Review - Ghostbusters: The Video Game (DS)

During the past decade, Ghostbusters games were limited to mediocre tie-ins for Nintendo handhelds, probably because the franchise didn’t have a major installment, other than a moderately-successful animated show. The release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game on several platform marks the 25th anniversary of the original film. Does the Nintendo DS version meet our ghost-busting standards?

Ghostbusters on the DS is a mix of action-RPG and resource management. Unlike the console versions, the DS installment does away with the nameless Ghostbuster and lets you control all four original members. During missions, the touchscreen lets you select and control any of the four and move him using the directional pad. At default, the other three Ghostbusters would follow you, but you can have them attack ghosts on sight by toggling an icon on their portrait. Busting ghosts is pretty simple: tap the screen using the stylus and the Ghostbuster would zap the spot. When the apparition’s life is drained, press the L shoulder button and tap the spot where you want to deploy the trap.

Unfortunately, the action isn’t perfect. For starters, there’s no way to manipulate the camera. When your team standing is against a wall at a certain position, you won’t be able to see them. Secondly, quick-moving ghosts would usually be outside your field of vision so your team would occasionally get hit with flying objects.

Remember though, Ghostbusters DS isn’t all about the action. For the first time, a Ghostbusters game has managed to portray certain behaviors of its protagonists. You’ll see this not only in funny dialog sequences, but also with each Ghostbuster’s abilities. Winston, for instance, is a great support character who’s able to ignore damage when AI-controlled. Ray is friendly with the ghosts, but is susceptible to possession. Egon provides bonuses to research and other science-related skill. Peter’s humor extends to his abilities, like his knack for restoring a teammate’s courage through his “comic relief.”

The game also managed to squeeze in other facets of the Ghostbusters’ everyday life, particularly the downtime at the firehouse. There, you can control several aspects of the ghost-busting business like researching new gadgets and weapons, production of healing items and researched devices, loading of items into Ecto-1, and upgrading of each Ghostbuster’s skills. More importantly, you can slide down the poles. You can also conveniently switch between members while inside the firehouse so you don’t have to run around the whole place. To get back into the action, you may select missions on the bulletin board near Janine’s desk. Once you choose one, the whole team drives off.

Beware: the driving sequence is when the game gets really ugly. The city of New York has never been this dark and you can barely see anything in front of you. As a result, expect to periodically run into obstacles. When this happens, Ecto-1 gets damaged, causing the vehicle to move slower. What’s worse, the drive towards the mission has a time limit, sucking out all the fun within minutes. If you encounter a ghost along the way, good luck catching it. Given the bad draw distance and stupid time limit, you won’t even bother.

The missions themselves lack variety. You’ll either bust ghosts in a restaurant, hotel, museum, or cemetery. That’s it.

For a DS game, Ghostbusters packs quite a punch on the production values. The DS version’s stylized look is roughly the same one used in the Wii version. The environments are quite detailed; shoot it with equipment and certain parts break. The visual effects from the Ghostbusters equipment look spot-on, especially the proton streams from the neutrona wand and the light from the trap. The only weaknesses in this department are the limited draw distance during driving sequences and a minor dip in framerate when a lot of things are happening onscreen.

Audio is bona fide Ghostbusters, from the menu’s piano track to the Ecto-1’s siren. The music is also authentic but given the limited selection, things can get really repetitive. Good thing there’s an option to turn off the repeatedly played Ghostbusters team—just hit the Select button for sweet relief.

Admittedly, Ghostbusters on the DS still needs a lot of tweaking, especially with its isometric camera and driving portions. The game manages to surprise with its unexpected depth, but it’s still hard to recommend Ghostbusters: The Video Game on the DS, unless you’re a true blue fan. If you’re determined to get a new Ghostbusters adventure that you can bring with you, then you can certainly try the DS version. It’s not perfect, but it has its moments.

6/10

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