Ghostbusters (Activision video game)

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Ghostbusters
Developer(s)	Activision
Publisher(s)	Activision
Designer(s)	David Crane
Release date(s)	1985 - 1988
Genre(s)	Action adventure game
Mode(s)	Single player
Platform(s)	Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Atari 2600, Commodore 64, MSX, NES, PC Booter, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum
Media	Floppy disk, Cartridge
Input	Keyboard, Joystick

Ghostbusters is a licensed game by Activision based on the movie of the same name. It was designed by David Crane and released for several home computer platforms in 1984, and later for video game console systems, including the Atari 2600, Sega Master System and NES.

The player sets up a ghost busting franchise in a city with a rising Psychokinetic (PK) Energy level and has the ability to purchase equipment such as traps, or to upgrade their vehicle. The player then negotiates a grid representing the city. They need to stop the "roamers" from reaching the temple of Zuul (which causes the PK Energy level to jump). When the player moves to a city block that is flashing red, the game mode switches to an overhead view of the player's vehicle driving to the location. The player must move left and right to vacuum up the stray ghosts. The player then moves to a screen in which a Slimer ghost must be guided with two proton streams over a ghost trap.

If the ghost is successfully captured, the player's income increases. The aim is to have $10,000 by the time the city's PK level reaches 9999. In some versions (e.g. the Commodore 64 version), after the first successful game, the player is given an account number, which stores the amount of money the player had at the end of the game. This allowed for purchasing more expensive items for use (faster cars, more traps etc.). In order to win at these games the player was required to have earned more money than their initial account balance. This is one of the earliest uses of passwords being used as a 'save game' feature on home computers.

Some ports of the game (especially the ZX Spectrum and the Commodore 64 version) are significant for their attempt at playing back rudimentary speech samples ("Ghostbusters!", "He slimed me!"), a novelty at the time. The Commodore 64 version was noted for having the best synthesised speech and music, with a very good representation of the Ghostbusters theme song used as background music.

The game was also released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988, (1986 in Japan) and the Sega Master System in 1987. These versions featured added gameplay after the Ghostbusters sneak by the Marshmallow Man. It played more like a conventional vertical scrolling platform game, where they were to actually climb the stairs to get to the roof.

Contents 1 Cheats 2 Trivia 3 See also 4 External links

[edit] Cheats

Entering the name "LM" and the account number as "LM102030" gives the player a great deal of money.

Entering the name "Edwards Gareth" and the account number as a row of 1s so that there is a space at far end gives the player a lot of cash (Commodore 64 version).

Again on the Commodore 64 version, simply hit RETURN for your name then enter "458" for your account number. This will allow for a $1,000,000 cash start.

[edit] Trivia

The Ghostbusters video game is notable for the absence of the fourth member of the team, Winston Zeddemore. This absence makes some sense when you recall the fact that he is hired by the Ghostbusters only after they already create the Ghostbusters franchise, with the game starting after the other three get the working capital to start buying equipment.

[edit] See also

• Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters
Movies:	Ghostbusters | Ghostbusters II
Television:	The Real Ghostbusters | Extreme Ghostbusters
Video Games:	Ghostbusters (Activision) | Ghostbusters (Sega) | Ghostbusters II
Technology:	Proton pack | Ectomobile | Ghostbusters equipment
Characters:	Peter Venkman | Egon Spengler | Ray Stantz | Winston Zeddemore | Janine Melnitz | Ivo Shandor
Ghosts:	Slimer | Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man | Vigo the Carpathian
Misc:	Ghostbusters: Legion | Ghostbusters: The Return | Ghostbusters (role-playing game) | Filmation's Ghostbusters

[edit] External links

• Ghostbusters at MobyGames
• Legends of the 64 article on David Crane (with Ghostbusters section)
• Speech Box - dedicated area to Commodore 64 speech (inc. Ghostbusters)
• All versions of the Ghostbusters games from The Movie Game Database