The Ghostbusters are back!

by Jim Gatfield

Fun factor: Fun

Worth to: Rent

Does the material justice and succeeds in making it ridiculously fun busting ghosts, offering fans yet another satisfying summer entertainment experience.

After a long wait that included a change in publisher and a release date delay, Terminal Reality’s video game continuation of the beloved Ghostbusters franchise manages to capture much of what made the movies so appealing to result in an experience that is both funny and truly enjoyable. Fans of the movies will find a lot to like here, and newcomers will have a good reason to see what made them so popular in the first place.

Bustin’ like it’s 1984!

Releasing to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the classic 1984 film, Ghostbusters: The Video Game picks up two years after the conclusion of Ghostbusters II. In need of someone to test their new experimental equipment, players assume the role of a new recruit hired on for the job. Shortly thereafter, there is a spike in paranormal activity attributed to the museum’s new Gozer Exhibit, and the team is enlisted to investigate. This results in a number of encounters with classic ghouls from the series, such as the iconic Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man as well as a number of new ones. The story, featuring contribution by series co-writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, is fairly familiar territory for Ghostbusters fans and fits well into the style of the movies. The writing is very good, with genuinely funny moments throughout. The story falls apart in a few places, such as with the love story, but on the whole the plot is everything one could hope from a new Ghostbusters movie.



The original cast members (sans Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver) have returned to provide voice talent, adding in Alyssa Milano to voice Peter Venkman’s new love interest. For the most part, the voice work in the game is phenomenal. Each Ghostbuster sounds as he should, with the elements of character and humor that made them so popular in the first place. At times, Bill Murray’s evolution into a more somber actor tends to make his voice work sound a bit like he is doing his best 80’s era Bill Murray impersonation, but it never hurts the experience.

Before moving on, however, I would not be doing to voice work justice without making mention of Dan Aykroyd’s talent. As the creator of the Ghostbusters series, Aykroyd’s love for the material is well known. That passion translates well into the video game as his voice work is far and away the best in the game, and some of Aykroyd’s best work in a while. He hasn’t missed a beat in the Ray Stantz character, and at times it seemed as if only 2 years have actually passed since the last movie, instead of 20. Beyond the voice acting, the sound quality of the game shines throughout, utilizing the original movie soundtrack to provide mood throughout. Sound effects are used very well, with everything from the hum of the proton pack to the wail of Ecto 1’s siren coming through with crystal clear accuracy.

Wooden cutscenes but CG is movie-quality

Graphically, Ghostbusters looks good, with the in-game graphics and the CG cutscenes overshadowing the rather wooden in-engine cutscenes. Watching a beam shoot across a room from the proton pack, only to miss a ghost and tear a burning gouge in the wall behind it always looks amazing. The ghosts are nicely detailed; the environments stand out and have good variety, and the character models look great during gameplay. The segments of the game in which story is told through in-engine cinematics, however, have an artificial look to the characters that isn’t helped by their lackluster facial animations and “never quite right” lip-synching. The CG cutscenes are a different matter entirely, each serving as a good reason for why a fully-animated Ghostbusters movie should be made.



The good use of presentation and story in Ghostbusters wouldn’t have amounted to anything if gameplay wasn’t up to the task. Thankfully, that isn’t the case, as wrangling ghosts is just as fun as it looks in the movies. Operating as a standard over-the-shoulder third person shooter, action obviously centers on the practice of eliminating ghosts. This involves a number of different weapons present in the form of modifications to the basic proton pack (remember, you are acting as the experimental equipment tester). This allows the pack to shoot slime, “shock blasts,” and a number of other types of projectile and streams used for thwarting ghosts.

However, the most enjoyable action throughout the game still involves the use of the proton pack in its base form to catch ghosts. This consists of using the beam to wear down the ghosts before wrangling them in with a blast stream and fighting them into an open ghost-trap. I never found myself tiring of the ghost-catching mechanic, and often wished that there was even more of it, as later parts of the game feature areas with ghouls that require other methods of elimination. The gameplay isn’t totally without faults, since there are times later on the game in which it seems you are working to revive your own teammates more that you are actually fighting ghosts. However, when everything is going good and there are ghosts to be busted, the problems are vastly overshadowed by the fun.

The new cherry-flavored Ghostbusters Lite

For those looking for more, a number of online multiplayer and co-op modes focused around catching ghosts await you after the conclusion of the single player campaign. These all involve some sort of working together with your fellow “busters,” with competition only in the form of who managed to make the most money on the job. This focus on teamwork creates an atmosphere that makes the online enjoyable and more laid back than your typical shooter, but may turn off those looking for heated competition.



In terms of replayability, there isn’t a whole lot to do in Ghostbusters: The Video Game after you have beaten it. There are collectibles that can be found throughout the campaign, as well as ghosts that can be scanned, but unless you loved the campaign enough to play it again or the multiplayer hooked you, there’s not much else. The approximately 8 hours it will take to beat the game results is a title that may be a little light in content for those who don’t fiercely love the subject matter.

Summary

At the end of the day Ghostbusters: The Video Game is exactly what a game based on the movies should be. Everything beloved about the films has remained intact: the humor, the characters, the music, and (of course) the ghostbusting. Putting it all into a gaming package that not only does the material justice but succeeds in making it ridiculously fun when everything is working together, and you have one of the most satisfying game experiences of the summer. It may not be perfect, but let’s face it, neither were the Ghostbusters, and that was part of their charm.