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.
Oltre a essere basati sullo stesso film, i due giochi non potrebbero essere più diversi. L'offerta di Activision aveva tutto il fascino e l'estetica che ci si aspetterebbe da quella che era essenzialmente una raccolta di minigiochi, nessuno dei quali era particolarmente divertente da giocare e tutti sembravano particolarmente banali. Era anche un gioco difficile da battere. Il gioco di Hal Lab è l'esatto contrario. Forse non è stato realizzato con lo stesso amore del loro successivo gioco di Kirby, ma è stato comunque creato con una perizia apparentemente senza sforzo che fa immediatamente brillare un raggio protonico sul fallimento di Activision.
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!


