News | 3/18/2009 at 1:07 PM

You're Gonna Want to Call Both Versions of Ghostbusters

I don't generally look at multiplatform games and consider purchasing a copy for each system, and you shouldn't either – until you take a look at the upcoming Ghosbusters game. With most games that are released across the board, Wii is generally shrugged off as an ugly port, and PS3 or Xbox360 depends on your favorite flavor. However, taking wholly separate paths, the Xbox360 and Wii versions of the Ghostbusters game might as well be two different games. And for the record, it's not in the Dead Rising: Chop 'till You Drop versus Dead Rising vein, either.

Giantbomb.com was given a hands on preview of what Ghostbusters has in store for us with both versions. They go in to comparison details about art styles, unique controls, and some gameplay differences.

The Xbox 360 version has more realistic looking graphics, compared to the Wii, which some may say appeals to the hardcore crowd.  But that doesn't mean the 360 version isn't accessible.
 

Even though you're not shooting and killing stuff, per se--the ghosts, ghouls, and specters are already dead, I think--the game seems like it will be immediately accessible to anyone who plays third-person shooters. Your nameless rookie Ghostbuster has a lateral dodge move you can use to get out of the way of trouble, and you can go into a short sprint, Gears of War roadie run-style, to cover ground quickly. The process of wrangling a ghost with your beam, throwing out a trap, and maneuvering the ghost into it is different enough from a typical shooter to give Ghostbusters a unique feel, though.

 

The Wii version on the other hand, while sharing the same storyline as the 360/PS3, is a different beast.  And not in a bad way; according to the preview everything just feels natural.


 

Once I actually started playing the game, more unique features became apparent. The controls have, of course, been custom-built for the Wii, and in my short time with the game, they seemed relatively intuitive, letting you move with the analog stick on the nunchuk and aim with the Wii remote. With your unlicensed positron collider strapped to your back, the game basically plays like a third-person shooter, and while I encountered a number of enemies that could just be blasted out of existence, there were some that still required the old wrangle-and-trap method, a process that seems to benefit in particular from the Wii controls.

 

Now that all of the platforms support co-op, we can't decide! Check it out, and tell us your preference.