A licensed game done right!
| Platform | OVERALL |
|---|---|
| Xbox 360 | 8.75 |
| Overall | 8.75 |
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Who're you gonna' call? Sorry, couldn't resist. But that's what Ghostbusters: the Video Game does to you. It makes you feel like a real ghost-busting bad-@$$ that makes you feel like you're part of the team. And did I mention that the game is good? Well, it is and more! Terminal Reality, the developers behind the Bloodrayne series, did an amazing job with the Ghostbusters' license. Usually license games suck sour tangerines but I guess like the excellent Batman Arkham Asylum game, it really helps when the developers are fans themselves, which really shows because Ghostbusters: The Video Game feels like a labor of love. And of course, having the original actors in the game lending their likenesses and voices really makes this game more than just another licensed cash-in. This is essentially the third movie even written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis, the original writers of the films. And as a HUGE Ghostbusters fan who always wanted a third film in the series, this is the next best thing! And like the movies, this game is laugh-out-loud funny, funny as hell, as the original actors deliver their lines like the iconic characters they played 18 years ago. The script is really well-written as well, which is one of the stronger points of the experience. The story basically starts where it left off from the 2nd movie. And unlike the first two, this one feels a bit darker which leads to more creepier and disturbing moments in the game, which makes it great! The joke cracking and fun keeps things light-hearted, but there are some moments where it feels like you're playing a scene from Condemned or Bioshock. Some scenes made my skin crawl and genuinely crept me out. I like that. I like how they balanced out the comical with the supernatural since this game is about the latter. Every location is carefully crafted with so much detail and little touches. Some of the locations are new while some are faithful re-imaginings from the two films. Ever wondered how it would feel like going up against the 100 foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man? In other words, the atmosphere is fantastic which keeps things varied and never repetitive. There are awesome moments in the game that you have to experience for yourselves! Ghostbusters fanboyism aside, as a video game, the gameplay, visuals and atmosphere, story, and the presentation is top-notch. But it's not perfect. There are some gameplay issues that sometimes can get annoying like having to revive your teammates or having to wrangle ghosts with your photon stream for long periods of time just to trap it. It feels authentic though, so it's not really bad game design just realistic. Good thing the third person shooting gunplay never feels repetitive because your arsenal of weapons is varied, which makes things fresh an a blast to play (pardon the pun). Other complaints are very minor like stiff looking in-game animations. It's still well done but after watching the excellent pre-rendered CGs, it gets noticeable. And finally, I wish the game was longer. Although the multiplayer, which is good, adds to the value of the game, it still feels like the game breezes by. That's because it's so fun and engaging. But it should be no big deal because it's really just the same length as recent console games. Overall, if you're a fan of the endearing movie series or just love enjoyable video games in general, this game is for you! You know how I said in early on how this game makes you feel like a real Ghostbusters? Well, it also makes you feel like a big nerd too, since this is a Ghostbusters fanboy's dream game come true! |
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Posted by ASK_Story Mon, 21 Dec 2009 01:22:04
Recently Spotted:
*crickets*
It's an excellent game! It's very rare that I will play a game more than once through, and even more rare that I will up the difficulty while doing so, but this was a case where I did--I guess it partially had to do with the game's length. Speaking of which, it's not that long, but I didn't mind.
My absolute biggest complaints are the following:
1. Many times, enemies, especially bosses, concentrate their attacks on the player character, which ruins immersion and is frustrating.
2. Kamikaze angels and crawling tombstones... mostly between the gates in the graveyard. I don't think I have ever died so many times in such a short amount of time in a game before.
Bill Murray also wasn't as good as he was in the movies, which I had heard from reviews prior to playing the game. He just seemed a lot funnier in the movies.
And despite also having heard about stiffness in the animations, I didn't really notice it, so no complaint there.