When I was younger, this game was my life. I absolutely loved Pac-Man World 2. It was my first 3D platformer and for some reason it absolutely blew me away. Maybe it was the controls, maybe it was the charm, maybe it was the beautiful world, but something about the game made me want to play it all the time.
As I return to the game, however, I notice many flaws with the game that really disappoint me. I am surprised that some of these flaws didn't make me put the game down, but for some reason, I loved it back then. Now, however, I can look at the game for what it is and determine what it deserves.
I'm going to write this review a bit different from most of my other reviews. I generally review games based off of their story, gameplay, graphics, music, playability, and lasting impact. However in order to illustrate the flaws and benefits of the game more properly, I'm going to use a different setup. I'll still make the final score off of those criteria, but the actual writing will be organized differently. I hope you don't mind.
What you expect
Let's start with the things that most people would expect from a game like Pac-Man World 2. Like most 3D platformers, the story is interesting, but simple. Spooky is an evil ghost who was imprisoned long ago. The ghosts free him from his prison accidentally and you have to gather the Golden Fruit to send Spooky back to where he belongs.
Also, like most 3D platformers, you move around a 3D area with a multitude of abilities. You can jump (obviously), butt-bounce (or ground-pound), flip-kick (which can be used to attack aerially), and rev-roll (a charged dash attack), to name a few. The control of the game is amazing, surprisingly since the first Pac-Man World on the PS1 felt so stiff.
You navigate your way through linear levels (a la Rayman 2 & 3) with the goal of reaching the end. Every fourth level is a boss stage, where you fight a boss of some sort, and also serves as the dividing line between a total of six worlds: Forest, Tree Tops, Ice Mountain, Volcano, Ocean, and Ghost Island.
The game also has a catchy soundtrack. Like Super Mario Land 2 (a 2D platformer, but it doesn't matter in this case) a lot of the music seems to revolve around the same theme. I like this music design because it creates a cohesive experience. Each level blends into the next.
Overall, like most 3D platformers, you should and can expect an overall feeling of pure fun while playing this game. It has a charm to it that cannot be ignored.
What makes this game unique
There are a lot of very interesting ideas that are used in this game. The most memorable levels are the ones that do something different from the standard while still generally maintaining the same general type of gameplay.
One level in particular, Blade Mountain, is especially fun. As the name suggests, you are ice skating down the mountain all the way to the bottom. It's really fun, but what makes it fun is the fact that it doesn't feel overly different from when you just walk around on foot. In fact, you can still jump, grab some ledges, and flip-kick while on ice skates! You can't butt bounce, because from a logical standpoint, why would you? You can't rev-roll, but why would you?
Another example is Haunted Boardwalk, a level you enounter later on in the game. For this one you're on rollerblades. It still feels the same, but the overall speed and acceleration feels slightly different, which is exactly what you'd expect from Pac-Man being on rollerblades. In fact, that level is probably my favorite level to speedrun. I'm not very good at it, but it's fun!
Unlike a lot of other 3D platformers, Pac-Man World 2 dares to use one-level gimmicks, and for the most part they feel different enough while still feeling like the same game.
The problems
The main problem with Pac-Man World 2 is the overall level design. A lot of levels like B-Doing Woods, Butane Pain, Blade Mountain, and Haunted Boardwalk are brilliantly designed, but there are some others that are completely forgettable.
One level in particular seems to illustrate almost everything wrong with this game. That level is called Night Crawling and it's the penultimate level in the game.
The first problem is that it throws things at you that you wouldn't expect. There's chests in the levels that require fruits to open them. Usually in these kinds of chests are collectibles or other fruit, but in this level only, switches and platforms that are necessary to complete the level are inside. For someone who doesn't want to collect everything on the first run-through, that means a lot of backtracking, which you never have to do in this game unless you want to collect every single pac-dot.
There also is a part of the level that leads to a dead-end, or at least what SEEMS like a dead-end. In actuality, you have to rev-roll into an abyss to a platform that you can barely see until you land on it. There is absolutely no cue to do this within the game, you just kinda have to guess. During my Let's Play of the game, I literally took 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do at that spot of the level. The game failed to convey to you what you had to do, and that's a major problem.
Another problem is the bosses. Three of them are practically the same boss, but with minor modifications. The boss of the 4th world is particularly aggrivating because of the fact that sometimes you clearly hit him, but the game doesn't register the hit for some reason. If the third of three redundant bosses is broken, that's a problem. It's the one glitch in this game that really really bugs me (get the pun?).
A more minor problem is the camera, which is to be expected. The only company that got camera controls spot-on for 3D platforming is Rare, so I didn't expect that from Namco.
Lastly, the entirety of the 5th world, the Ocean, is a huge issue. Every single level is a dramatic change in gameplay from the rest of the game. The first two levels are swimming levels which, instead of using the swimming mechanic introduced in the first world, is an autoscrolling level where you simply dodge obstacles. At this point, it doesn't feel like Pac-Man World 2 anymore. Those two levels are worthless and not fun to play in the slightest.
The third level and the boss have you in a submarine, which turns the game into a third-person vehicle shooter, and a BAD one at that. You can't lock on to targets and it is incredibly hard to aim. The boss gets originality points, but the sub itself is too different from the rest of the game.
Imagine playing Super Mario 64, and then for one level, Mario holds a gun, and you play in first person. Why is that good? If someone wanted an FPS, they would play Call of Duty or Halo. If someone wanted a vehicle shooter, they'd play Star Fox. Anyone who buys this game expects a 3D platformer. Why take that away?
Summary and Totals
STORY - 5/5 - Story is original and not too complicated.
GAMEPLAY - 3/5 - The game is solid but contains a few minor bugs. The Ocean World has crappy controls and dull gameplay.
GRAPHICS - 5/5 - Beautiful PS2 goodness.
MUSIC & SOUND - 5/5 - Catchy and brings the game together into a nice package.
PLAYABILITY - 2/5 - The game plays well until the Ocean world, where the gameplay completely changes for no good reason. The penultimate level also lacks conveyance entirely and makes the game so much less fun.
IMPACT - 3/5 - It's not doing anything overly different, but it does try a few new things, which should be commended.
Pros: Great controls, stellar graphics, catchy soundtrack.
Cons: Poor conveyance at times, noticeable bugs, some gameplay mechanics aren't used when expected.
The Bottom Line:
It's a solid game, but certain levels and bugs greatly dampen the experience.
TOTALS
5 + 3 + 5 + 5 + 2 + 3 = 23 / 30 76%
No comments:
Post a Comment