Ghostbusters

"Uh, oh, I think he slimed me."

I Love This Town!

Unless you lived through it… and I'm guessing many of the wee-ones here at GameFaqs didn't… you'd have no idea as to the majesty that Ghostbusters commanded in the 80s.

All the kids were there, busting made you feel good. With the real deal Fab 4, not those washed up rockers, the kids lined up pound for pound to watch the Ghostbusters over and over and over again.

The call was heard at home, and the Atari rushed to get things done. Their version was a hit. No graphics, low sound, but great game play.

When the Nintendo came along, the game got its port. This time the graphics were much better, and the sound, phenomenal.

What would Sega's answer be?

The same. Another port of the Classic Atari game. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm a student of that philosophy. And here, kids. We got a game that ain't broke. Even now, in our foul year of the Lord, 2006. Ghostbusters is still hitting hard. Bustin' makes you feel good.

I'd never played the Sega Mastersystem Port before. It was a ride to pop it in. I thought, how different could it be? So I gave the old 8-bit Nintendo version a run. I was defeated, it's true, but my will was good.

An iron will, with eyes clenched on the prize. Gozar the Gozarian, famed god of destruction from ancient Samaria… known to the idiot programmers that dropped the ball on research as Gorza… would be defeated. She would take a ride to the other side. Back to the 10th Level of Hell. Or Alabama, as I like to call it.

Back to from wince she came.

The real rub here, is that the Mastersystem was a superior system to the Nintendo. They lacked the titles to make a real run in the states. Still, when it came down to brass tacks, the SMS's sound was top notch, while its graphics hit a run every time.

Alright, important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

Ghostbusters' port was tweaked graphics, better sound and a new edition… the infamous Slimer. The nasty green fatso that gained fame through the Saturday morning cartoon. Instead of the same old yellow dish plates spooking around the place, you'd get called to bust a Slimer or five too. Top notch stuff here.

The gameplay stayed mostly the same. You're given a loan from the bank to buy your starter gear. Pick yourself up a car… fast, medium, slow… and make sure it's got plenty of room for merchandise and ghouls. Modesty is important here. So is commodity. Don't waste your 10-g's on the hotrod. There is no call for light speed. What you need is something sensible. Something sturdy. Something that moves, but in the middle. With a good running temp, and plenty of room. What you need, is Ecto 1.

Buy what you want, man.

Then, move on and pick up some equipment. Don't worry if you don't have the bread. Busting ghosts fills your bank account. And soon, you'll have plenty of green to throw around. The shop is never far away. It's stocked with everything a Ghostbuster could need, want and indulge himself with.

Mostly you cruise around the city map, waiting for the old PKE meter to sing. When it does…

Who You Gonna Call?

You got to get to the scene, but quick. Then, it's rad racer. Make your way through the street. Dodging cars, zipping past manholes, and using your ghost vacuum to suck up wayward spirits.

You keep busting, they keep coming. And when the PKE energy of the city gets strong enough, the Stay puffed Marshmallow man hits the scene. Watch it, because he'll dance like a nightmare all over New York. When the buildings go down, the Mayor blames you. Who do you think gets the bill?

When the city starts to boil, if you've got 10,000 bucks lined up, you get to take a crack at Gozar. I won't spoil the fun for you. And I won't tell you how it goes. There's no reason to know if you can't make it there yourself.

Myself, tonight, at long last, I beat the Ghostbusters. It was a movable, wonderful feeling that I took with me all through town. Telling everyone in DC that I was the guy behind the guy who beat Ghostbusters at long last. People knew I was nuts, but tonight, I was king of New York. I was busting ghosts.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 04/04/06