Ghostbusters The Video Game was officially announced by Infogrames on November 7 2008. It was released on June 16 2009 in North America and June 19 2009 in Europe amidst several delays in development and multiple publisher changes, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the first film’s theatrical release. Ghostbusters The Video Game is a third-person shooter action game that has an ESRB rating of T for Teens. The single player mode was developed by Terminal Reality, while the multi player mode was developed by Threewave Software. Ghostbusters The Video Game was published by Atari, for the Xbox 360 version. Ghostbusters The Video Game is based on the Ghostbuster film franchise and is part of the Ghostbusters Video Game series. It follows the player’s character as a new recruit in the Ghostbusters, a team of parapsychologists who pursue and capture ghosts. Instead of using a traditional gun, players are equipped with a “proton pack” which is a laser beam-like weapon, and a ghost trap to fight and capture ghosts. In the game, players control the Rookie’s movements as he explores the environments of each level, seeking out paranormal activities and ghosts, either alone or with up to all four of the other Ghostbusters. Although Ghostbusters The Video Game is a third-person shooter game, players can also opt to switch to a first-person perspective by equipping the Rookie with the PKE Meter and goggles. In this mode, paranormal items are highlighted and the PKE Meter will help direct players to ghosts or haunted artifacts.
Reviews
Ghostbusters The Video Game is a humorous and amusing third-person action-adventure with some clever mechanics and loads of original personality that is capable of keeping you occupied. The script was penned by the original film scribes that makes it ride the film’s coattails quite comfortably, although it does not quite reach the heights of the 1984 comedy classic. Even the voices of the original characters are lent by the original cast itself.
“This game is meant to be the third movie in the franchise, and with that in mind, we have to talk about presentation right off the bat. The game opens detailing the ghostly explosion in a beautiful cutscene — all the computer-generated movies look great with lots of detail and animations — and we’re launched into the Ghostbusters theme just like when the Gray Lady scared the librarian in the first movie and when Dana caught up to Oscar’s carriage in the second film. These nifty scenes will continue along with the soundtrack from the original movie throughout the game and setup the tale. There are dips in this presentation value — which I’ll get to in a bit — but these touches are pulled right from the movie and drop you into this third-person shooter with a specific story to tell (i.e. don’t expect to choose your next job GTA-style). To immerse you in the experience, your noob Ghostbuster character doesn’t speak and isn’t given a name other than “rookie.” In the game, it’s explained that this nameless move is to keep the core four from getting attached in case a device goes haywire and puts the whippersnapper out of commission, but in reality, it’s so you can just sit back and play your part as the real Ghostbusters banter with each other in the tech-heavy dialogue and comedic one-liners you’d expect. If you dug the movies, there’s no reason that you should be disappointed with Ghostbusters: The Video Game. There are some moments that cause the game to stumble, but you’re getting a new tale in the Ghostbusters canon, fun gameplay, a whole bunch of stuff to destroy, and some cool ghosts to scan. I felt that the game’s ending was a bit flat and the romantic interest was forced, but Ghostbusters is a hell of a ride.” (IGN, 2009)
