Pac-Man 2 - Final Rating

How I might have felt getting this for Christmas 30 years ago...

Written by Michael

Well, this game wasn’t quite the adventure we hoped, but that doesn’t make it a bad game.  So how will it fare in the scoring?

Puzzles and Solvability

Well, it’s not completely an arcade title, I suppose.  There are a few inventory puzzles, in a way.  For example, you have to collect key cards in the last level, and find a code hidden behind some frying pans to know how to use them.  You have to collect an empty milk bottle, and use it on a cow for milk.

But the solution to most puzzles is shooting something.  Hit something with the slingshot, knock it out of the way, or draw Pac’s attention to it.  Sometimes, it backfires, like shooting the cat at the hot dog stand makes him rush at you rather than run away.  This is where the arcade mentality sets in, rather than the adventure one -- learning by dying is the way to play this game.  Unlimited lives, but it sets you back to the last password spot, or at least a few screens back in most cases.

Still, slightly more than just an arcade game.  I’ll give it a 2.

Interface and Inventory

The game is designed for a simple SNES controller, and uses most, but not all, of the buttons.  The gameplay involves shooting a slingshot at Pac-Man to either interact with the environment or so distract our main character; the other function is to have him look in one direction or the other and hope, even pray, that he will follow your lead.  Not a great system for an adventure, but I suppose interesting for an arcade title.

Games cannot be saved, but switching to the status screen will show a password you could enter you restore back to a (hopefully recently) passed milestone point.  A score and your inventory are displayed here as well.

A score of 3 feels generous.

Story and Setting

There’s no story to speak of, really, short of learning that Pac-Man has a family.  The Ghost Witch, someone who has decided to haunt Pac-Man because of his preferred diet of little blue ghosts, tries to make his life a living hell.

Really, it’s more of a Scooby Doo story: “I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for these meddlin’ kids!”

The setting is well-developed; we’ll talk more in the E category, but it felt alive, and was planned.

Perhaps it’s generous, but another score of 2.

Sound and Graphics

The graphics are exactly what you’d expect from a 16-bit cartridge game of the time.  The music was not bad, but repetitive, because you would end up playing the same stages over and over again.

A score of 3.

Environment and Atmosphere

The environment around Pac-Man is rich.  Many people live and work in the area, pets are plentiful, and life is happening.  

There’s many items to both view and interact with.  Video games.  Hot dog carts.  Mailboxes.  In this way, it’s better than many adventure games.  Many of the items are there just for fun; there’s no reason to shoot down the blades of the windmill other than to watch Pac-Man run away from impending danger for a few seconds, but that was just entertaining.  

This is a strong point of the game.  I think I’ll go as high as 5.

Dialog and Acting

Just like Pac-Man, I’m excited to say this was done well.

Inspiration for the dialog.

Okay, so it’s not perfect; somehow our wife and kids can talk, but mostly all we can do is grunt and groan.  I think we have one line in the whole game (“Don’t worry, Junior, I’ll get your guitar”).  But between that and his facial expressions, we know exactly what he is feeling, what he is thinking of, and as a result, we want to make him happier.  Watching him do a happy dance-style stomp when he’s ultra-pleased is satisfying.

It’s an early cartridge game, so no, no speech.  This was still the time when a game console was miles behind home computers in tech; as the years continue the gap would get smaller and smaller.

Since we also lump this into this category: there’s no room descriptions or inventory descriptions, and in pure arcade style, everything is in upper case.  The actual dialog from the other characters is basic, not flowery.  It was made to be read quickly and dismissed, much like the plot in an adult movie.  

Still, the facial expressions.  They make me smile.  Still, I can’t go much higher than 2.

2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 5 + 2 ÷ 0.6 = 28.333

I’m okay with that; remember this scale is for adventure games and not arcade games.  It was still fun, although I don’t have the reflexes (or the patience) that I used to back when this first came out.  

So who guessed this score?  Busca!  Well done, sir.  I hope you’re as pleased as our title character.  So after I dish out some CAPs, I’ll get ready for my next game, something a lot more traditional for the blog.

CAP Distribution

Admin note: Oops!  We accidentally forgot to score points for Dracula on a previous main-line game!  It’s been a while since we played a Missed Classic, I guess.  So those points are in the mix now, and apologies for the delay. 

150 CAPs to Michael

• Hungry Hungry Hippo Award - 100 CAPs - for playing and blogging about Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures for our enjoyment

• White Christmas Award - 50 CAPs - for playing and blogging about Winter Wonderland for our enjoyment

50 CAPs to MorpheusKitami

• Once Bitten, Twice Shy Award - 50 CAPs - for playing and blogging about Dracula Hakushaku for our enjoyment

40 CAPs to Busca

• Well-Rounded Personality Award - 20 CAPs - for correctly guessing the final rating of Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

• Chair Man of the Board Award - 10 CAPs - for linking to an actual table shaped like a human being
  

• Honorary Doctorate Award - 10 CAPs - for the most best answer to a joke contest

20 CAPs to Andy Panthro

• Straight to the Point Award - 20 CAPs - for having the closest guess for the final rating of Dracula Hakushaku

10 CAPs to PsOmA

• Winston Zeddemore Award - 20 CAPs - for joining the ghostbusting team and playing along with Pac-Man 2

• Abort, Retry, Fail Award - -10 CAPs - for aborting said playthrough for another blogged game

10 CAPs to Ken Brubaker

• Blonde on Blonde Award - 10 CAPs - for showing his age

10 CAPs to Metallik

• You’ve Got Some Balls There Award - 10 CAPs - for bringing our game celebration back to analog

10 CAPs to MenhirMike

• Who’s Your Daddy Award - 10 CAPs - for a well-placed dad joke

5 CAPs to gamer indreams

• Dressed to Kill Award - 5 CAPs - for warning us that Morpheus may have already become an undead creature of the night

5 CAPs to Ross

• Period Appropriate Humor Award - 5 CAPs - for an off the cuff joke built upon an important line in Dracula Hakushaku