Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary (PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, Windows)

Namco celebrates its 50th Anniversary by re-releasing its greatest arcade hits, again. This collection is notably the first Namco Museum where the included games are run through emulation of the original arcade ROMs rather than being native ports.

Leftover Executables#

Present only in the NAMCO50.VOL archive from the North American PlayStation 2 release are three leftover executables. They are just copies of the executables that can already be found in the root directory, but they all contain debug symbols that were later stripped out.

Debug Menu#

To do: Codes for other versions.

A debug menu identical to the one found in Midway Arcade Treasures 2 and 3 can be enabled by using one of the below codes.

PlayStation 2 (US)
D01F4C08 00004734
201F4C18 00000001

The first option returns you back to the pause menu. The second option would've enabled some timing graphs, but no longer functions in the final game. The third option toggles the emulator's frame limiter. The fourth option enables some game status icons at the bottom of the screen.

Debug Functions#

A handful of debug functions can be enabled with the below codes. The only one that appears to work is Show FPS. Do not have these codes active while in an arcade game.

PlayStation 2 (US) codes:
Enable VSync Debug
003E9578 00000001
Show FPS
003E957D 00000001
Enable ShowPref
003E957C 00000001
Enable Showing 3D Sounds
003E957A 00000001
Ignore Asserts
003E957B 00000001
Eat asserts and reboot
003E957E 00000001
Display Safe Area
003E957F 00000001
Force no interleaving
003E9580 00000001
Force interleaving
003E9581 00000001

Unused Pause Menu Option#

An unused Friends option exists in the pause menu. It does not function anymore. Apply the below code to re-enable it.

PlayStation 2 (US)

Enable Friends in Pause Menu
D01F4C08 00004734
20321C08 00000001

Framerate#

Unused Text#

Executable Strings#

These strings are all present in the game's executable.

A list of commands for a debuggerː

Debugger commands:
   files()                 - list known source files.
   lines(string)           - list known lines for source file.
   bs(string, int)         - set breakboint at line x of file.
   bc(string, int)
        - clear breakboint at line x of file.
   cc()                    - clear current breakpoint.
   ca()                    - clear all breakpoints.
   sb()                    - show all breakpints.
   go()                    - resume execution.
   ss()                    - single step
   bk()                    - stop at next statement
   trace(int)              - turn statement trace on(1) or off (0)
   stack()                 - print call stack
   locals()                - show local variables
   lp()                    - list all known parsers by name
   sa(string)              - set the active parser by name
   san(int)                - set the active parser by parser list index
   sab()                   - set the active parser to current breakpoint's
   sn(string)              - set default namesapce in the active parser
   ln()                    - list namespaces in the active parser
   gn()                    - show default namespace in the active parser
   echo(int)               - turn telnet echo on/off
   setName(string)         - set the parser's name
   setAutoActive(int)      - turn auto-set active parser on bp on/off
   help()                  - display commands

Leftover strings for various debug functionsː

VSync Debug: %s
yes
Show FPS: %s
Show Perf Data: %s
Enable Showing 3D Sounds: %s
Ignore Asserts: %s
Eat asserts and reboot: %s
Display Safe Area: %s
Force no interleaving: %s
Force interleaving: %s
Draw cam intersect: %s

Copyright info for an unzipping program:

unzip 0.15 Copyright 1998 Gilles Vollant 
1.1.3

A leftover reference to an archive named GODZILLA.VOL from Godzilla: Save the Earth:

cdrom0:\GODZILLA.VOL;1

Filemon.txt#

A listing from a file monitor. Present only in the North American PlayStation 2 release.

Pipeworks File Monitor Report
----

Entry      Start        End  Filename                                                     Location
-----      -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
    0      0.000      0.102  host0:modules/SIO2MAN.IRX                                    
    1      0.110      0.131  host0:modules/LIBSD.IRX                                      
    2      0.143      0.196  host0:modules/STREAM.IRX                                     
           -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
    3      4.357      4.369  T10000.SCF                                                   
    4      4.373      4.385  SYSTEM.CNF                                                   
    5      4.494      4.523  host0:modules/PADMAN.IRX                                     
    7      4.544      4.598  host0:modules/MCMAN.IRX                                      
    8      4.602      4.619  host0:modules/MCSERV.IRX                                     
           -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
    9      6.272      6.287  Namco50.uber                                                 
   10      6.291      6.292  Namco50.samp                                                 
   11      6.340      6.355  Shell.bsf                                                    
           -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
   12      6.364     10.992  host0:Shell/Shell.BDP                                        
   13     11.007     11.447  MAINMENU.BSF                                                 
           -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
   14     13.828     13.990  host0:Graphics/Bosconian.cgs                                 
   15     13.995     14.064  host0:Graphics/digdug.cgs                                    
   16     14.071     14.159  host0:Graphics/galaga.cgs                                    
   17     14.163     14.212  host0:Graphics/galaxian.cgs                                  
   18     14.218     14.301  host0:Graphics/mappy.cgs                                     
   19     14.306     14.368  host0:Graphics/mspacman.cgs                                  
   20     14.375     14.425  host0:Graphics/pacman.cgs                                    
   21     14.430     14.717  host0:Graphics/PolePosition1.cgs                             
   22     14.726     14.997  host0:Graphics/PolePosition2.cgs                             
   23     15.007     15.170  host0:Graphics/rallyx.cgs                                    
   24     15.176     15.298  host0:Graphics/skykid.cgs                                    
   25     15.306     15.450  host0:Graphics/xevious.cgs                                   
   -----        ---  --------                                                     --------
   26     46.446    264.329  SheDrivesMeCrazy.mic                                         

Regional Differences#

Loading Screen#

International	Japan

The loading screen seen upon booting up the game and going back to the main menu (said image just being a plain BMP file in the disc's STARTUP folder) was slightly altered in the Japanese version: the text was replaced with a simple NOW LOADING..., the box said text is in was made a bit thinner, and the background was made completely black, rather than a somewhat darker grey.

Legal Screen#

International	Japan

The legal screen right after was also somewhat altered. The copyright for the collection itself was taken out (presumably in part due to the 2001 in there referring to the previous PS2/GC/Xbox Namco Museum title, which wasn't released in Japan), as was the line about Namco Holding Corp., with the order of games listed changed around slightly, as well as the addition of copyright notices for Pole Position II, Pac-Mania and Galaga '88, plus the removal of all trademark symbols.

Title Screen#

International	Japan

The title screen, unsurprisingly, was altered as well, with its new logo (called Namco Museum Arcade HITS!) and the addition of a copyright notice, plus a different font for the PRESS START BUTTON text (said font also used for all romanized text on menus).

Pole Position & Pole Position II#

Pole Position	Namco Museum Vol. 1	Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary	Namco Museum Arcade HITS!

The original arcade version of Pole Position featured a recreation of the famous Fuji Speedway as its sole circuit, but for its Namco Museum Vol. 1 port it was altered to the brand new Namco Circuit due to licensing issues, a change that stuck on all subsequent versions (until its Arcade Archives version in 2023). However, 50th Anniversary featured an interesting mix: it uses the original Fuji Speedway course, but with the Namco Circuit name instead. The Japanese version instead reverts it to the Namco Circuit layout.

(it also removes the copyright notice on the title screen, a strange change present on all games in this Japanese release)

Pole Position II	Namco Museum Vol. 3	Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary	Namco Museum Arcade HITS!

The same thing happened with Pole Position II, which featured a recreation of the also famous Suzuka Circuit alongside the original's Fuji Speedway, plus two additional circuits: Test, an oval course, and Seaside, based on the 1982 version of the Long Beach street circuit. As with the original, its Namco Museum port and subsequent versions featured similar alterations, with Suzuka receiving a new layout and being renamed to Wonder. Once again, 50th Anniversary has it mixed and the Japanese version goes back to the fully altered version. As also seen, Arcade HITS! still uses the English text as well, despite both the original arcade version and Namco Museum Vol. 3 having Japanese text on their respective Japanese releases.

Pole Position difference#

International	Japan

However, these changes did not extend to the actual main menu, as the Pole Position cabinet's attract mode animation on it still features the Fuji Speedway layout on the Japanese version.

Pac-Mania and Galaga '88#

Two of the games included on this collection, Pac-Mania and Galaga '88, were unlockable games on the original version, tied behind certain score goals on some of the games. The Japanese version makes them available by default instead.

Soundtrack#

The original version featured a selection of five licensed 80s songs that would play in the main menu. They were:

• Talking in Your Sleep by The Romantics
• Joystick by Dazz Band
• Working for the Weekend by Loverboy
• She Drives Me Crazy by Fine Young Cannibals
• Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

The Japanese version replaces all of these with an original song exclusive to this release.