Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

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Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Namco Hometek, Ballistic (Re-releases)
Developer: Namco
Sound driver: Namco sound driver
Genre: Adventure
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code US 1994-11 T-14126
Non-Sega versions Super NES
ESRA

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures is a Sega Mega Drive point-and-click graphic adventure game developed and published by Namco. A spin-off of the company's renowned Pac-Man series, it was released exclusively in the United States in November 1994, and later received a pair of American re-releases courtesy of publisher Ballistic.

The game was first released on the Super Famicom as Hello! Pac-Man (ハロー! パックマン) in Japan and was advertised in a charming and appropriate manner. When it was brought to the West, it was localized and marketed as a true sequel to the original Pac-Man - attempting to downplay the game's unique genre and increase sales. However, this also colored buyer's expectations for a game which resembled the arcade original, and subsequently contributed to Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures's notoriously-poor reception in English-speaking countries. Regardless, the game has seen a modern re-evaluation, and is generally considered one of the more unique and interesting examples in the point-and-click adventure game genre.

Story

The game follows an episodic approach where the plot unfolds through a loosely-connnected series of misadventures where Pac-Man must complete tasks for his family. Throughout these episodes, the ghosts and their mysterious leader, the Ghost Witch of Netor, plot to destroy Pac-Man by any means necessary.

Gameplay

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures is an unusual entry in the series, as rather than being a top-down action game set in a maze, it is a side-scrolling adventure game. The player doesn't control Pac-Man directly, who instead wanders around the game world and interacts with objects and characters at his own pace. Rather, the game utilises a "Character Guidance Interface™" which gives the player a slingshot, which they must use to guide Pac-Man around or have him interact with specific objects by using the D-Pad to move the cursor, and pressing to shoot; the longer is held, the farther the bullet will be shot.

By guiding Pac-Man around, the player will need to solve puzzles to advance the plot. Over the course of the game, Pac-Man's mood can change, such as becoming happy when he eats an apple from a tree or becoming irritated or depressed when the player shoots him in the face, which is sometimes the solution to a puzzle. However, his mood can affect how co-operative he is with the player; for example, making Pac-Man grumpy will make him less likely to listen to the player.

From time to time, the ghosts (Blinky, Pinky, Inky and Clyde) will appear to harass Pac-Man, in turn causing him to become frightened and run around in a panic. Whenever this happens, the player has to feed him a Power Pellet using the button, which will transform him into Super Pac-Man and allow him to eat the ghosts. There are also scenes in which Pac-Man will ride a hang glider or a minecart, thus necessitating quick reactions from the player to get him to the end safely. There is no Game Over if Pac-Man gets knocked out; instead, the game restarts from the same location Pac-Man left off.

The original Pac-Man arcade game is included in this game, and is accessed by visiting the arcade in Pac-City. By finding three cartridges, the player can unlock Pac-Jr. (Ms. Pac-Man in the SNES version).

Episodes

	The Practice Stage
	Taking place within the Pac-Family garden, this episode is a "cartoon short" intended to teach the player the basic rules of the game. Pac-Man will talk to the player directly, telling them what to do to interact with the game.
	Hunt & Gather
	Ms. Pac-Man has run out of milk for Pac-Baby, and Pac-Man must get some more milk by going to the local farm. The player must avoid waking the farmer, and have Pac-Man milk the cow and deliver the milk back home.
	Birthday Surprise
	Pac-Man is asked by Ms. Pac-Man to pick a special flower for Pac-Jr. to give to his friend Lucy for her birthday. Pac-Man is given a trolley ticket which he must use to venture into the nearby mountains, go hang-gliding and dodge ghosts and boulders as he searches for the flower.
	Rock 'n' Roll
	Pac-Jr.'s guitar has been stolen by ghosts while he was in Pac-City. Pac-Man is given a train ticket to travel to the city, where he meets a man selling balloons, and must take on a disgruntled security guard to get the guitar back. The ghosts are in a disguise, so the player should have Pac-Man check everyone he meets.
	Defeat the Ghost Witch
	After returning home from Pac-City, Pac-Man learns from a news broadcast that the ghosts are stealing bubblegum from children all over Pac-City. The Ghost Witch of Netor suddenly hijacks the airwaves, challenging Pac-Man to face her and her newest creation, the Gum Monster. The player must guide Pac-Man through the abandoned factory where the Gum Monster is being created, and defeat it using Super Pac-Man.

Production credits

• Program: Masayoshi Taguchi, Kunio Yamaguchi, Jun Nakagawa, Azuma Murakumo
• Visual Design: Nekomoto Rita and Graphic Team
• Sound: Fuken Tajima, Zun, Kawagen, Shibanon, Polykome
• Original Game Staff: Yumi., Chitose, Roki.-, Katze Kitasan, Nekomoto Rita, Sirohsan, Kappappa Sakaki, Hang Chang, Beanbe, Hirapon, Honiho, Yuki, Sakura Saita, Ousaru, Tsukasa, Takayan, Fuken Tajima, Kazuu

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:PacMan2TheNewAdventures MD US TVAdvert (Special Friend).mp4

US TV advert

File:PacMan2TheNewAdventures MD US TVAdvert (Special Friend).mp4

Print advert in EGM² (US) #5: "November 1994" (1994-1x-xx)

Print advert in GamePro (US) #64: "November 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
also published in:

• Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #65: "December 1994" (1994-xx-xx)
• GamePro (US) #66: "January 1995" (199x-xx-xx)

Print advert in Sega Visions (US) #22: "December/January 1994/1995" (1994-xx-xx)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average
Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 50 GamePro (US) NTSC-U 78 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 74 VideoGames (US) NTSC-U 70

	68
Based on 4 reviews

Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, US (Assembled in Mexico)
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, US (cardboard)
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US (?)
PCB

Technical information

Main article: Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures/Technical information.