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Ghostbusters: The Video GameBy Marlon Esmeralda - 08-21-09 Print  EmailWhen I first got my hands on Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the Nintendo DS, I'll admit that I've never had much knowledge of the Ghostbusters universe. Playing through this game suddenly gave me enough interest to actually see the first movie, in order to see why this franchise is so highly-praised. Needless to say, I'm now a fan. Though the game may have not been as fun as watching the movie, I still had a little enjoyment. There are a few tolerations that you need to endure however, but if you can get over that gap then you'll find a pretty solid DS title. Ghostbusters: The Video Game has two types of gameplay - on foot and driving. I'll talk about the driving first. In the game you go out and do missions, most being side missions with occasional ones that progress the story. Once you select a missions, you are to drive the Ecto-1 to the designated location. The layout of the city is pretty wide open, so there's a good amount of distance to travel. The main problem with the driving sequences are the controls. Accelerating, breaking, and turning are all done with the D-pad. Since I'm left-handed, these controls were even harder with the buttons. To make matters worse, you're given a certain time limit to get to each location, or else you'll fail the mission. Crashing the Ecto-1 into cars or buildings will also damage it, causing it to slow down. Ghosts also wander the street, and you use the touch screen to aim your equipped proton gun to attack it. The controls take a while to get use to, but play the game long enough and you'll start to get the hang of it. Of course, attacking a ghost and driving at the same time is still a difficult experience, and one I mostly avoided. It's a good thing attacking ghosts on the street is optional. Once you reach your location, everything else is done on foot. Unlike the console versions where you are a new recruit, the DS has you taking on the role of the original four. You are given a over-the-top camera perspective where you assume control of one of the Ghostbusters. The other three will automatically follow you, but can be given orders to stay(in which they'll attack the nearest ghost). Switching to other members requires a simple touch on their portrait, which is located on the right hand side of the touch screen. Moving around is done with the D-pad(or buttons for left handers). You use the touch screen to interact with objects or citizens by clicking on them, and for attacking ghosts. When a ghost is near, hold your stylus over them and the Ghostbusters will attack with their proton guns. A life bar is shown on the screen to indicate how much life is left, and when its completely drained, you can trap it. Trapping is quite simple too, you hold the L button(R for lefties) and tap where to place the trap. Once the trap is set, you guide the ghost towards the trap and capture it. Ghosts battle are pretty simple, and trapping them is quite satisfying for fans, but they do get quite challenging. Since the camera angle is set in place, you don't get that much of a view as you would want. There are times where pillars from building may obstruct your view, but the big problem is that you can't see that far from around you. You are able to use a PKE meter to help determine the locations of ghosts, but often times you will get attacked from a projectile before you even see the ghost on screen. You can try to fire towards the location in hopes of hitting the target, otherwise you'll need to move closer in order to get the ghost on screen. It would have been nice if the camera were expanded out a bit more to show the location of the ghost before you were close enough to get hit at, since getting hit will cause your Ghostbuster to get knocked down and then take a good amount of time to get back up. There are even times when all the Ghostbuster will get knocked down by lots of flying objects, and it's annoying how none of them are controllable until they're back on their feet. And since the AI doesn't do a good job at controlling your teammates, they won't fire at the objects unless you do(or if they're in the "Stay" position). The on foot gameplay is still fun though, and the Ghostbusters do get stronger over the course of the game, so these small mishaps mainly happen in the beginning. The game isn't all about fighting ghosts, as there are some RPG elements included. After completing missions you obtain money and slime. When you're not in missions, there are plenty things to do at HQ. By using money and slime, you are able to research blueprints for new equipment, which will then be used to produce them. Researching and producing takes a certain amount of days to complete, and since you can only produce and research items one at a time, some planning may be needed. Equipping your Ghostbusters is also done at HQ, or you can also load them into the Ecto-1 for changing equipment during missions. The latter is pretty helpful since only one weapon and one item can only be equipped to each Ghostbuster, so once you use up a healing item, that's it. HQ is also where you upgrade your Ghostbusters special abilities. After completing missions, each Ghostbuster may get skill points. You use these skill points to upgrade a wide list of unique abilities. Each Ghostbuster has their own set of skills, with each pertaining to their different characteristics. Venkman can increase the time limit for driving to missions with his "Procrastination" skill, Egon can resist scare attacks with his "Nerves of Steel," Winston has no damage penalty when controlled by AI thanks to the "Supporting Role" ability, and Ray won't get attacked by Class IV and lower ghosts unless attacked first with his "Kindred Spirit." There's a good amount of helpful skills available for each Ghostbuster, and they certainly provide some fan service for each character. The engine used for the DS game looks good and plays well, even with all the activity going on. The level designs are pretty basic, and are often recycled for the side missions. Character models are stylized representations of their real-life counterparts, just like the Wii version. They look good when viewed up close, but during the missions(with the over-the-top view) it's hard to recognize which one is which. The proton beams not only look great, but behave properly too, which was a very nice touch. Audio-wise is a complete fan service too. Familiar themes play throughout the game, and the Ghostbusters theme song is constantly played when driving. The Ecto-1 siren is also available to turn on and off. There are no voices however, so the game does lose a little charm. Ghostbusters: The Video Game turned out to be a solid experience overall. It won't be as lengthy as it's console brothers, but fans should be occupied with it for a while. The gameplay could get repetitive at times with many recycled levels. Controlling the Ecto-1 is a bit tough at first, but it's a small little hump to get over in order to find the real gem of the game, which is busting ghosts. Capturing ghosts is always satisfying, and is the most enjoyable part of the game, and I feel every fan will feel the same. So in that sense, Ghostbusters: The Video Game stays true to the series, and represents the name quite well. Ratings |
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