Hey! What you gonna play? Ghostbusters: The Video Game!
Hey! Who you gonna call? The Game Devellopers!
Ghostbusters! Finaly! I don't have the new consoles but hey! Got a PS2!
What a refreshing game it is and it truly gives a new life to your old console. I took it the morning it cames out and I've been on it everyday where I had the chance. I tried the ps3 version at my videostore and I was shocked by all the details! I just couldn't follow the mission; I was walking everywhere, looking at everything like if I was using a museum software. It's beautiful and the characters are well made; when you're in the elevator with Ray in the first mission, when he turns at you with this look in his eyes, you just can feel Dan Aykroyd. Returning home with the PS2 version, I was hoping to not be disapointed after that; it knew I wouldn't get such quality in every parts of it.
Well the game has the same taste; the script seems to be the same; you get probably less scenes (movie/game) and details in the PS2 but it's enough fun to concentrate on it and forget what you miss on the new consoles. Lots of loading, yes, between scenes, but beautiful arts to look at. The first loading screen just gives you a “yes! Finaly! The Game!” And how bout it, you can play as a male and female! You have three choices of difficulty level and the controls are easy.
A good thing in the firehouse: you can visit the place (funny, the access to Peter's office is on the opposite side, like your pack is inverted compared to the PS3 version), and you can't use your particle thrower in here like a jerk (well, I wanted to shoot the containment unit, I guess I'm served only on PS3!). But, like in both versions, you can shoot your partners! Now that's bad; why the game devellopers didn't made an “auto off” each time your crosshair is on them? And why the PS2 version doesn't have an option to turn that crosshair off, like on PS3? Also, some people maybe doesn't care, but I would have loved to have a first person view button, just to look around. In both version. But you can only do this with the ectogoogles and during the game, not in the firehouse; on the PS3 it's a must! (360 too I bet).
I was surprised, they did my “Fatal Frame” suggestion with the PKE/Googles (it's far in my memory, it's somewhere in my archives); in the action, you can scan the ghosts and find pages to complete your spirit guide, it's fun… but it also cuts the fun a lot. I think I'm gonna try the game again and ignore this option. On PS3, the PKE is different from the movie, on the PS2, it's the same, I think the opposite would have been better. It's fun to play with it and see it responding to the paranormal activity. The googles is also nice because you can see invisible things (but not running through your head) and it gives you the direction to follow; I wish this last detail would have been turned off or more complex on the hardest difficulty level.
Fighting ghosts is fun and you never get tired of it until you played all day from the morning to the middle of the night! And the weapons add-on always bring a new perspective. I was strongly against the “Slam-a-ghost” action in the past; how can you hurt them by throwing them in the furniture or the walls? They're dead! But the feeling is way different here; it's more like if you're giving a sudden punch against the power that the ghost uses, in a try to escape from your beam, than weakening it on the environment. It's definitly a must for the game. And I'm sure the devellopers will work something even more realistic in the futur. I didn't try this slamming action on PS3 or 360, I hope the feeling is the same. One detail here, I don't know if it's because I'm playing the hardest difficulty level from the start, but your partners can only hurt/destroy the ennemy, it's like they can't trap them without your help and there's no effect around a ghost when their beam hits them.
The PS2 version contains lots of bugs. A ghost can be stuck in the environment. One was even in the ground, you could only see the key and there was no way to pull it out (the other ghosts then ran away, leaving you in a locked area). Same for your partners, it's like they love to kiss the walls (you need to die or a ghost to bring them back in the game).“The Collector” level would have been fun if the program followed the action, you hit the tentacles directly on target a few time but still no results. I beat him by chance, I don't know how… after 2hours?! In the first scenes where Peck appears, his face is not animated. The library ghost didn't appear in one movie scene, leaving Egon, PKE in hand, in front of nothing, and the player with no action to continu in the game. In the labyrinth level, where you need the ectogoogles to see the moving portal, the program doesn't follow correctly. I entered a black hole before falling completely out of the map (all the floors moved above my head in less than five seconds and I thought I was in heaven when a red cloudy sky appeared suddenly in front of my eyes, but it was only the sky above town background. I looked around, under me, everything was blue, on the sides, the town, above my head, three or four skyscrapers flying, like migrating birds, to a place I will never know), I had to reboot the console. After I beat the second boss, the game froze. After I beat StayPuft, game froze; it's only to make you enjoy “Ghostbuster: The Game” more longer! Well, to a level… you know I'm kidding.
I now know why there's a cemetery level. Well, on PS2: it's becose the game dies there. Maybe it's the giant ball, the reason of all this. It probably hits the CPU just when you reach the door it destroyed… or is it Venkman's fault… the game waits for him to show up in the movie before crashing. Did it three time and same result. Who knew Peter Venkman was the big bad boss you need to beat before it all end!
Oh well, have I said that the game cover was realy nice? You see an inviting game with lots of quality in it. The images on the back could have been something else, it doesn't sell the product at all to my taste.
On the end, your character doesn't run like on PS3. The voices are a little bit low and confusing when you hear someone who's not there (they are using the radio but you don't feel it). The movie sequences follow the game perfectly. Some levels are short but fun to replay. On the cemetery loading screen, one of the ghostbusters has an inverted pack. Nothing happens when you cross the streams. I would have prefered more effects on the character when he is slimed. A ghost can reach and slime you even when he is captured in your beam, There's a nice minigame in the credits but there's no thanks to the ghostbusters fans of GB forums who influenced the game devellopement. I'm probably forgetting something but I sure hope to find a way to finish this game one day.