Conclusion:
It's all the classics you remember for only $10, but "essentials" is really pushing it.
Namco puts together the umpteenth Namco Museum collection of their classic arcade series, this time under the name Namco Museum Essentials for PlayStation 3. This download-only title includes Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Dragon Spirit, Galaga, Xevious and the biggest reason to pick this up, Xevious Ressurection, a shiny new entry into the Xevious series.
You care about Xevious, right?
Those familiar with the Namco's recent A-class remakes, Pac-Man Championship Edition and Galaga Legion, might be disappointed by Resurrection, which doesn't carry over the excellent style and sped-up pace that defined those titles.
That's not to say the new Xevious is bad. The graphics are nice and some slight tweaks to gameplay benefit the newcomer. It's fun and will occupy your time, but if you haven't been dreaming about a new Xevious, there's not much to here to see.
After the awesome package that was Namco Museum Virtual Arcade on Xbox 360, which includes these games (minus Xevious Resurrection) and a ton more titles, this feels nothing short of a letdown. If you're feenin' for Namco classics and have a backwards compatible PS3, grab the 50th Anniversary Namco Museum edition for PS2 instead. It includes almost all the same games and is cheaper to boot, or if you can take tiny screen arcade action, go the DS route with Namco Museum DS.
For as generous as Namco has been in the past about releasing massive collections at a low cost, this thin selection of titles just doesn't go far enough. Where the hell is Mappy?
Decision: Pass
