We've come a long way since Ghostbusters for the primitive Atari 2600. The new game, set to debut June 16th, features a script written by actors Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, characters voiced by the films' actors and plenty of interactive scenes from the movies, making it an ideal purchase for fans, or at least that's what Atari hopes. Ever since acquiring the rights from Activision, the company has done everything possible to make sure that Ghostbusters is a blockbuster, such as polishing the visuals, re-shooting the cut scenes and adding more content.
Ghostbusters casts you as a rookie learning the ropes from Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston. You view things from an over the shoulder third-person perspective, and the one thing that stands out the most is the proton pack. Like in the movies, the powerful backpack was modeled to resemble the real deal, but the designers took things even further by allowing you to upgrade the device and see the physical changes. There's also a meter along the side that rises the longer you hold down the firing button. Hold it too long and the proton pack expels steam and overheats (the back pops out); you can cool it down by pressing RB.
In addition to your standard proton stream, you can unleash a shotgun-style blast of energy and a stasis stream that slows down enemies. As you do this, the environment gets torn apart. Books fly off shelves, hundreds of cards erupt from drawers and the walls catch fire; the high level of destruction is one of the game's best features.
Of course, this wouldn't be Ghostbusters without nasty apparitions, and Atari's made sure that you'll always have something to blast. There are two kinds of spirits: ghosts and entities, the difference being your ability to trap ghosts and blow up entities. Baddies come in multiple types, from skeletons that use library books as shields (destroy the books and then attack the ghost) to humongous monstrosities comprised entirely or books or hot coals. Ghosts force you to work as a team (you work alongside your computer-controlled buddies) to wrangle and then trap them. To do this, you'll blast one with the proton pack, weaken its energy and build your Slam Meter. Once you do that, you can quickly slam the ghost into the ceiling, floor or wall to weaken it. Then it's just a matter of guiding that sucker into the trap.
Entities require lots of firepower. With the coal monsters, for example, you'll need to significantly weaken the creature and then attach the proton beam to its head, or in this case, a metal grate. Once you latch onto that, you'll yank it off and subsequently destroy the monster.
As you trap/destroy ghosts and cause property damage, you'll acquire money used to purchase the aforementioned upgrades. You'll also receive nasty voicemails from Walter Peck, the city employee at odds with the Ghostbusters in the original film. It seems that Peck (voiced by the character's actor, William Atherton) must pay for all the damages and voices his disapproval on several occasions. It's a nice touch, but we've yet to find out whether this impacts the game.
Although capturing and destroying ghosts is your primary goal, the PKE Meter comes in handy for locating spectral activity, solving puzzles and discovering things you cannot see with the naked eye. While in the library, for example, it reveals children's handprints along a wall. Later on, it was used to see a ghostly bridge that allowed the Ghostbusters to safely move from one side of a room to the other. There's also a Metroid Prime vibe to using it, as fellow Ghostbuster Ray Stantz will remind you to scan new ghosts and add them to the spirit guide. Finally, you'll whip it out to find hidden goodies strewn about the environments. Atari wouldn't reveal many details, but we have a feeling that collectible items will please fans looking for additional Ghostbusters content.
Speaking of additional content, you'll find tons of stuff in the firehouse, the game's hub world. Although Atari refused to take us there, it promised lots of interactivity, familiar references from the films and the ability to explore the entire thing, something we'll definitely enjoy.
Presentation wise, Ghostbusters is one of the most impressive movie-based games we've seen. Atari's done an excellent job with each character's likeness, and the fact that the actors reprised their roles sweetens the deal. The developers also deserve kudos for using the soundtracks from both films, as that makes the experience even more authentic.
Unless something goes horribly wrong, Ghostbusters will be one of the year's most enjoyable games. Atari continues to impress us with the presentation and addictive ghost busting gameplay, and we cannot wait to save New York City from evil when the game ships this summer.
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