Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1984 movie sensation.
Terminal Reality and Threewave Software created, respectively, single and multiplayer versions for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Windows-based PC. Red Fly Studio developed versions for the Wii, the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable, while Zen Studios delivered the Nintendo DS edition.
Writers and stars of the Ghostbusters movies Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and other cast members, such as Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson, lend their voices and faces to the story set two years after Ghostbusters 2.
As the new recruit, the player tests experimental equipment invented by scientists Ray Stantz (Aykroyd) and Egon Spengler (Ramis).
Players use a "proton pack", which shoots a beam to wear down a ghost, smash it to the ground and drag it into a trap. They use the "PKE meter", which tracks down ghosts, and "para-goggles" to see where they are hiding. These all become more powerful as you progress through the game.
There are four single-player campaigns to be waged as the new recruit. But in the multiplayer online mode, a new world is opened to gamers. They can play as any of the original team with up to three other players in different battles set in locales around Manhattan.
Gamers using the competitive co-op mode face various challenges as a team, but compete with one another for the highest score.
The rendering of the characters is amazing; it seems as if they walked off the movie set straight into the game. It also helps that the dialogue is so smart and witty. The great soundtrack, graphics and destructive gameplay make you feel you're making the third Ghostbusters movie.
There is a forced romantic sub-plot between Peter Venkman (Murray) and new character Ilyssa Selwyn (Alyssa Milano) and veteran gamers may find some of the game to be no challenge at all, but that is just nitpicking.
This game is not another cheap, failed movie tie-in. It is very well-crafted and true to its source material.
Pros: Original cast, highly entertaining story and great gameplay.
Cons: Seasoned gamers will not be overly tested.
GAME ON
