Ghostbusters: The Video Game, "Fans Rejoice, Then Move On"

Enjoying Ghostbusters: The Video Game on the PS3 comes with a handful of caveats. The player must come to terms that there will be no Rick Moranis nor will there be any references of the actor turned country singer. Fans of the movies will have to concede that though the video game is formatted like a movie. Unfortunately, the tropes of a video game [the game is about 8 hours long] may aggravate those wanting the story to 'move it along'.

Though the single player mode should be the draw for any Ghostbuster fan. There is not much that makes up this game other than an above average plot.  For the average gamer who may not be willing to take the big leap into committing to purchasing a game clearly aimed at a nostalgic crowd, you are right with your worry. The lovely developers at Terminal Reality show that they are fully capable of converting every nook and cranny of the much beloved cinematic world of the Ghostbusters franchise. When you hear ECTO-1's siren, there is a feeling there which will be lost on gamers who only see Ghostbusters: The Video Game, as ... well ... a video game. You start off as a no-named, rookie which serves two functions. The first, is to provide a logical design implementation as to how you, the player, interacts with the world. See the tricky thing about the previous [sub-par] Ghostbusters games were that players played as the characters from the movie, which 'could have worked' had the characters or the games been worth playing to begin with. Secondly, in this iteration of Ghostbusters, you are able to feel like you are apart of a team and for the fans, they are able to interact with their favorite characters from the movie.

Your proton pack, Janine the secretary, even vintage Ghostbusters I Slimer [who was actually kind of scary] all have their quirky trademarks in this game. So why did I get bored? As much fun I had busting ghosts in hotels and underground corridors, the story got really stale. Starting the game off fighting the StayPuft Marshmallow man was an excellent peak for writer Dan Ackroyd to welcome fans back to this very detailed and well-crafted world.  Ackroyd revealed that not only did he not work on the entire script [which is odd considering how possessive he has been with this franchise], but that Terminal Reality developers wrote tw0-thirds of the script.

Here's the thing, I am not sure if Terminal Reality writing 'X-amount' and Ackroyd writing 'Y-amount' is a good or bad thing. Either way, the plot was stale. I am guessing Terminal Reality wrote in a far amount of "Hey, guys let's split up and leave the new guy with..." once they realized Bill Murray had other things better to do, like be awesome and not apart of this mediocre project. No matter how much time and effort bleeds from the seams of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, the finished product feels rushed and stitched together. To be this muted rookie at the start of the game is a great feeling, but having minimal lines of dialogue makes this 'team' we all so eagerly wanted to be apart of in the late 80's and early 90's, feel odd. In the worse sense, by the time you are nearing the end of the game it feels like 'you' [the character] and the Ghostbusters.

The mechanics of running, stopping, then busting your eventual nether-spirit feels great in single player, but shows its flaws in the surprisingly addictivemultiplayer mode. In Multiplayer Mode you have the standard options that are apparent in most 3rd person shooters. A Survival mode that pits you and only one friend against wave after wave of evil spirits. There is a competitive career mode whereGhostbusters truly shines. In Career mode, you treat your missions as jobs which lead to cash and better rankings and if you are clever enough, trophies [or achievements]. There are maps specifically designed for each mode and playing for trophies is what opens up the door to a multitude of play styles. Using your proton, freeze, shock and [the very popular] slime pack you can trap ghost in pretty cool ways.

With all the great features that Ghostbusters: The Video Game offers, the above average story and small, but dedicated online community are the only reasons I recommend this game to gamers-on-the-fence. Fans of the Ghostbusters might be a little let down, but if you are a fan, you should already own this game. Ghostbusters was rushed, it should have been released later in the year. The gameplay has no depth and sometimes the voice acting and convenient ways the missions send you to 'go at it alone' feel pretty uninspired. I was bored, I am a fan, I will buy this game.

I give Ghostbusters: The Video Game...

An Old Lady Purse