Ghostbusters (Wii)

...Of course, there have been Ghostbusters computer games in the past, from the 1984 Activision title, through to 1993's 'Real Ghostbusters' on the Gameboy - however, gamers have had to wait a full sixteen years for this latest version from the Atari studio, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the film's original release.

Simply title 'Ghostbusters: The Video Game', this incarnation of the franchise is without doubt the most lavish ...
...plot.

Ghostbusters on the Wii allows the player to revisit some of the classic settings from the first two films - from the grand Sedgewick hotel in which Slimer is first captured, to the New York Public Library where the "shhh-ing" ghost (a.k.a 'The Grey Lady') is seen. Being able to wander through these iconic settings is a real treat, although once the novelty wears off it quickly becomes apparent that this particular videogame ... more

Bustin' makes me feel good

Ghostbusters: one of the greatest movies of all times, and perfect material for a video game conversion. Of course, there have been Ghostbusters computer games in the past, from the 1984 Activision title, through to 1993's 'Real Ghostbusters' on the Gameboy - however, gamers have had to wait a full sixteen years for this latest version from the Atari studio, which coincides with the 25th anniversary of the film's original release.

Simply title 'Ghostbusters: The Video Game', this incarnation of the franchise is without doubt the most lavish to date - plus, the majority of the original cast have returned to perform the voice acting duties. The game has been released on all the next-gen formats, with the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 versions opting for a realistic graphical approach, and the Nintendo Wii version (which this review focuses on) adopting a cartoon-like style.

Story

Based in the genre of third-person shooter, the game begins in 1991 - two years after the events of the second movie. The player takes on the role of a nameless apprentice Ghostbuster who is simply referred to as 'rookie' for the majority of the gaming experience. After a rather large P.K.E disturbance, chaos breaks out in New York, and a number of familiar nasties are in need of recapturing. Needless to say our old friend The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man makes an appearance, and the lovable Slimer is also involved in the plot.

Ghostbusters on the Wii allows the player to revisit some of the classic settings from the first two films - from the grand Sedgewick hotel in which Slimer is first captured, to the New York Public Library where the "shhh-ing" ghost (a.k.a 'The Grey Lady') is seen. Being able to wander through these iconic settings is a real treat, although once the novelty wears off it quickly becomes apparent that this particular videogame isn't quite as polished as I originally hoped it to be.

Predictably, the general gameplay of Ghostbusters boils down to capturing ghosts - and this is undoubtedly a lot of fun - or at least it is at first. Blasting specters with your proton stream, and slamming them into walls and objects with the motion sensitive Wii Remote is very cool! The ghost trap is activated by performing a thrusting action with the nunchuk controller - and all in all it's a well conceived and intuitive control system. Using the Wii remote as a proton blaster is great fun, and it's probably the closest I will ever get to being a real life Ghostbuster (a childhood fantasy of mine). Unfortunately, the average gamer will soon realise that the gameplay boils down to little else than this rather monotonous action of blasting, slamming and trapping, with not much variation in between.

When you're not capturing ghosts, there are a number of rudimentary puzzles to be solved - I say 'puzzles', but they're actually little more than menial tasks like putting batteries into generators with the beam of your proton pack, and moving objects across rooms into their correct positions - it's not taxing in the slightest, and you won't need any real brain power to progress. The rest of the time, you'll be scanning ghosts with your PKE meter and searching for lost pages from 'Tobin's Spirit Guide', which are hidden in various places throughout the gaming world.

Egon Spengler: There's something very important I forgot to tell you.
Peter Venkman: What?
Egon: Don't cross the streams.
Peter: Why?
Egon: It would be bad.

In between levels, you'll get to visit the firestation which serves as the Ghostbuster's headquarters, and also the game's main hub from which you can access the various levels. Although having free roam in this building may sound like an exciting prospect, in reality, there is very little which you can interact with, and even the virtual arcade machines which line the upper floors are unplayable. Unfortunately it's this lack of attention to detail which mars the gaming experience as a whole, making the overall title feel a bit rushed.

Audio & Graphics

I was fairly excited with the prospect of the original cast returning to perform the voice acting duties - and sure enough, the in-game dialogue is funny, and left me wanting a third movie (apparently a screenplay is being prepared at this very moment). However, what is completely inexcusable is the fact that Peter Venkmann's lines sound like they have been recorded in an aircraft toilet, and it's nigh on impossible to hear what he is saying. Even turning the dialogue setting up to 100% volume still had me struggling to catch his lines - not good enough.

Graphically, the game is average at best, with incredibly flat and lifeless textures, a garish colour palette, and jagged edges ('jaggies') on the majority of in-game objects. I'm aware that the Wii doesn't have the graphical prowess of either the Xbox360 or PS3, but Ghostbusters on the Wii looks decidedly last-gen. Similarly, the cut sequences are poorly animated and dull, with voices out of sync with the animation the majority of the time. On the positive side, the proton stream and trap effects are nice looking - very similar to how they appeared in the movies, and there are sporadic examples of real time lighting in effect.

Longevity & Gameplay Modes

In total, there are seven levels, although none of which will provide too much difficulty for the average gamer. The later levels especially aren't all that well thought out, and the only thing which keeps the entertainment levels up, is the amusing chat between the Ghostbusters which (when you can make out what Bill Murray is saying) works really well.

Although it doesn't feature any online options, the game can be played through with a friend in co-operative mode. Here you are joined by another human-controlled apprentice Ghostbuster on your quest to defeat the forces of evil. To be honest, I think that this is the best way to experience the action, and you can battle your partner to see who can cause the most damage to the game environments (shown as dollars at the end of each level). The downside of co-op mode is the fact that the visuals are squashed into a horizontally split screen, which can be quite difficult to see in times of frantic blasting action.

Final Word

"I tried to think of the most harmless thing. Something that I loved from my childhood. Something that would never ever possibly destroy us... Mr. Stay-Puft"

All in all, for such a huge franchise it's a shame the Ghostbusters game is ultimately so linear - an open world, free roaming environment could have been superb, and would have suited the game beautifully. Nevertheless, there are sporadic moments of fun to be had throughout the gaming experience, and the first couple of levels are enjoyable before the novelty wears off. As I have played both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of the game, I would suggest that the Wii one is by far the inferior, as despite its advanced control system, the game in general isn't as polished and well thought out. To be honest, in terms of the gameplay, Ghostbusters on the Wii is no better than a two-star gaming experience - yet the fact that it is based in the Ghostbusters world just about drags it up into the realms of three.

If you want to try it out for yourself, you can currently purchase Ghostbusters: The Video Game on the Nintendo Wii for £24.99 from Amazon

*I've also published this review under the name JJJJ on dooyoo.co.uk* 

...less