E3 06: Pac-Man World Rally hands-on

It seems to be a rite of passage that every cartoon-y, platform-y game character must eventually star in a kart racing game. This summer, one of the earliest arcade stars - Pac-Man, one of few modern game characters who can remember when Mario was a rookie - gets his turn behind the wheel.

He's not alone - there are at least 15 characters in all, including the fire-breathing dragon Fygar from Namco's arcade classic Dig-Dug and a certain roll-headed prince from a more modern hit, Katamari Damacy.

Each has his, her or its own wheels, which they then pilot in fairly typical go-kart races that showcase the Pac-Man theme. Power-ups include strawberry missiles and grape grenades, fruit in the road opens doors to alternate routes when run over, and if you grab enough power pellets, you transform temporarily into Super Pac-Man. You can then gobble up the other racers, who have conveniently turned blue.

There are around 15 racing levels, as well as 1-4-player battle arenas, which toss out the racing and focus on the wreckage. The PSP version promises ad-hoc multiplay too.

May 12, 2006

Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.