Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the best game based on the franchise and this remaster makes playing it more enjoyable than ever.

For me and for my generation, the subject matter that Ghostbusters: The Video Game so respectfully represents is a flight back to the carefree childhood. Here’s the catch, though. It’s not a one-way nostalgia ticket to the bygone world but a fun game that perfectly holds up today with its entertaining gameplay, sparkling and characteristic visuals and amusing narrative. Can I ask for more from the game? Wait, of course I can! Next, give me a Ghostbusters game where I can play as Jillian Holtzmann and the world would be complete!

It’s not as if the original game was all that stunning or anything, but there are plenty of moments here where Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered just looks blurry and kind of ugly. That’s not enough to make me not recommend it, though. In fact, I’m almost certainly going to go out and buy myself a copy of the game on the Switch, just so I can have it with me at home and on the go. Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is likely only going to appeal to people who have some nostalgia for the movies — but if you have that nostalgia, it’s practically a must-play.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is the ultimate fan-game—that is to say, a game for the fans. It captures everything that made the original film great, and puts you in the starring role; really making you feel like a Ghostbuster. With everything that this game does right, it’s a wonder how more Ghostbusters games weren’t made, excluding the terrible Sanctum of Slime, and Ghostbusters (2016) game.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is elevated thanks to its cast and writers. This could have gone so wrong in so many ways but it ended up being one of the better movie tie-in games made in the seventh console generation. Some of the situations can get very hectic since there is so much destructible geometry, but don't expect too much variation when busting ghosts. It would have been interesting if the rookie and the guys were stuck in a centralized setting and had to explore and investigate like a Resident Evil style house but instead set-pieces are connected by moving forward and never looking back. Most importantly, this remaster preserves Ghostbusters: The Video Game from vanishing into obscurity like many movie tie-in games tend to do.

For better or worse, Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is still the best example of proton slinging in the gaming medium. Terminal Velocity and co have preserved the unique mechanics of spectre combat and improved the in-game visuals to a suitable degree. However, the same can not be said for cutscenes, certain audio moments and the incredibly dated tropes. If you accept that this is a decade old title and fancy some time with Peter, Ray, Egon and Winston then there is still a lovable and endearing game to find underneath it all. Bustin’ still feels good, but your mileage will vary.

Any fan of the franchise will enjoy it for its authenticity, references, behind-the-scenes insights, and the opportunity to finally see what happens next as they accompany the original crew on another mad caper overflowing with ‘buster banter straight from the creators themselves.

So much of Terminal Reality's love shines through, even though this isn't a mind-blowing remastered effort. Don't eye this in the store and zip into your Ghostbusters overalls expecting a super sexy visual transformation – like bookish Dana Barrett to the siren-like Gatekeeper. You instead should power on your pack with the knowledge that this game is just oozing authenticity like an open New York City sewer does “bad mood slime”.

As an officially licensed instalment in a beloved franchise, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is still a resounding success ten years on. But as a third-person shooter with physics-based ghost capturing, it’s a bit one-note. The atmosphere, design, and voice cast are perfect, but the combat peaks early and quickly become a bore. The main campaign is enjoyable enough that it’s worth enduring the repetition, though.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is still a fun ride for fans of Ray, Egon, Peter and Winston. And the fact that its upped resolution and framerate make it look better than ever doesn't hurt. It's just too bad that no new features were added and that the game lost its multiplayer mode. Let's just hope that Saber Interactive will keep its promise and add a new multiplayer mode soon.

What was great about Ghostbusters: The Videogame still shines through in this remaster — it’s a loving tribute and fitting ‘sequel’ to one of the greatest comedies of all time, the dialogue and performances are top-notch, and fighting the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is still tremendously enjoyable. With that said, the nostalgia that masked gameplay warts in 2009 isn’t quite as potent today. However, it’s still a romp that any fan of the franchise will greatly appreciate, and given the sorry state of game archiving these days, I’m grateful we get the opportunity to play it again.

A rather weak remaster on the technical side, but to which it is impossible not to recognize a certain intrinsic cultural value, closely linked to his respectful love for the cinematographic saga.

Ghostbusters: The Videogame Remastered still has the charm of the original outing, but the laziness of this remaster prevents it from reaching a higher score.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered is a double-edged sword. It does a lot of things right with the story and atmosphere, but the gameplay is mediocre to good, with many flaws around the companion AI, which often ruins the experience. Since the fun multiplayer component of the original release isn't included yet, this game is only for serious fans of the movie or the original game.

We were hoping to have something new in terms of contents. However it's the exact same game from 10 years ago with all of its pros and cons.

It’s tough to recommend a ‘remaster’ of a game that’s only half remastered. If you’re a massive Ghostbusters fan and you missed the original, then there certainly is something here for you. The fights are fun, and of course, the original cast is still hilarious, but throughout the entirety of the experience, you’re constantly reminded that you’re playing a game that’s a decade old. I wanted to like this so much more than I did, but at the very least, there is some significant potential groundwork here for the ultimate Ghostbusters game.

Quotation forthcoming.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered offers endless joy to the fans of the Ghostbusters movie franchise, but maybe not to others. If you never watched the movies before, you probably shouldn’t buy this game either.

An option to switch between the art styles, if not a complete overhaul of the in-game graphics, would have made a world of difference in making this remaster feel like an expansive, all-encompassing archival effort.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a personal favourite purely for its loving attention to detail and will always rank amongst gaming’s most faithful and memorable movie adaptations – more than worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The Warriors, Alien: Isolation, and The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay in that regard. But this marginally prettier and inconsistent remaster doesn’t really make for a profoundly different or improved experience over the 2009 original, and there was a lot of room for improvements that could’ve made it more enjoyable to play through and appreciate all of that fan service.

Fans of the original Ghostbusters: The Video Game will probably enjoy this, even if it’s just for a trip down memory lane and to see the cast again and visit some iconic locations. But due to its repetitive combat, insufferable artificial intelligence, and dull gameplay, I would advise first-time players to maybe pick up something else if you’re looking for an enjoyable and fulfilling third-person shooter.

This is practically a must-play for fans as it’s easily the franchise's best video game, not to mention one of, if not the final time all four cast members reprise their iconic roles together. It’s a totally solid nostalgia romp that effectively checks off “become a ghostbuster” from the childhood bucket list.

It always put nostalgia first and gameplay second, but 10 years on and Ghostbusters: The Video Game just feels like mediocre fan fiction.