Ghostbusters is a series of video games that are based on the movie of the same name. The games have been released on many consoles since 1984. Due to the success of the movie, there have been a number of sequels since. However, for reasons no one's ever been quite sure of, Winston (Ernie Hudson's character) has always been omitted from the majority of games. Only being playable in two games.
Ghostbusters is a licensed game produced by Activision based on the movie of the same name. It was designed by David Crane, produced by Brad Fregger, and released for several home computer platforms in 1984, and later released for various video game console systems, including the Atari 2600, Sega Master System and NES.
Most versions of the game had a similar basic format to the initial Commodore 64 and Atari 800 game, which was written in eight months and later ported to the Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. The game was made in such a short time by incorporating portions of a game named "Car Wars" that was already in production. The game was in production concurrently to the movie. The last week of development was spent on the opening screen which plays the Ghostbusters theme.[1] The player must stock up on equipment and make money to complete their objectives. Upon completion of the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Atari 8-bit and Amstrad CPC versions of the game, a code was provided that allowed the player to start a new game with the amount of money accumulated by the end of the previous game. This allowed accelerated progression in the new game. The game varied in some respects depending upon which platform it was played; the Sega Master System version (1987) added an on-foot shooting gallery level with different animations, while the NES version (1988), ported by a Japanese developer, made the action sequences considerably more difficult, had lower graphical resolution and provided a different ending. The new ending in the NES version was full of spelling mistakes:
| “ | Conglaturation !!! You have completed a great game. |
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— End of game message.
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This ending text can also be seen on a monitor in the Firehouse in Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
Ernie Hudson said, "My kids really hated [the NES game]. They thought it sucked."[3]
The NES version was created in association with Works (later changed their name to Bits Laboratory).[4] An enhanced remake of the Spectrum version was released as freeware for the PC in 2006.[5]
The Real Ghostbusters was an arcade game based on the cartoon series of the same name released by a Japanese game company, Data East in 1987. The game was later ported to the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Up to three players can control members of the Ghostbusters. The characters are only differentiated by the colors of their uniforms, no effort is made to identify them, although the game's marquee art shows the characters from the cartoon. The game has a total of 10 levels. In Japan the game is known as Meikyuu Hunter G, but bears little resemblance to the western version as it did not use the Ghostbusters license. It supports only up to two players, makes no mention of the Ghostbusters, equips the players with different weapons, many of the monsters are different and has completely different level designs from the western version.
The Ghostbusters fight off hordes of nightmarish creatures with energy guns which reduce the monsters to harmless ghosts which can then be captured with beams from their proton packs. Power-ups available included stronger basic shots, a force field that makes the Ghostbuster invincible for several seconds, and an item that summons Slimer to throw himself in the way of attacks.
Ghostbusters II is the title of a video game released for several home computer and console systems. The game is loosely based on the film of the same name.
All home computer editions were published by Activision. Each home computer game edition of the game is essentially similar, with changes in the quality of graphics and sound. The PC version is the most different one, having been developed by a different company, Dynamix.
The game features several arcade sequences based on the film: Van Horne: the player controls Ray Stantz as he is lowered into an air shaft of the disused Van Horne subway system to collect a sample of slime. He is armed with his proton pack and other weaponry with which to defend himself against the myriad of ghosts that attack: some will collide or grab him and cause damage, while others will attempt to cut his rope. The player must collect the three segments of the slime scoop, as well as ammo and health, during the descent. Journey to the Museum: the Statue of Liberty has been brought to life by "mood slime" and is marching toward the Metropolitan Museum of Art; the player controls a floating fireball (generated from the Statue's torch) which fires horizontal shots and must be used to protect the Statue from swarms of ghosts. Impacts from ghosts (or regeneration of the fireball) uses up precious slime, though it can be replenished from destroyed ghosts. Showdown in the Museum: the player controls the four Ghostbusters individually, armed variously with proton packs and slime dispensers, in an isometric 3D level. The four heroes must rappel into the Museum and fight Janosz, Vigo the Carpathian, and finally a possessed Ray, in order to save the world. Some versions also feature a sequence based on the courtroom fight against the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers.
The North American NES edition of the game (by Activision) is different than all other versions of the game. The game is a single-player side-scrolling game where the player controls a Ghostbuster through various stages based on the film, making their way to the museum before time runs out. Two levels involves riding around in the heroes' famous car and another level requires the player to control the Statue of Liberty, shooting fireballs. The player's Ghostbuster character is armed with an unlimited supply of slime that can be shot out of a cannon and ghost traps. The game was noted for being exceptionally hard to complete. Aside from the time limit and sudden death rule for the character, the levels in the game often moved to the left, thus forcing the player to make quick decisions. The final level was especially difficult, not the least of which because the player had to repeat the level four times before the game's final ending would appear. Another criticism was the game's lack of a standard pause feature, which further adds to the challenge of the game. This, along with the Europe & Japan-only title New Ghostbusters II, are the only games ever released that allowed the player to play as Winston.
There was also a version of the game released in Europe and Japan for the NES and Game Boy, entitled New Ghostbusters II, developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Hal and Activision. This was contained within a black packaging (unlike the blue packaging of the earlier Ghostbusters II) and the character had multiple lives before the 'Continue' screen appeared then finally the 'Game Over' screen if all continues were used. The player chooses between the four Ghostbusters (Peter, Egon, Ray and Winston) as well as their accountant Louis. The player chooses their lead character (the one who fires the proton pack by pressing the A button) and also the secondary player who, while pressing B on the controller, releases the trap but this secondary character cannot die nor be controlled, rather the character followed the player's main character around for the entire game. Although being able to select the main and secondary characters, it does not affect gameplay, which is exactly the same no matter what combination is used. There is also a character sprite of Dana, but is unplayable and only appears briefly at the end of one level and in the closing sequence. The characters are drawn with exaggeratedly large heads, and the graphics and generally more cartoony than in the other games. The game used versions and expansions of the various songs used in the movie for each level. This game also was known by fans for not featuring the car or Statue of Liberty levels seen in the previous version and the penultimate in the gallery contained Janosz as the boss, being defeated by zapping his clones and trapping them with B until he returned to normal size. The very last level was a walk between velvet ropes for a screen until reaching the painting of Vigo, the final boss. The Game Boy version was released in America without the New label.
Activision also made a version of the game for the Atari 2600 in 1989. Activision never released the game, perhaps due to the system's age and slowing sales. British game company Salu released the game in Europe under their name in 1992, after Atari had already ended support for the system. Licensing issues have prevented this version of the game from being included on the Activision Anthology collections, along with a handful of other titles.
Ghostbusters was published by Sega and developed by Compile for the Mega Drive/Genesis on June 29, 1990. It is unrelated to the earlier Activision game (though their name still appears in the copyright screen), and is instead a run and gun game in which the player takes control of squat cartoon representations of three of the four Ghostbusters from the movie, with the noticeable absence of Winston Zeddemore. Four levels are available initially; after they are completed, a fifth level is unlocked, followed by a sixth and final level. Each level contains a number (usually two) of mid-bosses known as "middle ghosts"; after a middle ghost is defeated, it turns into a small green ghost which can be captured for extra money by luring it over a ghost trap. Between levels, money can be used to buy powerups, such as a 3-way shot or recovery items.
The Ghostbusters are down on their luck due to lack of ghost activity, when suddenly several calls begin to pour in from around the city, including the eventual reappearance of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (although dialogue indicates it is not the same one from the movie). After each case, a piece of a stone tablet is collected. The three Ghostbusters piece together the mysterious tablet, inadvertently opening a portal to "the evil world" and releasing a horde of ghosts. In the end, though, the Ghostbusters manage to defeat Janna, the God of Darkness, and retrieve a mystical gem from the evil world. They combine the gem with the tablet to close the portal, and save the city.
The 1993 The Real Ghostbusters game was developed by Kemco and published in North America by Activision for the Game Boy. In it, the player played as Peter Venkman. It emphasized puzzle-solving in a dungeon-like atmosphere. To advance to each new stage, the player had to collect stars, which would open the door to the next level. The proton gun was effective only on blocks at the character's feet, not on the ghosts (bombs were used to destroy the ghosts). If the player lost all his health (by touching damaging things like ghosts, flames, and reforming blocks), or the 999 second timer wound down to zero, the player would lose a life. After successful completion of a level, the player would be rewarded with a 4-digit password, which would enable them to start at the end of that level next time they played (the game had no save feature).
This game was released in Europe as Garfield Labyrinth and in Japan as Mickey Mouse IV: Mahou no Labyrinth (ミッキーマウスIV 魔法のラビリンス lit. "Mickey Mouse IV: The Magical Labyrinth"), and is part of Kemco's Crazy Castle franchise.
Extreme Ghostbusters was released on April 2, 2001 by Light and Shadow Productions for the Game Boy Color.[6] It was originally thought to be intended for multiple consoles and the personal computer.[6] It includes four playable characters including Kylie, Garett, Roland, and Eduardo. Each character has unique gameplay attributes and may be chosen at any point in the game. Set in New York City, players must defeat and either capture or destroy ghosts.[6]
Light & Shadow Production released a Game Boy Advance version of Extreme Ghostbusters in March 2002. The half-human/half-demon Count Mercharior has kidnapped Roland and Garett, two key members of the Ghostbusters team. The remaining team members, Eduardo and Kylie, immediately set off to find them, determined to capture the ghosts who have come to invade the city. The game was a combination platform and shooter game with some races, using a top-down perspective. There were 12 platform levels and four regions.[7]
A video game made in 2004 by LSP, the game was similar to Time Crisis. Players would choose from one of the four Extreme Ghostbusters and play through various missions set in New York. It can be used with gun con. There are two kinds of shots that can be fired, using a proton cartridge like what is seen in the show. There is a standard mini proton shot, similar to a bullet fire, that uses 1/10 of cartridge, or a proton beam, which uses 5/10 a proton cartridge. There are 3 game modes; Adventure, Training, and Replay.
A top down puzzle game was released in 2006 for cell phones on Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Cingular (now AT&T) networks. The story revolves around the Ghostbusters being hired by a millionaire tycoon to rid his home of ghosts, but the story does not go beyond that with no cut scenes or dialog during the game. Ultimately, Ghostbusters mobile was panned critically due to its extreme length (over 100 rooms to enter), plain gameplay design (gathering colored keys, pushing statues, activating switches), and no real references to any of the original Ghostbusters characters or movies, besides the opening theme music.[8]
Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a video game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and PC. The game was originally slated for an October 2008 release. ZootFly began independently developing the game in May 2006 but hit a "bump in the road" with regard to the Ghostbusters copyright in July 2006.[9]Vivendi Universal acquired the rights to make the game, which was developed by Terminal Reality for the PlayStation 3, PC and Xbox 360, and by Red Fly Studios for the Wii, DS and PS2.[10] Harold Ramis has said that he and Aykroyd, in addition to contributing to the game's script, did voiceover for the Ghostbusters video game.[11] It was released on June 16, 2009 for the U.S, June 19, 2009 for EU on the PlayStation formats (due to a publishing deal by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe), and November 2009 for other formats in the EU, though the US Xbox 360 version of the game is region free, it can be played on any Xbox 360 console.
Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is a video game for download for Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC. It is a sequel to Ghostbusters: The Video Game.[12]
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