Ghostbusters The Video Game
by Atari
I bought this game without second thought: I'm a Ghostbuster fan boy. When I was young, I used to tie a rolled up vanguard sheet to my school bag and walk around the house pretending I was carrying a proton pack.
The last time I played a ghostbuster game was when I was probably around the age of 10-12. There was a really lousy one that can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhxZdBkUid8, and another later release which was a much better game.
The latest incarnation of the Ghostbusters franchise was released on the next-gen consoles around August last year. I had high hopes for it: it was said to be the unofficial 3rd sequel to the movie. Furthermore, the voice actors comprised of the original talents from the actual movie!
I would say that the game lived up to expectation in the first few missions, but really lacked variety as the game progressed. You play the role of a rookie ghostbuster (a newcomer who joins the original 4), who doesn't really say anything throughout the game (there isn't at all one line from him). 'You' just show your emotions through facial and bodily expressions.
It uses a 3rd person view, which works well for this game. Players can choose a variety of weapons: the standard proton stream, a slime blower, meson collider (which is basically a shotgun), and each weapon has an alternate fire mode. For instance, the slime blower can also be used as a slime tether, which is basically a long line of slime that allows the player to pull objects toward each other. These weapons also work differently against the healthy variety of enemies in the game, as some enemies are more vulnerable to certain types of weapons.
As in the movie, to capture a ghost, the player has to use his capture stream to ensnare the ghost and pull it toward the stasis trap, which the player must throw out. After which the ghost will slowly get sucked into the trap, and it gives a satisfying beep like in the movie to show that the ghost has been captured. Cool!!
The missions, however, are quite a disappointment. Most of the missions involve doing the same thing: while you are walking around, ghosts will suddenly appear from nowhere and create havoc upon that place, capture those ghosts and continue mission. It is too repetitive even for me. The bosses are not at all special, they just have a health bar which decreases as long as you fire your weapon toward them. But to think of it, the ghostbusters franchise relies on a few things: humour, proton packs, and the Stay-Puft marshmallow man. You can't really stretch the ghostbusters film too far, things will just get really serious. With that in mind, its not surprising that the game got repetitive.
What is good, however, is how the whole game is lighthearted. They have managed to port the humour well, considering that Ghostbusters is a supernatural comedy. Players get to play a particular scene in the movie where Slimer slimes Peter Venkman in the hotel. The achievements also reflect humour: when the player slides down the fireman pole in their headquarters for the first time, the achievement 'You gotta try this' pops up, as an allusion to what Raymond Stantz says in the movie when he did the same thing. Others include 'I looked at the trap, Ray!' and 'But the kids love us!'.
Graphics and physics are beautiful, the proton streams look like the proton streams in the movie, maybe even better. The streams also bend when the thumbstick is moved. The colours are bright and neonish, and very immersive.
For the most part, this game is more for nostalgia than anything else. It assumes that the player has knowledge in the 2 movies. Players may potentially misinterpret parts of the game if they haven't seen the movies before. For instance, the antagonist in the 2nd movie, Vigo the Carpathian, or 'Prince Vigo von Homburg Deutschendorf', is in his original painting in the first level of the firehouse. Also, the ever present Janine Melnitz, their secretary, is always giving witty remarks to the phone calls she answers. Players may run the risk of not enjoying this game to the fullest without prior Ghostbuster knowledge, as some parts may seem ridiculous.
What interesting, however, is the game mechanics for death. There is a health bar, but he just goes paralysed if it goes to 0 and he has to wait for a fellow ghostbuster (controlled by AI) to come rescue him before he is back to full health. Similarly, he is expected to rescue his fellow ghostbusters if they go down. However, if all goes down for the count, the mission will restart at the last checkpoint. I find that a lot of games are starting to use this you-will-not-die mechanic. Some examples I can think of are Halo Co-op, Gears of War Co-op and Prince of Persia. How does implementing this feature affect the game? By adopting this practice, the player will be led to think that since the character doesn't die, he/she will/can complete the game. For me, it doesn't really matter, but it does depend on the game that employs this. Some games are better if you can die, and have to find health/medi-paks to sustain yourself. Some games are better off without it.
Rating: 8.5/10
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