Nintendo Wii Game and Accessory Reviews

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

With Atari backing the long-awaited return of the original Ghostbusters, will busting make you feel good?

 

Ghostbusters are a highlight of the late 80s. The original movies are considered staples amongst pop culture "essentials." Eventually, their relevance faded to nostalgia, which fuels their return to glory... surprisingly in video game form.

 

The game is filled with star power, with a script written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, and voice talents of many original characters solidifying this as a genuine experience. That capitalizes on the first noticeable trait of the game; it is completely true to the source material. Egon is brainy, Peter is witty; all the characters feel like they should (minus Tully, notably absent, as Rick Moranis remained uninvolved in the game).

 

The original Ghostbusters make their stellar return, as do their personalities.

 

The hole Tully leaves in the team gives an opening for the game to fill. Players control an unnamed, silent recruit; a trainee Ghostbuster. Practically every corner is turned by the recruit first, and all experimental, and highly dangerous, equipment goes to them. Billy Murray's character, Peter Venkman, often chides you as "rookie," and "caddy,"  emphasizing that character interaction like this proves to be both smart and funny. Players feel like part of the team while listening to the actual Ghostbusters loathe their misfortunes.

 

Although, this is no movie. As a video game, the basic controls use the Wii Remote to point the blast stream and the joystick on the Nunchuk to control your character. The d-pad flips between different beams, while A and B use different functions of the beams. The combination of different beams makes for a bright spot in the gameplay, and handling the blast stream and boson darts feels intuitive and fun.

 

Don't cross the streams while trying to tackle this re-animated T-Rex.

 

Ghosts are essentially worn-down using different beams, slammed into walls and ceilings using the Remote's motion control, and then guided into a trap thrown using a swinging motion with the Nunchuk. Ghosts will inhabit inanimate objects and people, leave unseen traps, and sticky messes all over levels. Oftentimes, the PKE Meter is the Ghostbuster recruit's saving grace, showing hidden elements and guiding players to puzzle solutions.

 

The PKE Meter also scans elements of the game like characters, ghosts, and otherworldly tools and devices. Each scan is added to Tobin's Spirit Guide, a journal filled with notes and comments that add to the lore and mythology of the Ghostbusters universe. Fans will have plenty of reading to do, but many of the comments tips for destroying different spirit types are worth it for all players. Art pages are the main collectibles of the game, often found by destroying objects and searching in every nook and cranny of the levels, in a more feeble attempt to ramp up the replay value.

 

The PKE Meter plays an important role in the game's progression.

 

The game progresses through different environments, many intimately familiar to fans of the series, such as the Sedgwick Hotel and the New York City Library. It starts out easy on players with Slimer escaping and needing capturing, and leads to ultimate fan-service when gamers get to knock the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man off the side of a building soon thereafter, splattering him all over downtown New York.

 

Most of the levels are maze-like, with simple drag n' drop puzzles splicing up the ghost-infested rooms. More often than not, your blast stream is used for destruction rather than busting. Most everything in the levels except the walls (oddly enough, all of the walls are blast stream-resistant) are destructible. To top it off, a point system awards reckless players with money for their destructive habits. While players may get used to spending extra time to disintegrate everything in sight, it never really gets old.

 

Slimer is back, and making a mess for fans to clean up.

 

What does get old is the ghost-catching gameplay. The game is paced out by adding new beam and PKE functions every few levels, but the core mechanics tire out through the middle of the game. Zapping and trapping becomes such second nature that the unique and fun moments of the game are typically the least interactive, the cut-scenes. Still, most of that is owed to the charming cast.

 

A lot can be said for the graphics, however. While far from being the best on the system, the game excels at presentation. Each bit of the game oozes catchy style and well-toned colors. Spirits are wonderfully designed, and the music is well composed.  Playing through the game is a great experience, just from a presentation standpoint.

 

Bouncy colors don't brighten the monstrous spirits you'll find, only your beams will.

 

Lastly, players don't have to bust those ghosts alone. Local two-player co-op is available, which adds another recruit to the mix during ghost hunts.  Money earned is stacked up at the end of levels, where players find competition in seeing who caused the most monetary destruction.  This lends the destructive nature of the game a boost in fun. Depending on who you play with, the story may take a hit, if your friend doesn't care for listening to the cut-scenes (it doesn't help that Venkman is barely audible).  Regardless, past missions are always available later in the firehouse, as well as a few options in difficulty. Really, nothing special is truly added in the multiplayer experience, though.  A few unique multiplayer levels or modes would be welcome, but it's all campaign-based.

 

Stylish. The presentation of the game is among the best you'll find on the Wii, with a good layer of polish added

 

Fan-tastic. Fans of the Ghostbusters movies will be pleased with the game's loyal mythology.

 

Well scripted. Loyalty goes a long way, as the game feels intimately familiar and fits in perfectly with Ghostbusters canon. The writing and pacing of the story is well executed.

 

Well said. The voice acting, for the most part, is enjoyable and fairly well done.

 

Bill Murray, you disappoint. Not everyone knows how to talk. Bill Murray is quiet, he mumbles, and ultimately sounds like he wasn't "in" his role, hugely detrimental to the experience.

 

Gameplay drags on a bit. Busting only feels good for a while, and then it gets repetitive.

 

Abrupt. Without the spoilers, the game sort of drops players off a bit more quickly than expected.  This leaves a bad taste for any gamer.

 

Weak co-op. While campaign multiplayer is available, it is fun for a limited time.  The game could have easily handled more multiplayer modes, like a race-the-clock ghost capturing contest, unique multiplayer levels, or more awards for causing destruction.

 

Ghostbusters: The Video Game certainly isn't a bad game. In fact, it is fun, and the story is charming enough for series fans to enjoy. Of course, the best part of the game usually doesn't happen while you're grinding through some of the levels, but while listening to the actual Ghostbusters lament their messy situations. It may not be worth full retail price to hear just that, but it's an experience that will not fully disappoint.

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