Ghostbusters Preview

by Andrew Podolsky on April 28, 2008 at 6:48 pm

Ghostbusters screen 1

After two decades, the upcoming Ghostbusters game is like one of those nostalgic blasts from the past that lies dormant in your subconscious, like a river of pink slime or a hell-hound in your fridge, just waiting to burst out and go “boo” at the slightest provocation. For me, that awakening took place when I heard the familiar sound of a proton pack powering up (”pyoooooo!”), which also serves as the audio cue before loading a mission in the game.

Although I don’t really buy the claim that this is effectively the “third movie”, this is probably as close as we’re ever going to get. Nearly all the voice talent from the Ghostbusters movies are represented in the game, except for gatekeeper Sigourney Weaver and keymaster Rick Moranis. That means you can fully expect wisecracking remarks from Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, and Harold Ramis.

Ghostbusters screen 2

Fidelity to the films is the Ghostbusters game’s crucial selling point. From what we’ve seen, this is not a game with the most sophisticated gameplay mechanics in the world. For one, the combat lacks a cover system (when do ghosts really shoot back, anyways?) and the default movement speed seemed a bit sluggish (those packs sure look heavy). Instead, it’s going to be fighting Mr. Stay Puft and assorted ghouls while Bill Murray rants about cats and dogs living together that will get most old-school fans really excited.

We did see a few notable additions, though. Igon, the inventor of the crew, has new toys for you to try out, like using a slime gun to stick objects to the ceiling and walls. Also, the total lack of HUD at this point means that you have to pay careful attention to your proton pack in order to judge your level of overheating and what type of gun you have selected.

Ghostbusters screen 3

Getting to play with the spiritual resonance detector and other Ghostbusters gear that were simply used as props in the movie (or sold as cheap plastic replicas to us children of the 1980s) looks like a lot of fun. The music, visuals, and atmosphere all appear like they’ve stepped right out of the movies, and this game will probably surprise a lot of old GB groupies when it comes out this Halloween.

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