The PSP finally gets its turn at busting ghosts five months after the game was released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, PC, Nintendo Wii, and DS. The PSP version of the game was developed by Red Fly Studio, so it should be relatively similar to the PS2 and Wii versions, sharing the same single-player campaign as the other console iterations.

If I had to hazard a guess as to why it has taken this long for the game to be ported to the PSP, I'd say somebody was waiting for a time when the release of the PSPgo sparked renewed interest in Sony's handheld. We'll see how that works out for them.

With The Conduit out of the way and a couple more Wii projects being polished off, High Voltage Software is now ready to make the leap into the "next-generation." They've signed an agreement with developer Terminal Reality that grants them a lifetime license for the Infernal Engine, which was the driving force behind the extremely well-received Ghostbusters: The Videogame on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Joe Kreiner, VP Sales and Marketing at Terminal Reality, neatly dismisses the Wii as a current generation platform.

"With more than 75 titles shipped, High Voltage Software has a proven track record of developing quality products on all of the current platforms. Through the use of the Infernal Engine technologies, they are now able to extend that remarkable track record into the next-generation platforms."

Poor Wii. Still, considering how painful it was to read reviews for The Conduit, perhaps moving to a new platform is in order.

Because while the individual SKUs of the game may not have performed as well as many would have predicted, the game released on a lot of systems. Seven, to be exact. 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS, PSP and PC. And according to developers Terminal Reality, when those sales are combined the game has sold over a million units.

Add in the fact the game will probably have a long tail, that it's outsold any other movie tie-in for 2009 and that in PAL territories it's not out on 360 yet, and thing's are looking just fine for Ghostbusters, thanks.

When it came to producing a video game that was exciting and captured the spirit of 'Ghostbusters,' a Lewisville outfit got the call [Star Telegram]

The Fort Worth Star Telegram fingered the cost of development for the game at $15 million to $20 million.

The budget figure ran in a profile of lead Ghostbusters development studio Terminal Reality, which earned the opportunity to make a Ghostbusters game after one of its militiary-shooter prototypes impressed Vivendi Universal in 2006.

Ghostbusters film and game actor and co-writer Dan Aykroyd has also talked about the budget to the press, estimating in a June interview with the magazine If that the game's publishers spent "like $12 or $15 million" to make the game.

Last month, the CEO of Ubisoft said he expected the average video game budget to swell to $60 million in the next gaming hardware generation.

Vivendi, which merged with Activision, did not publish the game when it was released in June. In the U.S., Atari did. But a representative from the publisher did not respond to a request about these budget figures by press time. Kotaku has also inquired directly with Terminal Reality and will let readers know if they can shed any more light on the cost to make the game.

When it came to producing a video game that was exciting and captured the spirit of 'Ghostbusters, a Lewisville outfit got the call [Fort Worth Star-Telegram]

The presence of Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the film's original writers and two of its leading actors, lent weight to the game as more than just a supernatural shooter involving familiar faux-technology. But we've seen impressive star power in movie adaptations before. So is Ghostbusters: The Video Game just a bunch of friends getting the band back together, or are we in for something more, a canonical sequel in its own right?

Loved
Multiplayer: This made me love the game all over again. It's deep and fun enough to keep you involved with Ghostbusters for well more than, say any rental period. You get instant action or cooperative campaigns - action being one "job" and campaigns being a series of them. Job types range from survival (destroy ghosts) to containment (trap them) to protection (protect a series of positions) and "thief" (a reverse-capture-the-flag, ghosts against you.) The ranking, achievements, and "most wanted" ghosts you encounter provide plenty of incentive to hang in there and pile up your score. The weapon enhancements you accumulate lend a semi-MMO quality to your online career. But mostly, it's just nonstop ghostbusting action, which is probably what made you reach for the game in the first place. I promised my review copy to a friend, and after finishing my first campaign, mailed it to him and raced back out to buy myself a copy so we could play together. That's how good the multiplayer is: It's $60 impulse-buy good, for someone who had the game for free.

Ghosts in a Ghost Land: Visually, Ghostbusters: The Video Game hits the original movie's art direction right on the screws. The phantasms carry on the themes of the original films, presenting the spirits as gross caricatures of their emotions and motivations. Not only is their look consistent, so is their behavior, and their ghostly swooping and darting, heedless of aerodynamics - as it should be. The more warped intersections of our world with the beyond are very impressively rendered; walls and ceilings disintegrate, the rubble drifting away into infinite, swirling backgrounds.

PKE Performance: Quite subtly, this game lets you decide what kind of Ghostbuster you want to be. If you want to blast your way through the game like a paranormal firefighter, go for it. But if you want to investigate a scene before cleaning it up, the PKE Meter is your tool. It exposes collectibles (worth money for upgrades) and scans ghosts, giving you some extra cash and filling up your notebook with some amusing histories. This should appeal to completionists, and very much extends the campaign mode's lifespan.

Doing damage: Destruction is an art in Ghostbusters, and the proton stream is your medium. Nearly everything in this game is destructible - most of it quite pointlessly, but that was Ghostbusters, wasn't it? A running dollar-figure arbitrarily totals up, the damage you do in your career. It's just a score, this has no effect on your in-game funds. Large insurance policies taken out by the city cover all the cleanup, and since this is set 14 years before Hurricane Katrina, you know they'll pay up. So go ahead and rake those priceless works of art with your slime blower. And after you finish a prolonged bout with all four Ghostbusters wrangling a platoon of spookies in a library basement, be sure to take a look around and admire your tableau of flickering scorch trails and slime puddles. It would make Jackson Pollack proud.

Ghost wrangling: On harder difficulties, the ghosts soar higher, and slamming them into the ground or walls takes greater effort. The venting option, too, is brilliant, forcing a reload-type mechanic on you without violating the infinite-ammo supply of a canonical proton pack. You'll have to develop your own methodology, when to deploy a capture stream, how to use it, and when to let go and vent the pack. Sometimes it can feel like you're not connected to anything on the other end. But sitting here writing this I'm still lured in by the whirring sound of the trap and the satisfaction of dragging some struggling ghoul down a flight of stairs, through stacks of books, and into confinement. Every one is a battle in its own right, rarely repetitive. I relished having ghosts to trap, even though they took much more work than those I blasted into infinity.

Dialogue: People speculated this game couldn't possibly be as funny as the film because Bill Murray's celebrated ad-libbing, said to be the source of so many quotable lines, isn't feasible in a mo-capped production. In a way, they're wrong. At times, the in-game banter substitutes for this ad-libbing, and some of the lines are bona fide howlers. Winston Zeddemore's obvious, yet subtly stated agitation at having to fight Confederate ghosts cracked me up so bad I had to hit pause. "I wish these traps had windows," he said, "it'd be like a little Vicksburg snow globe." Even the little things show you this was not some thrown-together script. In the game's first sequence, New York is rocked by a pulse of energy, passing through the Ghostbusters headquarters. Everyone staggers. A lesser writer would script out "What the hell was that?" or some other useless exclamation. Here, Harold Ramis calls for Egon to say, deadpan, "Was that us?" Just three words, but they instantly brought me back into the world of the Ghostbusters.

Hated:
Errata: For all of the above, Ghostbusters is not a perfect game. Here's an omnibus paragraph buttoning up the flaws, none of which on their own are enough to spoil the game but need to be mentioned. Single-player load times are a bitch, especially after repeatedly failing a mission. The single-player campaign upgrades are nice, but you'll have bought them all by the middle of the game, diminishing the incentive to do extras to earn them. For another reason, I felt a twang of disappointment midway through; the mystery seemed to be building up for an incredibly long experience, and then the story abruptly and conspicuously lurched into its resolution phase. Finally, in parts the game really could have used a map, or at least some way to highlight your next objective. In dimly lit environments it is not always obvious how to overcome the obstacle in front of you.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is what a film adaptation should be - true to everything that made a movie a hit and a thrill ride in the first place, without shamefully exploiting itself. It's not the first good game of the season; but in a way you'll feel like summer has truly begun once you play Ghostbusters, a game that very much honors its blockbuster heritage.

Some might think that a game that brings in the entire core cast (minus one), two of whom are the original writers, should be a success born on third base. If so, why hasn't it been done until now? Because for everything in the gameplay and set design expected of a AAA title, that's what puts the shine on this experience. You want to be a Ghostbuster? Strap on the pack, because you are going to run with the real Ghostbusters. "This team plays to win!" Winston said, right before the finale, and I swear I swelled up with pride.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game was developed by Terminal Reality and published by Atari for the PlayStation 3, PC, and Xbox 360. Multiplayer developed by Threewave Software. A substantially different version is available for Wii and PS2, developed by Red Fly; Released on June 16. Retails for $59.99 PS3 and 360, $49.99 PC. Played the Xbox 360 version. Completed singleplayer campaign on "casual" difficulty; retested several levels of singleplayer on all difficulties; Played all online multiplayer modes.

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Game blog Lens of Truth put both the PS3 and 360 versions of the game under the their... lens of truth, achieving results that show the PlayStation 3 version appears to be filtered through a fine film of ectoplasmic residue. What does that mean in technical terms? Decreased texture quality, lower resolution and missing shadowing and lighting effects, according to the site's tests.

The blog's side-by-side comparison isn't favorable to the PS3 version, which they point out carries with it a substantial hard drive installation to little perceived benefit.

A similar test was run by Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter, who handles head-to-head console comparisons for Eurogamer. Two of his findings highlighting the quality differences can be seen here and here. He also tweeted earlier this week "At the gutter end of Face-Off 20 with Ghostbusters: The Video Game. It's like time-warping back to the dawn of PS3 development." We'll assume that's a reference to previous quality differences between Xbox 360 games and their PlayStation 3 counterparts.

We've contacted Atari, its third-party PR firm and Ghostbusters developers Terminal Reality but have yet (checks again) to receive a response to our inquiries about the differences.

What can we learn here? Well, if you're equipped with both consoles, your decision about which version to purchase might have been made a little easier. If you're in PAL land and were on the fence about importing a region free copy of the game, perhaps this detailed look at the game's visuals will get your ass off the fence.

We'd definitely recommend exercising caution in the comments. Because it could get bad in there if people don't behave themselves. How bad? Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.

Head2Head: Ghostbusters [Lens of Truth]

That's right. According to Destructoid, Atari has set free Ghostbusters: The Video Game from its region-specific encoding, which would allow our friends across the Atlantic a chance to play the game on the console of their choice. Well, as long as your console of choice is either an Xbox 360 or starts with the word PlayStation.

Good move.

Xbox 360 version of Ghostbusters not region locked [Destructoid]

Humor is hard in games. So, as excited as the Giant Bomb podcast hosts sound about the new Ghostbusters game — and they do spent several minutes talking about how much fun they're having with a build of it — they are resigned to it not being as funny as the movie that spawned it.

Here's their key exchange, at 51 minutes, 40 seconds of this week's episode:

Ryan Davis: I think the issue is… the thing about Ghostbusters is the source material is so funny. And doing humor in games is really hard, especially when you have something that people like me revere so much. Trying to make something that is going to hit those same levels in next to impossible, particularly in a video game. Particularly when it's like 25 years after the movie came out.

Jeff Gerstmann: Especially when it's something like an action game, not the most story-heavy genre in the world.

Davis: I think the voices are ok. It's just the things they're saying aren't as funny.

Vinny Caravella: The humor in Ghostbusters.. it's in the writing but it's also in the characters who are delivering it. It's pretty subtle. There's good facial expressions. And turns and winks and nods.

Davis: Yeah, and you don't get any of that with the CG model versions. Everyone has very cartoonish expressions. I'm playing the Xbox 360 version… The Wii version will be much more stylized… but the 360 version they look a lot more realistically proportioned but their animations are still over-the-top. That stuff just looks weird.

Ghostbusters is out this June on all major platforms.

05-19-2009 Giant Bombcast

And it isn't just proton streams being crossed either. The developers have lined up a bevy of backpack-centric weapons for the Ghostbusting team to bust out in multiplayer, including a thin green ray and a...blue ray. Bout time they upgraded to blue ray, isn't it?

It certainly looks like fun though. I just worry about the "Play as Your Favorite Ghostbuster" bit. I never imagined I would one day consider fighting over getting to be Peter Venkman, but now it seems inevitable.

While Wii, DS, and Xbox 360 fans will be left out of the ghostbusting loop this June in PAL regions, North American fans can rest assured that they'll be busting with the best of them come June 16th. That's when the game launches across all platforms save the PlayStation Portable, which scores a worldwide release of its previously denied version of the game this fall, with Sony handling publishing duties in Europe and the UK.

"Ghostbusters: The Video Game is one of our most significant worldwide releases this summer. Through Atari's North America publishing business and alongside our partners at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, we have a strategically diversified approach to maximize a title of this magnitude on a global basis," said Jim Wilson, CEO, Atari, Inc.

They're maximizing the title by not releasing it on four popular formats in Europe? Makes perfect sense to me.

A listing for the PSP version of Ghostbusters: The Videogame appeared on the ESRB ratings site in early April, only to have Atari deny that such a version was in the works a few days later. Perhaps the reason behind Atari's denial was the fact that Sony Computer Entertainment Europe is publishing the PSP version in PAL regions this fall, or perhaps they just didn't want to ruin the surprise. Well...surprise!

We contacted Sony Computer Entertainment America to inquire as to whether or not the PSP version would be releasing stateside as well, and were informaed that SCEA had no plans to publish Ghostbusters. Looks like the ball is still in Atari's court here in the states!

Atari's being very clear about this with the game's box art. The Wii, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS versions get the caricature version seen on the left, while the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC versions get the more photo realistic version on the right. The aesthetic even applies to the game's cover specters, with slightly less menacing ghosts featured on the lower-definition, E-10+ rated version.

Not totally unexpected, but a rare instance of a publisher being so forthcoming about the platform differences on the box art.

Case in point: Atari has denied that Ghostbusters: The Videogame is actually coming to the PSP and the Entertainment Software Ratings Board has since pulled the platform from its rating of the game. Atari reps tell Eurogamer that a PSP port of the ghostbustin' game is "not true."

You shouldn't be left wanting for platforms to play it on, though. It's coming to every other platform under the sun. Just not the PSP, says Atari.

Ghostbusters not coming to PSP - Atari [Eurogamer]

We knew the game was coming to the Wii and Playstation 2, but the Playstation Portable seems like a bit of a surprise. Though, given the multiplatform nature of the game why wouldn't it appear on Sony's portable?

Now for a little hot spoiler action as found in the ESRB's rating summary:

This is an action adventure game in which players hunt, fight, and capture ghosts and other fantastical creatures, including the "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man." Players mostly use a rifle-shaped wand that emits laser-like currents ("proton streams") to stun and trap the ghosts. Players can also shoot a green gel-like substance to weaken creatures and ghosts. Proton streams often cause environmental damage, leaving burn marks on walls and causing small objects (e.g., books, chairs, tables, picture frames, and potted plants) to disintegrate. The game also contains some tongue-in-cheek dialogue used for comic effect (e.g., "Why do the good ones always play hard to get?" and "I'll cover the elevators and escort any ladies safely to their rooms.").

ESRB Rating of Ghostbusters: The Videogame

The studio says that the Infernal Engine offers excellent cross platform support and is compatible with all of the "leading gaming systems" including the PC.

The developer plans to show off the engine at the DICE conference over the next few days. They also plan to release a tech demo featuring a revamped look at The Stranger from their 1999 game Nocturne. I wonder if that means we can expect a true sequel to their survival horror game.

If you happen to be in the Dallas/Lewisville, Texas area, you might want to inquire if they're still ongoing. The Craigslist posting notes that there will "several sessions over the next month both during the day and in the evening" so we'd say bug 'em. We've played it, so we'd definitely encourage you to try to do the same. It's not a paying gig, but you do get the bragging rights of having played Ghostbusters.

Focus testers wanted for upcoming Ghostbusters video game [Craigslist]

The DS version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game is made up of three main parts: Management (upgrading character skills, researching technology, making weapons, etc.), Driving the Ecto-1 around town and – duh – Busting, which is basically questing. There's the main quest which is modeled after the plot of the console versions of Ghostbusters (minus the Rookie character), and a series of side quests that help the Ghostbusters earn cash to afford weapon and technology upgrades. Questing also builds up the Reputation score – if this score drops to zero, it's game over.

It's still early days for the DS title yet, so what I saw of the game wasn't exactly smooth sailing. The game looks like any top-down shooter (ugh – bad Alien Syndrome flashbacks…), but the character and level designs were distinct enough at this early stage to recognize the Ecto-1 parked in the driveway of the abandoned fire station that is Ghostbuster's HQ. Gameplay involves switching back and forth between all four Ghostbusters on the team, making use of their unique character traits and specific abilities to accomplish level goals.

For my all-too-brief hands-on, I got to navigate the team from HQ to the Library. First I climbed in the Ecto-1 and tried to navigate my way through town with the D-pad and face buttons. This brought back bad memories of Crazy Taxi, what with road blocks not being mapped on the HUD and no real idea of how to get where I wanted to go. Once I got to my destination, a button tap had all four Ghostbusters out and ready to take commands from the stylus. I could cycle between characters with the shoulder buttons.

And then everything kind of went to crap when Winston got stuck outside the Library while the rest of the team went in. I'm not sure if there will be any rubber-banding with the four characters to keep this kind of thing from happening; like I said, it's early days yet. The dev took the DS back from me to trying and unstuck Winston; but by then I was out of time and had to move on to the next game at the Atari showcase.

In theory, Ghostbusters: The Video Game on DS will be out in June with the console releases – but there's no official word on this yet. And no screens, either – so use your imagination if you want to know what Bill Murray looks like in DS sprite form.

This article retracts the whole thing about Bill Murray – quite right, I had him mixed up with Rick Moranis and will suffer the wrath of the internet for months to come."

Can you blame me? Empirically, the Wii suffers from “bastard stepchild port” syndrome, which leaves Wii owners like yours truly high and dry when it comes to triple-A titles.

Luckily, Ghostbusters: The Video Game on Wii isn’t a port of the PS3/360 version, so much as a reimagining of the same game from the ground up. The voice work is similar and the script is almost entirely the same – but the level designs, control scheme, and cartoony style of animation are all made with the Wii in mind.

The biggest difference is the visual style. Developer Red Fly knows what kind of people tend to own Wiis; they made it visually appealing to this younger, er, less-hardcore crowd with vivid colors and cartoony character designs. You won’t see as many creepy details like children’s handprints all over walls or hideous-looking ghosts with their hair falling out – but the script is identical to the PS3/360 game, so the humor and story stay the same.

The second big change is the level layout. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: the Wii just can’t do what 360 and PS3 can do in terms of memory space. This means the levels can’t be huge sprawling multi-hour investments with half a hundred checkpoints. Instead, the levels are more straightforward and simplistic in design, although it looks like the enemy types and timing of encounters sync up between the Library level on the Wii and the Library level on the PS3/360.

The last big thing the Wii version has going for it is the control scheme. I wasn’t actually allowed to have hands-on with the Wii mote for more than a few minutes (just long enough to write my name on the wall with the proton pack) on the count of the developer still hammering out the details on the controls. But the motion of ghost-capturing looked a little more intuitive with flicks and shakes and waggles at well-timed intervals instead of button mashing or wild flailing. According to Red Fly, the controls won’t be making use of Wii MotionPlus – but with games like The Conduit pioneering fine-tuned movement, hopefully the third person run-and-gun action in Ghostbusters will work out well.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is out for PS3 and 360 this June. Atari hasn't given us any reason to think the Wii won't make this same launch window, but after all this game has gone through, I won't believe it's out until the box is in my hand.

So says Ghostbusters: The Video Game developer Terminal Reality. After enduring a long and painful process to get this game published, I suppose they’ve earned the right to some hyperbole – and it’s not really hyperbole if the game turns out to be as awesome as Tom Hanks, right?

I started my first ever hands-on with the PS3 version of Ghostbusters at about halfway through the Library level. I’d already seen previews and clips of the areas before this point; where our heroes are heading into the library to chase down the Gray Lady from the movies. The “levels” in Ghostbusters are extremely long – more like areas with many levels within them. The Library has about eight “levels” total and takes anywhere from one to two hours to complete (depending on your gameplay style – run and gun versus stop and smell the roses).

So, I’d say I was about an hour/hour and a half into the game – long after the everyman “Rookie” character has been introduced and at some point after Winston had separated from Egon, Raymond and the Rookie to do some research on the Gray Lady. The journo before me had inverted the PS3 controls, so when I tried to get the hang of moving, I walked into a trap, pointed my gun at a wall and immediately blew myself up with one of the fire-spraying weapons that had been debugged for my use.

When you go down in Ghostbusters, one of your teammates can revive you if they’re still on their feet and nearby. But if all three or four of you go down, it’s game over and you load back at the last checkpoint. The checkpoints are pretty generous throughout the Library level – and I’m glad because if the levels are all two hours long, I’m going to need points during each where I can quit out so I can keep feeding my normal life.

The running dialog (written largely by Dan Aykroyd) between Egon and Raymond (and sometimes Winston from what I saw in the Library level) keeps you up to date on what you’re supposed to be doing, where you’re supposed to be going and what’s going on in the story. This makes for a seamless gameplay experience as well as a hilarious movie/game. When asked to describe Ghostbusters in terms of genre, the Terminal Reality guys said: “Third person action comedy.”

Both Egon and Raymond bit it following my ill-fated button press. We immediately spawned back at the checkpoint just before the trap and I had time to change the control scheme to something less bitched. The lack of a HUD in-game was a little hard to get used to, but once I learned which guns made the proton pack change which colors, it was surprisingly easy to switch between rays during boss fights where you need to use combination stun-and-wrangle tactics.

The ghost-capturing was tricky to master at first. You’ve got to target the ghost, start shooting your proton ray at it and once it’s in your grips, mash a button or trigger (depending on whether it’s the PS3 or 360) to send a blast its way and stun it. Then you can drag the ghost over to the trap on the floor and move on to the next book-flinging thing from another dimension. This requires both excellent timing and knowing which buttons to press exactly when; Terminal Reality says the controls aren’t a hundred percent hammered out yet – but hopefully the number of buttons or triggers you need to press to capture a ghost will stay below three.

After picking up our ghost-filled trap, we headed down deeper into the library. Little blips of static would cue me into turning on my ghost-vision tool (I know it has a real name in the movies – forgive me for being too young to remember what it is). This tool lets you see all kinds of stuff the naked eye would miss; children’s handprints on a wall, hidden doorways and clues, and – of course – ghosts.

The Gray Lady led us deeper and deeper into the library where a Necronomicon-looking book appears to have killed/possessed the old woman at some point in the past (y’know, before she became a ghost). Once discovering this, the Gray Lady morphed from harmless-looking librarian into screaming banshee of death. Like all bosses or mini-bosses in Ghostbusters: The Video Game, there’s a dominant strategy to beating a foe and hers involved smashing book stands from which she generated her shield.

I died before I managed to figure this out; but mercifully, the game lets you skip the static cut scenes. So instead of watching Egon argue with Raymond about not touching the book, I got to listen to them do it in real time while I positioned myself in the best part of the room for book-stand blasting.

Once her shield was down, it was fairly simple to finish off the Gray Lady. This concluded the Library level and following a series of events, we wound up in the next level – which I’m supposed to talk about. Sufficed to say, there’s a perfectly reasonable scientific explanation for why the sky can be both pink and doom at the same time and Peter will explain it to you while the level loads.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is designed to be easy to learn (straightforward, at least), difficult to master (thanks to weapon upgrades and dominant strategies), and always – always – fun to play because it’s Ghostbusters. Really, Acti-Blizzard doesn’t know what they’re missing.

The game is out this June. There will be about 50 Trophies/Achievements, spread out between multi- and single-player; and you can count on a demo – although nobody seems quite sure when. Expect it to sync up with the 25th anniversary Blu-Ray release of Ghostbusters.