RETRO REBOOT - Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures (Sega Mega Drive & SNES)

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures is a game that still mystifies me after all these years, as it still ranks as one of the most unpredictable follow-ups to a popular entity that I have ever witnessed in ANY medium. this was a time where standards and expectations have been established for video game sequels, too. Credit for originality, I suppose. 

If you're reading this editorial, there's a strong chance that Pac-Man needs no introduction. He's Namco's flagship character, the name is synonymous with video games. Simplistic and addictive, games like Pac-Man, the sequel/spinoff Ms. Pac-Man, and the less talked about Pac-Man Jr., how do you go about developing a follow-up to a formula? As seen with Dig Dug 2: Trouble in Paradise, Namco certainly wasn't shy about taking chances, even if the results are mixed. Enter Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, a point-and-click puzzle platformer...in the mid-90s. You could almost hear the collective "...huh?" from passersby patrons as they saw this on their rental game shelves or Kay-Bee Toys. 

Developed and published by Namco in 1994, Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures was released exclusively for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis. There's very little differences between the versions, other than preference. So in the New Adventures, you witness Pac-Man and his family live out their daily lives, peppered with peril and minor nuisances that can impede Pac-Man's errands, such as getting Pac Jr. some more milk. As a point-n-click, Pac-Man can't respond to threats like the Ghosts without your assistance. 

It plays fine, honestly, this really isn't a bad game, providing you have the patience to learn the layout and what responses trigger what events. It might seem unconventional to see a genre that's more acclaimed on PC for your 16-bit console. Goes without saying that using a directional pad to navigate an on-screen cursor is a feeling I can seldom get used to. 

Pac-Man is a dunce and will walk into open manholes, bonk into objects, chased by dogs, and will forget how keys and door handles function without the aid of your slingshot. As he gets more angry and frustrated, it gets harder to command his attention in the right direction, so it takes a little bit of effort to keep his spirits as high as possible. He can get annoyed when you pop him in the ass (does he even have one?) to jump over hazards. Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde can best be defeated by giving Pac-Man his signature Power Pellet, allowing him to transform into Super Pac-Man to dispatch them. The learning curve relies on a lot of trial and error.

The graphics are colorful and expressive, I do like the various moods Pac himself can swing from throughout the game. Sometimes it's fun to just piss him off to see him go. While it isn't based on it in any fashion, the style The New Adventures decides to adopt really puts me in mind of the 1982 Pac-Man Animated Series. The Ghost Witch is exclusive to this game, but essentially serves the same purpose as Mezmaron, the antagonist of the television show. In some ways, it works, and puts an interesting idea of the kind of world the Pac-Man family inhabit. Pac-Man lore is odd to think about. It's fascinating to find out how much of the layout is interactive, leading me to just fire around to see what Pac-Man is going to occupy himself with. 

There...really isn't that much else to say. Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures can be a pretty engaging video game, especially if you're a fan of puzzle titles. It begs to be played with a mouse than a controller. Consider this a very unconventional game that had the BALLS to be released at the height of innovative video game design geared towards more youthful audiences by adopting a play style mostly regulated to home computers.  

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