NES Game Reviews #179 – New Ghostbusters 2
‘New’ Ghostbusters 2 due to this being the 2nd game based on the hit sequel, following on from Activision’s abysmal effort, beaten around 100 games ago.
Besides being based on the same movie, the two games couldn’t possibly be more different. Activision’s offering had all the charm and aesthetic you’d expect from what was essentially a cobbled together collection of mini-games, none of which were particularly fun to play, all of which felt particularly phoned in. It was also a difficult game to beat. Hal Lab’s entry is the polar opposite. Perhaps not crafted with quite the love of their later Kirby game, but nonetheless created with a seemingly effortless expertise that instantly shines a proton beam at Activision’s lacklustre failure.
After selecting 2 of the 4 Ghostbusters to play as (including a blue skinned Winston?), your aim is to clear each level, room by room of ecto-threats by zapping ghosts with one Buster and trapping them with the other. In reality you only have control of the Ghostbuster with the Proton Pack, though by pressing B you choose when the other throws the trap. the second Ghostbuster simply mirrors the movement of the first usually to great effect, though occassionally the AI will decide to take the longest possible route to your destination. Minor bugs aside, the premise works wonderfully, making for a very satisfying experience.
Though the gameplay style remains a constant throughout, there’s enough variety in enemy design to stop it ever becoming a bore, demonstrating to Activision that one well designed gameplay mechanic is far more engaging than 4 sub par ones!
Really the only criticism one can have for this is simply how easy the game is. On my first playthrough I made it to the final boss and would likely have beaten him had I known it was my final continue. 2nd time round I finished the game without even using a continue. For the most part, the boss fights are a non-event.
It’s a rare treat to play an easy game on the NES so wont linger on this being a negative in fear of jinxing myself, though in finishing perhaps if there were a few more levels, it might feel a little more fleshed out!
