Customer Reviews

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(41)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I should inform you that this review is incredibly biased. I'm a Ghostbuster junkie; I can't get enough of `em. I grew up with the Ghostbusters movies, cartoons, toys, and the crappy 8-bit video games. I loved every bit of it--even the terrible games. Even so, I was a bit skeptical of developer Terminal Reality's attempt to revive the Ghostbusters franchise. How could a video game capture what Terminal Reality promised: a third movie in video game form?

I'm happy to report that Ghostbusters the Video Game is precisely that: a playable Ghostbusters 3 for your PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. It's got everything you'd want in a new movie: ghosts, spooky visuals, great music, and the full Ghostbusters cast (with two exceptions, which I'll note later). If you've been dreaming of a new Ghostbusters movie, you can't do much better than this for the time being.

If however you're hoping for a fun gameplay experience, you might be a bit disappointed. Ghostbusters contains one of the neatest but wonkiest combat control schemes in gaming history. Players, taking on the role of a new recruit to the expanding Ghostbusters team, get to strap on a proton pack and blast, freeze, and slime all manner of spectral enemies, just like in the movies but with a few new additions, such as the Stasis Stream (freeze ray) and Meson Collider (kind of like short bursts from an assault rifle). Players will need everything at their disposal to make through the rather short but often difficult story mode.

What makes the game so difficult at times is the chaotic mess that results in every ghostly encounter. There unfortunately is never just one ghost. Two, three, or more show up on each occasion, each needing wrangling, slamming, and eventual dunking into a trap. The game's capture-and-trap mechanic is fun, and works well enough, but succeeding in this endeavor is hampered by the insanity unleashed by each ghost. Spooks will toss furniture, blast otherworldly goo, launch energy waves, and generally beat the crap out of players. This results in constant knockdowns and the need to revive teammates, especially on higher difficulty settings. It also doesn't help that the game's AI--both teammates and enemies--is terribly stupid. By the time players reach the final boss, these issues may drive some into a downward spiral of frustration and rage.

Thankfully, the story makes up for every issue. Every actor except Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett) and Rick Moranis (Louis Tulley) returns to reprise their original Ghostbusters roles. Bill Murray, Dan Ackroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and even William Atherton (the venomous Walter Peck) return to voice their iconic characters, and Ackroyd and Ramis helped pen the game's script. The Ghostbusters sound like their old selves, despite two decades between their last outing and the video game. Atherton isn't quite as sharp as he used to be, and Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill's brother) is bit tacky as the mayor, but the other actors bring their A game. The story uses a lot of references to the old films, and plenty of familiar faces (human and otherwise) show up, but the new stuff is fantastic. I found myself chuckling often, and doubled over laughing on a couple occasions (Winston's material in particular is darn good stuff).

The game's multiplayer component is strangely as exciting as the story, and a better implementation of the game's combat mechanic. Four players work together to capture ghosts, destroy evil relics, survive wave after wave of ghosts and demonic entities, and much more. Players choose a weapon specialization, a Ghostbuster (warning: everybody wants to be Peter Venkman), and whether or not to play a one-off "job" (another word for the various modes), or several jobs in a short campaign. Players earn cash towards rank upgrades, which bring better equipment and other enhancements. While the jobs are all cooperative, they're also a bit competitive as each player strives to be the best Ghostbuster, earning the most cash and therefore ranking higher than their teammates. Bottom line: the Ghostbusters multiplayer is better than it has any right to be.

Whether or not you should buy this game is dependent on your love of the Ghostbusters franchise. Despite my heavy bias, I wasn't wowed by the single-player campaign, but the story was funny and charming. Issues aside, fans like me should buy this game ASAP. If you're intrigued, but not a die-hard Ghostbusters nut, you should probably rent this instead. The story mode is quite short (well under 10 hours, unfortunately), but what's there is choice material, and the multiplayer component is strong enough to keep you coming back for more. Though it's a bit rough in spots, the complete Ghostbusters the Video Game experience is something special.

I was about 7 years old when the Ghostbusters were at their peak. Ghostbusters toys were every where, GB cartoons, GB cereal, video games, etc. I played the old Ghostbusters game as a kid and I was very disappointed. A million years later, I heard that it was going to be released for all major consoles. As soon as I caught a glimpse of the game play footage, my jaw dropped. This is the Ghostbusters game that I always wanted to play!

I hardly ever pay $60 for games. Usually, I'll wait until the prices go down, but I made an exception for this game. Let me tell you Ghostbusters fans..you won't be disappointed! You actually get to catch and trap ghosts. You also get to use the PKE ghost meter. Best part is that this game has very tight and neat graphics, too! My friends, who also grew up during the Ghostbusters era, were impressed with the game. Overall, it's a fun game and seems to be geared towards Ghostbusters fans. No, it's not perfect and it can't compete with games that are at the top. However, I do have to say that it's probably one of the best movie-based video games yet. I hope they come out with a second one.

Finally, after years of being a fan and waiting for another possible movie, all I wanted was another Ghostbusters experience to bring me right back to my childhood.

And did they ever deliver!!!

This game is everything any fan has ever wanted out of the Ghostbusters franchise!!

In the beginning of the game, as you go through the tutorial, the moment you pull the trigger to use the proton pack for the first time, it sends shivers down your spine and you find yourself just running around shooting at inanimate objects because the thrill of actually using the proton pack is amazing!!

The game has a wonderful story line of you being the new rookie joining the Ghostbusters, and you get to be the guinea-pig to test out their newest upgrades and modifications to the proton pack.

There are many different locations in the game including: the Ghostbusters HQ (which you can explore!), the Sedgwick Hotel and Central Park to name a few.

The voice acting is dead on! You really get the sense that all the original actors really started feeling the Ghostbusters-vibe again, because their performances are magnificent! You really feel like you ARE the newest member of the Ghostbusters! Also, there is constant banter between all the member of the Ghostbusters throughout the missions, and it gives a great sense of realism throughout! Some of their banter is pretty funny too.

Gameplay is excellent. The control scheme is laid out well on the 360 controller, and movement is fluid and smooth. There where a couple of times that I got stuck on something really dumb, like a table, but I just busted out my proton blaster and blew it up to get it out of my way!

In closing, without giving away too much detail about the story, it does take places a couple years after the Ghostbusters 2 movie and continues the path of figuring out more about Gozer and Shandor.

Overall, a MUST have purchase for all Ghostbusters fans and hardcore gamers that have been dying for a Ghostbusters game since the NES and Genesis days.

Go out and buy it right now!!!

They did do a real nice job making a video game based off the movie. Last one I played, was on my old Commodore 128! And you probably don't even know what that is! But this game is done real nice: Even from the start, the menu has that kooky background music from several Ghostbuster scenes - it's fun. There's a little movie at the start - kinda like the intro to an actual movie, which is cool. The gameplay itself is cool - certainly looks nice and it's awesome they got everyone to chip in for voices (THANK YOU Bill for signing up!).
-
But the gameplay isn't perfect. There's no map. Sometimes you're told to follow someone, only to have no idea where they are or where you're supposed to go. I can't bring up a big map to see where they are in relation to ME. Also, the gameplay is also odd in that once you have a ghost, do you throw a trap or wait for them to? It's a little weird.
-
I like the re-load button for the pack - I wondered how they'd handle that since the proton packs don't use "ammo". I thought the cool-off period works nicely. The gameplay is smooth and fun. A bit repetitive, but it's all right. Different than most first-person-shooters out there.

I remember playing the original Ghostbusters Activision game for the Atari 800 back in 1984. Repetitive, clunky, and featuring an out-of-place driving mini-game, my brother and I actually enjoyed playing it. After that game, it was all downhill for the Ghostbusters gaming franchise. Until now.

This new Ghostbusters game is an instructive way of immersing a player in the movie experience. The majority of the voice actors are back. The plot is directly tied to the first two movies. You get to play a rookie Ghostbuster and the proton packs are accurately replicated down to the slightest detail - the music is straight from the film, the sound effects are exactly the same, and the special effects of the twisty, winding proton streams are perfectly captured. Ghostbusters even features a nod to modern gaming tropes, like "venting" weapons so that they cool down before firing. That's the good news.

Setting aside the Ghostbusters content, the game comes up a short. Playing Ghostbusters is like playing on a movie soundstage: you can only go where the set is built. Although there's the illusion of freedom from the first- or third-person perspective, there's really not much to actually do. The characters have a shiny, plastic look and the lip-syncing is awful. There are half-hearted attempts to round out the content: collectible artifacts that echo creepy noises, equipment upgrades, and the bizarre ability to drink from water fountains. But none of this really affects game play - the artifacts are set dressing, you will be able to afford every equipment upgrade by the end of the game, and drinking from water fountains nets you an achievement.

Least forgivable is the lack of a co-op mode for the campaign. I was fooled by the advertising indicating that Ghostbusters has a "campaign mode." To be clear, campaign mode is NOT the same as co-op mode. One would think that a game that features all four Ghostbusters in play would be a natural fit for a co-op mode allowing four players. One would be wrong.

Looking back on the concept art, a lot seems to have been cut from Ghostbusters, and that's a shame. The game is short, with a very linear plot and not much in the way of side missions. Walking around with a PKE meter in first-person mode washes everything in a green lens, which is great for finding artifacts but not so great for enjoying the game's beautiful backdrops and foes. In fact, sometimes there's so much going on that the game's rendering can't really be appreciated. Ghostbusters feels cramped and busy.

The experience of running around the Ghostbusters' firehouse encapsulates much of what's wrong and right with the game: you can talk to the portrait of Vigo the Carpathian, stand in front of a game of Q-bert (but not actually, ya know, play it in-game), slide down the fire pole, listen to Janine Melnitz answer the phone, and be stalked by disembodied disco jeans you picked up earlier in the game...but once you've walked around a few times there's not much else to do.

But my two-year-old now chants "ghost-BUSTAHS!" whenever someone asks him who he's gonna call...so Terminal Reality must be doing something right.

If you loved the movies, this game is a continuation. It's a must for anyone who wishes there was another Ghostbusters movie, still refers to or quotes Ghostbusters, or wishes they really existed. =) The actors were all brought together for this game, plus the script was written by them as well. Revisit all of the places in the movies, and then some. Experience suspense and fear throughout the entire game, as you encounter ghosts and the creepiest video game moments ever. Even my husband, a Call of Duty expert, gets freaked out by the kid's room in the library. Love it!

GHOSTBUSTERS! The cool thing about this game, is that it's written by the writers of the movies. The game plays out like a "ghostbusters" movie, and the voices are done by the actors (including Bill Murrey and Dan Aykroyd). This is a must have for any ghostbusters fan

This game simulates the Ghostbusters experience perfectly. There's plenty of fanservice, original voices, a great story, great graphics, and decent gameplay. At its core though, its just a mediocre shooter.If you like GBs you'll love this!

If you have a kid and want to keep them occupied this game would be great. No cursing or really bad violence.

For anyone who is a hardcore fan of the Ghostbusters, you don't need a review; just buy the game. You'll enjoy it regardless of any faults it may or may not have.

For everyone else, approach this one with some caution.

I've found the game play can be tedious and boring at times. Load time is kind of slow when you have to reload a checkpoint. And you will be reloading checkpoints given how difficult it can be to track some of the ghosts.

I can't tell you how many times I've had my proton beam trained on a ghost, only to have one of the other members of the team yell at ME for crossing streams, when in reality they began firing on the enemy AFTER I did.

There is no co-op option for the campaign. The only co-op options are to play in the multiplayer part of the game and it's not a complete campaign. You play one off missions with no story to them per say.

Graphics are good. Some of the lip synching, both in game and in cut scenes, is off.

Bringing back the original actors for voice overs? Great idea in theory. In practice, most of these people are real actors and seem to struggle to find an emotional range when simply reading lines. And yes, there are times when it feels like all they are doing is reading off of the script with little to no emotion involved. They do an OK job, but not what I had been hoping for.

I find constantly switching beams for the proton pack, while novel in the beginning, also very tedious. Having to scan ghosts for the Tobin Spirit Guide? Again, a nice touch to include the guide, but the actual implementation is obnoxious. You will find that instead of playing the game in real color, you will instead spend most of your time using the PKE meter where everything appears more like one of those silly ghost shows where they have night vision setup. I don't want to play a game with a sort of creepy atmosphere not immersed in said atmosphere. What the developers strove for, a convincing and scary environment in certain situations, is rendered meaningless when you're playing the game with night vision.

The game has its moments. It is definitely the best Ghostbusters video game ever released. Of course, when you look back on the video game history of the series, that isn't really all that great of an accomplishment.

If you can get the game for $20 it is worth the money. If you're a fan of the franchise, just buy it no matter the price. Those looking for a lot of fun in a game for the current $40 MSRP would be better served looking elsewhere.