Product ReviewsPac-Man 2: The New Adventures (Super Nintendo Entertainment System, 1994)

"An interactive cartoon"

The original box for PAC-MAN 2: The New Adventures has "An interactive cartoon" written on it, and it's pretty close to the truth.

First, when this game came out, there wasn't any sort of PAC-MAN like we know today, such as PAC-MAN World or other offshoot adventure games. As a child, my parents bought this game for me because of how much I loved the PAC-MAN arcade machine, and I think we were all taken by surprise when the game turned out to look more like Super Mario Bros than the maze based PAC-MAN we expected.

Very unlike most games at the time, the player is not directly in control of PAC-MAN, instead, you simply suggest a direction for him to go in, and he'll try to comply. In this way, we find that the player is actually another character in the game, just watching and helping PAC-MAN, rather than assuming the role of PAC-MAN himself - it's cute and creative. The player character, whom we never see, is armed with a slingshot, which can be used to draw PAC-MAN's attention to specific objects, fend off dangers, and solve puzzles.

With the player and PAC-MAN's roles thoroughly established, the real gameplay is essentially a puzzle game, and sometimes a reaction game. The player is tasked with identifying their surroundings, creatively solving issues, and keeping PAC-MAN out of trouble. PAC-MAN himself has a variety of fears, likes, and dislikes, and even has a mood - he'll always avoid things he fears, will pass up things he dislikes unless encouraged to investigate them, and will sometimes be very distracted by things he likes. Keeping PAC-MAN's mood in check is a huge part of the gameplay - if he gets too angry, he'll tend to not listen to the player, and do rude and reckless things that will without fail get him into trouble. If he gets into too bad of a mood, he'll fall into depression, and be extremely hard to persuade, but without the hilarious repercussions being a jerk brings along with it. You honestly start to feel sorry for him after some time.

So, clearly this is a narrative focused game, and the narrative is simple enough. The game takes place over four story arcs, or episodes if we want to continue considering it an interactive cartoon. Each episode will unlock a new area, except for the fourth episode which tells you very little and relies on your ability to explore and uncover the secrets of the world. Essentially, every episode, PAC-MAN has his mind set on a task, from getting milk for Baby-Pac, to finding PAC-MAN Jr.'s lost guitar, and the player has to help him accomplish these daunting tasks.

While the gameplay is linear and the character isn't directly in the player's control, there are actually still tons of secrets in the game that you just have to play to find - areas completely unrelated to the story, challenges that you could have avoided, things like that. Among these secrets are game cards that allow the player to play the arcade versions of PAC-MAN and Ms. PAC-MAN at the in-game arcade, which is located in the town down the street from PAC-MAN's house, just past the hotdog vendor.

Overall, this game is cute and charming, but manages to be extremely frustrating and confusing to new players. The animations are crisp and PAC-MAN's expressions and reactions are hilarious, making it fun to fail in hundreds of different ways.

Because I've read reviews in which people are unable to find these cards, I'll let everyone in on the secret:

The easiest card to get is under the little girl's couch. Make PAC-MAN visit her (house with the dog out front, red door) while he's in a neutral or higher mood. She will be trying to push her couch out of the way, and after fooling around long enough (don't shoot the girl please), PAC-MAN will realize that he can help her push it. This will award you with the first game card.

The second is in the mountain area, and as such, is only obtainable during or after the second episode. After riding the mine-cart minigame, you will find the second game card in a crate in the cave. PAC-MAN's mood must be neutral or higher, simply shoot the crate and he'll rummage through it. The only reason this card is harder to get than the one under the couch is because the mine-cart minigame is a real struggle.Read full review...

Verified purchase: No

Silly!

This game is not your typical game. You have to be pac man's assistant while helping him find stuff. That is pretty much it. There are times when you find items and can play the classic pac man and mrs pac man game which help balance the scavenger hunt portion of the game. I personally bought this game because I do enjoy the graphics and messing with pac man.

If you want to try something new, find something else. however if you like pac man games and want to experiment then I would suggest this game. It is ok but overall it is silly and simple.Read full review...

wonderful

A plus everything. Love this game

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: bobbywintersrn

Awesome product..

Great... Perfect for the person who had this years ago and can now share the memories and experience with your own children. It is perfect for any PAC - Man lover!! It works really well and I would reccommend this product to anyone who is seeking for something not every one has.Read full review...

Strange game

This game for the most part is not that great. What you basically do is chores for your Pac-family, such as finding flowers or getting milk for the Pac-baby. How you play is you have sling shot, and when you pelt stuff Pac-man reacts, such as if pelt a door Pac-man will go in the door. But you don’t really have control of Pac-man. The best part of the game is that you can go to the arcade and play the classic Pac-man game. So I don’t really recommend this game to any body but people who really like Pac-man.Read full review...

SNES games like PacMan2 are a treasure and hard to find

I thought this original Pac-Man 2 SNES game would be a great addition to my daughters new collection of SNES games for her new system. We were not displeased in any way. You can't go wrong with a game like Pac-Man and the
original box made it more of a treasure. Hours of fun for her and the kids
an investment as it will just appreciate in price. And where else could I
have gotten such a good price. Only on Ebay. Thanks.Read full review...

Enjoyable and fun

Relaxing and fun to play. Product is great quality.

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: unstopable9709

It's fun, somewhat exciting

I haven't played it much but the fact i have it around it's fun and exciting. I love all of pac-man stuff so no complaints. I mostly keep it around for my grandkids but strongly suggest you buy it and judge it for yourself. As a 45 yr old man i don't think pac-man or Ms pac-man will ever get old. So i gave it 5 stars because it's time consuming for an old cat like me.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: kycardsjeremy

Bomb 💣

Thank you I love it!!!!

Great

It's ok one of the best thing out there

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: wholesale_gamin...