saved pacman2_web_en.zip after mistyping Namco's web address in my browser (accidentally went to namcoo.com instead of namco.com). instead of an error page, it loaded an eerily convincing, identical-looking replica of Namco's official Web Game portal hosting this strange six-maze Pac-Man 2 build, complete with Namco copyright logos and arcade branding.

this was disguised as a full browser sequel rather than a simple clone. it has conveyor floors in stage two, switches and gates in three, a blackout maze with lamps, then keys and doors. each of the four ghosts also has its own route logic.

the completion rule is unusual too: clearing the dots is not enough. each power orb lets you consume the ghosts and all four numbered lights must be crossed out before the next maze loads. a replacement orb appears if the last one is wasted.

whoever set up the typo domain went through great lengths to make it look like a genuine Namco release. i left the files and package exactly as downloaded so this thread can preserve the bizarre typo-domain discovery before that clone site disappears.

>> PLAY THE OFFICIAL WEB EDITION <<

red follows the shortest route. pink aims ahead of you. blue seems to use red's position somehow, because it takes very strange diagonals around walls.

switch maze clear. the striped gates open permanently, so hit the switch before trying to herd all four ghosts.

insane that someone bought namcoo.com just to host a fake Pac-Man engine. the Web Game 06 label, yellow-and-blue marquee, and fake copyright footer look official at first glance.

wasted the fourth orb with one ghost left. another appeared after the last dot, so the round is not soft-locked.

orange is not random. it chases from far away and breaks toward the lower corner when you get close.

level four is strange for a fake game. the lamps help, but the ghosts still move outside the light and the title briefly changes from 2 to II.

checked the WHOIS on namcoo.com. registered anonymously via a registrar in early 2004, but every asset matches the official Namco layout.

the house card says Springfield and 20 May 1998. final card changes that to 21 May and says four counts. those are not random numbers.

that points to the Thurston case in Springfield. two people were killed at home on May 20, then two at the school on May 21. four murder counts total.

agreed. the fake package has no victim names or photographs, only the place, dates, residence/cafeteria labels, and count. i have not altered the archive.

six-level clear at 28,760. final maze is open but the direct and ambush ghosts together make it harder than the narrow maps.

the title changing from 2 to II to ? to 4 is deliberate. the spoofed Namco copyright footer never changes, and the whole thing is unsettling.

stage 5 conveyor belts can be chained to outrun Blinky even in panic mode. incredible preservation work VhsDream.

the synthesized waka sound effects and siren pitch-shifting match the arcade PCB registers perfectly.

cleared all 6 stages with 34,920 points. the soul meter filling up as you eat all 4 ghosts feels so satisfying.

stage 6 Iron Core requires baiting Inky and Pinky to the bottom before grabbing the key at the top.

typosquatting used to just be spam popups in 2000. finding a full playable mystery game on one is wild.

the blackout maze in stage 4 with the flickering lanterns is easily the best level.

works flawlessly in Firefox and Opera 7. timeless arcade design.

beat the full game on 1 life! 36,400 high score.

pleased to see the community digging into the AI patterns and level mechanics. archive link is backed up permanently.

one of the greatest browser arcade discoveries ever made. essential Nyx archive thread.