Ghostbusters
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Game
Reviewed: Ghostbusters
Publisher: Atari
Developer: Terminal Reality
Reviewer: Matthew
Scott
Platform: Xbox 360 (also on PS3)
Category: Third Person Action
ERSB Rating: T
Game
Summary:
Ghostbusters
the game takes place in 1991 two years after
the second Ghostbusters movie. In the game the player plays as the
nameless new
recruit in which you will play through several levels of hunting ghosts
with
the original four Ghostbusters. Also, since you are the new guy, you
get to be
the guinea pig when it comes to testing out the new equipment.
The
story for the game was written by Dan Akroyd and Harold
Ramis (the guys who wrote the first two movies) so the game feels much
like a
true sequel to the Ghostbusters franchise. As for the story, it opens
with some
supernatural activity going on at the museum where there is a Gozer
exhibit
(Gozer was the main evil god from the first movie). Then through a
series of
events the Ghostbusters find themselves having to hunt down some of the
ghosts
from the first movie such as Slimer, the Librarian ghost and the Stay
Puft
Marshmallow Man as well as the ghost of one evil occultist who wants to
take
over the world. So strap on those Proton Packs and get ready to bust
some
ghosts.
What Parents
Need to
Know
Violence:
As
a Ghostbuster you will use your proton pack to shoot
ghosts and trap them. There is not any actual blood or gore in the
game, but
there is one level in which the Ghostbusters have to fight a ghost
called the
Spider Witch. There is reference in the game that the Spider Witch
would hang
her victims’ corpses from the ceiling and drain their bodies of blood.
You
never actually see this in the game, but in the level where you have to
fight
the Spider Witch, there are bodies hanging from the ceiling that are
completely
covered in spider-webs.
Language:
There
was some minor language in the game. I heard the
following words:
damn – twice
pissed – twice
slut – once
hell – twice
Sexual
Content:
When
the Spider Witch is in her human form she wears a dress
that reveals some cleavage.
Spiritual
Content:
There
are references to the occult in the game such as with
Gozer and the cult members who worship him.
There
are also some levels in which creepy things occur such
as tables levitating or the whispering of ghosts in the halls,
including one
level in the children’s section of a library where you hear the ghostly
sounds
of children.
Last,
worth mentioning, there is one level where the
Ghostbusters have to fight some ghosts that have the ability to possess
people;
there is even a scene where one of the Ghostbusters gets possessed. The
only
way to free people of these possessions is to shot them with slime
which causes
the ghosts to leave their body.
Conclusion:
Ghostbusters
the game really felt like the third movie that
fans have been waiting for. Although there is a lot of reference to the
occult,
like the movies this is approached from a comedic point of view. I
would not
recommend this game for young children, however, as some parts might be
a
little creepy for younger audiences. The game is fun, however, and if
the
spiritual content does not offend you, Ghostbusters makes a good
weekend rental
for older kids and adults.
