With three compilation discs under their belt, Namco once again gives gamers a dose of classic Arcade nostalgia. Namco Museum Vol. 4 includes five games: Assault, Pac-Land, The Return of Ishtar, Ordyne and The Genji and the Heike Clans. Each title has been replicated in its entirety to look, play and sound like the originals on which they are based.
Assault is a tank shooter in which you are a citizen of the floating continents, fighting for peace while trying to save your people from mighty military forces. You can pilot your tank in eight directions and fire normal shots and grenades. Pac-Land is a side-scrolling, obstacle-avoiding adventure that gives the previously limbless Pac-Man arms and legs. You can run, jump, fly, eat ghosts and find hidden items.
In the side scrolling shooter Ordyne, you are Tomari Yuichiro, a scientific genius whose atomic conversion device has been stolen and whose fiancee has been kidnapped. In order to restore your stolen goods, you must defeat the evil Kubota. You can avoid or shoot enemies, drop bombs, buy weaponry and play a bonus game.
The Genji and the Heike Clans is a side scrolling ninja game in which your mission is to find the evil Minamoto-no-Yoritomo and assassinate him. The game features a Big Mode, a Plain Mode and a Side Mode. You battle enemies with a sword, and you can pick up sacred tools and purchase special power-ups. These items have a variety of functions such as poison antidote, sword power, life restoration and protection from special attacks.
The sequel to The Tower of Druaga, The Return of Ishtar has you attacking enemies by using spells, fireballs, flying disks and other weapons. You can move both characters in eight directions, find keys to unlock doors and open treasure boxes.
In addition to the five featured titles, Namco Museum Vol. 4 includes a virtual museum full of historical information and special artifacts related to the games.
GAMES:
- ASSAULT:
Assault is a multi-directional shooter arcade game, released by Namco in 1988.
In Assault, the player controls a futuristic tank, attacking the surface forces of an alien environment. Assault's main draw was its innovative controls and perspective.The tank is controlled by two four-way joysticks.
Another innovation with this game was the perspective. While the overhead perspective was not new, the game kept the player's tank centered in the screen while the playfield rotated about the player's tank. Presented this way, the tank felt more maneuverable and lifelike.
The player battles 11 waves of enemy forces. After the final level, the player is rewarded with a list of schematics of the player's tank, and a final screen stating "Thanks for your play".
- THE GENJI AND THE HEIKE CLANS:
Genpei Toma Den is a beat 'em up arcade game that was released by Namco in 1986 in Japan. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware. Over a decade later, the game was released in America and Europe as part of the Namco Museum under the title The Genji and the Heike
The player makes his way along a Yamato-e painting landscape fighting enemies as they appear. The game offers three types of action: Small Mode (standard), Big Mode (standard, but with large characters and usually boss fights) and Plain Mode (viewed from an overhead perspective). Most stages have torii, which are used to transport the player to a different stage. On most stages featured in Side Mode and Plain Mode, there are multiple torii that can be entered which will lead to different routes on the map. In Big Mode, however, there is only one torii at the end of this type of stage.
The leading character is a historical Japanese samurai, Taira no Kagekiyo (Also known as Akushichibyoe Kagekiyo) who fell in the Battle of Dan-no-ura at the end of the Genpei War. In Genpei Toma Den, he was resurrected and fights Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Saito Musashibo Benkei over the Imperial Regalia of Japan, as well as to defeat his enemy Minamoto no Yoritomo.
- THE RETURN OF ISHTAR:
The Return of Ishtar is an arcade game that was released by Namco in 1987. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware and is the sequel to The Tower of Druaga, which was released three years earlier. It is the second game in the Babylonian Castle Saga series. It was ported to the MSX, FM7 and included in the Namco Museum Vol. 4 for PlayStation.
The Return of Ishtar is an adventure game for two players. One person controls the maiden Ki who fights with magic and the other person controls Gilgamesh, the sword-wielding prince. Players are given a password to allow them to continue from where they left off. This sequel starts off directly after Gilgamesh has saved Ki from Druaga, and is focused on their escape from the tower and its inhabitants who are after Gilgamesh and Ki to avenge their former master.
ORDYNE:
Ordyne is a horizontal scrolling shooter arcade game that was released by Namco in 1988 only in Japan. It runs on Namco System 2 hardware, and in 1989 was ported to the TurboGrafx-16. The arcade version was included in Namco Museum Volume 4. The TurboGrafx-16 version was released on the Wii's North American Virtual Console on May 7, 2007. It is officially described by Namco as a "comical action shooter".
Characters:
* Yuichiro Tomari: The genius scientist and main protagonist. Pilot of red ship. Controlled by the first player.
* Sunday Chin : Tomari's Chinese assistant. Pilot of green ship. Controlled by the second player.
* Kana Aibara : Tomari's fiancee. She is kidnapped by Dr. Kubota, and must be rescued.
* Dr. Kubota : The main antagonist fought in the seventh and last level of the game.
* Miyuki-chan : The blue-haired shopkeeper who sells special weapons and extra lives in her store that occasionally flies by.
* Dream Co., Ltd.: A robot who occasionally flies by and encourages the players (at the price of a small amount of crystals) to shoot at his rotating target in order to win additional crystals or a special weapon.
While blasting enemies, Yuichiro and Sunday can pick up crystals that can be used to buy special weapons, extra lives, etc. Miyuki-chan's shop passes by at certain points in each level. When Dream Co., Ltd. passes by, Yuichiro and Sunday can win a load of crystals or a special weapon by shooting at his rotating target. The standard shoot-em-up rules apply. Advance through a scrolling level and then meet up with a big boss, indicated by a change in music. One hit will kill Yuichiro and Sunday, but they can either earn or buy extra lives. This game also features voice samples (in Japanese).
- PAC-LAND:
Pac-Land is an entry in the Pac-Man series of arcade video games, released into arcades by Namco, and its American distributor Bally Midway (now Midway Games), in 1984. It was the first Namco arcade game to use the then-new arcade system later titled as Namco Pac-Land. It was also one of the earlier side-scrolling platform games in video game history, preceding the better-known Super Mario Bros. by Nintendo. Pac-Land features parallax scrolling for some of the background elements, a feature that would not become commonplace until the 16-bit console era began much later.
In the American release of Pac-Land by Bally Midway, the characters' appearances are based on the designs from the Pac-Man animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera, to promote the animated series, as well as the video game series. In the Japanese release by Namco, the Pac-Man sprite is closer in appearance to Namco's official artwork of the character with a longer nose, Pac-Man shaped eyes, and (for this game) a feathercap. In addition, both versions feature the main BGM and "jingles" from the aforementioned series; however, the rights to the main BGM in the game belong to Hanna-Barbera, not Namco.
Pac-Land itself is split into trips. In each of these trips the objective is to get the fairy (that is kept under Pac-man's hat) to Fairyland and also to return back home to Pac-Man's house. The majority of the trip involves moving from left to right avoiding various obstacles such as the enemy ghosts, water spurts and quicksand traps.
Each trip is divided into a number of rounds, the end of which provides Pac-man with bonus points depending on how much time he has left and also his position in jumping at the end of each round. The penultimate round of a trip ends with Pac-Man entering Fairyland and returning the fairy under his hat to the Fairy Queen. In return the Fairy Queen gives Pac-man magic boots.
For the final round of the trip, Pac-Man has to travel from right to left back home. For assistance he uses the magic boots, which allow him to jump repeatedly while in mid-air. Once Pac-Man completes the trip, he is greeted by Ms. Pac-Man and Baby Pac-Man. In the US release of the game, Pac-Man's cat and dog in the cartoon series, Sourpuss and Chomp-Chomp, are also there to welcome Pac-Man home. Pac-Man then begins his next trip following the same objectives as before, although the difficulty increases.
Manufacturer's description:
PRESENTING MORE FUN-FILLED ARCADE BLASTS FROM THE PAST!
The hits just keep on coming. Namco Museum™ Vol. 4 includes some of gaming's most memorable arcade classics. Hey, this kind of fun never goes out of style!
ASSAULT
Classic tank warfare. Bomb and blast away at massive enemy forces. You may be outnumbered, but you're never out-gunned!
THE GENJI AND THE HEIKE CLANS
You're a samurai warrior on a quest of vengeance! Use your samurai sword to slash through powerful enemies and perplexing puzzles.
THE RETURN OF ISHTAR
Search through dungeons and help Gil and Ki find the Blue Crystal Rod to destroy the creepy creatures and escape the tower alive!
ORDYNE
The evil Kabuta has kidnapped Miss Kana and you must battle giant bosses in order to destroy Kabuta's fierce forces and save the day.
PAC-LAND
Hazards and ghosts await as Pac-Man embarks on a rescue mission to save the Fairy Princess and return her to Fairy Land.
Features:
- Third person perspective.
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Arcade Machines theme.
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