Developer: Sega Publisher: Sega Released: Genre: Action
The Ghostbusters license did not have a good go of it in America. While the original computer version of David Crane’s title was a legitimately good game most of the subsequent ports was not, especially the NES game. While Activision would improve with Ghostbusters II it is still not a game I would recommend. Often forgotten but one of the better titles to bear the license is Sega’s edition for the Genesis. Released in a pre-Sonic world this is one of the bright spots of the system’s early lineup and a pretty good game all around.
What immediately stands out about Ghostbusters is its odd graphical style. The character sprites borders on super deformed and slightly resemble their movie counterparts. The creature designs are the game’s best asset graphically, especially the mid and end level bosses. Each would not look out of place in either the movies or cartoons and feature great animation. The environments however are a bit dull and share that early Genesis dithered look. You were not buying this one as a graphical showpiece. Luckily it makes up for it in gameplay.
Ghostbusters stars Ray, Peter, and Egon as they take on day to day cases. The initial four levels can be completed in an order. As you progress the trio will find pieces of a mysterious tablet that point to a larger conspiracy behind the scenes. With its stylized look and the bad reputation of prior titles that bear the license I can see why many passed this one over. They missed out on a cool but challenging little gem in my opinion.
You can choose any of the three available Ghostbusters and each has different stats that affect how much damage they take from attacks. Peter is the best rounded while Egon presents the biggest challenge. Curiously Winston is missing but that seems to be par for the course with these games. While the business management aspect of the prior game is gone you do still earn cash for catching ghosts and completing cases. The money earned can be used to buy various upgrades in the between level shops.
The two shops provide a variety of items and weapons at an at times steep cost. Bombs are the cheapest and kill weak enemies while Peking duck will refill your health once per level. The most interesting are the numerous secondary weapons. The standard proton pack is pretty powerful on its own and can be fired in eight directions. Options range from a three-way shot and bubble gun to a plasma cannon. Some are better on certain stages and bosses than others but you will have to build up the cash first as they are expensive. Add optional shields and max health boosts to the mix and you will need to be an expert player to afford half of this stuff.
Each Ghostbusters case takes place in an open environment like a mansion, high rise building and even a dilapidated castle. You are free to explore to find optional cash and other items but the ultimate goal is to defeat the middle ghosts to open the way to the end level boss. The levels are massive and the game only offers a vague map to chart progress. There is a heavy emphasis on platforming and the controls are up to the task. Leave any awful memories of the NES games behind. Although you are indoors the game still includes the standard videogame tropes like an ice and fire level. But it also throws in a twist like requiring infrared goggles to see in low light. At times it feels like a different title with the license slapped on after. But if so they’ve done a good job dressing it up.
This is not an easy game which is surprising as licensed titles usually aim for the mass market. Depending on the character you cannot take much punishment and opportunities to refill health are few. Extra lives are hard to come by as well. The large sprites make some hits unavoidable which can be frustrating. The end level bosses weirdly are pushovers as they are more damage sponges than tricky battles. Surprisingly the middle ghosts are the most difficult in the game as they are aggressive have harder to exploit patterns. Although the game generously gives ten continues they disappear quickly. I struggle with whether the game should have had passwords. At six levels it isn’t too long but at the same saving progress would alleviate some of the frustration. Either way know that you will have to put work on to see this to its conclusion.
In Closing
Often forgotten but still good otherwise this version of Ghostbusters is probably the best title to hold the license until the 360/PS3 game. This is a solid game that borders on greatness and is still worth revisiting today.
