Pac-Man Goes Kart Racing

Namco announces Pac-Man World Rally, in which the classic yellow face who eats dots jumps into a kart to continue his dining ways.

Game developer Namco today said they were bringing an original kart racing game featuring Pac-Man characters to multiple gaming platforms. The game, to be called Pac-Man World Rally, is being developed by Smart Bomb Interactive and will be released in summer 2006.

Pac-Man World Rally, Namco said, puts players behind the wheel as Pac-Man or one of 14 other characters from the Pac-Man world. Gamers, across the game’s multiple levels, “utilize a unique power sliding mechanic that allows them to skid around tight corners without losing speed, while charging up Boost Bottles they can use at will to leave their opponents in their dust.”

The game, which will show Pac-Man eating his adversaries and Pac-Dots like the classic arcade version, can be played in different multi-player modes. It will be available for the Xbox, GameCube, Playstation 2, PSP and PC.

“Pac-Man World Rally delivers the most complete kart racing experience yet with incredible speed across outrageous and vibrant courses from well known Namco games,” said Jeff Lujan, business director at Namco Hometek Inc. “The refined power sliding mechanics allows for tremendous handling in any situation, while a roster of more than 15 classic characters ensures that every race is memorable for players of all ages.”