Pros - A Ghostbusters story that lives up to the two movies. Superb voice acting. Gameplay that captures everything you thought busting ghosts would be about. Destructible environments make for a kinetic and fun ride. Engaging multiplayer gives the game some legs in terms of replay value. Many parts of the game play out like a survival horror, and dare I say ’spooky’.
Cons - When the game is standing still, there’s not much to look at. The story while high in quality, is lacking a bit in length. Some quirky bugs hamper the experience at certain locations. Music can be repititive.
Last week I posted my first impressions of Ghostbusters: The Video Game. After another full week, I’m ready to give my final verdict for the game that puts a proton pack at your disposal, and drops you alongside the gang of Ghostbusters we all love.
That alone should be enough of a review. Since you’re looking for a bit more substance, I’ll elaborate on my thoughts a bit..
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a release that has been 20 years in the making for me. 1989 was the last time a full-on, live action Ghostbusters movie had been released. Now, after the long wait I believe we have the quintessential third movie we’ve been waiting for. Being the ‘third movie’ entails some strengths and weaknesses that depending on how big a Ghostbusters fan you are will either warrant a purchase or not.
Ghostbusters starts out much like the original movies do. There’s a huge psycho-kinetic wave of energy that explodes at a museum and traverses all across New York City. This triggers an effect that allows the ghosts, and ghouls to turn the city into their own personal playground. Of course, the Ghostbusters step in to try and save the day. I’m purposefully being as general as possible in my summation of the story, because if you’re like me then you like to go in fresh without knowing anything. As you play the game the story unfolds like a homage piece at certain points, while standing on its own in others.
The game is presented with a slick main menu, and from there the presentation only gets better. Developers should really take inspiration with how Terminal Reality utilizes screen space. I’ve always been someone who likes to see the least amount of HUDs as possible. In too many games, the screen is littered with health bars, ammunition counts, and maps. If a game is trying to capture a cinematic feel, then plastering HUDs all over the place really takes away from the experience. Luckily, in Ghostbusters there are no HUDs what-so-ever. In fact, the only time you’ll see something pop up on screen that isn’t directly related to your character or the action is when one of your teammates needs revived.
Terminal Reality is able to achieve a clear screen, by utilizing the character’s proton pack. All the information you need to keep up with is displayed on the proton pack itself. Genius. You’re health is represented by two horizontal bars that will deteriorate and go from green to red depending on how much damage you take. Your proton pack is also your weapon, but instead of using ammo there’s a heating/cooling system you have to track. Like your health, your proton pack’s heat meter is represented by two bars that will rise the more your proton pack is used. When your pack heats up to a certain point, the bars will turn red and your controller will shake. You’ll then need to cool it down by pressing the R2 button. If you overuse the proton pack then you’ll be knocked back and take some damage.
Overall, I really like the heating/cooling system of the proton pack. I honestly think it’s better than a standard ammunition count, as you’re not trapped with reloading all the time and you can stretch the pack to its limits if need be. I’d like to see more risk based weapons in games for the future.
The progression of Ghostbusters: The Video Game plays out very linear, and is where you’ll either be sold or turned off. With so many sandbox type games on the market, it’s as though so many people expect it in every game. I’ve heard too many times, “I want to be able to roam the city”, or “I want 20-30 side missions”. I could possibly support the side missions idea, but for Ghostbusters a sandbox environment just isn’t need. And for me would have ruined the experience.
I stated earlier that the game has a cinematic feel to it, and that just wouldn’t have been achievable with a non-linear structure. I like the fact that if I wanted to, I could play the entire game and everything would unfold without a pause (except loading screens). There’s no menus for choosing missions, or me having to drive across the city to my next location. Everything is streamlined, and keeps the narrative and gameplay tight and cohesive.
While Ghostbusters: The Video Game has a wonderful story, what feels even more like a ghost busting experience is the gameplay itself. I’m sure if you were a child in the 80’s or even early 90’s you have Ghostbusters toys. If you have/had the plastic proton pack with the nerf stream at the end of it then you imagined what an actual ghost capturing experience would feel like. Well, Terminal Reality allows you to actually experience ghost busting in a virtual world.
Moving around in the game feels a lot like many other third-person action games out there. The speed of movement plays like a solid middle ground between the slower Resident Evil 5 and something like Gears of War. It’s a bit on the clunky side, but you have the option to dodge, and run for smaller periods of time so you do have options with maneuvering.
Once you run into a ghost, most of your encounters will play out like the ghost wrangling you see in the movies. Your proton pack shoots out an energy stream that damages ghosts. The aiming system is tight, and at no time did I feel that the analog movements were off. The ghosts generally move in a frenetic pattern, and it can be challenge to chase them around while staying alive and damage them. At a certain point, the ghost’s health will reach a critical point. This is when you throw your capture stream on them. Holding the capture stream, you can drag the ghost around and slam them against the environment to daze them. You’ll then throw out your trap and guide the ghost in. One nifty aspect of ghost wrangling is that the more capture streams your teammates have on it, the easier the capture is.
Most of the game will have you capturing ghosts, but there are variations to the action that keeps everything fresh. There are smaller entities that just require you to blow them up, and some of the boss fights are more about you strategically moving around and firing then going for a capture. Along with the enemies, the proton pack has a variety of different uses and attachments as well.
As you progress through the game, you’re proton pack will naturally upgrade. You’ll start off with your standard proton stream. Then you’ll obtain a slime blower, meson Collider, and finally a stasis stream. Every option has a secondary fire mode as well, and the entire package provides a varied amount of weaponry. Most of the game you’ll be using your proton stream though. The slime blower, and tether are mostly used for puzzles that hinder your progress. The meson collider and stasis stream are adequate additions, but for the most part really just play second fiddle to the proton stream.
A question you might be asking yourself is — if there’s no on-screen maps then how do I know where to go? Well, like the proton pack, Terminal Reality utilizes another piece of Ghostbuster equipment to integrate directly into the gameplay. Here, is where you’ll use the PKE meter. There are a couple of functions that the PKE meter uses, and for the most part keeps slower parts of the game more interesting. A large portion of the levels in the game will have you tracking ghosts, as they can be tough to find. With your PKE meter out, you’ll go into first person mode with your meter in the middle of the screen.
The prime function of the meter is to detect where ghastly entities are hiding. The whole thing plays out like a hot/cold system. As you come closer to a ghost, the PKE meter’s arms will slide up, and subsequently lower if you move farther away. At points this can become tedious, especially if the stage has a ‘maze’ like feel to it and your route isn’t readily apparent. Besides tracking ghosts. For the most part though, it adds an interesting navigation system that’s better than just following a blip on a mini-map.
Along with navigating, your PKE meter will be a way to scan ghosts, and artifacts in the game. Every ghastly entity in the game has the potential to be scanned, and its profile will be added to the Tobin’s Spirit Guide. Along with the ghosts, there are possessed items sprinkled through out that you can scan and add to the archives. These features again are just additions to game play, and keep things form being just ‘find ghost - capture ghost’. Also, if you’re a completist then you’ll find a hefty amount of extras to obtain. Not to mention the large assortment of trophies, which are cleverly named and add to the experience more than feel like a burden.
Once you’re done playing through the story, and unlocking everything then you might want to move onto multiplayer. The multiplayer aspect of the game is a deep experience, which really took me by surprise.
Your standard quick match, lobby, friends menu based system is all there. Your statistics are also tracked, and there’s even a level/cash based system that will keep you wanting to improve. As you catch ghosts and successfully conquer multiplayer matches you’ll receive cash which acts much like experience points. As you level you can unlock various upgrades and items. For example, you can unlock the blue suits from the Ghostbusters II movie.
When you’re in a game lobby you’ll have the choice to be any of the four main Ghostbusters or you can choose to be the rookie. Also, you can choose a weapon specialization but basically all this means is that you’ll start the stage with that weapon. This isn’t really all that important because different weapon ammunition is scattered throughout the various stages.
There are 6 different multiplayer modes in all, most of which feel unique and all provide a faster, more arcade experience than single player.
Survival is much like what the name suggest. There’ll be wave of enemies that attack your group, and surviving the onslaught is a must. As the stage progresses, the amount of enemies will increase until you get to the final stage. Which plays out a boss fight, and adds a sense of accomplishment when you win.
Containment is a time attack mode, where you try and capture as many ghosts as possible in a certain time limit.
Protection is much like a King of the Hill mode, where you have to protect PKE disruptors from the ghosts looking to destroy them. This is probably the most team based mode, as communication and making sure that all the ghosts are taken care of requires strategy.
Thief is like a hybrid between Survival and Protection. There are four artifacts that ghosts will try to steal and its up to your team to make sure they stay safe. There’s a time limit, and you’ll win if even one artifact remains.
Destruction, is more like a free-for-all compared to the previous modes. There are various nodes scattered around the stage and you have to destroy them all while defeating the ghosts that will come out from them.
Slime Dunk is really the only competitive mode in multiplayer, as the other game types rely heavily on team work. With Slime Dunk you only receive cash when you dunk a Slimer into your own trap. This can make for some interesting competition, especially if you and someone else are going for the same ghost. You can try and wrangle it away and dunk it in your own trap. And of course they’ll be doing the same as well.
My only complaint really with multiplayer is that there’s no co-op for playing through the story. It makes sense in terms of how the story plays out for certain areas. But it would have been nice to experience everything unfold with a friend.
The graphical quality of Ghostbusters is truly a tale of two worlds. Standing still, there really isn’t anything to ohhh and ahhh at. The proton pack is probably the most detailed aspect of the game you’ll run across, which makes sense considering you’re looking at it all game long. The level textures, and even the character models don’t really look as detailed as they could have been. The in-game cutscenes really lack a polish that could have been pushed farther to their limits.
Luckily, most of the game will have you running around catching ghosts and destroying the environment which looks fantastic. Nearly everything in the game can be broke, blown up, or incinerated. And it all looks glorious. The proton stream is bright and animated exactly like you would want to see it. So, in motion I give the game a thumbs up but standing still too long reveals a lesser quality than I would have liked.
Along with the graphics, the audio of the game feels a bit mixed. First, let me say that the Ghostbusters soundtrack is one of my favorite movie soundtracks ever. However, that doesn’t mean I want to keep listening to it over and over as I play through the game. The main theme is played at every menu, every loading screen, and through out many parts of the game. The are a few other tracks used as well but it seems like Terminal Reality played it too safe with staying nostalgic with their track list.
The voice acting, and sound effects are dead on though. With the return of all the original actors to voice their various roles, the game brings all the lovable characters back to life. They really could have phoned it in, but for the most part the voice acting is natural and provides many funny moments along the way. There are a few repetitive ramblings during gameplay. Like, Ray telling you to use your slime tether over and over when trying to decipher a puzzle. The sound effects seem as though they’re captured directly from the movie. The proton pack sounds just like the wonderful buzzing from the movie.
In conclusion, I can easily recommend this game to any Ghostbusters fan. If you’re strapped for cash but want to see how the story plays out then definitely give it a rental. While the game could have used some polish in a few areas, all the important aspects of the game were handled with extreme care. You can tell Terminal Reality was dedicated to the project, and its really paid dividends.
Flower has been out for some time and I finally got around to checking it out. I had read so much about it online that I made a point to put it on my “to get” list. Downloading this PS3 exclusive title has been one of the better decisions I have made on PSN.
The best I can describe the experience is you’re some kind of Nature Spirit that needs to rejuvenate the planet. The themes are a bit bewildering at first, but as you progress the game feels quite literal in its message. There are all these dead plants and fields you fly through while bringing green back into the land. You start off as a single petal and with every flower you fly into more pop off until eventually you fly through the air as a massive collection of color and movement. Each stage has objectives to complete by simple exploration, and once you reach the end of each stage, the player is rewarded with an epic scene of nature’s majesty.
It may be the most relaxing gaming experience ever to be grace the PS3. Or video games period for that matter. As you fly through groups of flowers, often times each will play a single note in the same key signature. So no matter what order you gather, a light musical strumming sequence is played. The soothing sounds fit all of the moods as you progress from day to nightscapes.
As far as the graphics go, it’s the best at what it does. As you fly through grass, each individual blade of grass is parted via Flower’s physics engine. I can only imagine this world being used as an environment in an action or role-playing game. The camera is gentle and flowing and the controls are tight. The 6-axis is used for movement and a single button is pressed to propel you through the wind.
Those with obtuse sensibilities and an insecure sense of machismo may be scared of a title called “Flower”. But the fact is, if you like fun, unique, well-made gaming experiences, then Flower is a must have. Do I enjoy other games better? Sure. But for 10 bucks on the PlayStation Network, you can’t beat that amount of entertainment value per dollar.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a Ghostbusters fan. I’ve probably watched the original Ghostbusters more than any movie in existence. Back during the VHS days, I wore two copies of Ghostbusters out and finally the Moms said I’d watched enough of it.
It has been 20 years since we’ve seen a ‘live action’ Ghostbusters story. With Ghostbusters: The Video Game, it might not be live action but it definitely can be considered the third movie. Everything that entails is alright by me.
When you first load up Ghostbusters, you’ll be treated to an intro video that feels just like how the previous movies start. The story kicks starts in grandiose fashion, and the entire sequence has such a cinematic feel to it. In fact the entire game is rampant with cinematic elements. I’ve yet to play a game that feels so much like a movie experience as this one does. Which might sound like a negative, but believe me it adds to the experience.
Once you’re actually into the game, you’ll have the option to choose ‘Career’, or to go ‘Online’. I admit that I haven’t tried multiplayer which is why this is a first impression and not a review.
In Career Mode, you’re playing through the storyline that was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd. If you’ve been worried that the story for the game would be watered down or lacking compared to the movies then put your worries to bed. The script is fresh, and the story exceeded my expectations. Which is quite a feat indeed, considering the scrutiny I put it under.
One of the most obvious elements you’ll notice is how linear the game is. Depending on what kind of gamer you are this can be a good or bad thing. I’m glad Terminal Reality kept the game linear, as everything is focused around the story. I’m all for sandbox settings for certain titles, but it seems like the market is saturated with them. So, the linearity of this game helps its cause.
After a quick tutorial the game gets underway and really doesn’t let up until the end. Terminal Reality has done a wonderful job of making different sections of the game have a unique style and play through. You’ll take to the streets of New York, then have to track a ghost through eerie hallways. The ghost themselves are just as varied as the stages. I was surprised with the amount of spectres that Terminal Reality added to the experience. Needless to say you won’t feel like you’re fighting the same ghouls over and over.
An element of the game that really surprised me is how spooky it actually is. If this wasn’t Ghostbusters but something original, I’d probably call it a survival horror. To be honest, there were more unsettling moments during this game than my entire play through of Resident Evil 5. Ghosts will pop out at you from nowhere. There’ll be times the environment unexpectedly changes, and you’ll jump in your seat. Most of the stages just have a frightening presence themselves. The developers did a great job of making the environments feel dreadful. This is one game where having the speakers turned up, and sitting in the dark makes it all 10x better.
Besides the story, the other aspect of the game you’re curious about is how it plays. I can say without a doubt that Terminal Reality has captured the nature of the Ghostbusters more than I expected. If you’ve had an image of what it would be like to be a Ghostbuster, you won’t be disappointed playing this game. Most of the ghosts you’ll be busting has you wrangling them into a trap. You have to wear down their health, then you throw out a capture stream. Slide your trap out and then guide them into the trap. Luckily, not every ghost battle plays out like this so it’s never repetitive.
Some of the smaller ghosts can just be vaporized. There’s also Proton Pack upgrades, and some of those are used on certain enemies. Just like the actual number of enemies, there’s a good amount of strategies that keeps everything from being bogged down in repetitiveness.
One aspect of games that can keep them from feeling cinematic is ‘interface’. How can you feel like you’re having a cinematic experience when there’s 4-5 HUDs on screen? Well, Terminal Reality has solved that problem as there isn’t one HUD to be found during gameplay. They’re able to pull this off by showing all the information you need on the Proton Pack. You’re health is shown off as a green bar on the side of your proton pack. Also, your ‘ammo’ or heat monitor for your Proton Pack is tacked on as well. Sometimes it can be difficult to keep up with everything, but the trade off is a screen that is completely dedicated to the action.
There has been some controversy surrounding the graphics present on the PS3 version of the game. While the comparison made with the Xbox 360 definitely make the game look lackluster, it really isn’t as big a deal as people are making it. I believe that Terminal Reality sacrificed much of the game’s textures for the physics. When the game is standing still, it’s really not much to look at. However, once you find a ghost flying around and fire your Proton Pack it’s gorgeous. The animations are smooth, and the ghosts move fluidly. Also, almost everything you’ll find surrounding you is destructible. Most of the fun I’ve had with the game is just decimating everything in sight.
I’ve put nearly 8 hours into the game, on the hardest difficulty which was a huge mistake. Easily, the most frustrating aspect of the game is the knockback and revive system. Whenever you run out of health, you’re partners have an oppurtunity to revive you. And vice versa if they are knocked down. This becomes a problem if you want to play on a harder setting, because so much of your time will be reviving your partners. This in turn can lead to you being knocked down, so sometimes it feels like a vicious cycle that doesn’t end. Take my word for it and play on the medium difficulty.
With my time playing the game so far, I can definitely recommend a purchase. If you’re still iffy, but want to experience the story then give it a rent. Either way, if you’re a fan of Ghostbusters then you need play this game. If you’re not a fan of Ghostbusters, then if you do play you’ll be privy to a satisfying survival horror experience with some well executed dialogue. Either way, not too shabby of a performance.
In this economy, it’s hard to not buy that used game even if Gamestop marks down a chincy 5 dollars from the full price. The thing is, when you buy that used game with your hard-earned cash, it all goes to Gamestop. You might as well put on that eye patch and head to the Pirate Bay for all the good it’s doing the developers. I admit I may have exploited the magic of the internet in the past a time or two, but I actually do enjoy supporting the creators of my entertainment media. As a working adult, I would like choose to purchase games that send some money back to the developers that enlighten my life with all of this worthwhile entertainment. I’d rather it not be the monopolizing monolith that Gamestop has become.
But what can you do? It’s hard to blame them because their business plan is a perfect money-making machine that also aids budget conscious gamers. Which in this day in age is pretty much everyone. That is until one considers how it shortchanges the game makers themselves. Studios that are balancing on the edge of a sword can have their fate determined on sales that would have gone to them, but went to Gamestop. How many of your favorite games that never came to be got snuffed out because of this prevalent business model? And what’s the cure?
Games like Left 4 Dead and Valkyria Chronicles saw ridiculous spikes in sales when they chopped their prices nearly in half. But if you started a trend where games saw these kind of price slashes it may create more new games sales across the board in your Best Buys and your Wal-Marts or what have you. Better to see half that dollar than zero cents due to a used game sale. The full $60 is a tall order for your avid gamer that enjoys a variety of titles.
Gamestop seems aware of this issue and seems to be attempting some form of damage control to at least attempt to appear concerned. But it would seem there will need to be some other trend shift to control the used-game monster that is only growing hungrier by the day.
The 360 snags Tekken 6 and Final Fantasy 13 and the gaming world turns upsidedown. After those two games go multi-platform everyone says the PS3 has no exclusives. Oh on the contrary.
Featured at E3 2009:
The Agency
Agent
DC Universe Online
Final Fantasy XIV
Free Realms
Gran Turismo 5
God of War 3
Heavy Rain
The Last Guardian
Massive Action Game (MAG)
Mod Nation Racers
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Quantum Theory
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time
Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll
Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves
White Knight Chronicles
E3 2009 is buzzing about Final Fantasy XIV as an MMO. Have they learned from their mistakes? I’m trepidatious at the prospect after getting burned so badly by Final Fantasy 11. For a series so well known for unforgettable casts and unique character designs, FF11 had the most visually homogenized avatar customization I’ve ever seen, not to mention grind heavy gameplay. But the genre has raised the bar on several fronts since the reign of EverQuest and Lineage so let’s hope they come to play this time.
The good news? PS3 Exclusivity. And in 2010? Almost too good to be true! If Square delivers a Final Fantasy mmo worthy of its namesake we are going to be in for one hell of a treat.
Ok, the PS3 keynote from E3 just ended. There were some amazing announcements, along with some slower moments. That’s the case with any keynote, and PS3’s news was definitely more good than bad. Figured, I would share some of the major updates that occurred during PS3’s keynote.
- The first big announcement was the gameplay showing of MAG. The game was announced at last year’s E3, and it looked to be well underway. There is a release date of Nov. 24th 2009 as of right now.
- The next bit of news was hardware related, and was the “official” announcement of PSP Go. I was really skeptical when first hearing the news that PSP Go wouldn’t offer UMD capabilities. However, the way Sony explained it is that PSP Go will be a partner to the PSP-3000. All the games will be exactly the same, only with PSP Go you can only download them.
- After that was the first showing of Assassin’s Creed 2. The game will take place in renaissance Italy. You’ll be playing as a new character, and a more ‘open’ experience. The major game change that was shown was the flying machine that has you soaring across the city. Leonardo Da Vinci will be making an appearance as a partner character.
- If you’re a PSP owner, then a new Metal Gear Solid game called Metal Gear Solid: Peacewalkers was announced. Along with GT: PSP.
- Next was the ‘huge’ surprise of PS3’s keynote, and it was Final Fantasy XIV. It was announced as a PS3 exclusive, and will be an online based game. There was only a trailer shown off, so not much is known at this point. A trailer was shown off for FFXIII, and the spring 2010 release date still stands.
- A new trailer for Gran Turismo 5 was shown. To be honest though, this really isn’t news. I honestly think a Gran Turismo 5 trailer has been shown at ever E3 that’s been around since the PS3 has been alive.
- If you were a fan of ICO, or Shadow of Colossus then the third game from the heralded developer is The Last Guardian. It looks to be in the spirit as the prior two. The trailer that was shown off didn’t provide a story, but did show some amazing visuals. It looks as though you’ll be playing as a small boy who has a massive guardian watching over him. The guardian looks like a cross between a Possum and a rooster. Much cooler than it sounds.
- The final piece of the E3 keynote for PS3 was the demo for God of War 3. This game looks very beautiful. The short demo showed off a war savaged city that Kratos is running through as he tears up some bad guys. There’s a huge monster that reminds me of a titan that is just laying waste to the city. If my jaw could physically hit the floor, it would have for the demo.
Joystiq’s got a new Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Trailer up. It features fan-favorite, Rachel, the blond bombshell with an affinity for blunt objects and clothes 3 sizes too small. Much to her fans dismay. The following video has the viewer deduce that Rachel is, in fact, a healthy gal.
