Mini-Review: Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Since I was asked to do one of these...

Game: Ghostbusters: The Video Game
System: Nintendo Wii
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Red Fly Studios
Released: June 2009

Twenty years after the Ghostbusters' last outing, the boys in grey are back in action to save the city of New York (and by extension, the rest of the world) from a disaster of biblical proportions. For all intents and purposes, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the third movie. The script was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, creators of the franchise and almost of the original actors have returned to reprise their roles. Bill Murray is back as Dr. Peter Venkman, William Atherton returns as EPA Chairman Walter Peck, and Annie Potts once again plays the role of the Ghostbusters' lovely secretary Janine. The only noticable holdouts from the movies are Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett) and Rick Moranis (Louis Tully). No bother though as new character Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn (voiced by Alyssa Milano) does a fantastic job of filling the role left vacant by Weaver's absence while injecting "new blood" into the Ghostbusters canon. With these key pieces of the puzzle in place, there's no doubting that this game was going to be every Ghostbusters fan dream come true, regardless of the quality of gameplay, but how does it actually measure up? Well, long story short, surprisingly well.

When you start Ghostbusters, you're immediately cast into the role of the unnamed "Rookie." Sure, everyone dreams of being Dr. Peter Venkman, but this creative decision was made to allow for the core Ghostbusters to interact with each other without interrupting the flow of the game. Think of it as a move made to "preserve the funny." Besides, as the rookie Ghostbuster, you get to play the role of "Experimental Equipment Technician" -- meaning you get to play with the cool, new upgrades created for the Proton Pack. I'd say that's a fair trade off.

Once the action starts, Ghostbusters quickly becomes a fun romp that doesn't steer too far away from its source material. No matter what version of the game you play, you're going to spend much of your time chasing ghosts while piecing the plot together, but there are subtle differences that separate the Wii version from its next gen cousins. By large, both versions of the game play the same, but whereas Ghostbusters on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 have action heavy moments that pay homage to games like Gears of War, the Wii version has moments lifted straight out of The Legend of Zelda, where a greater emphasis is placed on solving puzzles. Taken out of context, that may sound like an odd design decision, but trust me, it works. Developer Red Fly even found a way to sensibly tie these decisions into the Ghostbusters universe. Ecto-Goggles doubling as a Lens of Truth...sure, works for me. Nintendo-based inspiration aside, there's still plenty of ghosts to bust along as well as a handful of major bad guys to take down. No fear Wii owners, you've still got a date with Mr. Stay Puft.

Who Ya Gonna Call?

In terms of controlling the action, the Wii version of Ghostbusters controls very much like how you would expect it to. All of your character's movement are controlled by the analog stick on the Nunchuck Controller, while the firing of your Proton Pack is handled by aiming the Wii Remote at the screen. It's a setup very reminiscent of the controls in most major PC first-person shooters and it works extremely well. My only complaint with this control set up is that your character's point of view is tied to the Wii Remote's IR sensor. What this means is that you'll be pointing the Wii Remote at the screen for the entire adventure. Some people prefer this method, as they feel it provides for a greater sense of accuracy. Me? I'm a lazy gamer and would much rather play with my hands in my lap. To each their own.

An area (more like, THE area) where the Wii version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game stutters a bit is in presentation. To put it blatantly, this version of Ghostbusters pales in comparison to the 360 and PS3 versions. Some of the dialogue recorded for the next-gen version of the game is conspicuously absent on the Wii and many levels are made out of fairly simple looking polygons with little to no textures. It's common knowledge that Red Fly did the best they could given the Wii's hardware limitations, but given how good Wii games like Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Conduit look, you have to wonder exactly how hard they tried. On the flip side, Red Fly did manage to preserve the destructible environments found in the other versions and their characterizations of the Ghostbusters are very, very well done, with them falling somewhere between the look of The Real Ghostbusters and The Incredibles.

Even with its presentation issues, Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the Wii is a solid product. Not only does it include almost everything Ghostbusters fans have wanted from a licensed Ghostbusters game, but it also does so while taking advantage of the Wii's strengths. I'll admit it, the first time I fired off a proton stream from the Wii Remote or slid out a Ghost Trap via the Nunchuck, I smiled from ear to ear. If only Red Fly could have found a way to recreate sliding down the pole... Realization of childhood dreams aside, don't be afraid to give Ghostbusters for the Wii a spin. Sure, when stacked side by side with the next gen versions its shortcomings are apparent, but that doesn't make it a bad game by any means.

If playing through the next-gen versions is equivalent to seeing Ghostbusters III at the theater on opening night, look at playing it on the Wii as watching it at home on cable. Sure, some things will be edited out and the sound won't be as good, but in the grand scheme of things, you're still getting the same story AND saving $20 in the process.

Final Verdict: If you're a Ghostbusters fan, you already own this so continue to enjoy your purchase. If not, you may want to give this one a rental. It's a little on the short side -- an experienced gamer can finish the main mission in 6-8 hours -- with little incentive for repeat play throughs. The Wii's exclusive 2 player co-op mode may have you coming back for more, but that's highly unlikely. Make no mistake about it, this game (as well as the next-gen versions) is a love letter to Ghostbusters fans. If you can't name the forms of Gozer off the top of your head, renting or waiting for a price drop might be in your best interests.