Ghostbusters
Atari
(PS3/Xbox 360/Wii)
(5 out of 10)
I am a fan of the Ghostbusters films and was excited to see how the game was going to turn out. All of the original cast, minus one Rick Moranis, returned to voice the game. Seeing the cast in all their simulated preserved glory, spouting off quips and witty banter, does much to keep the dream of the iconic 80’s films alive while avoiding the unfortunate sight of the cast’s now aging sagging bodies stuffed into a set of tan overalls, and of course getting to be part of the team is every a fan-boy’s ectoplasmic wet dream. It’s the next best thing to an actual movie, or so you would think. The die-hards may still get a kick out of this game, but others may find themselves a bit let down.
The game seemed to be geared to cater solely to fans of the movies already thoroughly familiar with the Ghostbusting world. Players are told to follow characters by name before they are introduced, directions were riddled with unexplained made-up franchise related technical jargon, and the tutorial missions seemed sloppy, unfriendly, and unclear.
There were also quite a bit of recycled scenarios. By some freak chance the city is getting plagued by exactly the same baddies, ghouls and beasties as it has before. While it can be a lark to fight some of the familiar foes I didn’t feel like there was enough variety or surprise overall. After nearly two decades of re-watching the original films over and over, I thought it might have been nice to have something new to add to the mix. The game is also surprisingly short, only taking about 5hrs to beat.
For an action-packed comedy adventure, the gameplay was surprisingly un-fun. Bagging ghosts didn’t take long to start to become a chore for me. Maybe it would be more fun with a Wiimote, but I don’t know. I felt like I was playing a hologram powered bastardization of Fatal Frame and a Big-Mouth Bass fishing game- All-be-it a well written one.
Playing the game on the PS3 version there were noticeable graphics issues. Seams were visible on a few sprites and the character eyes looked off in some cut-scenes, as well as a few of the glow effects being stripped down. However, in the Xbox 360 version these issues are not present as far as I could tell. I was surprised to see this considering what I have seen the PS3 be capable of handling.
Ultimately, Ghostbusters feels more like a bonus feature on a DVD than a stand-alone gaming experience.
–Laura Gaddy