Ghostbusters Review (PS3)

Ghostbusters is an IP that I truly thought was dead and forgotten.  When I got word of a new game being developed by Terminal Reality for next gen consoles I was both excited and terrified.  My childhood is filled with memories of the animated series, the movies, and of course, the toys.  I’m no stranger to the stigma attached to licensed games and I really had no desire to see one of my favorite childhood memories destroyed before my eyes.  Now that I have finally played through the game, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief.  The final product is not perfect by any means but will surely stand the test of time as one of the more respectable licensed games of this generation.

First and foremost, it is impossible to discuss the merit of this game without discussing the talent attached to it.  With a script pinned by both Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis and all of the original actors (Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, etc.) returning to lend their voices, the game certainly feels authentic.  Since none of the actors were ever in the studio at the same time, dialogue sometimes comes across as a little sluggish and awkward.   Still, lines are delivered well and the game never loses its nostalgia factor. 

Since the beginning, the writers have touted this game as the unofficial third “Ghostbusters” storyline and the multiple references made throughout the game certainly evoke memories of the first two films.  Set two years after the events of Ghostbusters 2, New York City is once again plagued by a resurgence of paranormal activity that is seemingly tied to a new “Gozer” Museum exhibit.  Players fill the shoes of the new rookie ghostbuster who has been hired on as the new experimental equipment technician.  The story is interesting enough but I think in the end it fails to feel as original and entertaining as the first two storylines.  This is probably because the development team strived to put the player in situations that they would recognize from the original films such as chasing Slimer through the hotel Sedwig or battling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.  Surprisingly, these are the games strongest levels.  The original levels are usually not as interesting or fun to play through.  The feelings that were felt while playing through the game’s finale, set in a haunted central park, paled in comparison to the emotions I felt while chasing the librarian ghost from the first film.   In the end, the story felt authentic and true to the source material but lacked some of the charm that made the films so great.

With so much effort put into making the story and presentation mesh well with the fans, how does the game hold up in regards to design and game play?  The game play is rather simple: follow the story through various locations while wrangling and trapping ghosts with your various tools.  The game lacks polish in regards to game design since the story simply funnels players down a very set path from point A to point B.  In fact, at several points, when the player appears to have been given a choice between two paths, the game closes a path and gives the player some “paranormal” explanation.  This can be a little frustrating but doesn’t make the experience any less fun.   What makes the game less fun is the insistence on taking the focus away from what makes the game fun in the first place: trapping ghosts.  The game is the most fun when players are tracking and capturing single ghosts throughout a level. Rather than make this the constant focus of the game, random ghosts are thrown at the player in droves and makes the game feel more like a poorly crafted third person shooter at times. 

Where the “Ghostbusters” game really shines is the actual ghost capturing game play.  Players are armed with the famous proton packs and are given four modes of fire throughout the game.  Each mode has a primary and secondary fire that can be used to assist in capturing various spooks by wrangling, slowing, or neutralizing the target.  With the push of another button, players can toss out the ghost trap, which is automatically activated when a wrangled ghost is pulled within range.  Once the trap is activated, it becomes a game of keeping the desperate ghost from escaping the traps pull by slamming the ghost into walls or pulling the proton stream in various directions.  The feeling you get when a ghost is finally captured is incredibly satisfying.  Players also have access to the PKE meter to use for tracking ghosts and scanning them into a database that gives some background into their history.  Money is earned for every ghost that is captured or eliminated which can be used to purchase equipment upgrades.  Unfortunately, most players will have purchased every upgrade by the time they make it halfway through the game so this addition feels a bit like an after thought. 

In the end, the “Ghostbusters” game includes some fun game play mechanics and interesting story scenarios that will keep fans of the franchise happy.  Unfortunately, it stutters in a few places thanks to some questionable or sloppy game design but nothing that should ruin the experience.  The game is an excellent example of how developers should approach work on a licensed game: with respect for the source material and a desire to make a game that tailors to the strengths of that license.  

Thanks,

Nick