A new Ghostbusters film is almost here, but it's not Ghostbusters 3.
Paul Feig's upcoming film, in theaters July 15, is a full-blown reboot of the franchise. Though it follows many of the same beats as the original Ghostbusters film and even features cameos from some of the original film's cast, this new movie exists in a completely separate universe.
That's no doubt a little disappointing to all the fans who longed to see the original Ghostbusters cast strap on their proton packs one last time. However, even though a real Ghostbusters 3 will never make its way to the silver screen, fans can get an idea of what it might have been like by playing the 2009 Ghostbusters video game on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
In numerous ways, it's the unofficial Ghostbusters 3. Much of the original film's cast, including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson, were involved. It takes place after Ghostbusters 2 and features many of the plot elements and locations that likely would have made their way into an official third film in the franchise.
The basic plot is this: the team recruits a new member (the player) as they discover that Ivo Shandor, the architect who designed the 55 Central Park West building that was used to summon Gozer in the first film, also built a network of tunnels underneath New York City. The tunnels channel ectoplasmic slime as a means to summon yet another "Great Destructor" like Gozer. The team travels to various locations throughout the city, putting a stop to the paranormal activity, and eventually travels to a mysterious island housing the mansion of Shandor.
The team escapes the island just before it sinks, only to learn of the appearance of a foreboding mausoleum in Central Park. Shandor himself possesses the mayor of the city, as he attempts to sacrifice one of his descendants in an effort to summon a Great Destructor. It's then that the Ghostbusters save the mayor and Shandor's descendant, only to be sucked into the ghost world where they must do battle with Shandor's destructor form, the "Architect." Of course, the heroes emerge victorious, only to later decide that five Ghostbusters on a team is one too many, though they give the player their blessing in establishing a new Ghostbusters branch in another city.
What more could fans ask for? The game is written by Ramis and Aykroyd, features numerous plot elements that tie into the original films, stars the original cast, leaves the door open for new ghostbustin' opportunities, and perhaps most importantly, is a fun game to boot. While it wasn't perfect, the game received mostly positive reviews when it released. Here's what original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman has to say about the 2009 game's place in the franchise:
"I was very thankful for it," Reitman says in a Game Informer interview. "It wasn't as good as I had hoped, though. I know a lot of people like it a lot. I'm not a big gamer, so I'm the wrong guy to critique it. It just didn't seem lively enough, but I thought it was good for the same reason I helped found Ghost Corps [production company]. I think it's a great and worthwhile story to be able to continue."
It's not exactly high praise, but more than a few Ghostbusters fans loved the game for providing the chance to hang out with the original team one more time. It's great to hear the new reboot is getting positive reviews, and no doubt, it's a fun way to spend a few hours. However, for fans who still long for more adventures set in the original film universe, the 2009 Ghostbusters video game isn't to be missed.
