Forget Game Informer – Variety has the first details on the upcoming Ghostbusters game!
The games will be published by Sierra Studios (owned by Vivendi Universal) in the Fall of 2008 for six (6!) platforms – PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PS2, and Nintento DS. The interesting part is that half are for the grown up gamer, and half will be aimed at a family or casual gamer. Since the casual forms will be on the PS2, Wii, and DS, this suggests a big difference in the type of game.
Also confirmed is that all four GBs, Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis will be lending their voices to the game, with Aykroyd and Ramis writing the storyline.
Even better is that William Atherton, Brian Doyle Murray (Bill’s brother, and the psyche doctor from the second movie) and Annie Potts are signed on as well. No word on anyone else, though word has it that Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis have passed.
The photo above is from the Variety article, but has no credit or reference to the games – does anybody know if that is fan art they nicked for something to use?
[Update] Thanks to some digging by Charles and Tyler, here’s a second picture (though, as much as I love the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, bringing him back doesn’t bode well for a unique GB story – maybe he’s in a flashback. That certainly looks like the end of the first movie.)
Also, it looks like there’s at least 1 Ghosthead at Terminal Reality (developers for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 versions)
I’m giddy!
Since I found that articlue I might note that when you do the google search you can see a pic of Stay Puft..
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&q=Ghostbusters&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tab=wn&scoring=n
I’d like to see a higher resolution version of Stay-Puft. I’m very curious to see if thats an in-game Slimer. I’m very excited. This has seriously made my day.
The hardcore/casual versions sound like that rumor from a few days back.
i got the bigger staypuft image to work. It’s not THAT much bigger but you can see it clearly is from the game and all.
http://www.variety.com/graphics/photos/_storypics/ghostbuster_staypuff.jpg
I noticed the same thing Charles, but it’s useless at the size it’s at – the article was more informative, which was that point. And for the record, you’re not the only person that can use Google News, so try and keep a stiff upper lip, yeah?
Thanks for the bigger picture, Tyler!
Look at the image on the top corner it says Vivendi games
Yes, so, that suggests its official.
I have two words to say about this…HELL YEAH!!!!!
But I may just have to get castewar drunk, and when he passes out,strip him down to his underwear and tie him to a post near a busy freeway and leave him there. Cause…I WANNA FIGHT MR. STAY-PUFT!!!!
j/k
Thank you Jesus.
Finally…. after all the years of dreaming of the guys reuniting… and Annie Potts is even in it.
Thank you.
What’s most ironic about this news coming out today (Nov. 14) is that just last night (Nov. 13) on the new episode of X-Play (a sixty minute “Super Mario Special”), the third Video Viewer Mail question asks if there’s going to be a new Ghostbusters game. Adam & Morgan mention Zootfly working on one, but not having the rights. Then they reminisce about the original Activision game from 1984, which they praise. They each say a quote from the movie afterwards before the next review begins. They make no mention of this news, though I have no clue when they actually filmed the episode, so it could have been a week or two ago.
The Wii version will be great due to the motion controls (it’ll actually feel like you’re wielding a real proton gun). Of course, I don’t have a Wii (or a PS3, XBox 360, or DS). I’ll definitely get the PS2 version, and the PC version (if it’s different then the PS2 version – though maybe I’d get it if it’s the same anyway) if it will run under Windows 2000 (will probably have to upgrade to XP most likely).
Based upon what Dan Aykroyd said back in February, this might be based on his Hellbent script. So, although we’ll never see that become a Ghostbusters 3 movie, this is most definitely the next best thing. In fact, it may actually be better than a movie because (1) it’s featuring all of the original cast, (2) they can look like their 1984 selves thanks to it being computer graphics (and I pretty Janine doesn’t look like that slutty clown impostor from GB2), and (3) the “viewer” can actually be a part of the story by playing it (a true interactive movie).
I do find Mark Caplan’s (VP of Sony’s consumer products division) quote in the Variety article to be a pretty big slip in the face: “This brand is a very important asset for the studio, and we feel it’s prime time for it to be rediscovered through videogames.” If the Ghostbusters brand was such a very important asset, then why not put out the damn Real Ghostbusters & Extreme Ghostbusters season DVDs?!? Let the brand be rediscovered though those DVDs, as there are more people who own DVD players than own video game consoles (not counting systems that double as DVD players).
Plus the DVDs could double as promotion for the games, and vice versa. I really hope we start seeing those DVDs by the end of 2008 to tie-in with the release of the game. If no DVDs appear, then Sony will really prove themselves to be stupid.
Sorry for all of the posts one after another, but I just noticed something pretty funny. Remember I said that on the Nov. 14 episode of X-Play (airs at 8 PM on the G4 channel) they mentioned a GB game, but didn’t have the news that we have now? Well, even though X-Play didn’t have the news, G4 surely did. They posted an article about it in their “The Feed” blog on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 at 2:31 PM. Too bad no one at the station noticed that the content in the X-Play episode was now a tad non-current, and updated it at the last minute before airtime.
Scratch that last post. I’m an idiot. Got my dates messed up. The X-Play ep was Nov. 13, the post on the G4 site was from the day after. I can’t believe that I didn’t even notice what I posted in the comments a mere 30 minutes ago. It’s times like this that I wish I could delete or edit my comments here.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!
I’m buying it for both the wii and 360…hopefully my credit card debt will be a bit light by fall 2008.
correcton:
…. a bit “Lighter” …
Hey Castewar just adding to your comment about the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man being in a flashback, maybe the developers could be making the endings of GB 1 and GB 2 as not only flashbacks (for the games’ story-line) but as flashback MISSIONS! If that were the case that would be f’in sweet….a totally brand new story line for the game while being able to confront Vigo and Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man within the game itself. I hope that’s what Vivendi is doing!
If people are upset that there are Slimer and Stay Puft battles in these screens, I’d just say keep in mind that the game is a year away. These may just be something to whet your appetite. Get people excited by showing them something they know. I’d love to see the characters return if they do it intelligently in the story, but I’d rather have a new story all together. Plus, like I said, the game is still a year away. If the battles against the old foes are in the game, they probably aren’t too deep into the story or else they wouldn’t have shown them. When were the first screen shots of a game shown the final boss (in reference to Stay Puft of course) anyway?
Given the time it takes to put a Slimer / Stay-Puft battle together, I doubt they’re just for show – unless the project gets a major overhaul, those scenes are already in the game.
And the news made it to SlashDot:
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/11/15/2027224
Yes, the Game Informer article and a blog asking “Gee, why isn’t Ernie working on the game?”
Still, it’s a good sign, all the broad attention the game is getting – it’ll need it, to make it worth Sony’s while (an thus, make anything Ghostbusters related worth their while.)
PAUL SAID: “I do find Mark Caplan’s (VP of Sony’s consumer products division) quote in the Variety article to be a pretty big slip in the face: “This brand is a very important asset for the studio, and we feel it’s prime time for it to be rediscovered through videogames.” If the Ghostbusters brand was such a very important asset, then why not put out the damn Real Ghostbusters & Extreme Ghostbusters season DVDs?!? Let the brand be rediscovered though those DVDs, as there are more people who own DVD players than own video game consoles (not counting systems that double as DVD players). ”
……………………………
How true,Paul. How true.
They don’t truely care. It’s all a “PR song and dance.”
Sony has never truely cared. Or ever been brilliant, in my opinion.
All those nice words to sell more units. All about the profits.
Perhaps this is a start of a trend on their part to revisit old money making IP’s from their studio,that they know will gain a quick profit, to recoop some lost revenue from their overblown and overpriced PS3 and other blunders.
Next will be a “Tootsie” video game…..lol!
My worst fear would be a crappy game with the GB name slapped on to just earn profit.
The GB license just can’t take that anymore. This has to be good. But in todays world, I may be asking to much.
Hoping that it turns out well.
Well, I dunno about the graphics. With such a rush it won’t look too good. As for GB III… I think they’d better pass this one.
I am in the middle of the making of the movie in SA, as it doesn’t take place in NY, this is not the original team, though I search for LC map. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=YWx44JRZ64g