Even though its been a few weeks since Halloween, I've still got a bit of the spirit in me. As such, I'd like to talk about a game that has plently of spirits...as well as ghosts, ghouls, and various apparitions. That's right; Its 'Ghostbusters' the Game!
(I ain't afraid of no ghosts!)
Possible one of the only movie tie-in games that was good, 'Ghostbusters' the Game manages to capture the spirit of the franchise while also making it something of its own character. With controls that allow you to sling your proton pack like a pro (or at least like the rookie you should be), you'll be able to take on the ghosts with the original Ghostbusters at your side. It helps that they are voiced by the original cast of the movies, even if it has been years since their last movie together. Still, this does put in the possibility of a third movie (though if I'm reading reports right, we might see Peter Venkman return as a ghost. That'll be interesting to see.)
So, does the story of the 'Ghostbusters' game manage to live up to the franchise or is it another failure like so many other movie tie-in games, like 'Iron Man' or 'Transformers'? Lets find out.
Taking place in 1991, about 2 years after 'Ghostbusters 2', the Ghostbusters hire a new recruit (your silent protagonist known just as the 'Rookie' as the newest member to test out new equipment. Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler are happy to have a new recruit on the team, but Peter Venkman has his reservations, if only because the 'Rookie' might get an unfortunate accident or scared out of their wits to quit the job completely. Winston Zeddmore is on his night off at the moment, so he hasn't met the new guy as of yet. Soon, a massive PKE (Psycho Kinetic Energy) shockwave blasts through New York, with the ghosts starting to act more wilder than usually. They take a trip to the Sedgewick Hotel (location from the first movie) and encounter many more ghosts than before, including a return of the green glutton Slimer. They manage to capture several ghosts, including Slimer and a nasty Fisherman ghost. A call comes in from Winston, saying that an old friend is making a return. That's right: its the Stay Puff Marshmellow Man!
Now its out of the hotel and into the streets to tackle the return of the god Gozer (as the Stay Puff Marshmellow Man), though it appears that he's on the hunt for something or someone. The Ghostbusters do their best to keep up, but get attacked by animated gargoyles, ghostly opera singers, and creatures made out of burnt marshmellow from Gozer himself. Not your average Ghostbuster's day. They manage to find Gozer attacking a building, where they get an encounter with Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn, the curator for the Museum of Natural History. They climb to the top of the building, attracting Gozer and blasting him with the proton packs to send the god falling back down and exploding in a white sticky mess. They managed to convince Dr. Selwyn to come with them just in case (with some playful flirting from Venkman to her).
They take her back to their base (or firehouse, whatever) and try to run some diagnostics on her. She explains that she has been working on a Gozer exhibit for the Museum of Natural History, with the Ghostbusters noticing that they didn't get an invite. Apparently, Peck (snobby 'dickless' guy whose gotten on the Ghostbusters' nerves several times and almost doomed the world in the first movie) did so, still thinking that they're all show and no substance. The Mayor, on the other hand, is pleased that Selwyn is safe, the Gozerian Exhibit is in working order and got publicity from Gozer's appearance in of itself. He also explains that Peck was hired to keep an eye on the Ghostbusters through the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (or P-COC) Its just to keep the city council pleased and helping them keep an eye on the Ghostbusters' activities.
The group decides to split up for their next job, with Venkman protecting Selwyn himself. Egon, Ray, Winston and the Rookie try to head to the museum themselves, but get pulled aside when a call comes in about a disturbance at the Public Library. Ray notes how it was their first assignment, involving the spectre of the 'Grey Lady'. Once at the museum, they do some investigating and discover the 'Grey Lady's origins. Apparently, she was Elanor Twitty, the chief librarian who fell in love with a collector named Edmund Hoover. Apparently, Hoover wanted a book from Twitty known as the Gozerian Codex. She said no and ended up getting murdered for it. He killed others, but vowed to return as Azetlor the Collector before he died. The group manages to find an underground section containing several rare books, among them being the Gozerian Codex. When they try to take it, they get into a fight with the 'Grey Lady', but manage to trap her. However, they also end up in the Ghost World, a dimension that can cross into ours and partially merge with it. They travel through the world, trying to get out and even fight through the spiritual form of the Collector. When they return to the real world, they notice a strange symbol, featuring 4 glowing circles. One of the circles lights off, with the group noting that something important has happened and head to the museum.
Upon arrival, several new ghosts appear and start causing havoc, including ones that can possess other people. One of the ghosts captures Selwyn in the process, with the rest of the Ghostbusters giving chase. After fighting through several exhibits, including Civil War and ancient Mesopotamian, the group learns about how the ghost their chasing is the former Chairman of New York, who was once part of a Gozerian Cult along with the architect known as Ivo Shandor, They know its the same Shandor who built the apartment 55 Central Part West from the first movie. The Ghostbusters manage to capture the Chairman and rescue Selwyn, but Peck chews them out for the damage and being drenches in slime (as he was possessed at the time and slime was needed to free him). He vows to make the Ghostbusters pay, which the group decides to take into consideration just in case things go sour. They meet back in the fire house, studying the image they found at the library, as well as the museum. Winston manages to discover that it fits with a few of the buildings in New York, specifically the museum and the library. They call it a Mandala, with the nodes that transfer the ghostly energy being the museum and the library. They also learn the location of two other nodes: the Sedgewick hotel and something smack dab in the middle of the Hudson river.
The Rookie, along with Winston, Egon and Ray, head back to the Sedgewick Hotel, now under renovations since their last trip. That hasn't stopped the ghosts from visiting and giving the Ghostbusters their money's worth. This includes an appearance from a killer chef who poisoned not only himself, but several others. However, the biggest challenge is a ghost known as the Spider Witch, a professional 'black widow' who worked during the 1920s and it is suggested that she had supernatural powers back then. The group tries to find the ghostly 13th floor, with Egon and the Rookie being the 'lucky' ones. This was honestly the scariest mission for me (could be due to partial arachnophobia) but the atmosphere and set up to the Spider Witch boss fight was very terrifying compared to past boss fights. Thankfully, the Ghostbusters manage to bust the Spider Witch and close the node in the Sedgewick Hotel.
The final node places them smack dab in the middle of the Hudson River. When they arrive at the coordinates by boat, dubbed 'Ecto-8', a massive island rises up from the sea. They soon realize that it was Shandor's personal island. Exploring the places has revealed how far ahead of time Shandor was, having massive tanks filled with black slime and what looked like a perpetual timer for some big event. The group gets split up, but the Rookie manages to bring everyone together. They figure out that the perpetual timer is the node itself, managing to shut it down. Unfortunately, this leads into a big fight with animated black slime. A few careful hits at its weakspot and the slime goes down, along with the rest of the island. The group heads back to the Ecto-8 just in time, thinking that all is well now.
When they make it back to the firehouse, they find the place trashed. They learn that Selwyn has been kidnapped and their containment unit shut down, releasing all their captured ghosts. They also learn of a massive mausoleum that popped up in Central Park, making it clear that Peck would be there to summon another powerful entity. The Ghostbusters manage to traverse Central Park, now looking more like a graveyard than a park, but end up leaving the Ecto-1 behind when it becomes in operable. They enter the mausoleum and find a tied up Selwyn AND Peck. It turns out the actual perpetrator was the Mayor possessed by the spirit of Ivo Shandor. Apparently, Shandor wasn't too pleased that Gozer was as much of a pushover as he was, losing to the Ghostbusters twice. He opts to become a god himself, calling himself Shandor the Architect. Thankfully, the team doesn't want any of that happening and, by crossing the streams, manage to blast Shandor and stop him from conquering the world. All is well now: the Mayor is back to normal, Venkman gets with Selwyn, and even Peck is rescued (reluctantly).
And that brings about an end to 'Ghostbusters the Game.' Pretty short, but still very enjoyable. Its not often you can get the actors who played the characters voice them in a video game. Personality and story is nailed and shout-outs to past Ghostbuster exploits are laid out in different parts of the game. Be on the lookout for that portrait of Vigo when you can.
Until next time...
Ghostbusters the game was produced by Atari and developed by Terminal Velocity.
They take her back to their base (or firehouse, whatever) and try to run some diagnostics on her. She explains that she has been working on a Gozer exhibit for the Museum of Natural History, with the Ghostbusters noticing that they didn't get an invite. Apparently, Peck (snobby 'dickless' guy whose gotten on the Ghostbusters' nerves several times and almost doomed the world in the first movie) did so, still thinking that they're all show and no substance. The Mayor, on the other hand, is pleased that Selwyn is safe, the Gozerian Exhibit is in working order and got publicity from Gozer's appearance in of itself. He also explains that Peck was hired to keep an eye on the Ghostbusters through the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission (or P-COC) Its just to keep the city council pleased and helping them keep an eye on the Ghostbusters' activities.
The group decides to split up for their next job, with Venkman protecting Selwyn himself. Egon, Ray, Winston and the Rookie try to head to the museum themselves, but get pulled aside when a call comes in about a disturbance at the Public Library. Ray notes how it was their first assignment, involving the spectre of the 'Grey Lady'. Once at the museum, they do some investigating and discover the 'Grey Lady's origins. Apparently, she was Elanor Twitty, the chief librarian who fell in love with a collector named Edmund Hoover. Apparently, Hoover wanted a book from Twitty known as the Gozerian Codex. She said no and ended up getting murdered for it. He killed others, but vowed to return as Azetlor the Collector before he died. The group manages to find an underground section containing several rare books, among them being the Gozerian Codex. When they try to take it, they get into a fight with the 'Grey Lady', but manage to trap her. However, they also end up in the Ghost World, a dimension that can cross into ours and partially merge with it. They travel through the world, trying to get out and even fight through the spiritual form of the Collector. When they return to the real world, they notice a strange symbol, featuring 4 glowing circles. One of the circles lights off, with the group noting that something important has happened and head to the museum.
Upon arrival, several new ghosts appear and start causing havoc, including ones that can possess other people. One of the ghosts captures Selwyn in the process, with the rest of the Ghostbusters giving chase. After fighting through several exhibits, including Civil War and ancient Mesopotamian, the group learns about how the ghost their chasing is the former Chairman of New York, who was once part of a Gozerian Cult along with the architect known as Ivo Shandor, They know its the same Shandor who built the apartment 55 Central Part West from the first movie. The Ghostbusters manage to capture the Chairman and rescue Selwyn, but Peck chews them out for the damage and being drenches in slime (as he was possessed at the time and slime was needed to free him). He vows to make the Ghostbusters pay, which the group decides to take into consideration just in case things go sour. They meet back in the fire house, studying the image they found at the library, as well as the museum. Winston manages to discover that it fits with a few of the buildings in New York, specifically the museum and the library. They call it a Mandala, with the nodes that transfer the ghostly energy being the museum and the library. They also learn the location of two other nodes: the Sedgewick hotel and something smack dab in the middle of the Hudson river.
The Rookie, along with Winston, Egon and Ray, head back to the Sedgewick Hotel, now under renovations since their last trip. That hasn't stopped the ghosts from visiting and giving the Ghostbusters their money's worth. This includes an appearance from a killer chef who poisoned not only himself, but several others. However, the biggest challenge is a ghost known as the Spider Witch, a professional 'black widow' who worked during the 1920s and it is suggested that she had supernatural powers back then. The group tries to find the ghostly 13th floor, with Egon and the Rookie being the 'lucky' ones. This was honestly the scariest mission for me (could be due to partial arachnophobia) but the atmosphere and set up to the Spider Witch boss fight was very terrifying compared to past boss fights. Thankfully, the Ghostbusters manage to bust the Spider Witch and close the node in the Sedgewick Hotel.
The final node places them smack dab in the middle of the Hudson River. When they arrive at the coordinates by boat, dubbed 'Ecto-8', a massive island rises up from the sea. They soon realize that it was Shandor's personal island. Exploring the places has revealed how far ahead of time Shandor was, having massive tanks filled with black slime and what looked like a perpetual timer for some big event. The group gets split up, but the Rookie manages to bring everyone together. They figure out that the perpetual timer is the node itself, managing to shut it down. Unfortunately, this leads into a big fight with animated black slime. A few careful hits at its weakspot and the slime goes down, along with the rest of the island. The group heads back to the Ecto-8 just in time, thinking that all is well now.
When they make it back to the firehouse, they find the place trashed. They learn that Selwyn has been kidnapped and their containment unit shut down, releasing all their captured ghosts. They also learn of a massive mausoleum that popped up in Central Park, making it clear that Peck would be there to summon another powerful entity. The Ghostbusters manage to traverse Central Park, now looking more like a graveyard than a park, but end up leaving the Ecto-1 behind when it becomes in operable. They enter the mausoleum and find a tied up Selwyn AND Peck. It turns out the actual perpetrator was the Mayor possessed by the spirit of Ivo Shandor. Apparently, Shandor wasn't too pleased that Gozer was as much of a pushover as he was, losing to the Ghostbusters twice. He opts to become a god himself, calling himself Shandor the Architect. Thankfully, the team doesn't want any of that happening and, by crossing the streams, manage to blast Shandor and stop him from conquering the world. All is well now: the Mayor is back to normal, Venkman gets with Selwyn, and even Peck is rescued (reluctantly).
And that brings about an end to 'Ghostbusters the Game.' Pretty short, but still very enjoyable. Its not often you can get the actors who played the characters voice them in a video game. Personality and story is nailed and shout-outs to past Ghostbuster exploits are laid out in different parts of the game. Be on the lookout for that portrait of Vigo when you can.
Until next time...
Ghostbusters the game was produced by Atari and developed by Terminal Velocity.
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