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.