The graphics and audio are good, and this game deserves props for using the license in a different way to the others in the franchise. It's short, but it's very hard, and the respawning enemies are a pain in the tuchus. The map is all but useless, so good luck getting around the platform strewn levels blind. The absence of Winston is also noticeable, but you can do yourself a favour and check out BillyTime! Games' special edition hack which adds him, plus a whole host of quality of life stuff.
A classic platformer that licences the Ghostbusters IP for a pretty difficult and drawn out experience with a handful of bells and whistles that don't really make up for the dull and unimaginative level design.
You can play as any one of the three core ghostbuster characters, and while they vary by speed and health the speed difference isn't very noticeable and the health difference is so Ray is the obvious choice. You can then pick one of the four levels to start in but this freedom is also undercut because the difficulty curve and firepower needed to tackle the harder levels means there is a 'best' order to go in if you don't want to get slimed.
Each level is pretty unimaginatively themed with two kinds of house, a fire level, an ice level, and a spooky castle. While the graphics are decent for the time and some of the effects are iconic, the level designs themselves don't have much rhyme or reason - though the free roaming aspect and being able to leave the level to visit the shop does have a proto-metroidvania feel to it.
Unfortunately the controls are stiff and when combined with strict 5-way shooting (no down or down diagonals) leaves you relatively vulnerable against tanky small foes with high mobility. The same few enemies are also reused so it feels like you're getting hit by cheap shots from start to finish. The bosses meanwhile have an interesting variety of designs but very simple repetitive attack patterns and the strategy to defeat them is not intuitive so don't expect to beat this in a single run unless you're using save states.
Defeated and captured bosses / mini-bosses will net you extra cash for upgrades and while the alternative weapons offer some variety, the limited energy means you only really want to pull them out against the bosses they're effective against. The shields also deplete energy so I would just always avoid using them, which is a shame because they are fun and ease the burden of the annoying pest enemies in the halls that slow down gameplay.
Overall much of the game is phoned in, clearly a decent bit of the budget went to the IP, music, and artwork which left the levels, enemy, and boss designs limited. There's maybe one level too many as the game drags on towards the end, and the bosses tend to be a bit slow and tedious. Enjoyable with save states but the original recipe is only fun for the dedicated fan.
You can play as any one of the three core ghostbuster characters, and while they vary by speed and health the speed difference isn't very noticeable and the health difference is so Ray is the obvious choice. You can then pick one of the four levels to start in but this freedom is also undercut because the difficulty curve and firepower needed to tackle the harder levels means there is a 'best' order to go in if you don't want to get slimed.
Each level is pretty unimaginatively themed with two kinds of house, a fire level, an ice level, and a spooky castle. While the graphics are decent for the time and some of the effects are iconic, the level designs themselves don't have much rhyme or reason - though the free roaming aspect and being able to leave the level to visit the shop does have a proto-metroidvania feel to it.
Unfortunately the controls are stiff and when combined with strict 5-way shooting (no down or down diagonals) leaves you relatively vulnerable against tanky small foes with high mobility. The same few enemies are also reused so it feels like you're getting hit by cheap shots from start to finish. The bosses meanwhile have an interesting variety of designs but very simple repetitive attack patterns and the strategy to defeat them is not intuitive so don't expect to beat this in a single run unless you're using save states.
Defeated and captured bosses / mini-bosses will net you extra cash for upgrades and while the alternative weapons offer some variety, the limited energy means you only really want to pull them out against the bosses they're effective against. The shields also deplete energy so I would just always avoid using them, which is a shame because they are fun and ease the burden of the annoying pest enemies in the halls that slow down gameplay.
Overall much of the game is phoned in, clearly a decent bit of the budget went to the IP, music, and artwork which left the levels, enemy, and boss designs limited. There's maybe one level too many as the game drags on towards the end, and the bosses tend to be a bit slow and tedious. Enjoyable with save states but the original recipe is only fun for the dedicated fan.
It's ok. The final level is really long and boring, but I enjoy some of the replayability via different characters and upgrades.
Could've been great, but unfortunately its design is very samey.
Could've been great, but unfortunately its design is very samey.
Way back in the 90s when Blockbuster reigned supreme, you could rent video game consoles for a couple days. You'd get a big plastic case with the system loaded inside, slotted neatly into carved foam like some kind of deadly weapon. I remember my mom coming home with an NES she picked up for a weekend, and two games: Super Mario Bros. 3 and Ghostbusters. Thankfully, something was wrong with the console my mom rented and it refused to play either game, sparing me from forming any early memory of the NES version of Ghostbusters. I only learned about how horrible it was much later, I think through a Seanbaby article in the back of an issue of EGM. It was either that or the AVGN video, which I would strongly attribute to its lasting legacy as once of the biggest pieces of crap to ever hit the system.
This review is not about the NES Ghostbusters, of course, but rather the Sega Genesis game of the same name which is often touted as one of the extremely few good, if not great, Ghostbuster games. Unfortunately, the people who think this have looked directly into the ghost trap and had their brains scrambled, or else have had their opinions so colored by the NES title that any other game with the Ghostbusters branding seems like a revelation by comparison.
To be fair, I may perhaps have my own bias here, as this game reminds me a lot of the Ocean developed Addam's Family game for the Genesis, which is really one of the absolute worst things I ever played as a kid. This is due in part to the super-deformed aesthetic of both games, which I think looks atrocious, but mechanically I find both to be completely unwieldy. The Ghostbusters (Peter, Egon, and Ray. No Winston. Zero respect for a workin' man.) are never on the same level of slippery as Gomez, who plays as if he's bathed in grease and covered himself in banana peels, but making tight jumps feels janky and falling short usually drops you down a fair ways.
Levels take place inside large buildings that are in the midst of a ghost attack. They can be a bit confusing to navigate at times and take entirely too long to finish. I fond the music to mostly be grating throughout, though the rendition of the Ghostbusters theme is fine and about as good as it gets from this era of hardware. Boss battles are a highlight and probably the games strongest suit, and even then it's a pretty mixed bag.
Maybe if I played this as a kid I would've landed better with me. I was way into Ghostbusters at the time and whatever similarities it had with Ocean Soft's Addam's Family might have been easier to handwave due to my affection for the franchise. As an adult, the value of Ghostbusters outside the first two movies has been effectively torched multiple times over, and it's very easy for me to look at this game for what it is: a messy, ugly waste of time.
This review is not about the NES Ghostbusters, of course, but rather the Sega Genesis game of the same name which is often touted as one of the extremely few good, if not great, Ghostbuster games. Unfortunately, the people who think this have looked directly into the ghost trap and had their brains scrambled, or else have had their opinions so colored by the NES title that any other game with the Ghostbusters branding seems like a revelation by comparison.
To be fair, I may perhaps have my own bias here, as this game reminds me a lot of the Ocean developed Addam's Family game for the Genesis, which is really one of the absolute worst things I ever played as a kid. This is due in part to the super-deformed aesthetic of both games, which I think looks atrocious, but mechanically I find both to be completely unwieldy. The Ghostbusters (Peter, Egon, and Ray. No Winston. Zero respect for a workin' man.) are never on the same level of slippery as Gomez, who plays as if he's bathed in grease and covered himself in banana peels, but making tight jumps feels janky and falling short usually drops you down a fair ways.
Levels take place inside large buildings that are in the midst of a ghost attack. They can be a bit confusing to navigate at times and take entirely too long to finish. I fond the music to mostly be grating throughout, though the rendition of the Ghostbusters theme is fine and about as good as it gets from this era of hardware. Boss battles are a highlight and probably the games strongest suit, and even then it's a pretty mixed bag.
Maybe if I played this as a kid I would've landed better with me. I was way into Ghostbusters at the time and whatever similarities it had with Ocean Soft's Addam's Family might have been easier to handwave due to my affection for the franchise. As an adult, the value of Ghostbusters outside the first two movies has been effectively torched multiple times over, and it's very easy for me to look at this game for what it is: a messy, ugly waste of time.
Ghostbusters
They're back in town
You need to pee
That is so crazy
What the fuck?
You need to pee
You call the Ghostbusters
They extract it!
There was ghosts
In your bladder
What the fuck?
yeayeyahaeyhyahe
you need to take the pee
crazy ghost peepee
that is insanity
Ghostbusters
Use their machine
To hook it up
To your dick
What?
It hurts?
When they activate it to remove ghosts?
Wuuut?
I did that all from memory what the fuck is wrong with me
They're back in town
You need to pee
That is so crazy
What the fuck?
You need to pee
You call the Ghostbusters
They extract it!
There was ghosts
In your bladder
What the fuck?
yeayeyahaeyhyahe
you need to take the pee
crazy ghost peepee
that is insanity
Ghostbusters
Use their machine
To hook it up
To your dick
What?
It hurts?
When they activate it to remove ghosts?
Wuuut?
I did that all from memory what the fuck is wrong with me
Surprisingly competent, if simplistic. Deserves recognition for:
- great and memorable boss designs
- kind of a fishing-minigame inspired mechanic for trapping big ghosts after finishing them off
- fun super-deformed versions of the movie cast for the playable characters (except for Winston, although given that this was Japan-made, maybe it's for the best that we didn't get a caricature of him)
- a couple really good songs such as
- a robust shop of optional items and weapons
- looking, sounding, and playing pretty damn good for 1990 Genesis
Had this one as a kid. It was always nice when you lucked out with a more-than-passable licensed game that your parents bought you totally blind.
- great and memorable boss designs
- kind of a fishing-minigame inspired mechanic for trapping big ghosts after finishing them off
- fun super-deformed versions of the movie cast for the playable characters (except for Winston, although given that this was Japan-made, maybe it's for the best that we didn't get a caricature of him)
- a couple really good songs such as
- a robust shop of optional items and weapons
- looking, sounding, and playing pretty damn good for 1990 Genesis
Had this one as a kid. It was always nice when you lucked out with a more-than-passable licensed game that your parents bought you totally blind.
This is definitely a hidden gem for the Genesis. Everything about it feels smooth and responsive. You are always in control of your characters and nothing every feels unfair. You get plenty of continues and lives to beat the game in one go. When you die you get to start back exactly where you died, unless that's your last life then you have to start at the beginning of the stage. Everything animates well and the sound effects are nice. There's a nice variety of weapons for you to use, but some are definitely better than others. There's also a good assortment of mini bosses and main bosses for you to fight. If they remade this today I would gladly pay $20-$30 and playthrough it again. If you have time and want to play one of the best Ghostbusters games out there then give this a shot.
BANGER GAME,
The best for me are the bosses; their designs are just straight-up cool, and I also love how they change colors the more damage you deal to them! It's a super clever idea!
Sadly, the last two levels drag on forever and leave a bittersweet feeling, but the first stages are pretty neat.
The best for me are the bosses; their designs are just straight-up cool, and I also love how they change colors the more damage you deal to them! It's a super clever idea!
Sadly, the last two levels drag on forever and leave a bittersweet feeling, but the first stages are pretty neat.
A lack of sober difficulty balancing makes this a rough first taste-test, but once you sink your teeth in and spend that sweet $3000 check on your first new weapon, it all makes so much sense.
This Game Makes You Feel Like A Ghostbuster.
This Game Makes You Feel Like A Ghostbuster.
A game I wish I liked more. The controls are kinda stiff and the levels have much to be desired. The music is not very good but it does include a lot of boss fights. This game looks better when someone else plays it, rather than yourself. Definitely the best ghostbuster game north america got for a few decades though.
Why is this actually really good?
great game, great movie who you gonna call???
I really liked the look and sound of the game, but I've always hated the Genesis's controller and I really hate the controls here.
Often overlooked run 'n gun game based off of the popular license. Difficulty is crazy high, not for the feint of heart despite aesthetics.