New York is once again faced with a supernatural cataclysm that threatens to destroy the world and unseat the mayor. A problem of such proportion can only call for one solution: the Ghostbusters. Ray, Egon, Winston, and Peter are back for a game that acts very much as a third movie with a fresh new plot to extend the series. This focus on story and cinematic styling is evident throughout the entirety of the experience, and while the gameplay does suffer a bit as a result, it is by no means disappointing. Ghostbusters: The Video Game is a solid but unspectacular third-person shooter that stands out because of its hilarious comedy and excellent use of atmosphere.

It's 1991 in the Big Apple and the Ghostbusters need a new teammate. This is where you come in. Basically, you play the role of crash dummy for the intrepid paranormal investigators. This job, quite frankly, is fun. You get to test all of the new equipment, are thrown into the most dangerous situations and eventually prevent a supernatural disaster of Biblical proportions. It all starts when the local museum decides to open an exhibition devoted to that pesky Mesopotamian god, Gozer. Shortly before the grand opening, an unwitting scientist, Illysa, unleashes a spectral shockwave on the city. This opens up a catastrophic stream of events that begins with the return of a few old friends.

Every ghost puts up a fight, making each catch a gratifying experience.

Slimer escapes from containment first, and you are off to the Sedgewick Hotel to relive the classic chase from the first Ghostbusters movie. From there, you are catapulted through a unique plot that manages to perfectly balance nostalgia and novelty as you fight old friends such as Mr. Stay Puft, the harsh librarian known as the Gray Lady, and even meet up with Venkman's personal nemesis, Walter Peck. You will also run into plenty of new ghosts along the way as you make your way through popular locations around New York City. The narrative that brings you to these creepy locales is roughly equivalent to a third movie, and gives you the perfect balance of spookiness and comedy that made the series popular in the first place.

While the gameplay that carries you through the story is not as strong as it could be, it is still a solid accomplishment. You will fend off ghosts using a combination of four types of proton pack streams. The default type, which will be used most of the time, is your basic proton blast outfitted with a capture stream to wrangle up pesky poltergeists. The task of capturing ghosts makes up a large portion of your time in the game, and the thrill of setting the trap and bringing in your prey is fun and fulfilling. You can even purchase an upgrade that allows you to literally slam dunk your opponents into the trap for added laughs. While this is all well and good, you'll eventually be forced to fend off ghosts that are more resistant to your basic proton blast. Luckily for you, Egon has some new tricks up his sleeve, and eventually provides you with three upgrades.

The first of these gives you the chance to use a stasis stream that will slow your enemies down and eventually freeze weaker ghosts. This ability is coupled with a shotgun-like blast that is quite destructive at close range. While both streams are fun, they are really only useful in a small number of circumstances, and will rarely replace your basic proton-based abilities. The third toy given to you is not completely new, but is still enjoyable. You get to use an enhanced version of the slime blaster from the second film. This upgrade allows you to destroy black slime (which eventually becomes a portal for some pretty tough ghouls) and the alternate use, slime tethering, allows you to attach a rope of slime to parts of the environment to make them work for you. This leads to some interesting environmental puzzles that provide a fresh break from the combat. The final upgrade, the Meson Collider, shoots highly charged projectiles very accurately at enemies, with devastating effects. The primary fire employs a very powerful charge at a relatively slow rate, while the secondary fire acts like something of an automatic rifle. While these four abilities make the ghost catching portions of the gameplay fun and memorable, the same cannot quite be said for the rest of the game.

When not capturing and fighting off ghosts, you will be spending most of your time simply walking through levels with your PKE Meter out, trying to find any signs of supernatural disturbances. This slow paced meandering can get a bit monotonous at times, but is not as bad as it sounds. While boredom can become something of a factor, the levels are so atmospheric that every step will be filled with tension as voices will whisper to you, furniture will levitate, objects will fly out from nowhere, and more. This structure manages to save the poor exploration elements, but there are flaws in the movement design that are not as well justified. Your character's average walking speed is very slow, and when you try to sprint, it becomes overly difficult to maneuver (a la Gears of War). This becomes especially problematic when you have four or five ghosts throwing books at you in a room filled with desks, shelves and symmetrical book stacks. The environments throughout the game are very crowded, and the clunky movement through them can lead to some frustration.

The proton pack and trap effects capture the vibe of the movies perfectly.

In a game that is so focused on the single player experience, one could expect the multiplayer component to feel tacked on. In the case of Ghostbusters, however, it's not. Online play allows you to join three of your friends in six different modes. Each mode provides a different spin on what is essentially the process of capturing ghosts. While there is not as much variety here as there could have been, it's ultimately not that big of a deal. Catching ghosts is extremely gratifying, and being able to work together with a few buddies is great fun. And since each player is forced to choose a weapon specialty before each round and needs to seek out the best power-ups during the action, there are a few ways in which situations can be approached. Overall, the multiplayer is competently done and will provide an amusing diversion long after the single player mode has been completed.

Perhaps the best part of Ghostbusters: The Video Game is that everything looks and sounds just right. The overall vibe of the movies is captured perfectly, and this is in no small part because of the game's excellent presentation values. While the graphics are not that spectacular on a technical level, the artistic direction is so good that you'll barely notice. Ghosts are colorful, they fit their environments, and their appearance reflects their abilities well. The world around you is atmospherically stunning, and it breaks apart as you'd expect from your weapons. On the audio front, all of the original Ghostbusters and most of the cast from the first film return to reprise their roles here. Other than a few underwhelming lines from Bill Murray, all of the voice work is well done and greatly immerses you into the game. The sound effects are similarly accomplished. Your proton pack buzzes and whirs exactly as it should, and all other effects are spot on as well. The movie's original soundtrack also returns and is used wonderfully to accent moments of intensity. All in all, despite a few technical blemishes, the presentation is excellent.

By the time you have saved the world and handed the city its bill, you will have spent roughly seven hours with Ghostbusters, though the game is substantially lengthened by its multiplayer component. If you're a fan of the Ghostbusters movies, this title is a must buy. For those who were born a little too late to catch the craze, the game is still worth your time, but you may want to check out the movies first. While the core gameplay does nothing outstanding, Ghostbusters: The Video Game captures the atmosphere and comedy of the movies well enough to satisfy anybody with even the slightest interest in catching ghosts.