By Adam Rosenberg

It’s true, I ain’t afraid of no ghosts. Not anymore. For a long time,Terminal Reality’s “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” had me -- and many other franchise super-fans – worried. First there was the promising early footage from Zootfly, a developer which ultimately lost the rights to the film. Then there was the brief preview level sent out to press by subsequently confirmed Sierra developer Terminal Reality; as great as it was to hear the film’s original actors contribute their voices, the gameplay was extremely raw. And unpolished The apparent final nail in the coffin seemed to come when Activision merged with Vivendi, and “Ghostbusters” was among the casualties.

Just when all seemed lost, that’s when things started to turn around. Atari swooped in and snatched the free-floating in-development title up. Terminal Reality started to push the game’s Infernal Engine as middleware, a viable competitor to the likes of the ubiquitous Unreal Engine. And finally, after almost two decades of speculation, O.G. ‘Busters Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd starting hinting at a third movie. Now the stars have aligned and “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” is upon us. And it is good.

The Basics

Without spoiling too much of the story -- conceived and scripted by Ramis and Aykroyd -- strange things are afoot in New York City. Just shy of the opening of a high-profile Gozer exhibit, a supernatural explosion of sorts occurs and the Ghostbusters kick it into overtime. You play a new recruit to the team, a mute whippersnapper with “Rookie” printed on his nametag. No one’s expecting you to last very long, especially since you’re the test subject for all of the crazy new equipment that Egon Spengler (Ramis) and Ray Stantz (Aykroyd) dream up.

The Highs

Who You Gonna Call?: Ramis, Aykroyd, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson are the Ghostbusters you remember. They sound a bit older, and their comic timing is subject to the limitations of their digitally rendered counterparts, but Egon, Stantz, Venkman and Zeddemore well and truly live again. Joining them are original castmembers Annie Potts (receptionist Janine Melnitz) and William Atherton (Walter Peck!!).

Ray Parker Jr.: The original “Ghostbusters” theme song was licensed for the game, and it plays behind every single load screen. It does not get old. Ever.

Tell Him About The Twinkie: Whether it’s a sly recreation of a situation from the original two films, an background easter egg or even an Achievement title, “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” hits every major beat that a fan could ask for. From Vigo’s portrait in the team’s firehouse headquarters to Egon’s dire predictions for the coming mess (echoing the fondly remembered “dogs and cats living together” bit from the first film) to individual spook descriptions in your Tobin’s Spirit Guide, this is a game that revels in its source material at every turn.

Banter: Action moments only rarely feel the sting of canned, repeated dialogue. True to form, the Ghostbusters constantly crack wise with one another throughout the game, keeping in-mission chatter feeling constantly fresh.

Busting Makes Me Feel Good: Yes, there’s a game in here and it is fun. Wearing ghosts down with your Proton Pack (and other upgradeable goodies) and cramming them into traps looks and feels exactly as it should. New ghosts demand additional or changed tactics as the story progresses, keeping the action feeling fresh throughout.

The Lows

I Feel So Funky: The controls are a bit sluggish, particularly the dodge/run button. Granted, you are carrying an unlicensed nuclear accelerator on your back, but it’s all too easy to be surrounded and brought down by groups of the game’s weaker, non-trappable enemies.

Unconvincing Actors: It can’t really be helped, but a lot of the game’s intended humor is lost behind non-expressive digital renderings of the original ‘Busters. There are plenty of legitimately funny moments, but they are balanced by an equal number which fall flat simply because of inherent technological limitations.

We Came, We Saw… We Got Lost: There’s some nice variety to the environments in “Ghostbusters: The Video Game,” but you still inevitably find yourself running through same-y corridors and rooms in visits to a hotel (the Sedgewick, ‘natch), the New York Public Library and the Museum of Natural History. Many of these spaces are wide open, to better facilitate the ghost busting. With no map and no directional finder however, it is far too easy to get turned around and inadvertently backtrack.

Overwrite?: Every time you load up the game (on Xbox 360 at least), a window inexplicably pops up with a warning that proceeding any further will overwrite your saved game. It turns out to be fine; your autosave is overwritten as you progress, but that’s the way it should be. That pop-up warning is nonetheless jarring to see, especially the first time you try to access a saved game.

Final Word

Fans of giant marshmallow men and free-roaming vapors have their day in the sun with “Ghostbusters: The Video Game.” The game itself is above-average; not great, but certainly fun to play. Your rookie ‘Buster isn’t as nimble as he could be, but the controls rarely get in the way of the good times. More than anything else, “Ghostbusters” delivers as an experience made by fans, for fans; it is a worthy addition to the franchise and a welcome return to classic characters we’ve come to know and love.

Note: The online component of the game could not be tested prior to this writing.