We've posted screens before so here's a gameplay video of Pac-Man World-Rally for the PSP for all you pac-man fans out there. It's a run through of a stage called (as far as this blurry-eyed writer can tell)  "King's Course."
 
This is just 1 of the 15 tracks available. Selectable in game characters include Pac-Man, Pac-Man Jr, Mr Driller, Mappy, Toc-Man, Spooky, Erwin, Pac-Devil, Pooka, and Fygar. When we find videos of the 6 battle arenas available we'll be sure to update you guys.

The game's been available since August 22 of this year. Some critics have said that the game feels a bit too similar to Mario-kart. Pac-Man fans will definitely love this game regardless of that. If you want you could check out the vid and judge for yourself. Click on the link below to download the .mov file.

Download: [Pac-Man World Rally Gameplay Video]

NAMCO BANDAI has announced today that it has started to ship out its highly-anticipated kart racing game, Pac-Man World Rally for the PSP.

The Mario-Kart style game, puts players behind the wheel as they race through a variety of environments with characters (including those from other NAMCO titles) such as Pac-Man, Pac-Man Jr, Mr Driller, Mappy, Toc-Man, Spooky, Erwin, Pac-Devil, Pooka, Fygar and many more. Players can race for the win, or duke it out with Battle Arenas that feature unique weapons, power-ups and a variety of Pac-Man powers.

John Whitmore, Director of Internal/External Development at NAMCO BANDAI added that "Pac-Man World Rally gives fans of all ages the opportunity to enjoy the franchise’s first-ever kart racer. The game’s roster of popular classic characters, challenging tracks and finely tuned power sliding mechanics are sure to deliver an unforgettable gameplay experience."

Okay, who remembers this?

"Up in the sky - a man in a plane -
Baron von Richtofen was his name
Eighty men tried - and eighty men died
Now they're buried together in the countryside."

If you recognized this as "Snoopy vs. The Red Baron" by the 1960's pop group, The Royal Guardsmen, you're either a lot older than most readers of this blog - or you must really kick butt at Trivial Pursuit.

Gross historical inaccuracies aside (the real Manfred von Richtofen was neither an evil villain nor a "chivalrous knight" of the skies - he was simply a loyal soldier who happened to do his job exceptionally well), Charles Schultz' playful take on the Peanuts character Snoopy pretending to be a World War I flying ace, dueling with the "Bloody Red Baron" in the war-torn skies over France ca. 1917 was beloved by two generations of children.

Game developer Namco Bandai's introduction of this legend to a new generation in its coming PSP/PS2 release Snoopy vs. The Red Baron may be old news (you can read about that one here), but they'll be exhibiting several other new titles at the upcoming Anime Expo in Anaheim, California.  The expo will take place June 1st to 4th and Namco Bandai will be occupying Booth #111.

Additional upcoming releases planned for the exhibit include  Mobile Ops™: The One Year War, Naruto™: Ultimate Ninja, Zatchbell!™: Mamodo Fury, .hack//G.U. Vol.1: Rebirth™,One Piece™: Grand Adventure, One Piece™: Pirates' Carnival and Eureka Seven™ Vol. 1: The New Wave,  Xenosaga® EPISODE III: Also sprach Zarathustra, Tales of the Abyss™, and the eagerly awaited Pac-Man World Rally™.

You can check out some screenshots from PMWR below...I don't know about you, but to me they bear an uncanny resemblance to a game that was pre-loaded on my old i-Mac, Cro-Magnon Rally.

    
   

Pac-Man World Rally is taking the Pac-Man series and mixing it up with Mario Kart. The game features Pac-Man and various other characters from Namco's collection. There are 15 race tracks loaded with jumps and obstacles to keep players on the edge of their seats the whole way. As for multiplayer, there are 6 battle arenas for some serious action. You can collect power-ups and attack opponents with them or use them to gain an advantage over other players. The game also features Pac-Man's signature fruits to pickup and unlock secret shortcuts. Be sure to look out for more of this game as the release date approaches. The game is scheduled for release Q3 of 2006.