Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

"Assisted Living Pac-Man"

I'll give Namco credit for one thing - they really wanted to make a sequel to their arcade smash hit, Pac-Man, but they didn't want to ape the classic original. I mean, it was 1994, and we're talking 16 full bits here - which was way more than you had back in 1980. If you've got it, baby, flaunt it! Flaunt it!

Having cleared all of those accursed mazes years ago, Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man have finally settled down to raise their animated series-based family in style. However, a Pac still has to eat and live, so Ms. Pac sends the hubby on a series of tasks, including getting some milk for Pac-Baby and climbing a perilous mountain to acquire a flower for a birthday present. However, trouble looms about. Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde aren't too pleased that Pac-Man devoured them hundreds of times back in the old days, and they're ready to disrupt his to-do list and send him into oblivion.

This time around, Pac-Man, apparently tired of being controlled by The Man and his Joystick of Oppression, wanders around on his own while on these missions. The player is thrust into the role of an invisible deity, carrying a slingshot to warn him of incoming danger and snag apples down from trees, along with a vaguely male voice to tell him to "Look! Look!"

Unfortunately, Pac-Man has the demeanor of a three-year-old - he's easily distracted, he touches everything, and he becomes subject to tantrums. Essentially, this is what makes Pac-Man 2 such a chore; you can't control him directly. He remains blissfully unaware of anything that exists outside his spherical self, and it's up to you and your awkward slingshot to point him in the right direction and avoid obstacles. Your ability to get Pac-Man to do something depends almost completely on his mood - and trying to cheer him up is harder than it should be. Nobody wants to see Pac-Man sad or angry, but after a few attempts to get him to notice something, you'll be more than eager to sling a few rocks at him.

Furthermore, whenever Pac-Man is in danger, he just stands there and screams in an annoying, tinny sound effect "voice," leaving you to pull his hide from the fire. It's acceptable - and yes, even fun - to help him out for the first few times, but Pac-Man is constantly in danger, and his infantile helplessness becomes tiresome. You have an infinite number of lives to expend, but you'll probably give up after you discover just how whiny and petulant he really is. Why can't this guy do anything for himself? Because there would be no game - and maybe it would have been better that way.

The saving grace of Pac-Man 2 is its lovable cartoon graphics, which just barely make this game playable. Although you might not like it when Pac-Man becomes distracted by every little thing in his way, you'll definitely be amused as he gets crushed by opening doors, and chokes on a rotten forest berry. There are even several Looney Tunes-style antics, where Pac-Man steps off a cliff, unaffected by gravity until he looks down. Beware, though - the expressions are funny, but they wear out their welcome after Pac-Man fails to accomplish his mission several times over.

Of course, this is a game aimed squarely at kids, which is something that I understand completely - but kids deserve more than this. If Namco wanted to attract children of any age, they should have just repackaged the original Pac-Man series, which they eventually did do for later systems, but only after this and several other disastrous Pac-sequels. Even today, decades after the fact, the original Pac-Man manages to capture millions of people from every generation for its colorful fun and simplicity. While it was innovative, Pac-Man 2 and its control scheme rightfully went the way of the Nintendo SuperScope.

This review of Pac Man 2 for the SNES is Copyright 2004, Ian Pugh.

Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 11/18/04