Japanese arcade game Pac-Man originally appeared in 1979. Almost 30 years later, Mr-Gobble-Everything-On-My-Way is still yellow and of most importance, a force in the industry. Fact of the matter is, a world championship is currently being planned as a form of tribute.

Microsoft, in cooperation with NAMCO BANDAI Games, will host early next year the first ever Pac-Man World Championship. Aside from the announcement, no other details were divulged about the competition. However, it is needless to say that the said event will take place on the Xbox Live Arcade. The top 10 competitors will be sent to New York City to slug it out in the finals.

On a related matter, classics from the '80s and the '90s have conquered the XBLA. The current games were recently announced by Microsoft:

•     Contra by Konami Corp.
•     Gyruss by Konami
•     Dig Dug by NAMCO BANDAI Games
•     Track & Field by Konami
•     New Rally-X by NAMCO BANDAI Games
•     Rush’n Attack by Konami
•     Ms. Pac-Man by NAMCO BANDAI Games
•     Yie Ar Kung Fu by Konami