Gator Panic
| Gator Panic | |
|---|---|
 Japanese advertising flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Series | Gator Panic |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, mobile phone, iOS |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Redemption |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gator Panic[a] is a redemption arcade game released in 1988 by Namco in Japan and Data East in North America. The game plays very much like Whac-A-Mole, but features alligators coming out of the cabinet horizontally instead of moles coming out vertically.[1]
Legacy
A digital remake was made in 2006 for Point Blank DS on the Nintendo DS, and retains the original design from the Japanese release. The game was digitally remade again in 2007 for Namco Museum Remix under the name Gator Panic Remix. This version has the player swing Pac-Man at the alligators by using the Wii Remote and Nunchuck; it was included again in Namco Museum Megamix which was released in 2010.[2][3] An iOS version of Gator Panic was also released in 2010, but was removed from the app store on March 30, 2015. All digital versions of the game retain the title Gator Panic in regions outside Japan.
The game has had several sequels and revisions since the original's release:
- Kani Kani Panic AKA Cracky Crab (1991) - a similar title that uses crabs instead of alligators (naturally, they move sideways).[4]
- Same Same Panic - (1994) - revised version featuring sharks instead of alligators.
- Wani Wani Panic 2 - (1996) - released in America in 2012 as Funky Gators.[5]
- CR Wani Wani Panic - (2000) - Pachinko game.
- Wani Wani Panic RT - (2003)[6]
- Wani Wani Panic 3 (2008)
- Whack'em Funky Gators (2016) - a digital remake of the game.[7] It is known in Europe as Gator Panic.[8]
- Wani Wani Panic R (2020)[9]
In the 2021 JRPG Tales of Arise a mallet-like artifact called "Crocodile Crusher" can be found, with the in-game description saying it was "once used to beat back alligators" above a small trademark reference to Gator Panic.
Wani Wani Panic 2
Wani Wani Panic 3
Notes
- ^ Also known as Wacky Gator or Wani Wani Panic (ワニワニパニック, Wani Wani Panikku)
References
- ^ "『ワニワニパニック』開発者からグループ会長にまで上り詰めた男が語る、ナムコ激動の40年。創業者・中村雅哉との思い出、バンダイ経営統合の舞台裏【バンダイナムコ前会長・石川祝男インタビュー：ゲームの企画書】". Den Famicogamer. September 14, 2018. Archived from the original on January 14, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Aaron, Sean (July 12, 2009). "Namco Museum Remix Review (Wii)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
- ^ IGN Staff (November 16, 2010). "Namco Museum Megamix Now Available for Wii". IGN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
- ^ "Coin Machine - Namco's Cracky Crab". Cashbox: 38. May 30, 1992. ISSN 0008-7289.
- ^ "Namco America Readies Three New Arcade Games".
- ^ "バンダイナムコのリハビリ玩具が熊本県の認知症予防モデル事業の対象に". Game Business (in Japanese). IID. December 7, 2009. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ "Whack'em Funky Gators".
- ^ "Arcade Belgium - EAG International 2015 Report (english)".
- ^ Ashcraft, Brian (June 18, 2020). "After 30 Years, Namco Bandai Releases New Version Of Amusement Arcade Game". Kotaku UK. G/O Media. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2020.