So, has anyone else played this yet?

If you didn't know about about this game at all, then you've been living under a rock and should read this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_The_Video_Game

If you are too lazy to read that article though....

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is an action game released for the Nintendo DS, PC, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360. The PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 versions were developed by Terminal Reality, while the PlayStation 2 and Wii versions were developed by Red Fly Studio (developers of Mushroom Men) and the Nintendo DS version was handled by Zen Studios. In North America, all versions of the game are published by Atari. In Europe, Sony Computer Entertainment will publish the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 versions, while Atari will publish the other versions later in the year.

The game is based on the Ghostbusters film franchise. Ghostbusters creator Dan Aykroyd has confirmed that the game is essentially Ghostbusters 3.

Many of the principal cast members from the films were involved in the game's production. Minor script doctoring for the game was done by the writers of the films, Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. They, along with Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson also lent their voices and likenesses to the game. Several supporting cast members, such as William Atherton (Walter Peck), Brian Doyle-Murray (as the new mayor of New York, Jock Mulligan) and Annie Potts (Janine) have also lent their voices. However, Rick Moranis (Louis Tully) declined to end his retirement from acting to be a part of the game. In addition, Sigourney Weaver did not reprise her role of Dana Barrett. Instead, Alyssa Milano is playing the role of the new love interest in the game, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn.

So, I purchased this off of Steam last night for, I think, $29. That's a pretty fair deal, considering it will probably cost almost twice that much in most stores. I have no reason why the game is so cheap on Steam, but I'd recommend looking into grabbing the game off of there if you're interested in giving it a go.

Anyway, I played this game for about 50 minutes this morning before getting ready for work and I certainly have to admit that the game is a lot of fun so far. I seem to suck at being able to target ghosts so far since I have trouble getting my beam on them, but it may also be because the ghosts that I've met zip around so damn fast and they can be hard to follow.

The game has great atmosphere and is full of that great Ghostbusters charm that we all remember. So far, I've only been through the first hotel area of the game in which I had to capture Slimer with Venkman, Stantz, and Spengler (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis respectively). I only met Winston (Ernie Hudson) just as I left the hotel, and that's also where I left off. But so far, I'm really impressed with the voice work! The best of the bunch by a mile is Dan Aykroyd who still sounds so much like Stantz that it's a real treat to listen to. He does a great job at bringing the character back to life. Harold Ramis is pretty good, but it seemed like Spengler was just "talking at me" judging from most of what I've played through so far. Bill Murray is the weakest link, and this has been mentioned in professional reviews. It's been said that Bill Murray sounds like he is doing an impression of Peter Venkman. I think that this is a bit of a stretch because he still carries the character's personality very well, he's just missing something. He just doesn't have the same flair. Annie Potts as Janine is pretty great too, she still does the voice and accent perfectly.

So far, the gameplay is pretty basic but fun. In some ways, it reminds me of Dead Space. There's just something about the way you move around, target, and attack that feels like it was pulled from Dead Space. It may just be my imagination though... Or it could be how there is no HUD and how everything you need to know is located on your proton pack.

But basically, here's the gameplay from what I have played.
1. Enter room, detect ghostly presence with your EKG meter.
2. Fnd the ghost and chase it a bit.
3. Beat ghost up with your proton beam (used for weakening the ghost and smacking it around, which tires it out).
4. Throw a trap down and get that sucker inside of it!

I had to do that at the hotel for Slimer, bell hop ghosts, and the boss ghost. There were a few standard ghost mobs that I ran into in the form of possessed candle holders. I didn't have to do much to take them out other than target them and give them a good blasting for a second or so.

Overall, gameplay seems fairly standard and may become repetitive, but it's a good kind of repetition. Even though things may end up feeling monotonous, I'm sure that I'll enjoy the ride. The voice acting alone is reason enough to pick this game up if you're a fan of the Ghostbusters.

If you like third person shooter games, you may very well like this.
If you liked the Ghostbusters movies, then DEFINITELY get this, because this game is the best Ghostbusters fanservice that you could ever hope for.

I heard this got sorta good reviews. It does look kinda neat.

Dunno if I'll ever check it out, though.

ahaha I love the ghost busters so I'm mos def gonna check this one out

I wasn't expecting this game to be released any time soon, so when I started seeing reviews pop up for it, I was surprised.

I'm glad this franchise is getting a revival, because it really was great.  It was cool that Dan Aykroyd got really involved with the game, and that alone makes this worth getting... when it's at budget price.

Why does Dan Aykroyd sell the game to you? There's nothing great about Dan Aykroyd, except that he was part of Ghostbusters.

Why does Dan Aykroyd sell the game to you? There's nothing great about Dan Aykroyd, except that he was part of Ghostbusters.

I've always liked him, and I really like his voice.  That's not the only thing that makes me want this game though, I just thought it was really cool.

he wrote ghostbusters so him saying it's ghostbusters 3 carries weight

this looks pretty grand, i loved ghostbusters doom.

why is the pc version only 30 bucks?

Why does Dan Aykroyd sell the game to you? There's nothing great about Dan Aykroyd, except that he was part of Ghostbusters.

why you

i must disagree

why is the pc version only 30 bucks?

I think you mean why are the other versions not 30 bucks

that's a pretty good question too

why is the pc version only 30 bucks?

There's no online component. It's just the single player game, which I'm enjoying greatly so far.

hhahaha

nice anti-aliasing.

So I played through more of this last night and I got to encounter Stay Puft who, unfortunately, appears as a boss too soon in the game. You'd imagine that one of the most recognizable Ghostbusters baddies would be close to the end of the game, but the entire second stage revolves around him.

I still stand by what I said, it's a very entertaining game. Anyone who liked the Ghostbusters movies should at least try the game.

So as of last night, I'm at the Castle of Shandor and I drained the black slime in the sewers. At that moment, those golem things started bursting out of the support pillars and wow, are they ever tough.

Before I inevitably play again tonight, what's the best setting on your proton beam to use on them? I've just been using the standard default one (up on the analog stick). I can't imagine stasis or slime working well.

Actually slime is THE weapon to use if its any variation of black slime. Although I think that the boss-sized ones are weakest against the shock blast; I just unload at close range until I'm about to overheat, dodge to the side and vent.

Well I certainly knew that the slime setting gets rid of black slime, as it's required to use it several times to progress through the game.

Is shock blast the fourth setting you get for the proton pack? I remember Egon telling me about it, but I was distracted by people talking to me at the time so I'm pretty sure I missed what it's even used for or what purpose it serves.