Written by Matt Cabral, 6/25/2008
You could say I was a bit of a Ghostbusters nerd back in the day. Actually, that’s putting it lightly; during the months following the original film’s release I could almost always be found sporting a GB T-shirt (with the famous “no ghosts” logo, of course), while wearing out my Sony Walkman listening to Ray Parker Jr.’s infectious theme song. Despite my freakish affection for the first film, the franchise pretty much lived and died for me in the summer of 1984. Sure, the big screen sequel was okay, but I couldn’t tell you a damn thing about the endless spinoffs—animated series, toys, video games etc. And to this day I still don’t know the difference between a “Real” and “Extreme” Ghostbuster.
But now, after 15 years—and a recent peek at Sierra and Terminal Reality’s new GB game—I’m ready to power-up the proton pack and get slimed all over again. Admittedly, I wasn’t too enthusiastic when the title was officially announced on the cover of Game Informer late last year—there have already been countless unmemorable attempts to bring GB to gamers. But after seeing the title in action, I was quickly reminded of all the things that made me love this franchise in the first place. The visual presentation grabbed me right away; the game is set in 1991 (a few years after the second film) in NYC, and the game’s version of the Big Apple could easily rival Niko Bellic’s stomping grounds. Granted, what I saw was brief and took place at night, but the historic architecture, screen-filling skyscrapers and car-cluttered streets—all complimented by some excellent shadowing and lighting tech—looked like the real deal.
Although I was already feeling like a tourist in the city that never sleeps, this was no sightseeing tour; we were out to bust some ghosts. The demo—played by a Sierra PR rep—transitioned to an indoor environment reminiscent of the ballroom in the first film. And sure enough, as soon as we entered this great hall, I spied the famous face-feeding specter Slimer. The player unleashed an impressive series of electric beams at the hungry menace, and while wrangling the little bugger looked as good as it did in the movie, it wasn’t the focus of this demo; no, the real star was the physics and audio-based mayhem unfolding within this plush dining hall. The player totaled the place in seconds; plates and glasses shattered, chandeliers crashed to the floor, champagne bottles exploded, decorative hangings were ripped from the walls and wooden furniture splintered in all directions…and this was without any stream crossing (I was told the film’s famous proton pack no-no will be addressed, but wasn’t given any details.) We’ve been watching stuff explode in games for years, but what caught my eye (and ear) here was how each item reacted with a unique animation and sound accompaniment. Wine bottles popped with a nice splash of liquid, and their destruction seemed to yield a deeper “crash” sound than say the higher pitched shattering of a teacup. Additionally, ceiling fixtures would continue to break apart after they hit the ground; so, they’d fall and then break apart some more--cool stuff! Similar to how Call of Duty 4’s realistic sound and physics effects put me scarily close to the action, I felt like if I closed my eyes, I’d feel like I was sitting in a ballroom being riddled by proton energy.
After remodeling the dining room, I was taken to a library for another physics-focused show. Just like in the first film’s opening scene, the library was eerily quiet—even for a library. Unusually high stacks of books populated the environment and the spectral old-bag librarian cruised the aisles. While pursuing the “shhh”-ing spirit things got louder as we were confronted by a more menacing threat. Unlike the film, those odd stacks of books morphed into an enormous, golem-like baddie. Of course, taking on this mini-boss meant more collateral damage; he definitely didn’t go down easy, and papers, books, shelves and index cards whirled around the screen like wind-blown confetti. It quickly became apparent that this demo was all about flaunting the game’s physics prowess. And based on the constantly cluttered screen, it looks like Terminal Reality’s Infernal engine is more than up to the task.
While filling the screen with impressive debris effects is paramount to reproducing an authentic GB experience, crowding it with HUD elements is something the development team is looking to avoid. The no-HUD approach is nothing new; it’s been a growing trend since Ubisoft saw some success with it in Peter Jackson’s King Kong. And while many games have struggled with the concept of hiding important elements like health and ammo meters, GB may have the perfect solution in the proton pack. The backpack-like device is always facing the gamer due to the over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, and it’s already outfitted with a variety of gauges, lights and readings. I wasn’t given specifics on how the proton pack would tackle specific HUD elements, but Sierra assured things like health, energy and proton power would be woven into the pack's natural look. I was also shown a cool animation of venting the proton pack--complete with nice steam-emitting effect--to avoid overheating; the seemingly quick act of relieving pressure from the pack will likely seem much longer in the heat of battle, making for some more strategic spirit-chasing.
The amazing physics and cinematic presentation was nearly upstaged when I heard the familiar voices of Egon and Stantz. Listening to banter between Harold Ramis’ and Dan Aykroyd’s characters will surely play a significant role in delivering a faithful GB experience. The actors—along with Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts and William Atherton—are recording thousands of lines, and will appear in upwards of 40 interactive cutscenes. While this could spell immediate trouble for most licensed-based titles (that Robert Downey Jr. performance in the Iron Man game was the most robotic thing in the title), the talent in GB is in the right hands; Aykroyd and Ramis are penning the script themselves and are officially treating the project like a third film. Franchise favorites like the aforementioned Slimer and librarian will be joined by other familiar spooks such as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, but this all-new tale promises lots of surprises in the way of plot twists and new paranormal threats. Additionally, players don the gray jumpsuit of a new recruit, so they’ll have a front row seat for all the shenanigans surrounding the four paranormal-obsessed protagonists.
Hearing the familiar voices and seeing the actor’s likenesses was a highlight of the demo, but I wasn’t treated to much of their character interactions. The demo nicely showcased the game’s admittedly slick physics, but story, writing and the right mix of comedy and action will ultimately make or break this game for series fans. I’m hoping the time and money spent on the original cast’s creative involvement is not wasted as it sometimes is in these cases (we're looking at you Clive Barker's Jericho. If they can combine the potential-filled gameplay with a Hollywood-caliber script, then we could be looking at one of the best licensed games to date, and one that further blurs the line between the video game and movie industries. Sierra did a decent job with the Scarface property and even better recently with Bourne, so my hopes are high that I’ll be blasting ghosts like it’s 1984 when this one ships just in time for Halloween.
