Xbox 360
Back in the 80s, Ghostbusters was a phenomenon. The story of three parapsychologists (and one man just looking for a job) turned ghost exterminators captured the hearts of audiences everywhere. Its wonderfully quotable script, spectacular special effects and hilarious comic moments, combined with a fantastic soundtrack, lead to the eventual box office takings of over half a billion dollars in the U.S. alone, and that's omitting any money made from the merchandise the film spawned.
Cartoon series were commissioned: a whole range of toys and action figures were released: the amazing theme tune by Ray Parker Jr. shot to and stayed at number one in the charts. A second film, Ghostbusters II, was released and while not performing as well at the box office as its predecessor, Ghostbusters mania remained high. Comics and novels furthering the group's adventures were issued, and numerous games of varying quality were developed. Fans of the paranormal were riding high on the success of the franchise.
And then, nothing. The actors went their separate ways and, though brought up occasionally, the idea of a third adventure seemed less and less likely as the years went by. So it's about time that, two decades later, Ghostbusters: The Video Game will reignite fans' love for the franchise.
Hailed as being essentially Ghostbusters 3, The Video Game promises to continue the story of Venkman, Spengler, Stantz and Zeddemore, with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson all reprising their roles as the titular Ghostbusters. The year is 1991, two years after the events of Ghostbusters II, and with the dawn of an exhibit dedicated to Gozer, the main villain from the first film, about to be unveiled, ghoulish goings on begin to occur within the Big Apple. You, the newest recruit to the squad, are sent to investigate.
With New York overrun by ghosts, expect to encounter old fan favourites such as Gozer himself, Vigo, the ghoulish green Slimer, and, everyone's favourite, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, as well as a whole host of new apparitions to contend with. It's your job to hunt, fight and capture your foes any way you can.
You do this in a way that only the Ghostbusters can: destroying everything in your sights while trying to apprehend the unearthly miscreant. This is done with the usual ‘Busters arsenal: the signature proton pack to destroy both ghosts and garnishing, PKE meters to find out where the ghosts are lurking, and the trap, to banish those ghoulies once and for all. This isn't all you have at your disposal, however: Ecto-Goggles allow players to enter a first-person mode to trace monsters' trails by following their ectoplasmic residue, whilst the basic proton pack can be upgraded in a number of ways. The boson dart basically fires a miniature sun along the length of the beam, devastating anything in its path. It can overheat rather quickly though and should be used with extreme caution (even though we all know it's not going to be). Goo shooting capabilities allow wannabe ‘Busters to confuse enemies while locking horns. These weapons can also be used to solve any puzzles your squad may come across, but don't let these get in the way of destroying, sorry, saving the city.
It's not just on your lonesome that you'll be destroying things either: on- and offline co-op and versus modes will ensure that you'll be ghost catching long after the first runthrough has been completed. Up to four people can share in the delights of a day in the life of a tight-knit Ghostbusting squad, zipping around numerous locales from the franchise in the Ecto-1, sirens ablazing. Don't think that things are gonna be a pushover, though: more human Ghostbusters means more, and tougher, enemies, including some unique foes possibly going berserk, or splitting into two once enraged. You'll cope fine though: with unique multiplayer ‘busting weapons, including the Proton Accelerator and the enticingly named Ghost Shrinker, you'll be afraid of no ghost in no time. Persistent online rankings, automatic difficulty scaling and "Most Wanted Ghosts" lists are sure to keep ghost wranglers plenty busy.
It may be a while since they last graced our presence, but everyone is happy at the announcement of their return. Especially us gamers! As always, there's still only one group of people that you're gonna call. Just make sure, that whatever you do, don't cross the streams.