Pac-Man 2 - Hot Dogs & Cats Living Together

Written by Michael

Junior: I was late submitting my game review to TAG and now I’m sad

Welcome back, fellow chompers!  Let’s play some more of this game based on the two major food groups for teenagers in the 1980s, pizza and gumballs.

When last we left, we had just gotten a flower for Lucy, Pac-Junior's rather pale-faced girlfriend.  Now, it seems that Junior is sad.

That looks like a killer rock band in the sky

While the kids were playing downtown, the ghosts came by and stole his guitar (although truthfully, I think this is what really happened).  He says they went off into the city.

When does he have the time to work if he’s doing this stuff all day?

Well, this is another job for Dad, because in the entertainment world, no one is self-reliant.  Mom has a train ticket for us, so we can travel using the train, so I guess that’s the direction we need to head.  

Hanging out, down the street.

I head west, but am thwarted by the dog yet again.  I’m sure there’s a way around him, but I decide to go east the next time.

After stopping to pet my own dog, of course.

Past the rope line, past the far, I head into a section of town labeled “Old Arcade”.  I get distracted and check out the cat on the wall, which causes me to bump into the hot dog cart.  If I stop there for a hot dog, though, the cat jumps down and steals my hot dog, making me sad.  Then, I am forced east, where in frustration, I kick a garbage can containing another cat, who tumbles with me and beat the living snot out of me, leaving me to die.

Yes, the simple act of buying the hot dog essentially kills your character, unless you shoot the first cat at just the right moment to stop him from the frankfurter theft.  Yes, it took me a few tries.  If you shoot him too soon, he still jumps down to get the food.

If you shoot the hot dog vendor, he gets mad, and when you try to buy a hot dog, he squirts ketchup on you.

And then you die.

In an adventure game, this would be considered evil.  But this is an arcade game, so I guess it’s okay.

Still, I keep going, and find the train station, but for the heck of it, I keep walking, to see what else is nearby.  Most of the businesses are closed, but there’s an arcade we can go to.

Who ya gonna call?

But first, there’s a garbage can I can shoot and bring the wrath of ghosts upon me.  I use a pellet, eat them, and get an ID card for my trouble..

Back in the day, I preferred APB and Spy Hunter.

Inside the arcade are two machines one for Pac-Man, and another for Ms. Pac-Man.  It seems there are three cartridges you need to collect to play that bonus game, and I only have one.  But the classic version is playable.

I don’t remember the last time I finished a whole screen.

I’m not even as good as wimpy Junior?  Sheesh.

I play some, I put my name in the high scores.  But we have a game to play.

 

So I take the train to Station Street...

...and promptly walk into a workman on a scaffold painting an advertisement.  She flies into the air, but I run away just in time, up the fallen scaffold....

...where I get catapulted past obstacles such as a flooded-out sidewalk and land outside a burger joint.

You’ll shoot your eye out.

If I shoot off the head of the statue in front, I’ll quickly jump in place, so the owner doesn’t think it’s broken.

I keep walking, and come across a park.  I find some trees with apples, and eat those, but avoid the golden-colored berries that look like burnt-out fireberries, because berries seem to always react poorly with Pac-Man.

I next walk by a pushcart vendor with balloons, and shoot one of them because I’m mischievous.  The vendor gets really mad, and pumps me full of helium, and I start floating...

...until I can get shot down over a roof.

It turns out that I screwed up, maybe.  This roof section was meant for the fourth mission, but I spent ages dealing with it now.  If only I had stayed away from balloons.

At the other end of the roof is a pulley that I cannot figure out how to use, and I spent a LOT of time on it.  This is where I broke down and tried to use a power pellet to fly around and hopefully go further right.  I learned the trick to which direction you need to face to get where you want to end up.

On this roof, there were some smoke exhausts from a building, and if I shot them, Pac gets interested, sticks his head in too far, and it blows up in his face.  He’s covered with soot, and of course, any time Pac-Man is covered with something, he dies.

Back to life, some more exploring up high finds me on steel girders, and one section falls loose when I step on it, bringing me (somewhat abruptly) back down to Earth, in front of the construction site, and next to a not-working soda machine that only frustrates our guy.

To the east is a large, blue guard blocking access to the factory gates.  I try shooting him, and at first it has no effect, but after a lot of shots, it eventually causes him to burst apart into... ghosts.  Ugh.

A ghost carrying a proton pack?

One of them seems to be flying around with something that looks like Junior’s guitar!  So, I do my thing with a power-pellet and eat an after-dinner snack.  I get a guitar for my trouble, and although there’s plenty more I could do here, I’m tired at this point, so I head home.  Back through town, back to the train, past the farm, and so on.

Words admin Joe hears after recording each new episode of their podcast.

Junior quickly starts playing a love song about Lucy.

This is a picture-heavy post, so I’m sure it’s long.  Let’s take a break.

Session Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes