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Amazon Corrects "Slimer Edition" Ghostbusters Box Art

The release of Ghostbusters: The Video Game has come and gone in North America, but Amazon isn't finished offering goodies for it.  The company sent out an e-mail to customers who bought the limited "Slimer Edition" of the game to apologize for a tremendous oversight: the box art that shipped with the game was not the actual "Slimer Edition" artwork.  Oops.  Amazon wants to make it right, however, so they're offering a PDF download of the special Slimer artwork to print and slip into the Ghostbusters case.

The Amazon Video Games team thanks you for your order of Ghostbusters the Video Game Amazon.com Exclusive Slimer Edition . It has come to our attention that the box art on the Exclusive Slimer Edition was the same as the standard edition, and not what we had pictured on the website. The Exclusive Slimer Edition box art is now available in the form of a PDF, which you can download and print out.

Was anyone losing any sleep over this?  Still, it's a nice gesture from the company.  It'd be even nicer if the art didn't say "This image does not reflect the final package" on the front of the box. 

Personally, I'll just stick with the non-Slimer art that originally came with the game.  The disc itself is identical to the standard retail release, so without special built-in Slimerness, it seems a bit ridiculous to swap out the art.  Still, thanks to Amazon for going the extra mile on this one.

Army Of Two Wants You

Are you feeling creative?  Maybe a little destructive?  Here's your chance to create a new weapon for the upcoming Army of Two: The 40th Day for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft xbox 360 and, if your idea is popular enough, see it appear in the game.  Here's part of the official contest announcement: 

Today, EA Montreal announced the return of the weapon design contest for ARMY OF TWO: THE 40th DAY. From June 23, 2009 to July 12 2009, participants can submit their ultimate weapon at the game's official website (http://www.armyoftwo.com) for a chance to have it included in a future EA Game.  To enter the contest, gamers will need to submit an image of their weapon and a brief 200-word description. Please click on the game's official website to view the contest rules (http://www.armyoftwo.com/weapondesigner/rules). Once gamers submit their designs, the images will be posted to the site for the community to vote on. Starting on July 20, 2009 the top weapons will be reviewed by the development team who will then pick the two best designs.

Your creation has to fit the Army of Twoworld and be an original creation, so don't expect to re-use your losing laser-powered combustible pig blaster entry from the similar Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time weapon design contest.  Although, frankly, if there's one thing that I've always thought Army of Twoneeded, it's a laser-powered combustible pig blaster.

Escape From The Curse Of The Secret Of Monkey Island

Assumed dead and buried for some time now, the fondly remembered Monkey Island series is coming back courtesy of Telltale Games in the episodic Tales of Monkey Island and LucasArts in a modernized special edition of the original The Secret of Monkey Island.  Yes, pirate wannabe Guybrush Threepwood is back in a big way, although many modern gamers are unaware of his exploits and adventures (and in-jokes).  What is this "Monkey Island" thing and what makes it important?  Alistair Wallis over at GameSetWatch guides us through the series through his own childhood experiences, while Monkey Island maven Ron Gilbert takes us on a personal journey over at Grumpy Gamer.  Here's a bit from Alistair:

For a story driven game, it’s actually a relatively simple task to sum it up quickly: Somewhere in the Caribbean, Guybrush Threepwood wants to be a pirate. He works his way through a series of trials, falls in love with Governor Elaine Marley, only to have her kidnapped by the ghost pirate LeChuck, and then rescues her. It’s not so much the plot that really drives the game forward – it’s the scenarios, the characters, the little details, and most of all, the humour. Oh, the humour.

I'm not up to speed on my Monkey Island lore, so the past few days worth of research have been an interesting crash course for me.  We'll be talking with someone from Telltale Games about Tales of Monkey Island this week on Kombo Breaker, so if you have anything you'd like us to ask, feel free to let me know (by Wednesday afternoon; we do have deadlines, after all).

Photo Proof That Ghostbusters Loves Its Fans

Ghostbusters: The Video Game from Atari and Terminal Reality for the Sony PlayStation 3, Microsoft Xbox 360, and PC is loaded with references and call-backs to the two Ghostbusters films and assorted animated series, some of which are less obvious than others.  As a devoted Ghostbusters fan, I couldn't help but scour the game in search of as many references as I could find.  Here are a few of my favorites (and I'll warn you before I unleash the significant spoilers).  You can click on any of the images ahead to blow them up for a closer look, too.

The game's story opens in 1991 with another of the Ghostbusters' television commercials.  It's good to see that fame hasn't changed the guys, as their television performances are still just as wooden and awkward in 1991 as they were back in 1984.

When we first see Slimer, he's in a cage in the Ghostbusters firehouse headquarters where he's testing his psychic abilities with Peter Venkman's ESP cards.

 

Most of the best references are found in the firehouse.  Consider the wall behind Janine Melnitz's desk, for instance.  It's loaded with newspaper clippings about the Ghostbusters, some of which are from the music montage midway through the first film.  There are even some new clippings mixed in which show images from Ghostbusters II as well.

Speaking of Ghostbusters II, I've already shown you Vigo the Carpathian's painting in a previous PTB article. He can predict the future, by the way. Listen to him long enough and he'll talk about the O.J. Simpson murder trial and George W. Bush's two-term presidency.

Did you know that the Ghostbusters have an Employee of the Month program?  I have a feeling that it was Venkman's idea, considering that he's won the honor every time.  Well, almost every time.  Winston Zeddemore must have commented on Venkman's streak in July, granting him the award that month.

Despite not appearing in the game, accountant Louis Tully is still on the company payroll.  Here's his wreck of a desk near the front of the firehouse.  Why is he not at work today?  According to the note he left taped to his computer monitor, he wasn't feeling well and went home early that day.  Note the spare Ghostbuster uniform hanging on the wall just in case he has to suit up in an emergency.

Granted that one generic camcorder looks like any other, but does anyone else think that this camera in a box on the firehouse's second floor resembles the one that Ray Stantz takes to the library in the first film?

 

Have you ever played the old Ghostbusters video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System?  Someone in the firehouse has.  That's the poorly spelled endgame screen on that computer monitor there.

 

Nice logo-branded coffee mug there in the firehouse's kitchen area.

The team doesn't really do birthday party appearances anymore, but they still have some of the decorations.  Here's a HAPPY BIRTHDAY banner partially hanging upstairs.

 

Remember when the Ghostbusters updated their logo in 1989 when they went back into the paranormal investigation and elimination business?  The Ghostbusters II logo advertised their presence in the firehouse for a while, but by 1991 the team had replaced it with their traditional logo.  They kept the sign though.  You can barely see it in storage in an inaccessible area near the staircase that leads to the containment grid.

 

There are several cursed artifacts to collect during the course of the game that are not severed stone heads or haunted disco pants, but are actually Ghostbusters toys and merchandise.  Check out the remote control Ecto-1, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man doll, and a DVD of the first film (which, as the set-in-1991 game notes, is from the future).

 

 

While the iconic proton pack has been upgraded with new technology, some of the older models and prototypes are still stacked around the firehouse.  Check out Egon Spengler's workbench near the basement and you'll find PKE meters other technology from not only the films, but also from animated series The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters.  How's that for reaching out to each incarnation of the franchise?

 

 

 

Moving on from the firehouse, the Ghostbusters can't go back to the New York Public Library without encountering some symmetrical book stacking. No human being would stack books this way.

 

There are many fantastic plot elements to experience during the course of the game that tie up loose ends from the two films and provide answers to questions you didn't even realize you had, so while I'm not about to spoil everything here, there's one last bit of awesomeness that I can't leave alone and it's a very important moment from the end of the game, so here's your spoiler warning.  Stop reading now if you'd prefer not to know the incredible revelation.  For some buffer space I'll just share some of my favorite moments with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

 

 

 

Speaking of Stay Puft, we spend the entire game hearing about Gozer the Gozerian and his followers in the Shandor cult who are attempting to summon him back to our dimension, but aside from the deity appearing again in Destructor form as Tubby Softsqueeze, we never actually see Gozer as we saw him at the end of the first film when he appeared as Serbian model Slavitza Jovan.  As the final boss encounter starts to unfold, we finally get to see Gozer as we remember him... er, her.  And she's not doing so well these days.  After failing to destroy the world twice, Gozer's followers declare the Sumerian god to be unworthy of their devotion, and I guess it's true because the leader of the cult has Gozer's dead decapitated skull!  And it's clearly Gozer.  Check out the hair.  It's unmistakable.

For as much as Ghostbusters: The Video Game gets right (and despite its technical glitch sins (more on that later)), the best thing that it has going for it — and this is extremely rare for a game based on a licensed property — is that it respects the franchise and, moreover, its fans.  One could blast right through this game without noticing these fun little hidden additions, but fans of the films, the characters, and the story itself can easily lose an hour or more checking out all of the in-jokes and references.  This game is definitely for the fans, and believe me, it's appreciated.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed Update Coming Soon

Cheers to Capcom and developer Grin for working on an update to last year's stellar Bionic Commando: Rearmed even after the game has pretty much been played, processed, and put aside by the gaming community at large.  This doesn't track in an era where games are consumed and dropped mere weeks after release.  The PlayStation Blog has the announcement that the Sony PlayStation 3 (and, by extension, Microsoft Xbox 360) version of the game is going to get some new features and enhancements including Trophies for the PS3 version which, as I recall, was once something that was supposedly off the table for time and technical reasons.

New “Normal” difficulty setting. In this setting, the following changes are made:

• When you die, you respawn at the last solid ground or checkpoint
• The level Albatross B was cut
• The ability to reel out the cable when hanging or swinging to its full length
• If the player swings into a wall, they will no longer disconnect and be thrown away from the wall. Instead, they will keep connected and reel in
• Unlimited lives

Super Joe Machine Gun bug fix:

• When upgraded, the weapon also becomes more powerful in addition to the larger clip
• Fixed for all difficulty levels.

These all sound like solid enhancements, particularly the removal of the Albatross B level and its hellish unstable platforms of doom (that is the one we're talking about, right?).  The big question from me is: why is this update happening now?  The official statement has to do with listening to the fans and their requests, but I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with an attempt at stoking a little renewed interest in the Bionic Commando franchise in the hopes that sales of the new 3D title will increase (which, as you'll recall, have so far been disappointing).  This isn't a criticism on my part if that is indeed what Capcom and Grin are trying to do.  The new Bionic Commando game is fantastic and is much better than most of the ho-hum reviews are making it out to be.  So, again, not a complaint.  Just a curiosity.

Kombo Breaker - Episode 32: Pre-Natal Vitamins!

With our new format comes a new x-treme logo!  This week on Kombo Breaker we sit down with GamePro's Features Editor, Dave Rudden, to discuss Microsoft's recently revealed Project Natal motion control camera and whether or not we think the product has a chance at catching up with what the Nintendo Wii has already accomplished in that general control-type arena.  Oh, and I manage to sneak in a few minutes to discuss my early impressions on Ghostbusters: The Video Game.  Yes, I'm aware that I cannot shut up about that game, but I've been waiting years for this one.  Let me babble a while more.  Download this week's episode directly from Kombo or subscribe via iTunes.  Next week we'll be talking with Telltale Games about their new Monkey Island project, so be sure to let us know if you have anything specific you'd like us to ask them.  I also understand that we're using our Kombo Breaker Twitter page to announce more than just what we all had for lunch on any given day, so you might as well check that out if you're into the whole tweeting thing.

How The Mighty Have Fallen

While wandering around the firehouse headquarters in the Sony PlayStation 3 version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game, I came across a familiar sight.  A large canvas propped up near receptionist Janine Melnitz's desk was instantly recognizable, as it featured the living portrait of Vigo the Carpathian.  Once a powerful warlock, now he rests from a powerless position, left only to make snide remarks and grandiose empty threats at whomever walks by.  Here are some screenshots of poor Vigo in action.

"The demons in this realm are gathering to conquer.  You have not a chance."


"Compete for my amusement."

I'll have to update my visual tour of Vigo's many video game appearances.  Someone find him a sequel so that he might live again.

Bionic Commando Review At Kombo

Capcom's Bionic Commando for the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 has not been selling as well as many people had expected.  Early negative buzz seems to have killed the game in the marketplace, but I say that the game has been terribly misjudged.  I came away from Nathan Spencer's latest adventure thoroughly impressed, and now that I have completed the game, I have written a full review that is available over at Kombo.

I wasn't expecting Bionic Commando's storyline to dig quite so deep, but the amount of world-building going on here reminds me of the extensive backstory running through Metroid Prime. Take the time to hack the enemy communication terminals and there's all kinds of backstory to learn. While eavesdropping on the enemy in Rearmed offers thinly disguised gameplay tips, here we learn about why Spencer was in prison, when his wife left him, which of his friends turned against him, how the Federation carried out the so-called Bionic Purge, and many other optional story elements. Players can plow through the game start to finish without reading these communiques and skip most of the narrative, but the extensive plot is there for those eager to read it (and, frankly, you really should follow the story to get the most of out this game). Moreover, there are plenty of references to [Bionic Commando] Rearmed and its cast of bombastic characters weaved into the story. Some of the spoken dialog even changes slightly during repeat plays to help keep things fresh.

I won't spoil it here yet, but the major plot twist near the end of the game completely shocked and disturbed me.  I simply did not see the big revelation coming and I'm still not so sure how I feel about it (beyond being creeped out by it all).  Poor sales seem poised to doom the franchise back into hibernation for another two decades, so I'm really hoping that the game finds its audience before we pass the point of no return on the sales charts.  Just like Nathan Spencer himself, Bionic Commando is being punished for crimes it has not committed. I say lock on and enjoy the ride.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Manifests In Our Dimension

It can be difficult to measure interest in a video game in meaningful terms, but let's try anyway.  Let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of interest in Ghostbusters: The Video Game in the North American area. Based on this morning's reading, it would be a Twinkie thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.  That's a big Twinkee, and it can only mean one thing: today is the day that Ghostbusters finally releases.  Now, I've been going on and on and on about this game ever since it was just a rumored little project from a dubious developer that didn't actually have the Ghostbusters license, so it seems only appropriate today to take a look back at all of my Ghostbusters ramblings.

When I began crowing for a modern Ghostbusters video game in April 2006, I never thought it would actually happen.  The fate of movie tie-in games is all too familiar (despite the occasional stand-out effort).  It was January 2007 when the infamous Zootfly-created pitch videos hit the Internet and set off a firestorm of interest in a possible Ghostbusters video game.

While the company didn't have a chance at landing the rights to the property, all of that Internet commotion must have captured someone's attention, because one month later franchise co-creator and the man behind Ray Stantz himself, Dan Aykroyd, announced that he'd locked up the Ghostbusters video game rights and was planning a new project.  Indeed, by this point, Terminal Reality was already one year into development on it.  Everything went silent until November 2007 when what we know today as Ghostbusters: The Video Game was officially revealed along with the news that Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were working on the story.  Vivendi Sierra was set to publish.

Little details about the project began to slip out in the weeks that followed.  The inclusion of film villains Gozer the Gozarian and Vigo the Carpathian was announced in December of that year, although their exact roles remained a mystery for the moment.  With all of the creative talent working on the project, it became evident that Ghostbusters needed to be good in order to show that it is possible to create a well-crafted, enjoyable game based on a popular film.  Thankfully, everything seemed to be moving smoothly on the development side, while the audience was certainly eager. 

The other shoe dropped in July 2008 when Vivendi Sierra was gobbled up by Activision/Blizzard who then, in turn, passed on the rights to publish the game.  Too much was riding on the game's success at this point for it to completely disappear into cancellation limbo, so it was only a matter of time and money until another published picked up the project.  The game continued development during its time as an "orphaned" property, but fans of the series began to worry when early August led to the news that the game was going to be delayed until the far-off future date of June 2009 in order to sync with the original film's twenty-fifth anniversary.  Further spooking the gaming community was the revelation that GameStop — a retailer that never met a pre-order option it didn't like — began canceling pre-orders for the game later that month.  All of this behind-the-scenes musical chairs led to some awkward marketing efforts, such as inaccurate advertising teasing the game nearly one year ahead of its new release date.

With all of this uncertainty stirring up concerns, somebody close to the game had to come forward and assure the world that it was still on the way.  That somebody ended up being Dan Aykroyd, once again teasing that the game was in the works and casually announcing in October that Atari had picked up the rights.  Some may have questioned hearing gaming news from a typically non-gaming source, but plenty of people out there were ready to believe him.  Less than one month later, new screenshots of the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 versions of the game reached the Internet, calming worries and setting anticipation back on track.  Bringing an exciting year to a close in December, a new trailer of the game in action gave us our first looks at the digital versions of beloved characters Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Egon Spengler, and Winston Zeddemore.

As 2009 began, more information about the franchise's anniversary began to solidify.  A Blu-ray release of the original Ghostbusters film was announced in early January, while story points involving Gozer and Ivo Shandor were revealed in a set of new screenshots of the game's museum level. February brought a new trailer that tipped the reveal of Brian Doyle-Murray's role as the mayor of New York City.  Then came word that Dan Aykroyd liked the early build of the game so much that he couldn't stop playing it, and who could blame him?  The new proton packs and other ghostbusting gear can really draw a person into the experience.

While most all of the media exposure surrounding the game was based around the Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360 versions, Atari finally saw fit to tease the cartoonified Nintendo Wii version of the game in late February.  While it seemed that the original magic of the movies would remain intact, the original cast would not, as March brought word that Sigourney Weaver had passed on reprising the role of Dana Barrett in the game, leaving the door open for Alyssa Milano to step in as the new love interest for Venkman, Dr. Ilyssa Selwyn (the similar names of Alyssa and Ilyssa led Bill Murray to quip "You've got some real deep talent at the keyboard, huh?").  The month ended with new details regarding the game's little-seen multiplayer mode (pink slime and all) and teases for how Ecto-1 and Vigo the Carpathian fit into the game's narrative.  Meanwhile, over at the Kombo Breaker podcast, we began to pry the game's senior artist, Glenn Gamble, for all kinds of answers to our many questions about the game.

With only two months until release, the developers began to talk about the origin of the project and the creation of the greenlight build that appeased those who control the Ghostbusters franchise as well as release new videos to increase interest and hype.  April also saw the first information on pre-order bonuses and special edition packages with Amazon.com's Slimer Edition (with release-date shipping, although the contents of the Slimer Edition would change before release) and special in-game additions such as the jumpsuits from Ghostbusters II and a golden proton pack.  As if that weren't enough to drive interest, Atari chose the end of the month to premiere the game's opening cinematic, sparking a flurry of excitement and even a little interest in the previous Ghostbusters games.

With the clocking ticking down in May, the good news / bad news cycle swung back towards pessimism with the news that Atari had passed the publishing rights to the game to Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe, thereby banishing the Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS versions of the game into uncertainty to be released "later".  With E3 quickly approaching, it also came as a shock to hear that Atari had chosen not to attend the show, putting an appearance of Ghostbusters: The Video Game into unknown territory.  That news was followed by the announcement that Atari was getting out of the business of releasing games on discs in Europe altogether, turning to online distribution after finishing with Ghostbusters.  One bit of good news did surface that month, however: the announcement of Vigo the Carpathian's exact role in the storyline, albeit as a minor cameo.

June brought the project into the home stretch, and although Atari did not attend E3 to promote the game, the company did send the aforementioned Glenn Gamble to Los Angeles to promote the PS3 version of the game in Sony's own booth.  Flanked by prop proton packs and with the actual Ecto-1 from the films parked outside, the demo kiosks drew interested crowds and curious attention.  With Ghostbusters: The Video Game now in stores in North America after three years of development, it's finally time to pick it up and step back into the world of paranormal investigations and eliminations (franchises available soon!) at long last.  Play it now, subcreature.

E3 2009: G-Force Hands-On Impressions At Kombo

Animation has brought us plenty of unlikely animal heroes over the years, so why not a team of ruggedly cute guinea pigs?  Based on the summer film of the same name, G-Force features a government team of the l'il guys as they arm themselves to defeat a plot to turn household appliances against humanity.  I had the opportunity to play some of the upcoming Sony PlayStation 3 version of the game at E3 and came away thoroughly swayed by the cuteness overload.  My thoughts on what I saw are now available over at Kombo.

Two things about G-Force immediately jumped out at me, but probably not in the order that you'd expect. Speaking as someone who once had guinea pigs as pets in his youth, the guinea pig character models in G-Force are absolutely adorable and cheerily accurate. Although armed with guns and gadgets, they are endearingly cute characters. While I could go on for a while longer about this, instead I'll get to what most people will probably notice first: G-Force is presented in stereoscopic 3D with the aid of the ubiquitous glasses. The 3D effect is optional and be toggled on the fly through the game's pause menu, and while it's a neat gimmick, I found the gameplay to be more visually interesting without the red/blue pallor washed over everything onscreen.

Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you that the game features a special 3D mode, but really, that's not such a big deal.  What does 3D matter when the game stars adorable guinea pigs?  Priorities here, people.