Namco is dipping its toes into Facebook gaming with two classic titles, Pac-Man and Dig Dug. Like virtually everyone, I enjoy Pac-Man, so I gave the app a spin.

Sadly, this venture has hardly any redeeming value. After installing the “J2Play” application, which apparently enables Namco’s games and others, you still have to download the game itself. The executable is 13MB and the installed product is 34MB.

To sync the game with your Facebook profile (so everyone can witness your skills), you have to log in every time you start playing, even if you’ve already signed into Facebook in a browser. The Pac-Man game itself does not match the smoothness and graphic feel of the original, and you can only play for 10 minutes before you’re asked to cough up $10.

“Such an epic fail,” one commenter writes on the App’s page. “This is pretty much a textbook example of how not to deploy a game on Facebook,” writes another. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

Pac-Man is a quick-fix kind of game. It needs to fire up quickly or the whole purpose is lost. Furthermore, it’s not worth $10.

For good measure, here are some reasonable places to get your Pac-Man fix:

-At any of the various Web sites hosting free flash Pac-Man clones.

-At GameTap, where Internet Explorer 6 and 7 users can play online for free (registration to play through the GameTap client is temporarily closed).

-On Xbox Live Arcade, where $5 gets you the game, community high scores and the comfort of playing from your couch.

-At a real arcade, where you’re likely to get bored before your 40 quarters are gone.

 
1 Comment


Read more: Facebook, Gaming