Beyond Cruise Elroy

I was born in the midst of what is referred to as the golden age of arcade games. I’m not complaining. In retrospect it was a good time to be alive. It didn’t take me very long to realize that I loved video games, but even considering my earliest years of gaming, the classic arcade games that would later become my undisputed favorites were a bit before my time. For the years I’ve had, I’ve eaten a hell of a lot of dots.

We’re in the age of HD now; a truly sad time to hear the word “reinvention” in game development. It’s a tired term that’s come to essentially mean 3D models with high-res textures, hold the worth. If someone would have asked me what I thought about the idea of an HD Pac-Man reinvention for the Xbox 360 a year ago I would have probably cringed and ranted passionately about how Pac-Man doesn’t need a reinvention. I’m glad that no one asked me.

Toru Iwatani decided to retire from game development after putting out Pac-Man C.E. (Championship Edition) back in June, an action that unquestionably solidifies him as a hero of video games. Pac-Man C.E. is the kind of game that we should expect when we hear the word “reinvention.” Its genius serves as a classy message of adieu from Iwatani, and a message to game designers across the board: “This is how you do it.”