This Week's Retronauts Micro Takes a Brief-But-Befuddled Look at Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures
How did Namco's yellow ball go from a maze-muncher to an interactive cartoon in just 14 short years? Your favorite classic gaming podcast investigates!
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Before I begin, I have so many questions about Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures.
Who had this idea for a video game? Where are they now? Did this strange experiment start as a project for the promising SNES-CD? And who, exactly, from Namco's US branch thought this bizarre creation should be Pac-Man's first official sequel?
Unfortunately, throughout the course of this week's Retronauts Micro, I answer none of these questions—for that, we'd need a Namco veteran, and history tells us most of them were wiped out by an unexpected resurgence of Pac-Man fever in 1998. Still, I at least hope I got to the bottom of why I find this game so entrancing: As a frequent renter, Pac-Man 2 found its way into my (temporary) possession many times, simply because it was like nothing else I ever played. And, to be honest, it's still amazingly unique; while other games have some similarities, nothing else takes the idea of "indirect control" and runs with it quite like Pac-Man 2—perhaps the indie scene could pick up on this evolutionary dead end, like they have so many times in the past? We can only hope.
Now, I don't want to blather on too long—this being a Retronauts Micro and all—but, before I go, I will say this is my first solo podcast… ever? That said, I understand it could have went a little smoother, so I'm hoping you'll stick with me for a few more episodes as I find things to talk about while an intimidating microphone hangs in front of my face. The next two Micros (at the very least) will follow this same format, so hopefully you can stand me and me alone in your ears for upwards of ten minutes at a time. If you promise to listen, I'll promise to use plenty of great music to patch over the awkward spots. Deal?
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