Pac-Man Xtreme - Classy ROMhack of Ms Pac-Man officially released

More great news this week as after eleven years of hard work, KaBooM has released an incredible ROMhack of the namco version of Ms Pac-Man for the NES! Originally released in the 1980's as an Arcade game and then ported over to other systems, became one of the most successful American produced games selling over 115,000 cabinets. That same game is now available as a top quality enhanced version known as Pac-Man Xtreme by KaBoom, which was released for the NES!

According to RomHacking this isn't just a simple hack but a fully featured experience making it possibly the best version of Ms Pac-Man by far for the NES. It introduces new features, functions and options which make it a unique experience. The gameplay has been altered, with new graphics, sounds, music, levels and even the game play mechanics themselves.

Some of the most notable new features are the inclusion of working vertical tunnels, randomly vanishing mazes, all-new original levels, new original sound effects and music, four different stage progression modes, tons of selectable game options, and the brand new ability to cast relocation spells upon all characters in the level at once moving them to more advantageous positions within the maze.

NEW FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS:

• Thirty-two new Stages based on twenty-eight original maze designs.
• Stages arranged into eight distinct Zones composed of four Levels each.
• Seven brand new prizes to chase around the mazes.
• One new prize per four-Level Zone, all appearing at random in Zone 8.
• A distinct “?” graphic in the right-side prize indicator for random prizes.
• Four Stage progression play modes: Linear, Singular, Random A, and Random B.
• Newly designed colorful title screen with loads of selectable game options.
• Begin the game on any Stage desired, from 1-1 all the way to 8-4.
• Three selectable blue-Monster “vanishing mazes” options, like Pac-Man Plus.
• Brand new characters including Pac-Xavier, with classic characters returning.
• Four selectable speed options for Pac-Xavier before the game starts.
• Names for Pac-Xavier and the Monsters displayed on the main title screen.
• Choose to begin the game with as little as one or as many as seven lives.
• Opportunities to earn bonus lives every x20000, x50000, and x80000 points.
• The ability to choose whether or not to earn bonus lives at all.
• New status header above each maze, indicating current Stage and prize value.
• New CPU runtime indicator, alongside the top score and game score indicators.
• Only one free “pause” opportunity per Stage… be resourceful, use it wisely.
• Different Monster AI. Things have changed since the days of yore…
• Monsters’ “blue” times lengthened and adjusted for fairness and balance.
• Reprogrammed game code and mazes which utilize vertical tunnels.
• Dynamically varying game difficulty based on player performance per Stage.
• Special barrier pellets which can’t be eaten but instead block certain paths.
• The ability for Pac to cast relocation spells upon himself and the Monsters.
• Opportunities to earn new spells by catching both prizes in each Stage.
• Opportunities to earn spells and 2000-point bonuses for perfect Stage clears.
• The ability to save and store spells for later use, up to three.
• Begin the game with as many spells as desired, from none to three.
• Energy to cast spells acquirable via prizes, indicated by a “CAST” light.
• Remaining alive as being a condition for a “Perfect Clear” is selectable.
• Complete color and graphics makeover for all characters and mazes.
• Brand new, original twelve-frame death animation for Pac-Xavier.
• Brand new and/or tweaked sound effects. Every game sound has been changed.
• New original start music, unique and composed exclusively for Pac-Man Xtreme.
• Two versions: One regular, and one optimized for the “PocketNES” emulator.

Certainly a worthy download for anyone who remembers this game or has an NES, but do make sure you have the original rom before you apply the IPS.

1- Download the IPS hack here

2- Get a Ms. Pac-Man (Namco)(U).nes Rom (please legally own the game).

3- Download lunar ips

4- Open lunar ips, click “Apply IPS Patch”. Locate the ips file contained in the zip.

5- Locate the Ms. Pac-Man (Namco)(U).nes Rom to apply the patch to.

6- Now play on the NES or via an Emulator!