Tech Blog

I fired up my Xbox 360 over the weekend to don my grey jumpsuit, Ecto-Goggles and Proton Pack for some spooky Ghostbusters: The Video Game demo action. The game, which released last month, was developed by Terminal Reality for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, while Red Fly Studio developed the PS2, PSP and Wii versions, and Zen Studios developed the Nintendo DS version.  All these versions will be published by Atari in North America.

For Ghostbuster purists there is plenty in this game to get excited about.  For instance, the game is centered around the Ghostbuster film franchise and reunites our intrepid parapsychologists as they pursue and capture paranormal entities in bustling New York City.  Not only that, the video game was penned by original Ghostbusters writers Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and many of the principal cast members lent their their voices and likeness to the characters. 

The third-person action game casts you as a new recruit to the Ghostbusters team in a tale set two years after the events of Ghostbusters 2. It seems that Ghostbuster veteran Dr. Peter Venkman has developed an untested experimental new proton pack and it's your role to trial run the unit. As fate would have it, the city of Manhattan soon spirals out of control as ghouls, ghosts and other unspeakable creatures descend upon the town in an attempt to seize control.

Once you fire up the demo you're greeted with a picturesque title screen image of the Ghostbusters HQ and the option to start the demo on one of three difficulty settings: Casual, Experienced, and Professional.  After selecting, a few in-game images appear along with an overview of the control scheme to get you familiar with the buttons. 

** warning demo story spoilers below **

The demo drops you outside the New York Public Library where the Ghostbusters, Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston and the new Recruit (you) have been called to investigate a huge spike in paranormal activity.  Graphically the New York City streets are vivid and authentic-looking.  It might not be the best urban environment I've seen on the Xbox 360 or PS3 (inFAMOUS and GTA IV are better looking), but it's certainly serviceable.  Seeing a detailed Ecto-1 vehicle parked on the street was also a nice touch.

Upon nearing a lion statue outside the Library, two free-roaming "Class V Animator" ghosts burst forth and escape into the library.  Our fearless heroes follow in pursuit hoping to trap the creatures in one of their patented Ghost Traps.

Immediately after entering the grand entranceway of the Library you are given full control over all the pieces of equipment at your disposal. This includes the Blast Stream, the fundamental Ghostbuster gadget that shoots concentrated steams of protons and is highly effective in subduing most paranormal activity. Be careful though as the Blast Stream is a unpredictable and can easily damage your surroundings; interestingly enough, this game actually tallies your environmental damage (in dollars). In the demo you never have to "pay" for any of the damage you cause, so I had plenty of fun blasting walls, windows, statues and portraits.

In addition, you also have a PKE Meter & Ecto-Goggles combination that helps you track paranormal activity and ectoplasmic residue left behind by the ghosts.  The PKE Meter functions like a diving rod: just point it towards a PK energy source and the wings will rise higher as you come closer to energy sources. The Ecto-Goggles further enhance this tracking ability by providing additional feedback on scanned ghost residue. Every time you scan leftover ghost goo the goggles automatically update the appropriate entry in your onboard Ghostbusters Manual and Tobin's Spirit Guide (your handy ghost encyclopedia).

Of course you also have your Proton Pack which contains and accelerates the subatomic particles that are used when you fire your Blast Steam.  It's imperative to keep on eye on the heat meter as you shoot, if left unregulated, it could lead to particle containment failure which subsequently shuts down your Pack for a few moments. Luckily the device cools over time and you can manually dump the heat by pressing R1 for more tactical flexibility.

Finally, there's your Ghost Trap, a device that deploys and sucks in ghosts immobilized by your Blast Stream. The trap automatically opens when a ghost is above it, emitting a cone of light that drags the unsuspecting creature into its casing.

After spending a good hour and a half playing through the demo on all three difficulties, I've come away pretty impressed with the versatility and breadth of the equipment. The Blast Stream has an auto lock-on feature that makes targeting ghosts painless and fun. It takes some practice to hold the ghosts in your grasp as you need to counteract their movements with opposite adjustments of the analogue stick. For example, when a ghost darts left, you need to jerk the controls right to execute a "slam" maneuver that weakens the ghost and makes the entity easier to capture.

After my experimentation phase was finished, I ventured on to see what else the demo would throw at me.  Once through the Library entrance, you wind up following the ghosts to a huge multi-floored study hall complete with decorative chandeliers, study desks and a perimeter of book shelves. One thing leads to another and the books start flying off the shelves and form a fearsome 10 foot book creature. Unlucky for you, the rest of the Ghostbusters are sitting atop the second floor balcony and can only offer the occasional Blast Stream support. As the first boss encounter of the demo, the book monster wasn't a huge challenge, but it did provide a few spooks before imploding.

I should say that the animations in the game are well done and enemies are nicely detailed.  To add more realism to the game, most environmental objects are moveable (desks, tables, chairs, books, etc.) and the ever-changing landscape presents some much-needed variety.  

Controlling the new Recruit is fairly intuitive and seemless. I did find that sprinting was a little stiff (it's hard to angle) and from time-to-time the framerate sputters when you switch between standard walking and jogging.  It's a minor gripe in an otherwise finely-tuned control scheme.

As a final challenge, the demo leads you through a resource library with moving book shelves, levitating books and momentary brief spottings of the two Class V ghosts. Eventually you make your way to a book receiving room where the two ghosts confront you. Using a combination of hurling paranormal books and rush attacks, these twin ghosts are the most challenging part of the demo. With help from a fellow Ghostbuster and a little luck, you eventually suck the ghosts into conspicuously placed Ghost Traps and the demo concludes. Afterwards you're treated to a nice sequence of short CG cutscenes that give you a taste for what's to come, including the ominous bobbing of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man.

Overall, it looks like there's a lot to this game to keep you hooked. On top of everything mentioned above there is also in-game currency to be found which you can use for equipment enhancements and upgrades. With such a wide variety of ghost hunting tools at your disposal, Ghostbusters offers a good level of customization and gadget experimentation. Best of all, if the demo is any indication, this game effortlessly recaptures the unique blend of humour and fright that established Ghostbusters as a pop culture sensation. Definitely give the demo a try and see for yourself.