Video Games and movies have never had a positive relationship. Movies based on Video Games are pretty reliable for being the worst films in existence. On the flip side a video-game tie in is pretty reliable for being trash as well. That being said, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the relationship that every movie/game cross-over should strive to be.
Simply put, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the only game based on a film series to nail down the feel of the movie(s) itself. Rather than bringing you down by making a character/tool seem less cool, Ghostbusters reinforces your knowledge that bustin’ ghosts is A) Bad-ass, and B) Fun. It’s also important to note that if you’re a fan of the series (like I am) having your heroes talk directly to you like a kid brother (with nick names like Rookie, and Ace) is enough induce a nerdgasm. As for the tools themselves; well let’s say that what Jedi Knights 2 did for the Light Saber, Ghostbusters: The Video Game does for the proton pack.
The story picks up in 1991, 3 years after the previous chapter in the Ghostbusters series. A Gozer exhibit is being put together by everyone’s least favourite Peck (Walter). Seems like something is going down, and at the center of it is a new girl for the insatiable Peter Venkmen to become infatuated with. The situation has the benefit of allowing rehashes of previous movie favourites including: Gozer’s minions, the Stay Puft Marshmellow Man, and the Grey Lady (the librarian and the boys’ first paranormal encounter). On the trail of a series of “nodes” you’ll travel all over the city of New York shutting down ghosts to block them from stealing souls and powering up something dubious...
Looking at the game play from a strictly clinical stand point it’s your basic third-person shooter. The weighting and the feel of the character is fine, it doesn’t break new grounds in terms of movement. You can run, jump, dodge, and fire. That’s about it, there’s no snazzy cover system or other gimmick. The important part is that bustin’ itself just feels good (yeah that just happened). It’s what you would want, it feels like you would expect it to based on the movies, and it’s enjoyable. This is good because you’ll be using the same three steps throughout the game.
It breaks down as Ray Stantz so eloquently puts into three parts: sap ‘em, cap ‘em, and trap ‘em. What you’ll be doing with the actual ghosts in the game is wearing their health down into the red. This can be done with any of your proton’s weapons, and each ghost has its own weakness to a particular type. Once you have them in the red you used your proton pack’s secondary function to throw a capture stream around them, your protonic lasso. From there you need to trap them, so wear them out, slap them around a bit, then throw a trap out under them and wrestle them down into the trap.
It’s insanely gratifying, but it won’t be the only busting in the game. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It probably wouldn’t be good to only be trapping ghosts the whole time (though I kind of think that I would like that). How they break it up is letting you kill corporeal beings, some creatures can just be obliterated rather than caught. You can also use your PKE meter to scan every new ghostly apparition that you come across (if you’re the collecting sort... or an achievement/trophy hunter).
The game also includes a multiplayer mode, which is an online co-op mode. Unfortunately you won’t get to play through the campaign with your friends. But you can have an online career where you’ll be earning money for accomplishing tasks with up to three friends (or strangers). Things like a survival mode, where you take on wave after wave of ghosts and see how long you live. There are also modes like fending off ghosts while trying to destroy their portals, and a hand full of others. But single player is really the strong suit of the game.
All in all Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a solid experience. It’s thoroughly enjoyable and is pretty much exactly what you would want. It’s a vessel for you to fulfill your lifelong dream to be a member of the Ghostbusters’s team. The game play is fun, and rewarding. The story is well written, and for the most part well acted. The sense of humour is there, and it feels like a film (right down to the movie company logos that start off the game). Personally I would recommend this as a purchase for any Ghostbuster fan; you will have fun with this game. If you’re more concerned about playability instead of fulfilling a fantasy though, this might just be more of a rental for you. Either way you should play through the game.
Spot on review Casey. For a movie to game, this is near or at the top. It's awesome. It's great all the original voice actors are there, gives you that authentic atmosphere, and the story itself seems like it would fit as the "3rd movie".
It would have been cool to play as one of the original Ghostbusters but playing the rookie works. I too would have liked to been able to trap more ghosts (because it's fun as hell) but it's nice they changed it up a bit, instead of always capturing ghosts. Driving Ecto 1 would have been dope, the only downside is I wish the multiplayer wasn't just online, because it's fun as hell. I usually never reserve games, but this was one, I did and it was worth, plus I got a t-shirt and a free movie ticket 
It's not a perfect game, but it has almost the things a Ghostbuster fan, like myself, would have wanted.
And it's funny when Ray says the "sap ‘em, cap ‘em, and trap ‘em". Reminded me of one of my professors who always used to say, muff, cuff and stuff, or bag'em and tag'em. Criminal Justice stuff 
LOL That video was awesome ahhaha.
Fantastic review Casey. Looks like I have to get my hands on this game!
Spot on review. My biggest complaint and perhaps only is the game is too short. I finished the game in about 6-7 hours and there is no replay value at least with the single player campaign.
I was pre-sold on playing the crud out of this game but it's only intensified now. I'll forgive and/or overlook a whole lot of shortcomings in a game in terms of it's game mechanic merits as long as you have a wild ride of an experience till the end. Good stuff, I say!