Ghostbusters: The Video Game

The game takes place in 1991 and puts you in the shoes of a new recruit who joins the Ghostbusters

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Pros

  • Catching ghosts just feels right, engaging multiplayer options, snazzy special effects, environmental destruction

Cons

  • Repetitive, mentally challenged teammate AI, some dull environments, disappointing dialogue

Bottom Line

Though I was ultimately somewhat disappointed by the flawed and fundamentally repetitive nature of my time as a green recruit, Ghostbusters' tight online component renewed my long-term enthusiasm for slam-dunking slimers. Now I just need to figure out how to get Ray Parker, Jr.'s theme song out of my head.

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    Priced from: $ 29.95
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Rescue 911

More alarmingly, what begin as minor frustrations pick up steam over time. I loved visiting the old Sedgewick Hotel, and battling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in Manhattan, but the story is often less a sequel than an alternate reality highlight reel from the first film, and the surprisingly inconsistent environments vary from polished set-piece arenas to tedious trudges through dull corridors. Meanwhile, any time my entire squad was together to dispatch a boss, I wished I'd selected casual difficulty, because I spent more time running around reviving ineffectual teammates than I did actually fighting.

I never found these annoyances truly aggravating, apart from the poorly balanced final encounter, but they certainly put a ceiling on my enthusiasm. What bothered me more was that the script simply lacks the exuberance of the movie. Maybe what was riotously funny in the '80s comes off as tepid now. Maybe it's just far more difficult to nail comic timing in a game. Whatever the case, apart from a smattering of laugh-out-loud moments, the comedic elements are only mildly amusing at best, leaving only light horror to pick up the slack.

Pull Together

Thank heaven for the six different job types of instant multiplayer competition. Roping in increasingly more powerful kinds of creep with three pals is as simple as it sounds, whether you're working to destroy evil relics or activate PKE Disruptors, but you're virtually guaranteed to have a great time. There's no better way to enjoy the sheer variety of imaginative creature designs, the dazzling weapon effects, and the destructibility of public spaces. Even the different weapons seem more purposeful, especially in the presence of power-ups like ghost shrinkers and pink slime that turns attackers into allies.

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