Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures | |
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Developer(s) | Namco |
Publisher(s) | Namco |
Platform(s) | SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis |
Genre(s) | Adventure/Puzzle |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, known in Japan as Template:Nihongo title, is a side-scrolling game incorporating both puzzle and action-adventure elements. It was produced and published by Namco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Mega Drive/Genesis systems, and was released on April 6, 1994 by Namco. It is based loosely on previous games in the Pac-Man series (mostly Pac-Land), and also appears to contain certain elements from the animated series. However, its gameplay differs greatly from the maze games that comprise the majority of the games in the series. The game is also noted for its large amount of funny failure scenes.
Gameplay
In Pac-Man 2, the player plays the role of an observer and assistant that follows Pac-Man as he sets out to accomplish various tasks. Pac-Man himself walks around in a cartoon world and interacts directly with the player, as well as with objects and other characters. The player cannot control Pac-Man directly, but instead can direct his attention in various directions, and is armed with a slingshot that can be used to strike certain objects, including Pac-Man himself.
Pac-Man's mood varies throughout the game, usually in response to his environment or the player's actions, and generally his mood affects his actions and his willingness to cooperate with the player; the varieties of "bad" moods can at time compromise the player's ability to progress. There are a few instances, however, where Pac Man is required to be angry. Hitting objects with the slingshot can often get Pac-Man to look at that object and piece together parts of the puzzle he is currently trying to solve - for example, hitting a door may cause Pac-Man to go inside a house to discover a clue. But beware - a few objects when hit can also produce disastrous (and humorous) results. Hitting a trash can on a city street at the wrong time, for example, can cause a cat to jump out and attack Pac-Man.
Throughout the game, Pac-Man is occasionally harassed by the four ghosts from the classic Pac-Man games. When this happens, Pac-Man is paralyzed by fear and eventually faints, unless the player gives him a power pellet. Then Pac-Man becomes Super Pac-Man for a brief time and flies around, eating the ghosts. In some cases, the ghosts may leave behind important objects.
Plot
The game centers around Pac-Man as he sets out to complete a series of tasks for his family. The player must first help Pac-Man find milk for his baby daughter. After accomplishing this, Pac-Man is tasked with going to the mountains to pick a flower for Lucy's birthday. His third task is to retrieve Pac-Jr's stolen guitar. In the final segment of the game, Pac-Man watches a news segment in which the ghosts are stealing gum from children all over the city, when the Ghost Witch of Netor takes over the broadcast and tells Pac-Man that her Gum Monster is nearly complete. He sets off to work his way through the abandoned factory where the monster is being created. The game culminates in a battle between Super Pac-Man and the Gum Monster, and after defeating it, Pac-Man is congratulated by the town and his family as a hero, except for that he didn't save their ABC gum.
Side quests
During the game, the player can direct Pac-Man to one of two video arcades where a conversion of the original Pac-Man (based on the NES version, but with 16 bit graphics) can be played. The player can also complete an optional side quest by collecting three missing cartridge pieces. Once completed, a bonus game is unlocked in the arcades — in the SNES version, the bonus game is Ms. Pac-Man, while in the Mega Drive/Genesis version, an exclusive game called Pac-Jr. is unlocked instead. Pac-Jr. is a graphic hack of Ms. Pac-Man, and not a conversion of the unauthorized arcade game Jr. Pac-Man. This was presumably done due to the fact that a Genesis version of Ms. Pac-Man was already released prior to this game and Namco never bought the rights to Jr. Pac-Man.