DPrime Review: Ghostbusters

Game: Ghostbusters
Developer: Terminal Reality
Publisher:  Atari
Platform: PS3, XBox 360
Website: http://www.ghostbustersgame.com/

This is a story about the game that almost wasn’t.  Shortly after the Activision-Blizzard marriage, Terminal Reality was dropped like a bad habit, with this and several other games left in limbo.  Thankfully Atari had the insight to realize the potential for a Ghostbusters game coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the original movie’s release, and the result is THE Ghostbusters game all Ghostbusters fans have ever wanted.

When the game starts you are introduced as the new rookie on the team, or, the guy who’s going to “test” all the new prototype devices that the guys have been working on which, if used improperly could blow you from Manhattan to New Jersey.  Immediately you are thrust into Ghostbusters lore, as your first mission is to head to the Sedgwick hotel and round up Slimer who just recently escaped from the Ghostbusters containment unit.

From there, it only gets better, within the first few hours of the game you also get to take on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and re-visit the Grey Lady at the library from the classic film.

The story is based around everyone’s favorite evil architect, Shandoor and a museum exhibit with a particularly memorable name, Gozer.  All sorts of spiritual happenings start occuring and it is up to you and the rest of the Ghostbusters to prevent a catastrophe of biblical proportions.

“What do you mean bibilical?” “What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath of God type stuff.”  “Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!”  “Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…” “The dead rising from the grave!”  “Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!”

…ahem…

Anyway, the visuals and audio are insanely good, they really capture the essence of the Ghostbusters.  It almost feels like you’re playing a movie, the proton packs look great, the ghosts are done very well, and  the voice acting by the original cast is tremendous.  Nothing feels out of place or strained, the chemistry everyone has as the story progresses, you wouldn’t even think that all the voice recordings were done in separate studios.

The only real criticism I have, and this is really just nit-picking at this point, is that it would’ve been nice to be able to customize your character’s look.

Now comes the part most of you are likely interested in knowing more about, the gameplay mechanics.  Many of you know from past reviews I’ve written, when it comes to shooters, I really don’t like when there’s not a “next target” command mapped to the controller.  In this game, there definitely isn’t one either, however, given the chaotic nature of wearing an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on your back, I think it’s fitting that there’s no “easy” way to target the enemies, though once you do have a target lined up, the reticle changes to a green or red circle to let you know you are aiming at something.

The system is relatively simple in theory:  zap ‘em, cap ‘em, and trap ‘em.  With the R2 button you fire off a proton stream and target the ghost until the green circle around the reticle is wiped out, then with a flick of the L1 button you change to a “capture stream” and the object here is to wrangle your ghost over to a trap, which you can set down by pressing square, or use one of the traps that that other Ghostbusters have set down.  Sometimes, you need to use a little force, by pressing L2 to slam a ghost into the direction you want to pull them in.

However, you have to be mindful of your proton pack, if it overheats, the stream will stop, so you occasionally have to vent out the pack so that you can keep firing.  Think of it as a “reloading” system.  Once you have the basics of trapping a ghost down, you’re in good shape.

As the game progresses your proton pack gets other abilities which you can arm on the fly with the d-pad:  Boson Darts, Slime Blower/Slime Tether, Stasis Stream/Shock Blast, and a Meson Collider.  All of these tools are needed at certain parts in the game, so it takes a little strategy to know which weapon to use when.

As for death?  I wouldn’t worry about it.  Everytime I’ve been knocked down, one of my Ghostbuster brothers has been around to revive me, just as I’ve revived Venkman and Stantz a few times during some of the more epic battles.

Finally, there is a multi-player component.  I must admit I haven’t had *too* much time with this, but I can let you know it’s just as fun as the single player career mode.  Multi-Player features stream-crossing, on-the-fly revival of fellow Ghostbusters, and multiple instances of the same character. If someone else is Ray, but you wanted to be Ray?  No problem! I believe this was allowed due to the limited number of character choices to begin with and the lack of character customization I mentioned earlier .

Overall, this is one of my favorite games for 2009, it’s fun, and potentially genre-breaking, as it is a “Survival Comedy” game at its best.

What I liked:

- The concept:  It’s Ghostbusters the way everyone remembers and is the definitive game experience for Ghostbusters fans.

- Graphics & Sound:  Impeccable.  You’re living THE virtual experience with the rest of the Ghostbusters team, every little detail looks incredible on the PS3, and as we’ve reported here at DPrime, the 360 looks even better.

- The story:  You get so wrapped up in the story you don’t realize how many hours you’ve lost.

What I didn’t Like:

- Character Customization:  It would’ve been nice.

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 8.8 out of 10

VERDICT:  I can’t speak for any of the other platforms, as I know the game is slightly different for the Wii and hand-held versions, but for the PS3 and XBox 360, this is a DEFINITE BUY.  You’ll get your money’s worth and more.