Ghostbusters: The Video Game review

since the movie's being re-released in theaters, i figured this was as good of a time as any to review this game. once i get home from seeing it Thursday night, i'll be posting a review of it's theatrical run as well.

if you know anything about the Ghostbusters franchise and the video games based off of it, you know that almost all the previously released games were absolutely terrible. it took until 2009 for a good game to come out and appease us hungry fans. it was released in two versions: the "realistic" and "stylized" versions. realistic versions feature movie-like graphics and were completely based on the movies. they were released on the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC. stylized versions feature cartoon-like graphics and were only loosely based on the movies. they were released on the Wii and DS. i'll be talking mainly about the realistic version, as it's the only version of the game i own.

Atari's 2009 production is a third-person shooter, but obviously there are no guns used. instead, the players get to use a proton pack outfitted with upgrades such as a slime thrower (similar to the one from Ghostbusters 2, minus the giant tank on the character's back) that get unlocked as the game progresses. the player controls an unnamed "experimental equipment technician" who is simply known as Rook or Rookie. the original 4 Ghostbusters are voiced by their actors from the movies, and even this late after the series they still sound exactly like they did in the movies.

the game itself feels just like the long-awaited third Ghostbusters movie, which after playing it as much as i have, is still awesome. the plot takes players all over New York City in search of mandala nodes. these nodes were set up around the city by the crazed architect Ivo Shandor (from the first movie) to flow slime through New York (possibly explaining the slime river from Ghostbusters 2?), going through Shandor-designed buildings acting as the nodes (the Sedgwick Hotel and Dana Barrett's apartment building being the recognizable ones) being used to open a portal to the ghost world and summon a Gozer-like being to destroy the world.

also, the game brings creatures mentioned in the movies to life. for example, Louis Tully's ramblings while being tested by Egon in the first movie mentioned a "giant Slor". a miniboss in the game is a giant Slor that must be defeated to move on.

to conclude, the realistic version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game is what any true fan would want in a game. it's just as much fun today as it was when it first came out in 2009. the stylized version i have yet to play, but i'm sure it'd be a good time as well.

***RATING***- 5/5