Ghostbusters: The Video Game facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ghostbusters: The Video Game |
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Windows, PS3, and Xbox 360 box art
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| Developer(s) | Terminal Reality (PS3, Windows, X360) Red Fly Studio (PS2, PSP, Wii) War Drum Studios (PS2) Saber Interactive (Remastered) A.C.R.O.N.Y.M. Games |
| Publisher(s) | Atari Interactive Mad Dog Games (Remastered) |
| Director(s) | Drew Haworth |
| Producer(s) | Michael Duane Fetterman |
| Designer(s) | Andy Dombroski Glenn Gamble |
| Programmer(s) | Craig Reichard Nathan Peugh |
| Artist(s) | Austin Cline Grant Gosler Robert St Aubin Daniel Soni |
| Writer(s) | Dan Aykroyd Harold Ramis Flint Dille John Zuur Platten John Melchior Patrick Hegarty |
| Composer(s) | Kyle Richards Chris Rickwood |
| Series | Ghostbusters |
| Engine | Infernal Engine |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS Remastered Version: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Release date(s) |
June 16, 2009
PS2, PS3
Wii, Windows, Xbox 360 PlayStation Portable Remastered Version: Switch, PS4, Xbox One
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| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is an action-adventure game released in 2009. It is based on the popular Ghostbusters movies and stories. Different companies made the game for different consoles. Terminal Reality created the versions for Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. Red Fly Studio made the game for PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Wii.
The game lets you play as a new recruit joining the Ghostbusters team. This team of scientists hunts and captures ghosts. The story takes place in 1991, two years after the movie Ghostbusters II. You learn how to be a Ghostbuster while helping the team investigate strange happenings in New York City.
Many of the original actors from the Ghostbusters movies helped make the game. Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson all voiced their characters. They also allowed their characters to look like them in the game. Harold Ramis, who played Egon Spengler, helped write the story. This was his last time working on the Ghostbusters story before he passed away in 2014. The game's remastered version was dedicated to him. Other actors like William Atherton and Annie Potts also returned. The game uses music from the first Ghostbusters movie. It also features many characters, places, and items from the films. Dan Aykroyd even said the game felt like "essentially the third movie."
The game was well-liked by critics and sold over three million copies. A new, improved version was released on October 4, 2019. This remastered game came out for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Contents
How to Play the Game
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The main story in the game is called the single-player campaign. It is mostly the same for the Xbox 360, Windows, and PlayStation 3 versions. The Wii and PS2 versions have a slightly different campaign, but the story is still very similar.
The game is a third-person shooter. This means you see your character from behind as you play. You control a new Ghostbusters recruit known as "the Rookie". You move the Rookie around different places, looking for ghosts and strange activities. You can play alone or with the other Ghostbusters.
You can also switch to a first-person perspective (seeing through the Rookie's eyes). To do this, you use a PKE Meter and special goggles. In this mode, haunted items glow. The PKE Meter helps you find ghosts or cursed objects.
Ghostbusting Tools
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You use a Proton Pack to fight ghosts. First, you fire a Proton Stream to weaken them. Then, you switch to a capture stream to guide them into a ghost trap. If you use your Proton Pack too much, it gets hot and needs to cool down. You cannot use it again until it vents. The Capture Stream can also be used to "slam" ghosts. This means you can hit them against objects. You can also use it to move things in the game world.
As you play, you can make your Proton Pack better. You can add new ways to fire, like the Shock Blast or Slime Blower. Each of these also has a different way to fire, like a Boson Dart or Stasis Stream. You get upgrades by catching ghosts and finding cursed items. You also get them by finding new types of ghosts. The game keeps track of how much damage you cause. You can earn special awards for either causing very little damage or a lot of damage. Many of these awards are named after famous quotes from the Ghostbusters movies.
Instead of a normal screen showing your health, your health and weapon status are on the back of your Proton Pack. Your health slowly comes back if you do not get hurt. If you get knocked down, other Ghostbusters can help you. You can also help your teammates if they fall. If all the Ghostbusters fall, you have to restart from the last save point.
Other Game Versions
The Wii, PlayStation 2, and PSP versions are a bit different. They have more cartoon-like graphics. The Wii version uses the Wii Remote for gameplay. The Proton Pack's temperature meter is on the screen instead of on the backpack. In these versions, you "slam" a ghost by playing a "Simon Says" type game. You can also choose to play as a male or female character.
The Nintendo DS version has the same story. However, you play it as a team-based strategy game. It also has driving parts and RPG elements. In this version, you control the original Ghostbusters, not a new rookie.
Playing with Friends
The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions have an online multiplayer mode. You can play with up to three other people. There are different missions to play that are separate from the main story. For example, you might try to catch as many ghosts as possible in a short time. Or you might defend special ghost disruptors as they power up.
The Wii version is the only one that lets two players play together offline. The entire single-player story can be played with a friend on a split screen. The online multiplayer for the PlayStation 3 was shut down in December 2012. This was because fewer people were playing online.
Remastered Game Version
A new, improved version of the game was released on October 4, 2019. This was for the game's 10th anniversary and the Ghostbusters franchise's 35th anniversary. Saber Interactive developed it, and Mad Dog Games published it. It came out for Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows. This remastered version is based on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows versions of the original game.
This new version is dedicated to Harold Ramis. He passed away five years before the remastered game came out. Online features were planned for the remastered version but were later canceled. Also, voice tracks in other languages were removed for unknown reasons.
Game's Impact and Future
Ghostbusters: The Video Game was made while Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were trying to write a script for a third Ghostbusters movie. They were not sure if Bill Murray would be in the film. Around 2005, their script allowed for Bill Murray not to be in it.
The game was developed with ideas from Aykroyd and Ramis. It included parts of the Ghostbusters 3 script they were working on. Aykroyd felt the game was "essentially the third movie." They were able to get all four main actors—Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson—to voice their characters in the game. Because they got Bill Murray to join, Sony decided to put more effort into a new Ghostbusters film.
In September 2008, Sony announced that a new Ghostbusters movie was in full production. This film went through many changes. It eventually became the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot. Later, Sony created Ghost Corps. This studio plans to expand the Ghostbusters stories into a larger universe, like the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ghost Corps made a sequel to the original film called Ghostbusters: Afterlife. This movie takes place 36 years later and was released in 2021.
