Ghostbusters Impressions

I have played Ghostbusters, and it is good.  Better, in fact, than I think the current Metacritic rating of 78 would portend. 

You can really tell how much attention to detail was lavished on this game.  The firehouse and levels from the movie are beautifully rendered, the voice acting and writing are top-notch, and the gameplay makes you feel like you actually are a ghostbuster.  In fact, after re-watching a (sponsored, natch) presentation of the movie recently, I was surprised to see just how many beloved locations and characters showed back up in the game. 

The writing and voice-overs are also pretty impressive. Sure, Ramis and Ackyroyd wrote the script, but it could still have sucked.  The fact that it works so well in a game is a testament to the writers.  Finally, they made wrangling ghosts into a trap somehow feel right.  It takes actual effort, and although the mechanics are similar to fishing in Zelda, the presentation makes it work.

Many of the complaints, on the other hand, seem more far-fetched.  Eurogamer, among many others, takes issue with the in-game cut scenes’ animation.  Anyone who can call Ghostbusters II “rubbish” obviouslydoesn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt in the first place, but even so I don’t see this being legitimate.  I’ve been complaining for years that in-game rendered clips are the red-headed stepchildren of the true cut scene, but I’ve been in the decided minority - people seemed to love them on the principle that they were somehow more “authentic” and seamless.  Needless to say, I think this is foolish.  But Ghostbusters’ animation isn’t much worse - if at all - than any other title.  There are a few points at which the video and audio seem out of synch, but this happens periodically on 360 and PS3 titles.  Otherwise, they have all of the same negatives: blockier characters, more strained “acting,” and so on.  In short, I don’t see what the big deal is. 

One legitimate gripe is the pacing.  There are sometimes too sizeable gaps between the action and the interludes, and the experience can be overshadowed while you wait to find the right hotspot to trigger the next bit of dialogue.  You do spend too much time standing and waiting for conversations to finish, and not enough hunting down and trapping the ghosts you’re putatively busting. 

Additionally, the great writing and action sometimes masks the fact that there really aren’t enough different varieties of ghosts; usually two or so varieties that make repeated appearances as you move towards the level’s end.  This is particularly egregious in the Stay-Puft Marshmallow man level, where you see only one mini-Mallow enemy for 90% of the stage.  I can’t imagine that making another half-dozen or so enemy types or making a few more unique enemy ghosts to trap would have been prohibitive. 

My last niggling complaint is that it feels like there should be more easter eggs in terms of in-game content and less in terms of pure appearances.  Sure, you can find artifacts, but there are only one or two interactive objects in the fire house (Vigo the Carpathian and the Toaster come to mind)… why not more stuff to explore in the relevant levels, which are so lovingly rendered?

In short, get this game!