and you replied with anything that had "Pokemon" in the title, then you're probably not in the target audience for Namco Museum 64. But if you have any "old school" in you, then you know what we have here is one of the best compilations you could ever pick up. I mean, this cart has Ms. Pac-Man and Galaga, for crying out loud! They are two of the best (unless you can get either of the 16-bit Ms. PAC-Mans, which are actually better because they have new modes of play). This cart is practically a must-buy (especially for the $29.99 MSRP). I say "practically" because a few things do bug me, and they may bug you as well. My biggest complaint is that these games aren't arcade-perfect. In fact, you'd be better off playing PC/Mac-emulated versions of these classics. PAC-Man and Ms. Pac-Man stutter a bit, and Galaga gets slight "hiccups" in the animation once in a while, which may slow down the action and save your ass on more than one occasion (yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad thing, but you're not supposed to have Shooter Slowdown Assistance in Galaga). Even the music in the Challenging Stage is wrong. But the low price and absence of load times may make it all worth it. If you don't have these games somewhere already, get them now.

If nothing else, Namco Museum 64'H help you appreciate the N64's lack of load time. Just pop in this cart and boom--you got instant access to six classic coin-ops (without all the FMV crap and loading of the PS version). Trouble is. I've had my fill of these old games. Even the best stuff here--Ms. Pac-Man, Galaga and Dig Dug--is barely worth the low price of admission. I wish they had stuck in a newer classic like Gaplus instead of dull oT Gaiaxian.

Instead of five volumes of Museum games, N64 owners get one cartridge filled with six of the best games from the '80s. Classic gameplay like this never gets old. Missing are the museum features of the PlayStation version, which featured viewable production art and promotional materials and sound tests so you can listen to the sound effects of each title. Still, for this price, it's a great package deal with some of the best arcade games of all time.

I truly loved these games back in the ol arcade days but trying to play them now using the Nintendo digital pad really hurts. For example, in Dig Dug, if you don't hit the pad precisely at the right moment, there's a good chance you'll miss your turns. It's the same story with PAC Man and Ms. PAC-Man--it's highly annoying. Galaxian and Galaga work OK. Pole Position is so archaic you probably won't play it at all. Give Namco Museum a rent.