Pac-Man has been around for over two decades, but Namco is keeping the mascot alive with Pac-Man World 2. Is he as exciting as ever, or does Namco have him on life support? There's only one way to find out!
Born in 1980, Pac-Man is one of the oldest videogame mascots around--definitely the first to make it into pop culture. I had played the original Pac-Man, but once my old Apple bit the dust I lost track of the little guy. I finally returned to Namco's hero with Pac-Man World 2 on the GameCube, and although things may have changed in 22 years, the seasoned adventurer remains just as fun.
Most Pac-Man games are Action/Puzzle games, but Pac-Man World 2 is very much a platformer. Somewhere between Rayman 2 and Sonic with Mario Bros. pacing, Pac-Man World 2 isn't the most original product on the market, and Pac's moves certainly reinforce that fact. During the main game, Pac-Man can roll into a ball to bounce or perform a Rev Roll (a Sonic spin-dash) as well as kick in mid-air. Two levels feature medium-paced skating (in-line and ice) while another features a torpedo-loaded Pac-Sub to provide a change of pace, and all three are very enjoyable. But despite the borrowed mechanics, Pac-Man doesn't suffer from "me too" syndrome thanks to its own additions. Our hero must gobble up Pac-dots, collect fruit and munch on the occasional ghost using a power pellet. Unique mazes in the style of the original Pac-Man are also hidden in many levels to keep the classic gameplay alive while elusive tokens scattered throughout Pac-World activate well-emulated Pac-Man arcade games that top the game off nicely. It may be a platformer, but it is still very much a Pac-Man game as well.
The gameplay wasn't the only part of the game I was impressed with: Pac-Man's audio was a pleasant surprise as well. Songs found in the same area of Pac-Land have variations on a common melody, which all suit their respective locations like Pac-man's glove. Even though the music is synthesized, it still sounds quite impressive, and most of the tunes are just fun. There is also voice acting in the beginning and ending FMVs that is actually quite good by videogame standards. Sound effects are a hybrid of old and new noises that should make any gamer happy, with classic chomps and failure noises intact.
Though clean, the graphics are more middle-of-the-road. In a style similar to Rayman 2, colors are bright and pronounced and have a slightly cartoonish feel. Textrues range from decent to good, but there isn't anything amazing. The game doesn't push polygons either, though it does have a very impressive draw distance and a good framerate. Pac-Man is animated quite well and has a lot of character. There are some aspects of the graphics I dislike, though. The opening and ending FMV is very compressed--so much so that it's distracting. In the main game, determining a mid-air item's exact location can sometimes be difficult (especially Pac-dots, due to their small size). Of course this is only a problem in certain spots and will only be an issue with those striving for perfection. Overall, the graphics complement Pac-Man's style and really define the Pac-World universe.
Pac-Man World 2 has some bigger issues, though. Pac-Man responds to the analog stick and D-pad well, but his jumping is questionable. Pac-Man always jumps to maximum height with no regard to depression time, which makes collecting mid-air items a unwelcomed pain when placed a certain way. Whether the PS2 version is the same or Namco forget to adjust the controls for GameCube's non-analog A button, I'm not sure, but it is nothing compared to the camera. In open areas the camera is fine and actually quite responsive, but it can be a pain in tighter areas where the camera collides with the walls. The camera will sometimes get itself into nasty situations, but most problems occur when the player attempts to turn the camera around. Such situations can usually be solved by moving Pac-Man (along with the camera) over a tad, but sometimes a leap of faith in inevitable, making the worst camera moments in Pac-Man World 2 as bad as the ones in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle or worse. There are also serious save issues. Only able to read Slot A, Pac-Man eats up 16 blocks of memory for 3 save slots, which seems much too high. The save screen's default selection sets gamers up for disaster. But here's the real kicker: my copy of the game wouldn't save new high scores on certain levels! This means that I will never be able to fully complete the game and unlock Ms. Pac-Man without starting another game. I hope this is a very rare defect, else sloppy programming and game testing will annoy thousands.
Pac-Man has really evolved into a true videogame character, and I like what I see. The game has some technical issues, but Pac-Man World 2 is one of the better 3D platformers out there and provides a great deal of fun. It's good to see old-fashioned gaming still has a home on the console market.
