Atari's next Ghostbusters to be downloadable in 2011

Atari has provided our office with screens of Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, their downloadable title to be released on XBLA, PSN, and Windows PC this Spring. This top down action game will still have a number of weapons along with massive supernatural foes. Take a look and keep an eye out for more as we get closer to release and be sure to stock up on MS for the soon to be available XBLA titles to be released in the next month.

Mother Pus Bucket! | The Ghostbusters Review (Xbox 360)

Hot on the heels of the 25th anniversary of the original Ghostbusters Theatrical release, comes the one-two punch of the Blu-Ray Release (check out a great review here) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

We've already reviewed the Wii version on the site, you can check that out here, but wanted to go into some of the differences on the Xbox 360 version.

Other than the noticeable graphical difference (the wii version is a decidedly more cartoony affair), the Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis penned story is the spiritual successor to Ghostbusters 2. Set two years after the events of that film, you play the new "silent" recruit, the fifth-wheel to the original four (all voiced by the original actors) and guinea-pig for Egon's new testing equipment. The supernatural happenings are back in full-force in Manhattan, you'll see plenty of new spirits, but expect some run-in's with some of those all-time favorites from the classic films.

It's with that mentioned above that that the first hour or two feels more like a re-hash of a few scenes from the original flick. Banking on hooking you in with nostalgia, you'll head back to Hotel Sedgewick, back to the Library, and even encounter the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. After you get past that, however, the game feels entirely new, with new areas to explore, and with the twist of entering other dimensions, adds a puzzle-like element to the game.

The controls are standard 3rd-person fare here, you move your character with the left stick, and control your camera view with the right. Using a combination of the right and left triggers, you aim and fire your proton pack. Various upgrades are available as you earn money to unlock them. Though this upgrade system initially feels good, it lacks much depth and eventually feels like more of an afterthought.

The gameplay does alter the traditional 3rd-person shooter mechanic, as you're not just firing at anything that moves, you have to lower a ghosts defenses enough so that you can "capture" them and draw them into the trap. This tends to become difficult when there are multiple enemies on screen, and if you're playing solo, it's a crap shoot if your team mates will actually revive you (a'la Gears of War).

The xBox 360 version features co-op gameplay (1-4 players) as well as various multiplayer modes, including Containment, Slime Dunk and more!

The bottom line from our point of view, is outside some strange difficulty curves, and some other minor issues, this probably has to be one of the most faithful "movie-tie-in" games there is. I guess, to that point, I'd hope that 25 years is enough time to get it right. The game is fun, humorous, genuinely spooky at times, and basically a big interactive version of what could have been Ghostbusters 3.

Mashbuttons.com gives Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Xbox 360 version) 8 out of 10

Ghostbusters: The Video Game | Review

Synopsis: As part of the 25th anniversary of the original Ghostbusters film, gaming fans of the franchise will now have the opportunity to play as part of the team on the console of their choice. The game is written by the writer/actors that were a part of the original blockbuster hit and also sees support from the original cast members to help make this new pop culture sensation. The basis of the story is set two years after Ghostbusters 2, with Manhattan once again being consumed by the supernatural. You play as a new recruit working alongside the original team, with a variety of equipment and gadgets at your disposal to wrangle and trap phantasms gone awry.



Praise: This game is something adults and children alike can come to enjoy and even play together as long as you have two remotes and nunchuks. Even though the graphics strongly resemble a familiar Pixar movie about superheroes, the Ghostbusters feeling is there and just as enjoyable. The soundtrack and the voice acting are fitting to the flow of the game and is the same music found in the first and second Ghostbuster films. If you are unfamiliar with the movies, you can still enjoy the game while not be completely lost. The coop feature of the game does make playing the game more enjoyable when there are other people around.



Gripes: As the game starts, a tutorial walks you through the controls and objectives needed to complete the game. You look around with the remote and move with the nunchuk, however, the sensitivity of looking around is a little too much. It is too easy to spin too far, and then over correct yourself while trying to find objects and ghosts to scan. Luckily, you can use the “Z” button to lock on to ghosts, easing the issue of motion sickness while looking around. Lastly, the levels can be rather short, before having to watch long cut scenes leading into the next level.



Overall, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a fun, entertaining, and interactive addition to the Wii’s growing library. It is always fulfilling to throw a ghost against the wall, ceiling, and floor, before capturing it. Though the game has some minor quirks that can be frustrating at times, the voice acting and soundtrack teamed with the storyline are strong elements that help make this a solid and enjoyable game. Playing the game from start to finish only takes about five hours, but it is easy and still fun to go back to the game with a friend and play some levels on coop mode.

Mashbuttons.com gives Ghostbusters: The Video Game 7 out of 10

Ghostbuster: The Video Game for the Wii, hit store shelves on June 16th.

Ghostbusters: The Game provides us with release details

Atari has just announced their worldwide plans for the launch of the latest release Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The launch of the Game coincides with the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release along with the launch of the first Ghostbusters movie on Blu-Ray. I now dub June 16th...Ghostbusters Day!



The Ghostbusters game is written by the original writers, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, along with using many of the original cast members. The plot takes the player to 2 years after the original story in Manhattan, once again being terrified by ghosts.Gamers play as a new recruit to the original team to capture the paranormal.



Ghostbusters: The Video Game is scheduled to be released on June 16th for XBox 360, Wii, Playstation 3, PC, and Nintendo DS. The PSP version is coming world wide in Autumn of 2009. For more information, please visit www.ghostbustersgame.com.

Who you gonna call? Xbox, Wii, both?

Call it a guilty pleasure, but I love seeing anything Ghostbusters in the subject line of e-mails from Atari. I wake up this morning and see the debut trailer for the Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the Wii.

Even though I have a Wii, the only game that has been in it for the past four months is Boom Blox, with the exception to House of the Dead: Overkill for a brief couple of weeks, this trailer may bring me back to the hours of enjoyment that I haven't had since Super Mario Galaxy.

After seeing this trailer for the Wii Ghostbusters game, I am torn as to whether this will be played on my Wii or the 360...decisions, decisions, decisions. Both?