Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
Encyclopedia
Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures, known in Japan
as , 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 humorous failure scenes. The game received mixed reviews.
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.
s 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/level hack of Ms. Pac-Man, and not a conversion of the unauthorized arcade game Jr. Pac-Man
. This was done because a Genesis version of Ms. Pac-Man was already released prior to this game and Namco never bought the rights to Jr. Pac-Man at the time.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a side-scrolling game incorporating both puzzle
Computer puzzle game
Puzzle video games are a genre of video games that emphasize puzzle solving. The types of puzzles to be solved can test many problem solving skills including logic, strategy, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion....
and action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
elements. It was produced and published by Namco for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
(SNES) and Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
systems, and was released on April 6, 1994 by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
. It is based loosely on previous games in the Pac-Man series (mostly Pac-Land
Pac-Land
is an entry in the Pac-Man series of arcade video games, released into arcades by Namco, and its American distributor Bally Midway , in 1984. It was the first Namco arcade game to use the then-new arcade system later titled as Namco Pac-Land...
), and also appears to contain certain elements from the animated series
Pac-Man (TV series)
Pac-Man is an animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera based on the video game Pac-Man by Namco, which premiered on ABC and ran from 1982 to 1983. During the first airing of the show, the large number of advertisers sponsoring it caused commercial breaks to be double their normal length...
. 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 humorous failure scenes. The game received mixed reviews.
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 slingshotSlingshot
A slingshot, shanghai, flip, bean shooter or catapult is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame held in the off hand, with two rubber strips attached to the uprights. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket which holds the projectile...
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 arcadeVideo arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
s where a conversion of the original Pac-Man
Pac-Man
is an arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution in the United States by Midway, first released in Japan on May 22, 1980. Immensely popular from its original release to the present day, Pac-Man is considered one of the classics of the medium, virtually synonymous with video games,...
(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
Ms. Pac-Man
Ms. Pac-Man is an arcade video game produced by Midway as an unauthorized sequel to Pac-Man. It was released in North America in 1981 and became one of the most popular video games of all time, leading to its adoption by Pac-Man licensor Namco as an official title...
, while in the Mega Drive/Genesis version, an exclusive game called Pac-Jr. is unlocked instead. Pac-Jr. is a graphic/level hack of Ms. Pac-Man, and not a conversion of the unauthorized arcade game Jr. Pac-Man
Jr. Pac-Man
Jr. Pac-Man is an arcade game released in 1983 by Bally Midway. It is based on Pac-Man and its derivatives, but is not officially part of the Pac-Man series—along with Baby Pac-Man, this game was created without the authorization of Namco...
. This was done because a Genesis version of Ms. Pac-Man was already released prior to this game and Namco never bought the rights to Jr. Pac-Man at the time.
External links
- Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures at GameFAQsGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...