Official Website

Platform: Playstation 2

Genre: Action / Survival Horror

Number of Players: 1

Last year I remember seeing something online about an upcoming PlayStation 2 title, in Europe no less, called Ghosthunter. The game looked interesting enough just from the screenshots, and as the title was designed by Sony's Studio Cambridge; my assumption was that Sony would release the game here. We've already seen some very good titles from the designers across the pond, The Getaway is one of the first things that comes to mind, and to my surprise, the game was picked up for US release, but not by Sony, but instead Namco. Rare is the time when Namco disappoints me, so having them release the game isn't something that bothered me in the least.

Despite what you might think based on the name though, Ghosthunter isn't necessarily a survival horror game.

Ghosthunter places you in the shoes of Detroit's newest rookie on the police force, Lazarus Jones, but his new job isn't going to be your run of the mill police work. He and his partner, Anna Steele, are called in to investigate some strange occurrences at Montsaye High School. Years ago, there was a bizarre series of murders, and the perpetrator, Professor Peter Richmond, mysteriously disappeared and has never been found. In the years that have followed, disembodied voices and other ghostly phenomenon have been reported, but as Steele believes, it can all be chalked up to pranksters and people afraid of their own shadows. It seems that once again though, the ghosts are up to their old tricks.

This time, it seems they really are there.

As Jones continues his investigation he stumbles upon a strange machine and accidentally shuts it down. With no power, the ghosts contained within a free once again, and these aren't your friendly types of entities either. Lazarus has now been unwittingly enlisted by the machines computer to bring the ghosts back, and has been armed with the right equipment to do so. It seems however that the missing Professor still has a key role in all of this, and Lazarus has no choice but to cooperate as his partner has been taken by one of the most deadly ghosts of all, Lord Hawksmoor. This is going to be one of the longest nights that Lazarus has ever faced, and perhaps, one of the most deadly.

My assumption was that this was going to be survival horror, and to an extent it is, but more than anything, Ghosthunter is an action title with elements of the infamous survival genre. Of course, ghosts in general haven't really been given their due when it comes to horror games. Zombies of course are at the forefront, with Resident Evil of course being the thing that really pushed them into the game publics mind. Fatal Frame would really be the only ghost based horror title that has even focused on them, at least if we're talking about games that have any merit at all. Ghosthunter though reminds me of something else, not a game necessarily, but a certain movie from the mid-1980's.

Ghostbusters!

It's obvious I'm not alone in this though, especially when I get the final press release with the phrase "There's something strange in the neighborhood" written proudly on the top. As you begin the game, Lazarus has his standard issue police revolver, but his arsenal will increase as the game progresses. After shutting down the containment unit, the computer program gives him a pulse rifle and a grenade, both essential for capturing your undead prey. When faced with a ghost, you can enter into hunter mode (defaulted as the triangle button) and that will make hunting much easier. Shooting the ghosts will lower their health obviously, and once they have been weakened, hit them with the grenade to anchor them in the physical world and capture them. The grenade works like a boomerang, so you can throw it and have it return to you. Be warned however that Lazarus will meet up with spirits where his grenade is useless, and it all boils down to a good old-fashioned firefight. As the game continues, Lazarus will eventually gain use of a sniper rifle, a grenade launcher, a spectral lasso (which reminds me a bit of a certain unlicensed nuclear accelerator) and even the military designed Techno Gun. The game goes beyond just fighting however.

There is a minor bit of puzzle solving involved in Ghosthunter as well as some stealth. Running in and opening fire isn't always the best course of action, and if Lazarus says that something won't work, there's no sense in continuing. Take for example that Howler spirits (who look suspiciously like Slimer.) They abhor the living, and getting to close to them will send them into a fit of paranoia. However, if you're patient, the Howler will eventually move away, opening doors that would be inaccessible to you (though I don't understand why he doesn't simply pass through it.) Other times, you might need a helping hand, or spirit rather. Lazarus has his own helping spirit, Astral, how can be sent out to work for Lazarus. She can't hunt spirit, but as Lazarus begins defeating the undead, certain spirits will transfer their powers to Astral, and she's going to need them. The good thing is with her ability to hover and fly, she can reach areas that Lazarus might not be able to, but unfortunately you have to find areas that will allow you to use Astrals invaluable skills.

You will also find various clues as you continue the hunt, and the game also keeps track of any of the gameplay messages that you have been given, thus making it easier should you put the game down for a while to be able to play again. I know that I'm not the only one who has moved on to another title for a while, then went back to play later and couldn't recall exactly what the mechanics of the game were. The game also is kind enough to remind you while playing as well, so you should never be at a loss.

The game is your standard third-person view, and instead of having your view stuck in one position, much like Resident Evil, you are free to roam about with full 3D game play. Luckily you can re-center the camera as well, a feature that has been sadly absent in a few titles that I've played lately and can make all the difference in the world. You of course have a first-person view to get a better grasp on your surroundings. Lazarus will also find spheres of energy, blue to recharge guns that work on spiritual energy and orange to replenish his health. Once in a while though, these spheres will be out of reach or in an area that you can't walk to. It's almost as if you'd need a boomerang to get them. Hmmmmmm.

The game itself looks great. The character movement is very good and isn't too stiff, there are plenty of cut-scenes as well to move the story along. The nice thing here is that they are done in the same visual style as the game instead of being complete computer animation. The character design is very good and is somewhat similar to what you might get if you crossed The Getaway with something like Tekken. The voice acting is very good, and some of the actors you will recognize from other games, cartoons, perhaps even commercials.

The effects of the ghosts though I'm not completely impressed with. They are decent, but lack the truly frightening nature of the ones that are in Fatal Frame. Then again, this is a different type of game, so I imagine that's part of the difference in the overall design. They lack that ability to pass through anything however, making it a little easier to escape if you want to, but the AI is fairly intelligent, so this isn't the type of game that you can just breeze through. I did notice a bit of breakup from time to time, but nothing that really takes away from the game too much. Additionally, the game is set up for progressive scan, but sadly, this isn't something that I have set up at this time.

Last thing; don't believe for a moment that you are stuck with exploring just an old school. Lazarus will find a number of locations like a prison, a sunken ship, and even a western style ghost town complete with sniping ghosts. There's a good explanation behind this, and it all revolves around spirit doors that can take you to various locations. Even with ties to Ghostbusters though, Ghosthunter is a great game. Again, I can't really say that it's a survival horror game, but it's fun and a definite different approach to the genre. There are elements of humor, plenty of action, and with the stealth and puzzle elements, it's going to keep plenty of players happy. If you're looking to scare up some fun, this is the game that's going to do it, and right now I'm demanding to see a sequel for this title as it has all the potential to become a very good franchise. Sony may have passed this one over, but their loss is definitely Namco's gain.

-mike-