E3 2008: Ghostbusters: The Video Game First Look

Step into the shoes of the new recruit.

There was no Stay Puft Marshmallow Man this time, but Red Fly Studio and Sierra did stop by to give us a tour of the famous library scene from the original Ghostbusters movie back in 1984. With PKE meter in hand, we got a chance to see an early build of the Wii version as the developer made his way through the library to trap the pesky ghost. Unlike the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 version, the Wii and PlayStation 2 editions are aimed toward a younger audience, so the graphics have a cartoonish look to them. You have the ability to pick a male or female new recruit to tag along with the infamous Ghostbusters.

The storyline, written by the original crew from the movie, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, takes place two years after the events of the first movie. We were given a demo of the third level of the game, where we enter the great library. The game is played in the third-person view with a meter at the bottom left of the screen to indicate when your proton pack is overheating.

The proton pack provides an endless proton stream of energy to hold the ghosts long enough for you to release a trap and box them. The tougher, more stubborn ghosts will take a bit of effort because you need to hold them in your proton stream while slamming them against the ground or the wall to knock them out long enough to move them over to the trap. Controls haven't been finalized yet, so we're not sure how much wiggling and waving of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk are necessary, but as of right now, shaking the Nunchuk will de-slime you if you happen to get covered with goo.

There are many puzzle elements to the game as well, in which you'll have to use your equipment in various ways to get through doors or spiderwebs. For example, you can freeze webs and then use your shock blast to get through, or you can slime a door and wrangle it off. Even though you can't jump, there are moving platforms that you will need to align yourself with to get across. We were also shown a level near the end of the game in which you're walking through a hotel, at which point everything is shifted onto its side and you're walking through the hallways on the wall and falling through doors to the other end of the room.

The environment seems less cluttered when compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 version, but objects can still be interacted with and tossed around. Some great artwork is displayed during loading screens, and the game is accompanied by original music from the movie. Furthermore, 70 minutes of music that never made it into the movie will be included here. The Wii and PS2 version will be available in the fall, so check back soon for more coverage.

20 Comments

  • Armed_psycho

    Posted Aug 23, 2008 6:27 pm PT

    as a wii owner Im sick of having to put up with games that were co-developed for a previous generation console, PS2 has had its run-sony needs to move on

  • Jake_02

    Posted Jul 21, 2008 5:13 am PT

    The film was brilliant but i'm not sure about the game. If it's like other movie tie-in games then it's a thumbs down. It sounds as though it is coming along though. We will just have to wait and see what the final products plays like.

  • leofiregod

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 8:19 pm PT

    Wow! !st time i saw this I was blown away.

  • shinian

    Posted Jul 20, 2008 7:20 pm PT

    The movie is great. If this game stands up to its potenital i will purchase the product.

  • dark_being

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 3:56 pm PT

    At first I was excited about the game, but I got over it pretty quickly...

  • TehFuneral

    Posted Jul 19, 2008 12:50 pm PT

    ghost buster? that was years ago!

  • Macgyver40

    Posted Jul 18, 2008 12:32 pm PT

    ghost buster was a great movie

  • Hungry_bunny

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 4:11 pm PT

    @ Cube_of_Moon: ...good question... it makes it sound like a "b-rate" game.

  • playstation_wii

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 11:12 am PT

    Because people may think it's a movie if it doesn't say "The Video Game".

    duh

  • Cube_of_MooN

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 9:49 am PT

    Is there any point to "the video game" in the title? It's pretty obvious...

  • Agulf

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 8:18 am PT

    Why did they put "The Video Game" in the title?

  • grambyte

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 4:12 am PT

    Like I've mentioned before. This game just brings back hella memories.

  • PrinceFX

    Posted Jul 16, 2008 12:51 am PT

    one word.... AWESOME !!! ill definitely get dis one on ps2 !!!!

  • Neonivek

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 11:26 pm PT

    Always beware videogames that exist on powerful Consoles and weaker consoles. Most of the time one or more console gets the short end of the stick in a big way. So Ill have to rent this game first.

  • thisisasignin

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 11:08 pm PT

    @carstairs:
    The only person they didnt get is Rick Moranis because he is "retired."
    This game has been in news for a long time, I hope it finds a place for players and doesnt end up like some Superman game, hated by all.

  • jakeboudville

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 9:19 pm PT

    can't believe they would make a game of ghostbusters again

  • carstairs

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:44 pm PT

    If they don't get Bill Murray, I'm not going to buy it. I loved him in the movies and I want him in the game.

  • Agreb91

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:38 pm PT

    I cannot wait for Ghostbusters!

  • TwiztedMetal

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:07 pm PT

    wow didnt think they would ever make another one of these haha

  • fonzieahmed

    Posted Jul 15, 2008 8:06 pm PT

    The first thing i do when i get this game ... cross the streams.

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