23 replies to this topic

[8ennett]

This took me by surprise today, but the google logo on the homepage today is a fully playable version of pacman around a level that spells out google, and if you click insert coin (where the i'm feeling lucky button usually is) the Mrs pacman gets added as well and you can have a two player using the arrow keys for pacman and a,s,d,w for mrs pacman. The problem I found after having a quick game though is that none of the keys used to play pacman would work on the google search bar after playing a two player lol so the arrow keys wouldn't work and neither would a,s,d,w so finding out why pacman was on the homepage was a bit difficult to start with lol

Anyone else had that problem?

[starscream]

Just playing pacman right now on homepage. I think that is one more strategy to keep people sticking to the service. I'm sure more than million people are playing this game on homepage right now. This will last for a week or so then they'll have to change the theme again with one more service. I like the change with google this time. Nice

[yordan]

Wow! A playable homepage! Really nice!
Now, how long will it last?
It's supposed to be the 30th anniversary. How long does an anniversary last? I would say one day?
Let's see tomorrow if I'm right.
By the way, I need help. I noticed that Mrs MacMan comes and can play with me when I press "Insert Coins". But what are the commands for the second player ? It's not "jkl", what is it?

[8ennett]

I told you the buttons for Mrs pacman above, a = left, s = down, d = right, w = up, just like the old dos two player games of the past. Just don't expect those keys to work in the search bar after playing lol

[yordan]

I told you the buttons for Mrs pacman above, a = left, s = down, d = right, w = up, just like the old dos two player games of the past. Just don't expect those keys to work in the search bar after playing lol

Sorry, I still didn't wake up today, I read your post and immediately forgot the asdw layout.
Thanks for the info.

[yordan]

This will last for a week or so

Nope. This did not lask a whole week. Like other google celebretion hompages, it lasted very few, today we have the standard page again.
So, it was simply an eye blink to old gamers, saying "do you remember, google did not exist yet, but the good old spirit is still there".

[fermin25]

Well I don´t know if this is a new strategy by Google to keep its visitors busy and online. The truth is that Google is today the world leader in the search engine business and maybe with this new feature they are testing if the costumers can increase because the bing page is growing and there are a lot of users that have changed their preferences from Google to bing.com.

So happy for Google it´s my favorite and maybe there are a lot of visitors that remembered their age when they played pacman with their friends and now Google is offering to all the people this easy and very entertained game.

Ohh... no now are the twelve o´clock in my country and Google took off the pacman game well nothing is forever no? But thank you google and maybe in some hours i will download the pacman game to remember my times and my childness.

Bye.

[yordan]

Well I don´t know if this is a new strategy by Google to keep its visitors busy and online.

I would rather say that there is no need for a strategy, people are "naturally" busy and online with google. I must confess that I almost never look at the google logo, simply sometimes I leave my mouse on it, seeing "oh, Thomas Edison's Birthday, nice to see this". So, this logo is nothing more than that, and not a really reason to stay busy with google.

[8ennett]

I agree, I doubt there was any strategy to it, someone probably just though it was a good idea. Google games already offers pacman, it's just one of those things they do to celebrate the anniversary of something, like the invention of the laser or the birth of a genius etc. Still though it was a nice little bit of nostalgia for a couple of minutes, I was dissapointed though when i completed the level and it just started again lol

[yordan]

Google games already offers pacman

Can you tell us where are these google games? When I looked for "google games" I landed at Zylom site.

[8ennett]

Can you tell us where are these google games? When I looked for "google games" I landed at Zylom site.

Well technically it's not google games, it's in igoogle under gadgets here http://www.google.co...z.dk/pacman.xml

[yordan]

Well technically it's not google games, it's in igoogle under gadgets here http://www.google.co...z.dk/pacman.xml

Huh ? I didn't even know about Igoogle.
Have to have a look at it, seems rather useful. Is it linked to your gmail account, or is it a completely different thing?

[8ennett]

You need some form of account with them, not sure of the specifics. It's a shame igoogle isn't more popular, but when they first opened they had hopes of becoming a major rival to myspace but there was some kind of security flaw in the original so they had to re-open and obviously they lost a lot of popularity. Anyway the gadgets and widgets etc can all be added to your igoogle web page or you can make your own.

Edited by 8ennett, 31 May 2010 - 11:28 AM.

[starscream]

thanks for the gadget link. i was unaware of this. hmm, i'm sure there are more games going to be in gadgets for sure.

[fiage]

Nope. This did not lask a whole week. Like other google celebretion hompages, it lasted very few, today we have the standard page again.

On the release day of pacman google page, I wasn't aware that its playable. Since I do not usually visit google home page and instead type in search queries directly in the address bar.


A quick google search tells that pacman has made into permanent url: http://www.google.com/pacman/ So we can play it again whenever we wish to have a quick deathmatch with a buddy sitting next.

[yordan]

A quick google search tells that pacman has made into permanent url: http://www.google.com/pacman/ So we can play it again whenever we wish to have a quick deathmatch with a buddy sitting next.

This raises again the subject of people being stuck on a google page ; however, now, they will be frankly and honestly playing pacman.
----Edit
I tried it, and I must warn everybody : this games is very dangerous. It almost destroyed my keyboard, it's testing if your keybord is stronger than your fingers.

[8ennett]

also just a reminder, if you play a two player on google then the a,s,d,w keys won't work in the google search bar until you open a new tab. it was kind of annoying considering just after i played i tried to type in pacman in to google lol i couldn't understand why the A button wasn't working

[The Simpleton]

Playing it for a day or two on the google home page was fun, but trying to play it again through google isn't much of a 'fun' idea....I'd rather play it in full-screen whenever I want. Still, google brought back some memories and I re-discovered pacman after a long time

[Quatrux]

I've also been trying to play pacman through google, but I can confess that i'm really not good at playing it, even though I saw on youtube, that some people play it very good. I just think I need practice and read a little about how to play it best.. But even at youth I wasn't good at it..

I like to play lode runner much more or diamond caves for example

[Xarex]

It must be awesome to be the team that works on coming up with Google logos and games to put on the front home page. There is always something going on and they have done something every year, and hardly ever, I don't think ever -- is it the same thing. There is always a new logo or always something new that they are doing. So the team that does that must be doing some intense research, brainstorming & creativity, coding, and design.

It's always forced me to click if the Google logo has changed and to see what is going on. So I remember the Pacman Google game and that was really awesome.

You can actually see how Google has changed their logo throughout the years. Than again, when your a billion dollar company, you better be damn creative!

http://googlesystem....time-lapse.html