Ghosthunter

"As close you'll get to a fun Ghostbusters experience"

Who didn't enjoy the Ghostbusters movies? Anyone who said yes get out of my face and out of this review, since this is coming from a Ghostbusters fan. The ghostbusters (notice how many times I said gbs so far) games have been mediocre at best, and I haven't lived the quirky ghost experience with a game... until Ghosthunter, a game of ghosts that never takes itself too seriously.

The game starts off in a school, where our protagonist releases masses of ghosts upon the world by pressing a big red button somewhere in the basement. Note to machine creators: don't make a big red button that's screaming press me as the only gateway between ghosts and their freedom. However, there are good and bad ghosts, and it so happens a foxy female one accompanies you on your adventure.

The first proper level kicks off with a weird puffy ghost roaming the morgue, as if being a keeper of the place. What you have to do is hide from it, and eventually it will open a gate, leading to a new area, and so on. This ghost is very reminiscent of the green naughty blob of ghostbusters fame and it sucked me right in on the action.

Everyone knows that you can't kill ghosts (right?): you rather weaken and capture them, and that's why you weaken them before throwing your bomb at them for the capture. The bomb is sort of a device that can be used limitless-ly. Weapons aren't this game's main treat, and they all do feel/sound a bit generic with little satisfaction to their oomph.

What's really lovely is how this game manages to set a mood so close to ghostbusters without being a failure. It's moody, fun, and funny all at the same time, made quite apparent with levels such as the ghost village (an abandoned village according to the dictionary, but a ghost village in every sense of the word at the same time).

The graphics are pretty, with special effects and ghosts being the main point here. The ghosts ACT LIKE ghosts, which means that at times you never know what's going to be around the corner and how it will act. Animation doesn't flaw smoothly, but it does get the job done.

As a bottomline, I'd like to say that if you're a fan of ghosts in a light-hearted climate, get this game.

Pros

+The ghosts
+Especially the one that roams the morgue; you feel it's alive
+The graphics are pretty
+and soundtrack's lovely
+Sniper rifle stands out among the weapons
+Fun puzzles, including a ghost you can control to trigger certain actions

Cons

-The locales are generic
-The animation can be a bit dodgy at times
-Sometimes you're left clueless as what needs to be done

Story - 7
Visuals - 7
Audio - 8

Gameplay - 8
-FUN Factor - 8
-Controls - B
-Difficulty - Normal

Lifespan - 7

Overall - 8

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/17/09

Game Release: Ghosthunter (US, 08/17/04)