Pac-Man Vs. To Get Exclusive Bundle with R:Racing

I’d have loved to be in the room when someone stood up with this idea and everyone else erupted in applause thinking this was a bundle that would somehow help either title. While I’ve no doubt that individually there should be interest in both items within this bundle I do question just exactly how much crossover there is between players of Pac-Man and this Ridge Racer spin-off. Are they really expecting sales to struggle so much that they need to sell outside their target audience to get the sales numbers they want?

Full press statement:

PAC-MAN VS. TO BE EXCLUSIVELY AVAILABLE FOR THE NINTENDO GAMECUBE WITH R:RACING
CLASSIC GAMING CHARACTER NOW AVAILABLE IN UNIQUE WAY

Chertsey, UK. – February 2nd, 2004 – Electronic Arts, the world’s leading interactive entertainment software company and Namco Limited, the Tokyo-based world leader in the high-tech entertainment industry, today announced that Pac-ManTM Vs will be exclusively available for the Nintendo GameCubeTM with R: Racing.

Designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, Pac-Man Vs lets players compete head-to-head using a Game Boy® Advance and GameCube connected via the link cable. One player uses the Game Boy Advance to control Pac-Man as he gobbles his Pac-Dots. Up to three other players on the Nintendo GameCube control the Ghosts and chase Pac-Man around the board. If a player’s Ghost catches Pac-Man, those players swap controllers and the game continues. Whoever hits the predetermined scoring cap first wins the game.

“We are very excited to have a new addition to the Pac-Man family,” said Kevin Yanagihara, Director of Namco Ltd. “By incorporating this classic character with the unique connectivity features of both the Game Boy Advance and GameCube, players are offered a new style of gameplay that will bring them closer to the competition than ever before.”

R:Racing is being co-published by Electronic Arts and is scheduled for release on March 26th, 2004.