GHOSTBUSTERS
Well… they’re certainly a bust
Nobody could go into this game with high hopes, but boy, is it uninspired. Released to tie in with the latest film, which was obviously the ultimate opinion-divider in itself, this bland spin-off makes spectacularly little effort to feel like a Ghostbusters title at all. We’re led to believe that this new rag-tag team are the successors to McCarthy and co, but other than this tenuous link, it has all the hallmarks of a generic top-down shooter.
You and your friends can choose from four nameless characters, each armed with a different class of weapon. Doing as ‘busters do, you’ll respond to various client calls and investigate areas for supernatural activity, capturing the big nasties with the aid of your trusty proton packs along the way. Done right, this could be total ghoul-wrangling fun, but the repetitive button sequences make it real old, real fast. With little else to do other than collect ectoplasm for levelling up, there’s nothing new here. Even the font looks like it’s ripped from the ‘90s, for wailing out loud. 1
Adding insult to injury, players must endure relentlessly cheesy dialogue from a bunch of characters with zero personality. 2 It’s a shame, because their designs are genuinely appealing – in fact, the game’s crisp art style is its best feature.
The simple ghost bashing and button-mashing action might interest youngsters with less of a filter, but ultimately, this instalment lacks the humour, thrill and charm of any of its franchise’s predecessors. Tiny, terrible and not worth the asking price, the trophy system sums it up best: you get a gold pot just for stomaching the first level. Rhiannon Rees