Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime

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L.D.S.

The Bakersman
Aug 14, 2006
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Mizzourah
#1
First Look: ‘Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime,’ A Video Game Sequel

Posted on Monday, December 6th, 2010 by Germain Lussier




Though Dan Aykroyd recently said that casting was ongoing for Ghostbusters 3, the whole thing doesn’t seem real. In fact, it’s not going to seem real until he, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson put on the jump suits, proton packs and snap a picture. Then I’ll believe Ghostbusters 3 is happening.
Still, anyone who plays video games knows a third Ghostbusters story starring all four original cast members is already out there. Ghostbusters: The Video Game was released last year and was a massive hit. You played as a rookie, learning the ropes from the original Ghostbusters (who all provided their voices to the game), who had to bust a whole bunch of ghosts in their biggest case yet. The game was really short but incredibly fun – from the old school Columbia Pictures logo at the beginning, to the jokes about Walter Peck in the middle, to the epic battle at the end. (If you aren’t going to play it, read the story. It would make a great movie.)
Now, a second Ghostbusters video game will be released in the Spring called Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime. Available on X-Box Live and PlayStation Network, this sequel won’t have any of the original cast members returning and will be over head in stead of third person, but it will have local and online four player multiplayer. Read more about it and see the full size versions of the photos after the break.
USA Today’s Game Hunters got the scoop from Sony and Atari about the game. In their article they call this game “a passing of the Ghostbusters guard” because none of the original actors will return. Really, that’s just a nice way of saying “cheaper sequel.” But, isn’t that what Ghostbusters 3 is going to be too? A passing of the guard? Maybe this is just getting us ready for that.
In the game, up to four players can take control of nameless Ghostbusters to wrangle up a bunch of baddies. Plus, players will get to drive – no, not the Ecto 1, 2 or 3 – they’ll get to drive the Ecto 4WD as seen in this photo.

While regular game play will look a little something like this:

Even though it won’t have the original voice actors, since I can download the game so easily, I’ll probably pony up the $10 or $15 dollars it’s going to cost just to blast away a few ghosts. The first game was a whole bunch of fun, even when Bill Murray wasn’t talking, so maybe this will be more of the same.
Is this a game you’ll download and play or do you vehemently oppose its existence without the voices of the original Ghostbusters?
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fillyacup

Rest In Free SoCo
Sep 27, 2004
31,995
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#4
I see noo problem..at firsst i thought it was a retail game but fuck it, 15 to get down on some ghostbustin im in..hell, the last i felt was one of the best movie games ever made..this cant be all bad
 

fillyacup

Rest In Free SoCo
Sep 27, 2004
31,995
11,252
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#5
http://ps3.ign.com/articles/113/1138890p1.html

It caught even me -- Greg Miller, admitted Ghostbusters super-fan -- off guard last week when Atari popped up in USA Today to talk about Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime; it's a brand new GB video game that's set for this spring. I wasn't shocked because there was another Ghostbusters game coming out (the last one sold more than a million copies), but I wasn't expecting a complete departure from the third-person, movie-like adventure we saw last time around. This time, we're getting a top-down, four-player shooter similar to Dead Nation or Gauntlet that's only available via download.

My mind was blown like the original containment unit. However, after an hour of hands-on time with Sanctum of Slime this morning, I'm happy to report that it's fun and looks to capitalize on that couch co-op gameplay so many of us know and love. Of course, you can play it with online buddies as well.

The story here is a simple one: we're set in a contemporary time period after the events of the movies and the game. The Ghostbusters have hired four new cadets to defend New York City, and that's where you and your friends step in; if you have no friends, the other 'busters are AI-controlled. Through a dozen levels, you'll blast ghouls, ride in the Ecto-4WD and trap bosses. To get info in-game, text conversations will pop up in boxes, and to get the scoop outside of the gameplay, you'll watch interactive, comic book-style cutscenes. There's no voice work for any of that.

In-game visuals were the first thing that stood out to me in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime -- both in good and bad ways. For starters, the Ghostbusters -- Sam, Oscar, Bridget and Gabriel -- all look really sharp. There are the creases you'd expect in their jumpsuits and the Proton Packs are whirling away. On the downside, I was a bit disappointed to find that Sanctum of Slime is reusing some of the assets from Ghostbusters: The Video Game. My demo started with the quartet in the Sedgewick Hotel (yes, we're going back there... again) and the first ghost I saw was the same chef ghost from the last game and he called out a bunch of bellhop ghosts from the last game. Now, the level itself wasn't a shot for shot remake of the previous Sedgewick stage, but it had the same color motif. Similarly, fans noticed the first screenshots of the game looked like they were in the graveyard from the last game -- they are.

Atari didn't have a breakdown on how much is new and how much is reused on the visual front, but I was a bit saddened by it. By no means does Sanctum of Slime play like Ghostbusters: The Video Game and the top-down perspective makes things feel fresh as you go into rooms and see through walls, but it's aimed at fans like myself who are going to notice this kind of stuff. I was looking forward to a new Ghostbusters adventure in a new place.

Still, everything else seemed fresh. I was thrilled to see the game doing a lot of stuff to make Ghostbusters creepy again. At one point, the team and I were investigating a haunted insane asylum, and the place was genuinely spooky with its destroyed labs, shadowy corners and patients who stood around like statues before showing that they were possessed and then coming at me.

You're going to have three Proton Pack attack modes in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime that are each geared for a specific type of enemy. The basic stream attack is meant for the enemies with red health bars, the shotgun blast is meant for yellow foes, and the ricochet energy ball (which gets more powerful as it hits stuff) devastates blue enemies. While you're going room to room and battling spirits, you're not worrying about trapping them.

Atari said developer Behaviour wanted a Castle Crashers-like pacing for the game, so most levels are just blasting the hell out of anything that gets in your way. When you get to end bosses -- like the possessed subway train that attacks like a snake -- you'll need to use your ghost traps. In my demo, I wailed on the bad guy, tossed the trap and then had to pull off a string of face button prompts to bag him. The faster I did the buttons, the more points I got.

In the end, points are what the whole game is about. As you zap these ghosts, you're earning points and multipliers and whatnot. In the end, you're compared to all of your teammates so that you can laugh at fourth place and marvel at who got all the relics hidden in the game.

Not every level is just you and the crew walking from place to place -- sometimes you get a ride. Yes, Ecto-4WD levels are here and have the 'busters in the flatbed section of the vehicle (which looks like the lovechild of an Ecto-1 and Hummer) firing blasts into the New York City streets. Now, you don't actually drive the car as another one of the rookies is a former cabbie, so he takes the driver's seat. But getting wheeled around to fight ghosts is definitely a different take on the Ghostbusters. I enjoyed it, and I didn't miss driving as the car tends to go a bit nuts in all the right ways.

While Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime is no doubt still in its early stages, it seems like it's got some good stuff going for it -- even beyond the beloved license. The levels are creepy and look good, I like the effects, and the subway snake boss seems creative. Sure, I wish those assets weren't being recycled and I wish the developers would include drop-in/drop-out co-op, but I'm interested to see where this one is going. Keep the action exciting and the levels varied, and these new paranormal investigators could catch on.
 

MysticOracle

si vis pacem para bellum
May 4, 2006
7,158
4,697
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707- VALLEJO
#6
well


i just downloaded this "piece of work"....i said fuck it whats 9.99 im a baller lol

so yeah the game kind of plays like "dead nation" but with ghosts and ghostbusters...there is no talking just comic book tellings

3 different weapons color coded to fight the color corresponding ghosts...red kills red, blue kills blue, yellow kills yellow...and when all three come popping out at once...watch out..its a party!

so far its decent...you play as 1 of 4 ghostbusters recruits...no original cast..though they are involved...no voice over work at all in this game...like i said the story plays out with a comic book feel...and the intro is the classic "ghostbusters" theme...
 

MysticOracle

si vis pacem para bellum
May 4, 2006
7,158
4,697
0
42
707- VALLEJO
#12
i don't go for every trophy in games i don't like...this game will get one play through, no revisit necessary...when i go for the trophies typically its after the first play through or during a great game....no trophy cups for the king of cups?