Game: Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Platform: Nintendo DS

Publisher: Atari

Developer: Zen Studios

ESRB: E 10+

Genre: Tap-'n-Zap Poltergeist Extravaganza

Players: 1-2

What's Hot: Ghostbusting on the go, character development, graphical charm and well-executed storyline

What's Not: Inexcusably dense patches of fog, awful controls, repetitive missions, and frustrating driving segments

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Review by: Cole Jones

For almost as long as videogames have been around, there have been awful games about Ghostbusters. The original game for the Atari is one of the most notoriously awful games ever created, while both the original (and the sequel!) for the NES are so bad, they're practically unplayable. But as anyone who has played these titles knows, they suck so hard, it's practically an art form. I never knew how badly a game could control until I tried my hand at steering the Ecto in Ghostbusters 2, and when I saw how amazing the recent remakes were, I knew something had to be up. For that reason, Ghostbusters DS makes perfect sense. The recent Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/Wii games were far too enjoyable for anything bearing that iconic red-and-white logo, and as such, Atari had to crank back up the suck-o-meter and churn this DS game out post haste.

Ghostbusters DS isn't unequivocally horrible; it simply isn’t very good, and with so many other games out there that are actually worth your money nowadays (including its current gen counterparts), it should be avoided entirely.

Instead of shifting your focus to a single character at a time, Ghostbusters DS follows the original movie to a T by having you control all four Ghostbusters simultaneously as they explore haunted hotels, libraries, and mansions in search of paranormal activity (and a quick buck). Fans of the movie will likely enjoy seeing the story unfold again on their handheld, and the 3D character models are surprisingly emotive and fun considering the DS's meager hardware.

Busting ghosts is relatively easy with practice, as well. Just tap anywhere on the touch screen to have all four Ghostbusters fire their Proton Beams, and once your target ghost is sufficiently busted, quickly release it, tap L to fire your Containment Trap, and zap again until your ghost is got. It takes some trial and error to perfect the timing, that's for sure, but once you get the basics you can opt to have your teammates follow you or hold a more advantageous position to freeze any incoming ghosts in their tracks -- an option that becomes increasingly useful as the game goes on.

Once you get the handle on how to play, Ghostbusters DS' main game is decently entertaining, but lacks the variety necessary for any game to hold your interest past "novelty" status. The meat of it is painfully repetitive: pick out a mission from Janine's laundry list of tasks, hop in the Ecto and race to the mission with your four Ghostbusting comrades, and suck up ghosts, retrieve trinkets, and rescue hostages ad nauseum. Between missions you can work on developing new ghost fighting technology, go on a free ride to hunt ghosts around town, or sleep until to the next day to progress in your development. The two latter choices, just like skipping ahead to the next red "story mission" on Janine's board, reduce your reputation for glossing over an errand -- a bit of an annoyance when you just want to get your next car upgrade and be done with it.

Without a doubt, Ghostbusters DS is one of the foggiest games to grace a gaming system since Turok for the Nintendo 64. While the missions themselves seem to take place in a world that's not located in the depths of a witch's bubbly cauldron, the heinous driving interludes -- which happen every single mission, might I add -- hardly give you more than 10 feet of clarity in all directions. This wouldn't be so bad if your car handled anything like a normal vehicle, but unfortunately the Ecto seems to have been designed by a blind sadist.

It's controlled entirely by the d-pad and careens with the slightest touch, and adding insult to injury, takes a ton of costly damage when you bump into more than one or two things. This wouldn't be so bad if you didn't have a surprisingly stingy time limit (and clientele) that forces you to haul ass to every mission, but instead, you'll likely be out over $6000 for repairs before you're able to turn the Ecto into the tank it needs to be to survive all the false pathways and awkward turns found throughout the city.

While the core Ghostbusting gameplay holds up okay, the real draw to Ghostbusters is its character development system. As you capture ghosts and take on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, your characters gain stat points that can be spent back at headquarters. These points translate to special character abilities, power increases, and other little niceties. For example, Winston is the designated driver. With his stat upgrades, the Ecto takes less damage, performs better, and drives faster. Considering the Ecto costs $3000 to fix when it's completely decimated (and you get less than $1500 per mission for almost half the game), updating his stats is an utter necessity. Other Ghostbusters have tricks up their sleeve as well, like Ray's ability to exchange reputation for cash and all of Egon's gadget upgrades, which makes improving your party one of the best parts of the game.

In the end, is Ghostbusters the worst game I've ever played? No. It's still enjoyable in hour-long bursts, and packs an adequate challenge once you get a handle on the controls. It just pales so much in comparison to the other versions that it's not even worth picking up for anyone other than diehard fans of the series. Those diehards will probably like what they find, but for everyone else, I'd say your money's better spent on something that is less repetitive and doesn't leave you feeling like a ghost sucked up into a Muon Containment Trap.

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