First off let me preface my thoughts by saying thanks to Skanker and co. for my favorite game of all time!! Yes I said that…I haven't put it down since midnight last Tuesday and have yet to move onto the next version because of said awesomeness (*peter)…
The fan-service - is impeccable , the dialogue spot-on [Murray's doing a voice-over by himself in a studio, so you can't expect too much…Not only that he hadn't “channeled” the “Venkman” character in 18 years until the game], the comedy is GOLD , and the story - while revisiting old “haunts” - Doesn't feel like a re-tread…And I really like the equipment add-ons , as where I thought I'd end up disliking them…And not driving the Ecto-1B wasn't an issue with me…
A TRUE “Ghostbusters” experience in the highest order!!
But as with anything, it's not without it's flaws, which I will speak of here:
Asthetics:
-Proton Packs are missing their throwers when docked in the back of the Ecto .
-CGI Cinema-Scenes feature mistake reminants [The Ecto-1B's once-wonky details, and the way aforementioned “strap issue”]. Though this is a “Rainmaker” issue, not a TR one.
-CGI in-game cut-scenes while not all bad, do feature the aforementioned “synch” and 'body language“ problems, and the models come off abit shiny not unlike manquins. And as again aforementioned, some of the sequences looked better from afar, as opposed to close-up.
-The in-game GBII flightsuit glitches at the logo area, and the GB1 symbol is overlapping the GBII iteration.
-The additions to your pack that Egon devises just ”appear" mid-level, even after going through 50% without them.
-The Firehouse was missing the third floor.
-Slimer goes missing from the containment case long before the containment breach.
-Could have been more colors of ectoplasm/slime than just green in the single player mode.
-The hotel manager in the Wii/PS2 versions looks like the hotel manager from the first film , as where in this version - He doesn't.
-The Wii/PS2 version has more cut-scene exposition like the “Venkman/Getting Coffee” and the “saving Illysa” sequences.
Levels:
-Would have loved to have played the aforementioned “Parade” level.
Gameplay/Interactivity:
-While the free-roam of the Firehouse was EXCELLENT, there could have been more things to do/interact with…Interacting with Janine, taunting Slimer, peering into the containment unit , cleaning out a trap, playing around with some of Egon's unfinished experiments , changing outfits at the lockers, and tinkering with the cursed artifacts are just some examples of things that could have been implimented. Though the answering machine messages were HILARIOUS:-).
-Venting the pack was a nice touch, but I found myself doing it far too often…Having to do it repeatedly during a boss battle gets annoying, especially on the higher difficulty settings.
-Having to revive teammates isn't a detractor, but on higher difficulty settings is happens far too often, leading to to many “missions failed”. They can't revive you if they are all knocked down themselves.
-The aforementioned “dodging”, “enemy projectile”, and “enemy lunging” issues. Too many enemies attacking all at once makes it alittle unfair to the player.
-The AI, while good, lags at times…Case in point - After beating the ghost twins in the library, Ray beckons you to follow him, but then takes like 10 seconds to finally open the door.
-Certain parts of certain levels have nothing really going on, especially in the “portal” section of the ghost world and the sewers…
-The load times after failing a mission take forever.
-Not everything is destructable as I had hoped. Though the level to which it is is satisfying enough.
-Some ghosts take far too long to wear down…There was a couple of battles to which I fought that went on for 15 minutes or longer.
-“Slamming” - I don't know if it's just me, but being able to slam a ghost from ceiling to floor isn't as fluid as I would like it to be…
-More City levels would have been cool.
-Certain parts of the GB1 score would chime in during inappropriate moments, and the “made-for-game” score felt like it was almost competing against Elmer's…And some levels had no score at all, which in the end was just weird.
-Certain bosses that I would have loved to have trapped just dissipate, like the Spider Witch.
Saving/Menu Options:
-The first few times I played I had to tinker around with the “Multiplayer” menus to get my saved data to appear at all.
-Not having multiple “save slots” is a detractor.
Yes - That was quite a laundry list of observations and opinions, but don't think for a minute that any of that is keeping me from enjoying this game to the fullest, nor loving this game to the umpteenth degree!! I will be playing this game constantly for the forseeable future, only taking a break to play the PS2 and DS versions. A third chapter this is, and I'm loving every minute of it. This is my GB3, and caps off this particular story VERY nicely.(*peter)…
BRING ON THE DLC, and for that matter - THE SEQUEL!!
Cheers.