Ghostbusters the Game: A Dream Come True

Available: PS3/Xbox 360/PC/Wii/PS2/PSP
Game Type: 1 Player Action/Multiplayer
From: Atari/Terminal Reality

In the latter half of the 1980s, I was a Ghostbuster. I initially planned on using a qualifier like “fanatic” or “nut,” but that wouldn’t suffice. I was a Ghosbuster. From age two to age five, I was Egon Spangler, the scientist, but later I adopted the persona of Ray Stantz. Although I was also a fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dragonball, again, I was a Ghostbuster! Every Halloween, no, every day it seemed I would don my apparel, throw on my Proton Pack, and roll out the trap to bust ghosts. I wore the Ghostbusters brand underwear, I slept in Ghostbusters sheets, and when I wasn’t sleeping or ‘busting, I played with myriad toys: the tower, the Ecto-1, the Ecto-2, 1,000 action figures and accompanying ghosts and ghouls, and of course the ooze that dried up in an hour so you had to go buy more.

I also fondly remember playing the NES adaptation of Ghosbusters I and II, loving every second of the challenge (the staircase scene from the movie in game one and the Ecto-1 jumping gaps in the second game—weird as those challenges were, specifically the second). Around five to seven I played these games, be it video or in child’s play, and always wanted more. I wanted to stand next to Dan Akroyd’s Ray and blast ghosts and get covered in the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man’s gooey, sugary mess just like the flick. This past October, that dream became a reality with the release of the PS3 version of Ghostbusters the Video Game.

Dan Akroyd said in Game Informer Magazine that because of the state of movies, CGI, and cost thereof, it was not likely there would be a Ghostbusters III. He went on to say that this game, in essence, was the third installment; it was even penned by Akroyd and Harold Ramis (Ray and Egon) who lent their voice talents along with Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson (Peter Vankman and Winston Zedemore). When I heard that, I lost my mind: a childhood dream finally fulfilled.

I realize the game was not critiqued as very great, and for all intents and purpose I probably would not have enjoyed the game play and mechanics and such if the Ghostbusters skin was not applied, but you know what? It was.

The game plays out like a dream. You have access to the proton pack, and it seems like they delved into my mind and put it on screen. In a sense it plays better than the movie, although I suppose that’s a given since it is our favorite medium/pastime. To video game-ize the IP, three other Proton Pack variations were introduced: the Slime Thrower from the 2nd movie, a pack that blast a negative shotgun round, and a photon torpedo, sort of an enhance proton shot, each having their own alternate fire like the standard Proton Packs overload shot, a bomb of a proton blast. As you unload your proton stream in any form, you simply hit R2 and vent the heat-buildup, and you’re ready to blast again.

As you blast the plethora of ghoulies, a life meter pops up and drains as you hit them. Once their life is diminished to a small red bar, the proton stream, for example, wraps around them in iconic fashion. The baddies will try to pull left and right, and you accommodate by pulling the opposite direction and thus filling the slam meter; as it fills, up to three bars, you hit R2 again and slam them into the ground or wall, even the trap once you upgrade it. Each pack-shot, trap, PKE meter, etc. is upgradeable. Using the money that each ghost yields, you can upgrade to higher technology, and the technology is fantastically rigged. Just like in the movies, it looks like some goofy scientists just cobbled together a bunch of packs from household junk. How amazingly fun!

The character of the game we take on is the new recruit, similar to Winston in the first movie. Ghosts have become so rampant that they need a new hire and you are it. Much to my amazement, the new hire looked like me, haircut, pale skin, everything! I literally felt like I was busting ghosts, which ranks it high in my mind because few games can get me into their characters like this. For any faults it had, this made up for them in spades.

That’s not to say there weren’t any problems that annoyed. The run function intermittently bounces between running and hopping; depending on which you want to do, it does the other. Also, your fellow Ghostbusters, i.e. the guys who have been doing this the longest (the game takes place in 1992, a year after the movie) are always dying. When they die, you need to run over and heal them or its game over. This gets tedious after the initial training period, so you can imagine how frustrating it becomes later in the game. I also found my money-earning becoming a bit out of control. I had every weapon unlocked and maxed out about two thirds through the game. I really dislike when games implement this design, because all that overpowered gear just tears the ghosts up on one hand making progression way too easy, and capping out just sucks. I want new gear at a steady pace; granted, however, that happy medium is hard to achieve.

When all is said and done, from taking down the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man while hanging off the ledge of the fabled building in which the four ‘Busters took down Gozer was quite a sight to behold, as was the updated trap bolted to the Ecto 1 and slam dunking the ghosts into it. After years of patiently waiting for this to happen, it almost did. I say almost because the game is not without its flaws, but it’s a dream come to fruition nonetheless. If you were born in the early ‘80s through the latter half of the decade, I can’t recommend it enough. If you have no taste for the flavor, the game won’t stand out from the pack a great deal.

Graphics: Particle effects are nice, as are the proton packs themselves. The character models are fair, but the ghosts are legitimate. Very nice work.

Story: Speaking as a huge Ghostbuster nerd, fantastic. I could see it being pretty convoluted for those of you not interested in the IP, but for fans of the original two movies this is a must see just for what Dan Akroyd calls "as close to a third movie as we're likely to get." Did I mention Akroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the script and all four voice-acted their roles?

Controls: Aside from the above mentioned running/jumping bump in the road, controls play like a standard third person shooter. Other than the one problem, controls are pretty good.

Multiple Play: Sadly, I can't really recommend any amount of multiple plays. The story is great for a dork like me, but the gameplay does get a bit old. A second run-through would probably be too much.

Total: 70, C