Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a game I’ve long looked forward to. Not because of it’s gameplay mechanics, but because Dan Akroyd had wanted to do a third movie for so long and wasn’t able to. So he’s full on board for the game. Writing, voice acting, etc. This really is the third Ghostbusters movie; only you get to play it!
The script is great and all the original actors lend their likeness and voices (except Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. I understand Weaver, but Moranis has no excuse…). All this really adds up for a very authentic feeling Ghostbusters experience. I won’t spoil much about the story, but you play a new rookie Ghostbuster who’s joined the team right before a huge ghostly disaster. It’s your job to help the team clean up the situation, test out new equipment, and defeat the Ghostbusters old enemies.
The game controls very smoothly. You move your character around in the third person. The left stick moves and the right stick aims. You can use your beams to attack ghosts and move certain items.
Your stat bars appear on your pack and offer a Dead Space like interface in that respect. The two bars are health and pack heat. You have to press a button to discharge all the heat and cool down your pack. This mechanic keeps you from being able to constantly fire the beam and acts like a reload. If you lose all your heath, one of the other Ghostbusters can pick you up, but if they can’t get to you within a short period of time it’s game over.
The game mainly involves chasing down larger ghosts and dealing with all the trouble they throw at you. Inanimate objects may come to life and attack you; also the ghosts can hide in objects. While tracking down ghosts you can equip your goggles and scan things that may provide information. Scanning may reveal the ghosts location, or get you some additional cash.
The environments are also quite destructible, which makes for a more realistic game, but also works into the gameplay. The game keeps a running total of all the damage you’ve caused.
In combat, ghosts can be a pain to handle. They’ll disappear into the walls, and suddenly appear behind you. It can be tricky to get a fix on them. Smaller enemies can be killed by shooting them with the beam. Ghosts require you to weaken the enemy with the beam, then use it to slam them into the wall, followed by trying to drag them into you trap. Later on you’ll get up to 4 weapons, each with primary and secondary fire, which mix up the combat.
The mix of small enemies and ghosts to capture keep the games combat from getting repetitive. You can use the money you collect in game to purchase upgrades for your devices, which will help capture ghosts easier.
There’s a co-op multiplayer mode as well that lets you team up with 3 other players to take out as many ghosts as possible. In each match you’ll be able to select one of 6 classes with unique abilities to help out your team.
All in all, I’m having a blast with this game. It appeals to both shooter and adventure fans. If you’re a Ghostbusters fan, this game is for you!
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