Common Sense Media Review
By Paul Semel
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Fun game pack brings classic arcade challenges home.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Play
Videos and Photos
Arcade Game Series 3-In-1 Pack
What's It About?
Because it collects three old arcade games, the ARCADE GAME SERIES 3-IN-1 PACK doesn't have a story of its own, nor do these individual games. Sure, there's undoubtedly a reason why the ghosts don't want Pac-Man to eat all those pellets, why the aliens in Galaga have to be stopped, and why Dig Dug wants to destroy his adversaries, but since these games are 35 years old (and older), those motivations have been lost to the ages.
Is It Any Good?
By pairing their original, old-school mechanics with upgraded, high-definition visuals, this collection of three arcade classics will delight gamers both young and old. For those old enough to remember when it cost a quarter to play these games, the trio of influential icons included in the Arcade Game Series 3-In-1 Pack -- Pac-Man, Galaga, and Dig Dug -- will transport you to the days of your youth, thanks to these versions being the same ones from the arcades; they just look better. But if you want, you can make small changes to them, giving yourself more lives or changing the vertical rectangle screen to a square or a TV-screen-filling horizontal rectangle, or all variations in between. Best of all, besides this three-pack, all three games are available individually, along with the equally classic Ms. Pac-Man, which is available on its own. While old folks will appreciate how well these classics have held up, some younger gamers might find them to be a bit simplistic, redundant, or visually dated. But anyone who plays arcade games on a smartphone or tablet will appreciate how these games used their simplicity to be so engaging and addictive that we're still playing them 30-plus-years later.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in games. Does it make a difference when the violence is depicted in such simple ways? What about when you're fighting monsters and aliens as opposed to people?
Talk about difficulty. While these classic games are simple, they're difficult to play and win, but are they better than today's more complicated titles? What makes these games so appealing?
Game Details
- Platforms : PlayStation 4 , Windows , Xbox One
- Pricing structure : Paid
- Available online? : Available online
- Publisher : Namco Bandai
- Release date : April 26, 2016
- Genre : Arcade
- Topics : Fantasy
- ESRB rating :
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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