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When there's something strange in your neighbourhood...

Who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters!

I admit that when I set out on the <i>'Ivanhoe'</i> post I already had this game in mind. I had contemplated covering it on New Year's Eve - as would be fitting - but something tells me that I'll be busy with other things that day. :c)

<b>Warning</b> - A game about a movie is bound to include spoilers for that movie.

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Welcome. This is 'Nostalgic Game Design Focus' a series where I get to think back and comment upon games that I had played when I was much younger - mostly from a game-design perspective.

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<b>Title:</b> Ghostbusters II

<b>Publishers:</b> Activision (UK) Limited

<b>Developer:</b> Foursfield

<b>Coding:</b> Colin Reed

<b>Artwork:</b> Steve Green

<b>Sound:</b>  Dave Lowe

<b>Released:</b> 1989

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<i>'Ghostbusters'</i> was one of those games grabbed prior to departing from the UK. I guess that my parents figured out that it would be a lot harder to find anything decent to purchase in Malta.

Since it took a number of months to settle down and unpack the Atari ST, I would spend a fair bit of time looking at the covers of the games. Doing so was not particularly fun and would only provide brief spells of curiosity - so it was a relief when the computer finally got unpacked. 

As for the game itself. It took me a little time to warm to it. It wasn't the theme so much as the scary first level. Not being a big fan of horror the atmosphere was pretty well captured - but I'll talk about that later.

Something else that I recall doing was making a point of playing this game around New Years Eve. I'm funny like that.

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<h4>Story and Objective</h4>

The events of <i>Ghostbusters II</i> occur 5 years after the events of the first Ghostbusters movie.

A harrowing incident involving the ghostly pulling of a baby's pram away from the mother sets to bring the Ghostbusters out of retirement. Their investigations lead them to detect powerful readings from beneath the streets of New York - so they set up illegal roadworks to get to the bottom of things.

This is where the tale begins within the game - and the ultimate aim of the game is to put a stop to the ghostly resurgence that is set to plunge New York into chaos.

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<h4>A Game of Three Phases</h4>

I would normally begin talking about the controls of the character but this game features three distinct game portions each with their own control schemas - so it makes sense that I'll cover an overview of this first. Last chance to turn back before spoilers.

...

Alright?

Lets proceed!

There are three phases to this game - and each of these pertain to important parts of the movie. What results is a very bare-bones breakdown of the matter.

- A vertical-scrolling foray down to an old rail station

- A side-scrolling foray in a statue on New York streets, &

- An isometric real-time rescue mission and ghostbusting foray into an art museum.

The three could pretty much be considered different smaller games as they are mostly disconnected.

Whats more - the entire game can be played in less than 20 minutes. 

I am not really sure about how to feel about that.

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<h4>Level 1 - Down to the rail station</h4>

On Atari and Amiga versions of the game you begin with an animation of a ghostbuster being lowered into a hole using a cable.

Once inside it is your job to lower the ghostbuster (who looks a little like 'Peter' but some say it looks more like 'Ray') to the bottom of the shaft and investigate the source of the aforementioned spectral readings.

This, as one might expect from such a location, is far from a simple affair.

Not only do steel beams obstruct your path but that shaft is heavily haunted by malicious ghosts.

- Ghosts float up to greet you.

- Ghosts emerge from the walls to spit slime at you.

- Ghostly hands emerge from the wall and try to drag you in.

- Ghostly hands float in the air with an aim to sever your cable.

They aren't very nice ghosts. Sorry <i>Blinky</i>.

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Fortunately you have equipment to help keep you alive.

Unfortunately the designers decided that it would be a good idea to place a bunch of power ups and essential pieces of ghostbuster equipment throughout the shaft. This was a lazy effort on the part of the developers.

Equipment and power-ups available:

<b>Courage<b>: - Improves your ghostbuster's staying power. 

<b>Ectoplasm</b>: - Charges your ray gun with ammunition

<b>Ectoplasm Bombs</b>: - Discharges a horizontal stream of  attack power

<b>Ectoplasmic Shield</b>: - Provides a protective field around the ghostbuster

<b>Scoop Parts</b>: - An essential item that you need to collect all three parts of so as to continue the game...

At the bottom of the level - 125 meters down, you will need to use this last item to collect a sample and end the level.

Beware along the way because if either your cable snaps, or your courage is at an end, your chostbuster will fall to his terrifying fate. Three chances.

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<h4>What 'would' have worked better</h4>

It would have made a lot more sense, and would have improved replayability, to have a phase before the first level where you literally choose your gear load-out. Some things will be more useful than others but this is a short enough game where that is fine - and its the first level!

Have the ghostbuster have a fixed set of 8 carry slots on his person 

An ectoplasmic gun takes two slots.

Ectoplasmic Bombs and Shields take one slot.

Ectoplasmic Charges (compatible with all weapons) take up a single slot

<i>Liquid Courage</i> also takes up a single slot

And keep the scooper gadget as a freebie that has to be there.

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<h4>Uh huh.. What About the Controls.</h4>

The character's controls are not bad (but could have been better).

Lowering or raising the cable is simply a matter of pressing up or down on a joystick.

Swinging from left to right and back again also comes down to the joystick.

However the only way to 'turn' a ghostbuster upon a cable is to press fire while doing so - using up ammunition.

Spacebar allows you to cycle through weapons.

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<h4>Level 2 - Statue Liberty in New York</h4>

The second level sees the action skipping towards the end of the movie and so I guess I'll help fill in the blanks.

Again, spoilers.

So, that baby mentioned at the beginning of this post? It turns out that an evil ghost trapped in a painting in the national museum of art wishes to be reincarnated into the child via possession so as to live once again.

'Vigo the Carpathian' is a nasty character and also has a lot of influence in the underworld, channeling slime from under the city's streets toward the national museum where his power grows. He has also kidnapped baby 'Oscar' and its now a race against time to foil his evil plan.

Unfortunately in the movie their ectoplasmic guns are no match for the fortress of slime that 'Vigo' has set up so as not to be disturbed - and so they need to think up a new weapon to counteract Vigo's negligence. And so it was that the Ghostbusters decided to slime up the Statue of Liberty so as to inspire good feelings and the power to assail the National Museum of Art.

Its a better movie than it is a game.

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Level two sees you in control of the Statue of Liberty in a side-scroller/ shooter, with some good-willed followers behind.

There is also an element of resource management as you have a stockpile of slime that is both your firepower as well as your statue's life force.

You mostly have control of two things.

<b>Your Torch</b> - A disembodied torch light can be moved around the screen using the joystick. Pressing fire releases a shot. The flame can also be used to manually attack enemies but doing so returns it to the position of the torch.

As you shoot the stockpile of slime begins to dwindle.

Fortunately, enemy ghosts killed will drop slime that can be collected by your followers. However you have to be quick as the slime disappears with the next wave of ghosts.

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<b>Your Followers</b> - Kind of like Steemit they follow you around and add to your power pool if used wisely. They collect slime rather than donating up-votes or resteems however.

Controlling them is a simple 'spacebar' toggle. When they are toggled to move forward then they will move ahead of the protection of the Statue of Liberty to collect slime.

Doing this is dangerous though as contact with ghosts leads to their deaths.

However its also essential as if you run out of slime, your statue ceases to function, losing a life.

You also need to watch out for time. If the midnight hour strikes in-game and you have not made it to the end of the level - you are too late to save baby Oscar and the World.

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<b>Of Enemies</b>

There are three classes of enemies to contend with:

- Walkers - these walk in from the right side of the screen but never go as far as the Statue of Liberty. They are there to run interference with slime-collecting operations (and kill followers).

- Fliers - these come in various forms and from various directions. Sometimes  they'll even circle around from behind, offering little time to blast away at them. 

Each ghost blasted will drop slime - for collection - but again time to do so is short and so you will often want to keep the followers out and about.

There really is no good reason why the slime disappears so quickly at times. It is inconsistent and can be annoying. 'shrugs'

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- Boss monsters - at several points you will encounter boss monsters and the Statue of Liberty will stop.

As such it is important to dispose of these bosses as soon as possible - as time is ticking.

Of the three stages I would say that this one is best executed.

However the competition isn't the stiffest and the game offers little to prevent it from growing stale.

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<h4>Level 3 - Final Confrontation</h4>

OK! So Lady Liberty's torch smashes through the skylight.

This level actually begins from that point when the four Ghostbusters slide down their respective ropes to the surface below. 

No frills here. If you go down too fast then the ghostbuster is out for the count in the final confrontation. Up on the joystick to arrest the fall.

And then the level begins.

The baby is lying in front of Vigo's painting, and the process of possession has begun. You have seconds to get to the baby and save him.

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While the game is played in real time, you can only control any single ghostbuster in turn.

'Spacebar' to cycle through them.

This immediately gets on my nerves as this adds a layer of frustration and unfairness that can only be understood by anybody who requires more than the pair of hands he or she is dealt at birth.

Well the first order of business is to get a ghostbuster to retrieve the baby from near the painting and take him somewhere safe.

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The second thing that needs doing is to take out Vigo's possessed assistant.

And while talking about taking things out - lets talk about equipment.

You go in with four Ghostbusters - two loaded with ectoplasmic ray guns and two loaded with slime guns.

The slime guns are mostly effective upon non-ghosts such as Vigo's spellbound assistant. To take out a ghost or possessed human - the ray guns are needed.

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Well - once you slime the assistant out of the game, Vigo himself will emerge from the painting.

He is somewhat harder to deal with as a single ray gun is not enough to hurt or stun him. And this keeping in mind that you are cycling  between four Ghostbusters to try and get them into position. This is not an easy task.

All the opponents in this level fire ghostly rays that stun and/or kill a ghostbuster. Fortunately the game allows you to shift equipment between Ghostbusters if need be.

Well, once you deal with Vigo, one of your Ghostbusters, 'Ray', gets possessed. 

He is more vulnerable than Vigo - but he has to be pinned between a ray gun stream (which can push him) and the canvas that Vigo emerged from so as to be defeated.

And that's it. Game over. You win...
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Of course there are lessons to be learnt even here - and acknowledgements of the various mechanics used.

Rather than having enemies follow a set movement pattern - they had a very rudimentary AI in place that has them march around, try to retrieve the baby, change direction and fire ghostly attacks in whatever direction they are facing.

There are three enemies upon this level and they each get progressively more aggressive with their attacks (their frequency of attacks increases but if they are heading in a direction for any amount of time that can seem like releasing two or three blasts in quick succession.

Which is a big deal when a ghost buster gets stunned by a single blast and can be taken out by two. In the meantime, drain upon enemies' health (if any) is slow.

And so a stroke of misfortune could result in half or more of your team getting wiped out by spammed ghost energy blasts. Plus every time you want to switch to another ghostbuster he turns to you and hails you as if you were some kind of pocket Hitler or something. I'd shrug - but its 'really' not useful for dodging deadly blasts.

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<h4>In Conclusion</h4>

Back then there used to be a bit of a stigma surrounding not only sequels to movies but also video-game spin-offs to movies (with the most infamous one being that of 'E.T.').

While this is certainly not the worst of the bunch, I would say that this game fits in with that stigma. It adds fuel to it.

Some of the music included with the game simply wasn't up to standard  (and made me visibly cringe back in the day, let alone today) and the saddest part is that both the Atari and Amiga were capable of so much better.

While the same is also true of the in-game graphics - they weren't the weakest part of this game by any means. The lazy pixel screen dumps from the movie (why they didn't have a pixel artist modify and clean up the image - I may never know) and filler text were more atrocious by far. These were also the parts that best showed the shovel of the publisher at work, rushing an abridged version of a game that should have been out the door.

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Even so, at least there were elements that could be liked. Not many games involve shaft-dives or navigating the Statue of Liberty.

I also quite liked how all levels had multiple or less simplistic 'health' mechanics.

Level 1's progressively more terrified face for the courage meter was good - as was the inclusion of a destructible cable - and level 2's slime collection mechanic also added to the game. Level 3's baby Oscar conversion progression was also an element although struggling with four Ghostbusters in turn while stuff is going on realtime made for a slight distraction from other things.

Overall, as with many games, <i>'Ghostbusters II'</i> had elements where it did shine - with lessons to draw upon - even if such has to include how 'not' to design a control schema (a simple fix could have been to have the whole 3rd level be classic turn-based action).

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The following video is one of the better representations of this game on Youtube. You'll even get to hear some of the awful remix fortunately the first part is actually decent - just 'lacking').

It won't spare you the 'narrative' between levels but the video is only 20 or so minutes long. ;c)

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8WLzaMp5Ne0" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Nothing like revisiting an old franchise to get those feelings of nostalgia going. Which reminds me - I kind of haven't watched the all-female Ghostbusters movie yet. Hmmm.

Do you have any comments or feedback? I look forward to hearing any comments that you have in the discussion down below!

Also, if you found this post interesting and would like to share this with your followers and friends then a resteem is always appreciated.

Sincerely,
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