Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Surprise! Only one version of the new Ghostbusters game has a co-operative story mode. And it's the Wii one. I've been playing it with a buddy for a while, and though there are some rough spots, I would in general give it a solid "not bad."

The gameplay is sufficient, if generally unremarkable. Imagine a third-person shooter where your gun is a Proton Pack, and you're most of the way there. What makes it different from your average shooter is that, while some enemies are dispatched simply through unlicensed nuclear power, most have to be weakened, then wrangled, then caught - just like in the movies. This is the central mechanism of the game, and along with different Proton Pack upgrades that work well in different situations (like an ectoplasmic slime launcher that un-possesses NPCs), it's fairly well executed.

Hours in, it's still fun rolling the Nunchuk to deploy a ghost trap. On the other hand, having to knock the ghosts around with Wiimote swings is not exactly convenient. Laying waste to the environment and racking up damage charges for the city is pretty entertaining. Not being able to find the next corridor, isn't. (There's no map!?)

What makes Ghostbusters interesting is the story and dialog, not the gameplay. The writing and voice acting are excellent - a real step above average (or, hell, even good) video game fare. And the good news for Ghostbusters fans - which, if you aren't one, what the fuck is your problem? - is that the game doesn't just draw from the franchise, it adds to it with a genuinely interesting story that builds on the first movie's.

Unfortunately, utterly flat cutscene direction, and pacing issues introduced by the aforementioned navigation difficulties, really hurt the storytelling. The Wii version's bizarre cartoony visuals don't help either. Sometimes they work, but seeing a lanky Egon tower over a stout Ray just feels wrong.

I've still got a little under half the game to see, but so far it feels like a mixed bag. The story is great, but flies in the presentational ointment spoil it. And the gameplay, while passable, isn't anything radically new - at least, the Ghostbusters flavoring isn't sufficiently exciting to stand out. It all works, and this really isn't a bad game at all, but I hesitate to promote it any further than that.

Progress: "Closed" the museum