Again, going with either ColecoVision Pac-Man or Fairchild Pac-Man as the greatest conversion of the game ever created given the hardware is a toss-up, as you can make a case for each. (I should put up the Coleco Pac-Man cartridge (with multiple Pac games in it) as a video just as a point of comparison, though of course like Fairchild Pac-Man there are already several videos up))
Based on the videos you've shown us here on AA, I have to go with the Colecovision version of Pac Man. While probably few (if any) people here on AA are truly qualified to make a judgement based on the sheer programming/technical prowess of either version, I have to side with the Colecovision version based on these criteria.
1) Hypothetical "impact" on platform sales if the games were released back in the day.
I don't believe that the Fairchild version of "Pac Man," as astounding a technical achievement as it is for that platform, would have done much to increase sales or garner respect for the platform. Fairchild owners would have been very happy, but the general public would have looked at the Atari VCS and concluded it was still a superior system. And while it's as good a Pac Man as possible on the Fairchild, it still has many obvious play differences with the original.
The Coleco version of the game, though, would have had an explosive impact on the gaming scene if released back in the day! It may well have extended the lifespan of the Colecovision platform if it was released back then, simply because of its astounding accuracy to the coin-op!
2) Arcade perfection.
I am not trying to slight the technical achievement of the Fairchild version, which may have been 10 times the programming challenge of the Colecovision version. However, the Coleco version looks pretty much arcade perfect, which was the holy grail of coin-op conversions for the consoles back in the day. Players would have been astounded and ecstatic, and the Coleco platform itself would have garnered incredible respect as a result. Based on the videos you (Bill) uploaded, the Colecovision version of Pac Man may very well be the best coin-op conversion to an 8-bit console ever created!
In truth, it may not be fair to compare the versions, simply because the Fairchild was so far behind the Colecovision, technically, that no matter what the Fairchild programmers did, it would still pale behind an uninspired Coleco Pac Man. After all, it might be an impressive feat to get a Ford Model T to reach 70mph, but getting a Ford Pinto to do 200mph will still get more attention....
Again, going with either ColecoVision Pac-Man or Fairchild Pac-Man as the greatest conversion of the game ever created given the hardware is a toss-up, as you can make a case for each. (I should put up the Coleco Pac-Man cartridge (with multiple Pac games in it) as a video just as a point of comparison, though of course like Fairchild Pac-Man there are already several videos up))
Based on the videos you've shown us here on AA, I have to go with the Colecovision version of Pac Man. While probably few (if any) people here on AA are truly qualified to make a judgement based on the sheer programming/technical prowess of either version, I have to side with the Colecovision version based on these criteria.
1) Hypothetical "impact" on platform sales if the games were released back in the day.
I don't believe that the Fairchild version of "Pac Man," as astounding a technical achievement as it is for that platform, would have done much to increase sales or garner respect for the platform. Fairchild owners would have been very happy, but the general public would have looked at the Atari VCS and concluded it was still a superior system. And while it's as good a Pac Man as possible on the Fairchild, it still has many obvious play differences with the original.
The Coleco version of the game, though, would have had an explosive impact on the gaming scene if released back in the day! It may well have extended the lifespan of the Colecovision platform if it was released back then, simply because of its astounding accuracy to the coin-op!
2) Arcade perfection.
I am not trying to slight the technical achievement of the Fairchild version, which may have been 10 times the programming challenge of the Colecovision version. However, the Coleco version looks pretty much arcade perfect, which was the holy grail of coin-op conversions for the consoles back in the day. Players would have been astounded and ecstatic, and the Coleco platform itself would have garnered incredible respect as a result. Based on the videos you (Bill) uploaded, the Colecovision version of Pac Man may very well be the best coin-op conversion to an 8-bit console ever created!
In truth, it may not be fair to compare the versions, simply because the Fairchild was so far behind the Colecovision, technically, that no matter what the Fairchild programmers did, it would still pale behind an uninspired Coleco Pac Man. After all, it might be an impressive feat to get a Ford Model T to reach 70mph, but getting a Ford Pinto to do 200mph will still get more attention....
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