Co-Optimus: Will there be a co-op driving sequence with the Ecto 1?
Brendan: Unfortunately not; perhaps in Ghostbusters 2!
Co-Optimus: Back in 2007, IGN AU got a hands-on preview of the game in which they mentioned that "it's unlikely the game will have co-op throughout the [single player] campaign." At the time, [Creative Director] Drew Hayworth mentioned that the rationale was "that we so much want the experience to be you joining the Ghostbusters for the first time, and all the other characters are so indelibly that character, so I guess we would have to have two new guys as the Ghostbusters recruits…" The Wii version has the same story as the 360/PS3 version with this exact scenario as presented above - and it offers split screen co-op througout the campaign. What was the ultimate reasoning behind why the co-op campaign mode isn't through the campaign?
Michael: Really this comes down to two things.
One, the Single Player game and story just isn’t designed for a co-op experience; it’s really about being a new recruit. The banter and characters just couldn’t come off in a co-op setting, plus the amount of in-game cinematics and FMV’s make multiple players prohibitive.
And Two, when Threewave came on board to build the Multiplayer, we looked at what would provide the most replay-ability and co-op fun in the time we had. We wanted to promote more teamwork while letting players play as the original Ghostbusters team!
Also, in addition to ingame cinematics and cinteractives we use FMV’s to add depth to the story and to mask level loading. Having multiple characters that may or may not be present made it prohibitive to synch that to our FMV’s.
Quick, someone grab some graham crackers and chocolate.
Co-Optimus: What's your favorite co-op moment you've seen so far?
Michael: There isn’t much that beats wrangling ghosts with two or three of your friends at the same time. It’s a unique mechanic; players have an easier time of it when they work together and it feels great!!! Plus there’s those moments when Stay Puft shows up…