Back in 2009, we finally got a Ghostbusters video game that we could be happy about. A continuation of the story from the films, we all fell in love with it. Sadly after the success of that game, we’ve gotten nothing but mediocre entries of our beloved ghost hunting franchise. So, to try to bring it back around again, Saber Interactive and Mad Dog Games decided to bring back the game we fell in love by remastering it. However, was that the best call to make?

Plot

Set two years after Ghostbusters 2, a supernatural energy pulse emanates from the Gozer exhibit at the Museum of Natural History. The energy starts to engulf New York City and increases supernatural activity, which in turn, starts to liberate a captive ghost in the Ghostbusters headquarters. Playing as a rookie ghost hunter, you must set off to help the Ghostbusters to stop a new supernatural apocolypse.

Gameplay

The game places players in the role of a new character simply known as “the Rookie,” a new recruit to the Ghostbusters team. Players control the Rookie’s movements as he explores the environments of each level, seeking out paranormal activities and ghosts, either alone or with up to all four of the other Ghostbusters. The rookie is also given many of the trade tools for ghost hunting which includes the PKE meter, googles, and the infamous proton pack.

Pros
It’s a faithful adaptation of a beloved series. The characters are voiced by most of the original cast, amd it’s fun and frantic ghost gameplay.

Cons
The A.I. is beyond frustrating, with a very linear and repetitive combat system. The sluggish cameras during big boss fights doesn’t help either. The game shows its age after the intro, which is a shame.

But the length of the levels is the biggest issue. There’s enough variety of enemies and environments across the story, but some outstay their welcome very quickly. The library encounter with the iconic Grey Lady would have been nice as a short boss encounter, but instead, it’s dragged-out through flying book-bat enemies and the same set of levitating furniture over and over.

The Verdict
It’s been ten years since this game was first released. The game was a very fun continuation of the Ghostbusters mythos and back then, I didn’t really look at the many flaws it had. But with this remaster, I’ve grown wiser to all the flaws it had back then. If you haven’t played this game when it came out, it would be a perfect introduction to anyone who wants to feel like a Ghostbuster. But for everyone else, it’s better to leave this ghost in its trap.

Final Score
2.5 out of 5

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered - Launch Trailer | PS4

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