drakesfortune

User Score
8.5

Presentation - 9.5
Gameplay - 8.0
Value - 8.5

Ahh wow, GHOSTBUSTERS!  I don't know why, but this game really appeals to me.  Maybe it's because the Ghostbuster's movies were some of the best movies of my youth, or maybe it's because I love Bill Murray, but I just love the Ghostbusters.  So does the game live up to the movies?  Sort of.

This game will scratch your Ghostbusters nostalgia itch, without question.  It'll make you smile, laugh and feel all warm and happy inside listening to Murray quip constantly and cleverly, or listening to Aykroyd geek out about the supernatural (he's a HUGE supernatural buff in real life).  So they really have the basis covered there.  The game is worth playing for that stuff alone.

As a shooter, it's very competent.  The graphics are great, the controls are great, the Proton Pack upgrades are excellent, the PKE scanning stuff is fun, and the story is decent, though not what I had hoped.  To be fair, it's a game, and they decided to make the game fun without a lot of story interruption, but I had hoped for a slightly deeper story than was delivered. 

Where it goes wrong is in several big difficulty spikes, and things that REALLY should have been caught in testing.  There are a few incredibly frustrating boss fights.  In one this thing was stepping on me, which would knock me down, and by the time I was standing up, he was knocking me down again.  He'd literally wipe out my entire party in two seconds, then come and stomp me, and once he stomped me one time, there was no escape.  There are also a few times where they throw far too many enemies at you, and it's a constant die fest.  You die a lot...a real lot...on normal in this game.  My score would be quite a bit higher if not for this.  It took what was a fun, relaxing romp through nostalgia, and made it frustrating and irritating at several points in the game. 

STILL, this game is fun.  Don't let those difficulty spikes ruin it for you (play the game on easy).  Just know they are there, and that you will get frustrated by them, but that in the end it is worth it if you are a fan of the Ghostbusters.  Oh and a pro tip, ALWAYS revive your members.  As soon as you see one go down, drop whatever the hell it is you're doing, and go revive the member.  Often once one goes down, it's only a matter of moments before everyone gets wiped out. 

This game is better than 90% of the licensed games out there.  So check it out!