Ghostbusters: The Video Game (PC)
Ghostbusters is about the best movie ever made. Ghostbusters II however is not, but it is way better than watching Legally Blonde. Ghostbusters: The Video Game is not the best video game ever, but it is the best Ghostbusters game ever and that might just be enough.
In the game you take control of a new hire to the Ghostbusters staff. The game is really set up to make you feel like one of the team, albeit the FNG. Most of your training is on the job and you're usually accompanied by at least one of the other Ghostbusters. And many of the missions you're running with the whole crew and it's pretty awesome.
The entire original cast returns to reprise their roles, even Janine and Walter Peck. It' really helps create the illusion that you are a Ghostbuster and it's just effing tits. There's a lot of dialog and good banter throughout the missions reflecting situations and there's enough where things aren't repeated ad nauseam, unless you're a retard who can't take a hint that is. You just feel like you're riding shotgun with the Ghostbusters and if that's not fun I don't know an apple from a pig's anus.
The story is solid and was written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis and it's basically like getting to play Ghostbusters III uncut. The story has a lot of strong connections to the original movie. You learn quite a bit more about Gozar and Ivor Shandor. You get to fight the Stay Puft Marshamallow Man! Nuff said.
Fucking proton pack, it's awesome. If you're gonna make a Ghostbuster game the proton back better be spot on. They did a great job with the look and feel of it I think. I always wanted one of these things as a kid, fuck I still want one. There are lots of other weapons that you accrue through the game to add variety and gimmicks for the occasional puzzle. Mostly the other weapons are a novelty for people who get tired of the proton pack. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with those people, but clearly there is something wrong with them if they get sick of proton packs.
After each mission you end up back at the Firehouse and there's lots of neat little things there. You can chat it up with the haunted painting of Vigo the Carpathian and you can listen in on Janine taking phone calls. Some of them are pretty hilarious. There's an answering machine that usually has a fresh set of messages after each mission. Throughout the game you run across many bizarre haunted objects that are collectable and they end up in various places around the HQ. My favorites had to be the haunted disco pants, the haunted toaster (ala Ghostbusters II), and the Ghostbuster's DVD that Gozar worshipers had summoned from the future to see how their plans turned out (not well).
It's a pretty short game, I beat it in 9 hours and that was taking forever to do everything. I don't think this is a problem though. Making the game long for the sake of adding play time would have been a mistake. It's short and sweet and just like The Raven would not make a good 467 page novel, Ghostbusters: The Video Game would not make a good 23 hour shooter.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. If any good evidence for ghosts ever turns up I am changing my name to Egon and building a proton pack.