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As a kid back in the late 80’s/early 90’s I was completely obsessed with the Ghostbusters. As a twenty-something that has been pining for a new Ghostbusters movie since forever (supposedly soon to be in production!) I am still completely obsessed with my favorite movie of all time. When I heard they were creating a game based off the films written by the original writers and staring the original cast I was cautiously optimistic. After all, very seldom does a game based off of a movie even get close to the same level as the source material. Luckily, Ghostbusters The Video Game is not only a satisfactory love letter to the fans, it is funny, looks decent, plays well, and is one of the best games based off of a franchise to date.
Those of you unfamiliar with Ghostbusters let me give you a quick synapse: The Ghostbusters are a gaggle of scientist that decide to become exterminators of ghost in NYC, along the way uncovering ancient mysteries of the paranormal. The four Ghostbusters include Peter Venkman (likeness and voice provided by nonother than Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Akyroyd), Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson). Unfortunately, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis didn’t make it in, but William Atherton returns as villain Walter Peck, Annie Potts as Jeanine, along with new love interest Ilyssa voiced by Alyssa Milano. Not be be outdone, Bill Murray’s brother (Brian Doyle-Murray) as mayor of NYC. For the most part the voice work in the game is done very well. Bill Murray having voice acting experience in the live-aciton Garfield movies however actually sounds bored sometimes, and William Atherton doesn’t have the same sharp tone as he did back in ’84 but overall some of the best voice work heard yet. Even worse Bill Murray’s character repeats himself all to often, while the rest of the Ghostbusters seem to have something fresh to say all the time.
He’s an ugly little spud ain’t he?
The story is written by Dan Akyroyd and Harold Ramis, and while it doesn’t quite hold as well as putting the script into a movie would have, it is witty, interesting, and filled with great twist. Terminal Reality and Sony Pictures made sure this was a great fan service and incredibly accurate, so much so that the beginning of the game starts off with the old “Liberty Girl” from Columbia Pictures used on the original Ghostbusters movie. The story is set two years after Ghostbusters II in 1991, the NYC museum is hosting a Gozer exhibit when out of the blue a flash of light engulfs NYC and all Hell breaks lose. Literally. The script closely resembles an early treatment of a yet to be made GB3 movie which Dan Akyroyd originally described as NYC inverts into Hell. Enter the rookie. You play a no name rookie that really has little to say, and besides with such a great cast to do all the talking why cloud it up more? Along the way you will encounter some old ghost “friends” and tie up some lose ends from the movies. Ever wondered what happened to the ghost librarian, or wanted to know more about Gozer, and Evo Shandore the architect that created the beacon to summon Gozer? The game does pretty good jobs of tying up those lose ends up.
Of course as a Ghostbuster you will use the tools of the trade: a ghost trap, and proton pack. I haven’t felt like I was trapping ghost since I was a kid running around the back yard with a toy proton pack and ghost trap whacking my little brother over the head with the foam “stream” that came out of the prosoton collider. Catching the ghost is incredibly fun and feels like a different encounter every time. You simply throw down a trap, and get to busting some ghost. Shooting at the ghost and wearing them down, you can then grab onto them and slam them into walls, using the right analog to direct them towards the trap. Once you get it in line with the trap an excellent light show takes place as the ghost is sucked straight in. The gameplay itself is setup sort of like Gears of War, in a third-person over the shoulder view. The mechanics of the proton pack are mapped out with the shoulder buttons and triggers making it easy to get into the action.
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