Introducing: Manual Stimulation

Anyone who has flipped through the instruction manuals of at least a few old games--from the 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit eras in particular--knows how awesome they tend to be.

Sure, some of them are absolute stinkers, but a good percentage of them--like this one, included with Hakuhodo's PlayStation oddity Mad Panic Coaster--are the complete opposite thanks to their silly backstories and top-shelf illustrations.

Manual for the Atari 2600 version of Ms. Pac-Man

Because I own a number of examples of the latter (i.e., non-stinker manuals), I've decided I'm going to scan them and then share them here--along with some hopefully witty commentary--over the next few weeks, months and (maybe) years.

Anyway, as I'm sure you've already surmised thanks to the headline above, all of these posts will be grouped together henceforth under the oh-so-mature header of "Manual Stimulation."

'Dinner Bell at the Bottom of the Food Pyramid'

Although there's a lot to like about the illustration below, produced by artist Pedro Delgado (aka gogopedro) for the "8-Bit Champions" show that recently opened in Paris, the following trio of elements were the first to jump out at me:

* The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer noses attached to both Mr. and Mrs. Pac-Man.

* The teal ghost--Inky, I believe the name is--who's praying that the aforementioned duo are so distracted by all of the pellets that surround them that they forget to gobble him up, too.

* The orange ghost--Clyde?--who's so scared by all that's happening around him that he's stuffed his fingers/hands/arms in his own mouth.



Another reason I like Delgado's illustration (which also can be seen here): He and I both have fond memories of playing Pac-Man and/or Ms. Pac-Man at the local Pizza Hut.

"I'd squeeze in a few games between slices and soda during family social outings," he shared recently at theautumnsociety.com. "I remember they had a tabletop unit, and I recall being pretty enamored with how it looked and helped create a head to head play style if you happened to be sitting across from your younger brother."

See also: Other pieces of game-related art appearing in the '8-bit Champions' show

What big teeth you have, Ms. Pac-Man!

Everybody loves a good Ms. Pac-Man-inspired painting, right? Well, then everybody should love the following, which was produced by Madison, Wisconsin-based artist Ryan Grant Long.



Long's currently dating a friend of mine in Madison (my home town), by the way. What do you think are the chances I can get that friend to twist Long's arm and convince him to create something similarly fabulous for me (or, better yet, for this blog)?

To see more of Long's work, check out his blog or his deviantart gallery.

Hey, Namco: When are you going to make a *Ms.* Pac-Man Championship Edition?

To say I'm chomping at the bit (pun intended) to play the recently released (if you own an Xbox 360--PS3 owners will be able to download the game next week) Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is an understatement of unfathomable proportions.

Unfortunately, I don't yet have an Xbox 360 or a PS3, so all I can do for the time being is watch, over and over again, this (second) trailer the game:



All that said, as much as Pac-Man Championship Edition DX causes me to tingle from head to toe (it does!), I can't help but hope that the folks at Namco eventually get around to making a Ms. Pac-Man Championship Edition.

'Honey, dontcha know, I'm more than Pac-Man with a bow!'

Did you know that Ms. Pac-Man sounds a lot like the late Ethel Merman? Well, she does. Or, she did in the following TV ad for the Atari 2600 version of Namco's arcade classic. (Ms. Pac-Merman doesn't appear until the 20-second mark, by the way.)



(Via twitter.com/mintypocky)

Five gaming-related items I'd buy if money weren't an issue

I know this probably seems like a silly and even stupid waste of time, but when has that stopped me in the past?

Anyway, as the header above implies, this post is all about the five gaming-related items I'd buy if money weren't an issue.

1) A Bubble Bobble, Donkey Kong or Ms. Pac-Man (below) arcade cabinet--No explanation needed, right?

2) Copies of Coryoon, Ginga Fukei Densetsu Sapphire and Madou Monogatari--The first is an expensive PC Engine HuCard game, while the second and third are expensive (PC Engine) Arcade CD-ROM games.

3) A Japanese Mega Drive and a copy of Panorama Cotton--The latter is an extremely rare Mega Drive cart that, unlike other entries in the Cotton series (well, except this one--but it doesn't count because it supposedly sucks), is a 3D shoot 'em up à la Sega's Space Harrier.

4) A PC Engine LT--Only the coolest handheld system ever. I mean, it has a four-inch screen and looks like a little laptop--who wouldn't want something like that?

5) A copy of Punch-Out!! Special--5,000 of these gold-colored carts were awarded to high-scoring participants of a Nintendo Famicom Golf competition, while another 5,000 were given away during a pair of raffles.

Honorable mention: A copy of Rakugaki Showtime--The obscure "arena combat" game created for the original PlayStation by the geniuses at Treasure. Sadly, I owned a copy of this game for quite some time before (stupidly) selling it a few years ago.

Which games or gaming-related items would you buy if money weren't an issue?