​Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered Review

By Kevin Mitchell  |  Posted: October 22, 2019

When initially released in 2009, Ghostbusters: The Video Game brought a smile to just about every franchise fanboy in existence. The game was steeped in fan service (not the adult anime kind). Written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, starring a new recruit, it picked up two years after the events that transpired in Ghostbusters II. For all intents and purposes, it was the sequel everyone wanted, with all the Ghostbusters portrayed by their respective actors (Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd). A decade later, the game is available for current generation consoles (and PC): Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

Playing an unnamed generic-looking character (who strangely resembles me), you're regularly referred to as rook, rookie, newbie, and cadet. While there are moments where you're alone, generally, you'll have one or more of the original four Ghostbusters beside you. Sadly, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis don't reprise their roles. Instead, the game revolves around Ilyssa Selwyn, an expert in Sumerian and pre-Sumerian cultures. More importantly, she's the curator for the World of Gozer exhibit at the Museum of Natural History, opening just in time for Thanksgiving. When Gozer and Ivo Shandor are involved, you know the city of New York is going to be in trouble.

It's not long before the Ghostbusters' favorite ghost, Slimer, breaks free and makes his way back to the Sedgewick Hotel. The disgusting green blob isn't the only ghost haunting the five-star location. Ghostbusters: The Video Game plays closer to Gears of War than anything else, using a tight third-person camera view. Instead of lancers, you'll be slinging proton packs along with some additional new attachments. Even the roadie run, where you crouch-run with the camera following close behind, exists in the game. Your proton beam serves as your primary weapon against ghosts, weakening them enough to trap. Of course, they won't be confined easily, either trying to escape, flying right through you (sliming you in the process), or tossing objects across the room from a safe distance.

Once ghosts are weak enough, you'll switch to the capture stream, allowing you to slam them against walls, ceilings, and the floor to prepare them for your muon trap (ghost trap). While caught in the trap's pull, the specter will try to free itself as you attempt to wrangle it into the center. You have an unlimited number of traps, and you can capture multiple apparitions in the same one. You do have to worry about overheating, which can be upgraded, making ghost capturing slightly more complex. The rest of each level is populated with smaller and generally faster lower-level apparitions that don't need to be trapped, like floating books. These can be cut down by merely weakening them enough that they disappear. As you progress through the narrative, you'll unlock additional attachments, such as a shock blast, the slime blower from Ghostbusters II to dissipate black slime, and the meson collider.

Each attachment comes with an alternate firing method. The boson dart is an extremely volatile burst of boson particles that can quickly overheat the proton pack. The stasis stream can freeze ghosts in midair through the use of dark matter. The slime tether can help solve environmental puzzles by bringing objects closer together. Don't forget; there's an achievement for tethering a ghost directly into a trap. The composite particle system (meson collider) works best when using both firing methods together. Using the meson collider, you can hit your target, serving as a homing beacon for projectiles launched when using the overload pulse. Besides your proton pack, you can activate the PKE meter, which is used in first-person perspective for finding collectible artifacts and scanning for hidden passages. Make sure to scan every ghost type for additional lore and a list of weaknesses.

The game remains the same as it was in 2009, except now it features a smooth 60fps and supports 4K on PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X. The visuals look much better than the previous release; however, all pre-rendered sequences appear very blurry due to the lower resolution from Xbox 360 and PS3. The Nintendo Switch version isn't as well off as its counterparts, looking like a straight port of last generation's game, running at 30fps and at a much lower resolution. The developers have stated that the game's multiplayer component won't be included at launch but will be added sometime after release.

Simply Put

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered may be the same game it was ten years ago, but I couldn't help but smile while playing through it again. Running around the Ghostbusters HQ (the firehouse) and interacting with Vigo the Carpathian, listening to voicemails, sliding down the pole, hearing the banter between the Ghostbusters—everything is such a joy to experience. Even though the gameplay feels largely borrowed, it works beautifully within the confines of the Ghostbusters IP. Not to mention, the game's narrative was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, essentially making this game the closest thing to a third movie (not counting the 2016 reboot).