Home Alone 2: Lost in New York

"LOOK OUT, KEVIN! The cranky old lady has an umbrella! And she's not afraid to use it!!"

I remember it when I was younger: It was Christmas day, and one of the presents happened to be Home Alone 2 for the SNES. I enjoyed the movie, so I thought I'd also enjoy the game. Once all my presents were unwrapped, I went to my room, popped Home Alone 2 into the SNES, and played. Back then, I liked it, but as I continued to play, the feeling subsided. A lot.

STORY: 7/10
You are Kevin McCallister and you've been separated from your family once again. You're in the hotel, just as the concierge has found out that you are using a "stolen" credit card. The concierge and his employees are after you. Just as you think that credit card fraud is the least of your problems, those crooks you helped nab, Harry and Marv, want revenge. Some of the game follows the story, but some of it doesn't. In the hotel, Kevin escapes from his pursuers. In the game, not only do you do that, but you have to escape from luggage that's...alive?! I don't get it - this kid outsmarts Harry and Marv, but is outwitted himself by jumping luggage? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!
When you go to the park, you meet the pigeon lady. In the movie, Kevin is scared of her, until she helps free his foot when it gets stuck in a crevice. She never sics her birds on him. In this game, however, they are throwing sticks at you while she stands and watches. After a while, she'll shake your hand and the birds stop their attack. Wouldn't she tell them to leave you alone? Why do they attack you but not the other visitors to the park? I guess such mysteries may never be solved. Just like the Bomber guy: He's in the hotel throwing bombs. You'd think throwing bombs in an occupied building is a more serious felony than credit card fraud...

CONTROLS: 5/10
Somewhat hard, you run fine and when you press down while running, you slide to dispatch some foes (it will not work on most foes and you get hit instead). When you jump, it's not very high and your legs tuck under your body in such an odd way that you can't determine if you land squarely on a platform or not, and fail to land on it. Weapons pop up every so often, but they are used up quickly. You can find items by jumping into lamps and such.

GRAPHICS: 5/10
Some pics were taken from the movie, and the colors look fine. Character design is somewhat grotesque at times and some items look like colors blending into each other.

SOUND: 2/10
An annoying "SPROING!" sounds every time you jump, and a real annoying sound pops up when you get hit. Other sounds are more tolerable, but since you're almost ALWAYS getting hit and having to jump...you'll hear SPROING more times than you care to hear.

MUSIC: 6/10
The music is OK. There was no bad music in the game, and they at least take a melody from the film and have it in the game (when you're in the hotel). It would have been nice to hear other movie melodies, though.

GAMEPLAY: 5/10
You run around in the hotel, trying to get away from foes and killer luggage. If you're being chased by people (the concierge and the fat detective-looking guy) and you're at a dead end, you're up a creek without a paddle. You can't jump over them, since your jump is so short. As soon as they touch you, they shake you up and one of your lives goes bye-bye. You collect cookies (for points), pizza slices ( 6 slices gives you an extra life), a pop gun (stuns foes), a boxing glove gun (defeats foes), and a necklace (toss at foes to defeat them) items are limited. If you find aftershave, you speed up and are invincible temporarily. Wheeee! Enemies you face include bouncing luggage, rats, pigeons, and people. Some of the people foes are funny:
Cranky old lady: She jumps up and down from side to side, brandishing her umbrella.
Maid: She stands on a bed and chucks pillows at you. Get hit by a pillow to take damage. HOW DOES A PILLOW HURT YOU?! They must have a huge brick in them, but that would contradict why they bounce upon hitting the floor.
Butcher: Chops up meat. Getting hit by the flying chops hurts. WHAT, DOES IT HAVE E. COLI?!
Muggers: In the park, they hide in a bush and hit you with a stick.

CHALLENGE: 7/10
It gets very hard, even to the point of being insanely difficult. Healing items are far and few between. NO CONTINUES. You lose all your lives? Game over.

REPLAY: 5/10
You may want to play again to try to get further, but I doubt you'd want to play again after beating it.

OVERALL: 5/10
This game is a disappointment, but what did I expect, almost EVERY game based on a movie is bad, and this game is no exception! While it did have some good parts, the rest was mediocre. Watch the movie instead, you'll get more laughs. The only reason you'd laugh at this game is the foes I mentioned before, and how bad it is.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 06/20/04