While the legendary video game designer Toru Iwatani is probably best known today for being the creator of Pac-Man, it's important to highlight it wasn't actually the first title that he created for Namco.
Instead, that honour belongs to the 1978 release Gee Bee, a pinball-inspired block breaker, which has been announced as this week's arcade archives release, releasing tomorrow, across Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Looking at its popularity today, Gee Bee might not exactly have the same kind of name recognition as Iwatani's pellet-munching arcade smash hit, but it is still a particularly significant title in the history of video games.
For instance, it marks Namco's first-ever arcade game that was designed in-house, as, prior to that, the company had up until that point only ever released electromechanical machines under its original name, Nakamura Seisakusho, as well as Atari arcade titles (such as Breakout), which it could sell thanks to acquiring the struggling Japanese division of Atari in 1974 and taking over the distribution of its game in the region.
As a result, Gee Bee could be considered as the true beginning of Namco's arcade efforts, which would eventually see the company rise to new levels of fame and glory over the following years, with the release of hit after hit, such as Pac-Man, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Pole Position, Xevious, and more.
The game itself is relatively simple, falling into the camp of being easy to learn and difficult to master. In it, players take control of a pair of horizontal paddles on the screen that move in tandem, and must destroy blocks to acquire points toward their high score without dropping the ball.
To differentiate itself from some of the other Breakout clones of the time, it also incorporates some pinball-esque elements into the mix. These include a pair of bumpers that award 10 points when hit, and rollover symbols, which you can turn over to activate a score multiplier.
The game would spawn two sequels, Bomb Bee and Cutie Q — both of which would go on to appear in future compilations from the company. Gee Bee, meanwhile, hasn't been reissued that extensively in the past, which is surprising considering its place in the company's history.
The game will cost $7.99 on Switch and PS4, and $9.99 on Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and PS5, with an option to upgrade from the Switch and PS4 versions to the Switch 2 and PS5 one for a discounted price of $2.99. Mouse control support is also said to be included in this latest release.