Ghostbusters Review

Fans of the movies may be disappointed, gamers even more so in this latest adaptation of Ghostbusters

Posted by Alex V on January 2, 2010 - 3:44pm EST

The game runs on Infernal Engine, which does a decent job and performs well on a wide range of PC hardware. There is a good physics system in place that allows objects to break apart in randomized locations and environments to act accordingly with your destructive beams. All of the characters are modeled very well and look a lot like their real life counterparts, but the facial animations could use some work and there are some lip syncing problems. The locales in the game are faithfully modeled but often dull, and you visit a few locations more than once. One of the highlights is the Ghostbusters building that has been carefully re-created to match the films, and it is a joy to explore the home of heroes and see all the little details that went into the making of the environment. Unfortunately there is almost no interaction to be found, so all you can do is admire the looks and details of the place. It must also be noted that there were some very imaginative worlds created – and best of all, you are usually separated from your team when exploring these environments. This allows you to really get into the game’s atmosphere and explore the spooky corners of the world without teammates getting in your way or trying yet another monologue disaster. You know that there is something wrong when your best gaming moments are spent without the famous Ghostbusters team by your side. The famous “Who you gonna call?” song is almost entirely absent; I was only able to catch it twice – during opening and closing credits, and even then not in full length.

Some environments you visit are genuinely spooky

It is an unfortunate trend that games based on movies are headed for disaster the moment they are conceived. Some titles attempt to avoid this trend by releasing separately from the movie and/or by creating their own take on the story to offer something extra to the fans. Games like Chronicles of Riddick managed to find success in this area, but Ghostbusters unfortunately misfires. All of the likenesses and character voices are there, but a sluggish plot and simplistic gameplay never really take off. I am no expert, but perhaps writing for a video game is quite different than writing a movie script and with all the talent of Aykroyd and Ramis – a few writers experienced in the video game field could have been used. The voice acting is also very flat and while it’s great to hear some of Bill Murray’s remarks, the delivery isn’t quite up to par. Gamers will likely find Ghostbusters: The Videogame a less than engaging title that’s likely not worth the full price of admission, and fans of the movies will just want to watch the films again after finishing the game, rather than playing it for a second time.

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Our ratings for Ghostbusters on PC out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)

Presentation

Great character likenesses, lack of a user interface adds immersion to the game. On the other hand, writing and voice acting are sub-par.

Gameplay

Dull and simple, not as fun as it should have been to catch ghosts. Teammate and enemy AI very simplistic.

Single Player

A short and relatively easy campaign, with many re-used locations. Not much replay value.

Multiplayer

None, though it can be found in the other platform versions of the game.

Performance

(Show PC Specs)

CPU: Intel Core i7 CPU 930 @ 2.80GHz
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 5870 Vapor-X 1GB
RAM: 6GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit

Runs stable with no crashes or serious frame rate problems. Linear nature of the game allows for alot of polish and there are virtually no glitches found.

Overall

A movie-to-game adaptation that is better than most, but will still be disappointing to many dedicated fans and general gamers alike.