Sights & Sounds
- I wasn't able to catch Ghostbusters: The Video Game when it was originally released (though I do remember wanting to play it), so I can't really compare the visuals to the original. This 2019 remake does look pretty good, if just a touch dated. The lighting effects are nice, but some of the textures could have been a little more polished
- The set pieces are diverse and well-crafted, except for the last level (more on that in a bit). I felt well-immersed in familiar locales like the Sedgewick Hotel and fire station, as well as the completely new sites
- The music is quite good, but it's funny how little the developers were able to use of the iconic theme song. There's one moment in the game where you're riding in the ECTO-1 and the drum fill from the beginning starts, but it turns out to be a different song. At least they got to play part of the first verse at the top of the credits
- The voice acting is, of course, the highlight here. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson were excellent. Harold Ramis does a pretty good rendition of Egon as well. As much as I was looking forward to hearing Bill Murray, some of his lines sound a little phoned-in. Maybe he was too busy thinking about that one time he dangled Seth Green over a garbage can
Story & Vibes
- The story is actually pretty good, having been penned by Aykroyd and Ramis themselves
- I was impressed with how much the game feels "Ghostbusters-y". They do a great job of capturing the feel of Ghostbusters I & II despite the difference in medium
- Unfortunately, the one note this game can't hit is the humor of the films. None of the jokes land that well, except for the answering machine messages. Be sure to listen to those every time you're in the fire station
- For the best laid-back time, kick down the difficulty if you're not trying to 100% the game. This gives you more time to soak in all the nostalgia
Playabillity & Replayability
- The game consists of a few long (1.5-2 hour) levels constrained to a distinct location. Just listen to what Ray and Egon say and enjoy the ride. All of the levels are fun except for the last one. It's really easy to get lost and turned around in the early parts of the level, and the section immediately before the final boss fight is a complete chore
- Boss fights are pretty decent. Each one has its own quirks and requirements, so they all feel unique
- While the controls are sensible and the camera is well-behaved, doing some things in this game just feel janky. Capturing ghosts feels like a crapshoot most of the time until you unlock the slam dunk ability. The slime tethers also sometimes don't behave as expected
- That said, it's smooth sailing most of the time. I kinda feel that certain moments could have been made more impactful with a tighter over-the-shoulder angle rather than the more distant 3rd-person perspective used in the game, though
- I'm not feeling a second playthrough coming down the pipleline anytime soon. Maybe I'll return to pick up the other achievements someday
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Coming in at only a little over 7 hours, the base price feels a little high. Luckily, this one goes on sale fairly often
- If you love the first two films, you'll appreciate the game. It's definitely worth your time if you're a fan
- I did have one weird crash out of nowhere in the cemetery level; the game had been running very well until that point. There was also an unusual bug on the same level where Ray just straight-up disappeared, requiring a checkpoint reload
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. I'm so used to movie property games being dogwater that I didn't expect much from this. It was certainly a nice surprise. If you like the franchise, picking this one up is a no-brainer
- I wasn't able to catch Ghostbusters: The Video Game when it was originally released (though I do remember wanting to play it), so I can't really compare the visuals to the original. This 2019 remake does look pretty good, if just a touch dated. The lighting effects are nice, but some of the textures could have been a little more polished
- The set pieces are diverse and well-crafted, except for the last level (more on that in a bit). I felt well-immersed in familiar locales like the Sedgewick Hotel and fire station, as well as the completely new sites
- The music is quite good, but it's funny how little the developers were able to use of the iconic theme song. There's one moment in the game where you're riding in the ECTO-1 and the drum fill from the beginning starts, but it turns out to be a different song. At least they got to play part of the first verse at the top of the credits
- The voice acting is, of course, the highlight here. Dan Aykroyd and Ernie Hudson were excellent. Harold Ramis does a pretty good rendition of Egon as well. As much as I was looking forward to hearing Bill Murray, some of his lines sound a little phoned-in. Maybe he was too busy thinking about that one time he dangled Seth Green over a garbage can
Story & Vibes
- The story is actually pretty good, having been penned by Aykroyd and Ramis themselves
- I was impressed with how much the game feels "Ghostbusters-y". They do a great job of capturing the feel of Ghostbusters I & II despite the difference in medium
- Unfortunately, the one note this game can't hit is the humor of the films. None of the jokes land that well, except for the answering machine messages. Be sure to listen to those every time you're in the fire station
- For the best laid-back time, kick down the difficulty if you're not trying to 100% the game. This gives you more time to soak in all the nostalgia
Playabillity & Replayability
- The game consists of a few long (1.5-2 hour) levels constrained to a distinct location. Just listen to what Ray and Egon say and enjoy the ride. All of the levels are fun except for the last one. It's really easy to get lost and turned around in the early parts of the level, and the section immediately before the final boss fight is a complete chore
- Boss fights are pretty decent. Each one has its own quirks and requirements, so they all feel unique
- While the controls are sensible and the camera is well-behaved, doing some things in this game just feel janky. Capturing ghosts feels like a crapshoot most of the time until you unlock the slam dunk ability. The slime tethers also sometimes don't behave as expected
- That said, it's smooth sailing most of the time. I kinda feel that certain moments could have been made more impactful with a tighter over-the-shoulder angle rather than the more distant 3rd-person perspective used in the game, though
- I'm not feeling a second playthrough coming down the pipleline anytime soon. Maybe I'll return to pick up the other achievements someday
Overall Impressions & Performance
- Coming in at only a little over 7 hours, the base price feels a little high. Luckily, this one goes on sale fairly often
- If you love the first two films, you'll appreciate the game. It's definitely worth your time if you're a fan
- I did have one weird crash out of nowhere in the cemetery level; the game had been running very well until that point. There was also an unusual bug on the same level where Ray just straight-up disappeared, requiring a checkpoint reload
Final Verdict
- 7.5/10. I'm so used to movie property games being dogwater that I didn't expect much from this. It was certainly a nice surprise. If you like the franchise, picking this one up is a no-brainer