The Ghostbusters are back in high-resolution. The 2009 classic Ghostbusters: The Video Game is getting a PS4 remaster, coming in 2019. Saber Interactive, the team behind World War Z, will develop the remastered game.
For anyone who grew up alongside The Ghostbusters crew, the original 2009 title was, as one critic put it, ‘a love letter to the fans.’ It was a game that captured the atmosphere of the original movies, even reuniting most of the original cast. It was Bill Murray’s first and only video game appearance, and it was likely he was pressured into the role by Aykroyd.
2009’s Ghostbusters: The Video Game was developed by Terminal Reality for 360, PS3 and PC, but written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, both members of the original crew. At first, the game was going to be published by Activision, but the costs of the project ran too high. Likely the paychecks for the accomplished cast.
Eventually, after switching publishers several times, it was published, seemingly out of nowhere, by Atari and released in 2009. It was received well by critics and fans alike, and to this day the game has sold over one million units. It scored well across the board and is widely considered the best Ghostbusters game ever.
The gameplay is strong. It’s a third-person adventure game with some first-person elements. Combat with the ghosts revolves around the iconic proton beam guns. A physics-based system made the task of capturing the ghosts much more rewarding when you finally pulled it off. A neat cash system in the game was a funny nod to the destruction typically caused by the Ghostbuster crew while ‘saving’ the premises from ghosts.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game reignited interest in the franchise. Columbia Pictures decided to push forward with a third Ghostbusters movie. Once again, there were several issues pre-production which resulted in a messy script. After the commercial failure of 2016’s Ghostbusters reboot, starring an all-female cast, interest in the franchise is at a wobbly stage.
Thankfully, the PS4 remaster of the Ghostbusters will hopefully put faith back into this iconic universe. The remastered version will have higher quality textures and resolution, aimed at bringing what everyone considers the real third Ghostbusters movie back to life a decade after its initial launch.
Edit: It’s also been announced that Ghostbusters remastered will be coming to Nintendo Switch!
