Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Preview
A story of Ectoplasmic proportions
by Rook
previewed on PC
Who you gonna call?
In June of 1984, one of the biggest and most memorable movies hit the big screen in a big way. In Ghostbusters, four scientists turned ghost hunters to save the Big Apple from a paranormal catastrophe. Writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis starred along side Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson. The movie spawned decades of merchandising including games, toys, a sequel, an animated series and even two video games. Now, over 20 years later, the famed Ghostbusters return in the third installment of the Ghostbusters story. This time however, they are making the jump from the big screen to your computer widescreen.
Sierra and Terminal Reality have teamed up to carry the torch of this long standing favorite. Its official announcement and confirmation from Sierra has sent ripples of excitement throughout the long-time fans of the original blockbuster. The biggest announcement thus far is the confirmation of the collaboration of the entire original cast from the movie with Sierra/Terminal Reality on game development. Not only are the original actors returning to their old characters, both Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis return to write the script! This means that the same attractive values that made the original movie such a hit will be dominating in this all new chapter of the Ghostbusters.
Ray, when someone asks you if you are a god, you say ‘YES’!
The game is set in 1991, which is two years after the team defeated Vigo, the scourge of Carpathia in Ghostbusters 2. Yep, that is the one were the Ghostbusters walked the Statue of Liberty through New York City. In the beginning of this new story, the city has finally embraced the Ghostbusters as true heroes and business is once again booming.
Unlike so many other movie-to-game translations where you play as the main movie character, here, you are a new recruit hired on as an ‘Experimental Weapons Technician’. In other words, you’re the new guy. This one simple feature allows the title to really shine and focus on its strength by allowing the original actors to fully immerse themselves into their characters once again and truly interact with each other as they once did on screen. Instead of playing one of the main heroes, effectively severing any chemistry and interaction they have developed with each other, the player will sit back as the fifth wheel as the team babble back and forth with each other, creating a very cinematic environment. Now this is not to say the player is stuck watching the game instead of playing it.
As the new guy, take a wild guess at who gets to fire the new experimental weapons first? Yup, you are not called an Experimental Weapons Technician without good reason. You are in the business of busting ghosts and, as it seems, business is good. Business is so good in fact, that the Ghostbusters want to start branching out as a franchise. In order to do so they need a franchising license from the great city of New York. Enter, Walter Peck. Yup, the Ghostbusters’ true nemesis has also returned as the city official holding the golden ticket to the Ghostbusters franchising dreams. William Atherton returns to play the role of Walter Peck who has been appointed as the head of the new Paranormal Oversight Commission for the city of New York. Needless to say, if the ghosts weren’t a big enough of a problem for our heroes, the return of Walter peck will be.
