Has anyone ever played this game? It was released for the SNES and Genesis back in '94 (the SNES version being infinitely superior, I feel). It's something of an adventure game in which you observe Pac Man and direct him through his hometown, the city, the mountains and several other locales to complete some sort of goal. He walks on his own, and tends to get into lots of trouble if left to his own devices. You can change his direction or direct his attention to something nearby by making him look left or right, as well as up and down. You can also manipulate the environment, and even characters (including Pac Man himself) with a slingshot. You can use it to save Pac Man from hazards, or cause him pain and suffering either directly or indirectly through creating new hazards, hurting animals and people (who take their anger out on the walking yellow ball), or just smacking him in the face repeatedly 'till he gets bloody ticked off.
Speaking of that, Pac Man expresses a range of emotions depending on what happens along the way. He can be happy, sad or angry with varying degrees of intensity, and the music changes corresponding to his current mood. As such, he can go from annoyed, to angry, to absolutely furious, flailing and stomping down the road at a breakneck pace. Likewise, he can be extremely cheerful and utterly depressed. Most amusingly, when he's furious long enough, he transforms into an a**hole with a ****ish smirk, hurting the people around him and breaking things. Karma catches up to him, though, and he usually ends up getting his just deserts (e.g. being filled up with helium after popping a vendor's balloons out of whimsy and floating up to the rooftops). Sometimes, if something really bizarre happens to him, such as eating a worm without realizing it, he'll go nuts, flailing around, pulling his tongue and smacking himself on the head repeatedly with a hammer. Much of the humor in the game comes from Pac Man's actions based on his emotional state. Additionally, some puzzles require him to be in a certain mood to solve.
Naturally, we can't have a Pac Man game without ghosts, and they're certainly here, ready to terrorize him whenever they get the chance. They tend to hide in things like trash cans and crates, and can either jump out at you or wait for you to hit their hiding spot with the slingshot, blowing their cover. Pac Man will cower in fear when he sees the ghosts and, if left alone, eventually faints. To save him, you must feed him a power pellet to turn him into Super Pac Man, who flies around and eats any ghosts in the area. You can carry up to three of them at once, and can replenish your stock from the power pellet tree in his yard. They can also act as an anti-depressant, improving his mood if he's feeling grim. You should be frugal with them, though, because you never know when the ghosts might turn up. Incidentally, the ghosts sometimes carry important items necessary to complete certain tasks.
There are also a few action sequences, like hang gliding and mine cart riding, in which you help him by making him move up/down and slow down/speed up, respectively, and protect him from incoming bogeys with the slingshot. Additionally, the classic Pac Man arcade game (plus Ms. Pac Man, if you can find all three missing cartridge pieces) can be played in the arcade.
It's a hell of a lot of fun, and one of my all-time favorite SNES/Genesis games. If you haven't played it, you really should. Here's hoping it appears on the VC or other services someday.
Speaking of that, Pac Man expresses a range of emotions depending on what happens along the way. He can be happy, sad or angry with varying degrees of intensity, and the music changes corresponding to his current mood. As such, he can go from annoyed, to angry, to absolutely furious, flailing and stomping down the road at a breakneck pace. Likewise, he can be extremely cheerful and utterly depressed. Most amusingly, when he's furious long enough, he transforms into an a**hole with a ****ish smirk, hurting the people around him and breaking things. Karma catches up to him, though, and he usually ends up getting his just deserts (e.g. being filled up with helium after popping a vendor's balloons out of whimsy and floating up to the rooftops). Sometimes, if something really bizarre happens to him, such as eating a worm without realizing it, he'll go nuts, flailing around, pulling his tongue and smacking himself on the head repeatedly with a hammer. Much of the humor in the game comes from Pac Man's actions based on his emotional state. Additionally, some puzzles require him to be in a certain mood to solve.
Naturally, we can't have a Pac Man game without ghosts, and they're certainly here, ready to terrorize him whenever they get the chance. They tend to hide in things like trash cans and crates, and can either jump out at you or wait for you to hit their hiding spot with the slingshot, blowing their cover. Pac Man will cower in fear when he sees the ghosts and, if left alone, eventually faints. To save him, you must feed him a power pellet to turn him into Super Pac Man, who flies around and eats any ghosts in the area. You can carry up to three of them at once, and can replenish your stock from the power pellet tree in his yard. They can also act as an anti-depressant, improving his mood if he's feeling grim. You should be frugal with them, though, because you never know when the ghosts might turn up. Incidentally, the ghosts sometimes carry important items necessary to complete certain tasks.
There are also a few action sequences, like hang gliding and mine cart riding, in which you help him by making him move up/down and slow down/speed up, respectively, and protect him from incoming bogeys with the slingshot. Additionally, the classic Pac Man arcade game (plus Ms. Pac Man, if you can find all three missing cartridge pieces) can be played in the arcade.
It's a hell of a lot of fun, and one of my all-time favorite SNES/Genesis games. If you haven't played it, you really should. Here's hoping it appears on the VC or other services someday.
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