When Ghostbusters was first announced it was hard not to be sceptical about how well the game would turn out, after all it’s not often a movie turned game ends up any good and it also didn’t help that the game was dropped by its original publisher. So now that the game is here was that scepticism a little premature?

 

The story behind Ghostbusters the game is an entirely original one, the script has been partly written by the stars of the original game Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis and as well as starring these two also stars the other two original cast members, Ernie Hudson and Bill Murray. Due to the script being new and the game starring the original cast it is obvious right from the off that this game has not been rushed, which cannot be said about some other movie based games.

 

The game itself is set two years after the events of Ghostbusters II and your character, who remains nameless throughout has been hired by the Ghostbusters to be the guinea pig testing their new equipment. Soon after you meet your new employee’s things begin to kick off and it isn’t long before you find out that the city has been once again overrun by ghosts, so off you go to investigate and save New York from their evil clutches and also meet some old familiar faces such as Slimer, Stay Puft (The Marshmallow Man) and the old lady from the library in the process.

 

 

Ghostbusters takes the guise of a third person shooter and this seems to have been the most sensible way to show off the action. Straight from the off you can see that a lot of care has been put into the presentation as the cutscenes really give you a feel for the films of old and these are helped along by the fact that the original cast are also there both in the way that they are represented on screen and the fact that they sound and act just like the characters from the original films that we remember so fondly.

 

So what about the action? This is after all the most important aspect of any game. During the action all that is on the screen is your view of the character, there are no health bars, ammo bars etc, therefore the only way that you know you are taking damage is when the screen turns red. Your proton pack is your compass and your means of survival and given that you are the Guinea Pig you have you will find quite a few uses for it, especially since you have been given access to some rather nifty weapons. The first weapons that you will come across is your standard issue Ghostbusting affair, this allows you to zap the ghosts energy before snaring it with your beam and eventually pulling it into the trap, and I tell you what there is certainly nothing quite the feeling of satisfaction you will get when you bag your first ghost.

 

As you play through the game you will gain access to the other weapons, once you have them you can switch using the D-pad. There are four types of weapons in the game and each of these also have a secondary function, therefore the original weapon mentioned above also has an added Boston Dart, which is a ball of energy which explodes upon impacts, while the other weapons consist of a Shock Blast, the Slime Bower and the Meson Collider. You will find a use for all of these weapons throughout the game as different ghosts have weaknesses to each type of weapon, you can also upgrade weapons as you earn money throughout the game which will enable them to cause more damage, although I’ve found that they are generally effective whether you upgrade or not.

 

It’s also worth mentioning that your pack will overheat if you use your weapons too much, therefore you will need to hit the right shoulder button to release some pressure and cool it down. It can be quite difficult to remember to cool your weapons in the heat of the action, especially when you have ghosts coming at you from all angles, but still it’s nice to have this feature in the game to keep you on your toes.

 

As well as weapons your proton pack also includes a PKE Meter, this is almost like wearing nightvision googles but they have the effect of being able to track down hidden entities and also hidden artifacts, their main use though is to scan the ghosts which in turn will give you a record on the ghost type, its origins and weaknesses, this is great as with the tap of the start button you can check on the ghosts you are fighting anytime you want.

 

Although the action is quite intense and great fun there are points where the game lets itself down, for example when I was on the roof during the Stay Puft mission I was fighting against a ghost whose energy down I managed to take down, then as I was trying to move him into the trap there was a problem because he wouldn’t move even though all three Ghostbusters where trying to drag him into the trap, this was an obvious bug in the game and resulted in me restarting the level although to be fair it didn’t happen again in any of the later levels. Another problem I personally have with the game is the load times, the problem here is that when you get killed you will have to restart at the last checkpoint and therefore you will find yourself waiting and waiting. This issue isn’t particularly noticeable in the casual and professional difficulties as you probably won’t get killed much, however in the hardest mode it is very frustrating.

 

 

Ghostbusters can be quite a challenging game at times, so it’s handy that the AI is fairly decent, sure there are moments when the others stand around looking like statues but generally they will help you take down and trap ghosts. Another bonus to having the Ghostbusters by your side is that if you go down they can revive you and visa versa, therefore it’s always wise to make sure that your teammates are standing as this means that you will always have someone to help you should you fall.

 

The environments you will play in are all quite varied, throughout the game you will visit the library, the museum, central park and you will also have a wander though the city, although you cannot just wander anywhere as once you begin a mission you are taken straight there. In between missions you are able to hang around in the firehouse, meaning you can slide down the pole (trophy) or pretend to play some of the arcade machines.

 

Graphically the game is very impressive, the characters all look quite like the actors they are representing and the city looks very bright and colourful, if not a little devastated. Each of the levels have a great feel to them and certainly offer plenty of variety, for example one minute you are chasing a giant marshmallow down a city street then the next you are in a hotel room which has been turned a spiders layer.

 

As if saving the city from certain doom was not enough, the game also includes a multiplayer mode for you. This is actually a really great addition as you and four other Ghostbusters can compete against each other to see who can earn the most cash with everyone’s points going towards their place on the leaderboards. The multiplayer campaign comes with your usual ranked and unranked matches as well as its own slant on your standard online modes, with a few unique ones thrown in for good measure.

 

Overall Ghostbusters is a fantastic game, sure it has its flaws but if you look by these you will see a game which represents the film wonderfully. Any fan of the cult series will love this game and I can guarantee you that if you splash out on Ghostbusters then Busting WILL make you feel good.