Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)
From Sega Retro
- For the identically-named Sega Master System game, see Ghostbusters (Master System).
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Ghostbusters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): Sega Mega Drive | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Sega | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Compile, Sega R&D 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Distributor: Ecofilmes (PT), Tec Toy (BR), Samsung (KR) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: Columbia Pictures Industries, Activision | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sound driver: SMPS Z80 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ghostbusters (ゴーストバスターズ) is a Sega Mega Drive action platform game co-developed by Compile and Sega R&D 2 and published by Sega under license from Activision. Loosely based on the 1984 supernatural comedy film Ghostbusters, it was first released in Japan in June 1990, and is generally considered one of the higher-quality games derived from the popular franchise.
Contents
Story
The Ghostbusters are three eccentric parapsychologists who start a ghost-catching business in New York City. The game is set sometime after the original film. Ghosts are terrorizing the city after an earthquake. The Ghostbusters are hired by various clients to eliminate ghosts from their haunted residences. Along the way, they collect pieces of a stone tablet and uncover a mystery.
Gameplay
The game is an action platformer. The player can play as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, or Egon Spengler, each animated with oversized heads resembling their respective actor's likeness. Each character has different health and speed attributes. Characters are moved with and . They lie down with and crawl with and (but cannot change the direction that they face while lying down). They jump with ; holding the button for longer jumps higher. Characters are armed with a positron gun, which is fired with . The gun can be used while lying down or jumping and can be aimed in the upward diagonal directions. Characters are also equipped with bombs, which are thrown with . Bombs damage all enemies on screen. They have limited supply and can be thrown while shooting.
The player can buy items and weapons from shops before each stage begins. Items provide helpful functions, such as spreadshots and temporary invincibility. The player can switch the current weapon or select an item to use by pausing the game with START . Weapons other than the starting positron gun cost energy to fire. They still fire after characters run out of energy but with reduced power. The player starts with little money to buy items, but acquires money from completing stages and capturing ghosts. Each stage has its own preset monetary reward, which also reflects its difficulty level (the lowest-rewarding stage is easy, while the highest-rewarding stage is hard). The player can choose to play the first four stages in any order. The player can exit the current stage at any time by returning to the beginning of the stage to access the shops and purchase additional items.
Each stage contains one or more "middle ghosts," which are sub-boss encounters. Once defeated, middle ghosts turn into ectoplasm and try to escape. The character aims his proton pack diagonally to try to zap the ghost and suck it into the ghost trap that appears on the screen. If the player fails to rope the ghost in, it tries to dive and hit the character. If it dive bombs the character twice, it escapes. If the player succeeds in capturing the ghost, the player receives a monetary bonus and partial health and energy restoration.
Once all of the middle ghosts have been defeated, the room containing the stage boss opens. The location of the boss room is indicated on a map accessed through the pause menu. Bosses have weak spots, like in shoot-'em-up games. The weak point of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, for example, is the middle of his face. After defeating each boss, the player receives an item that is used to advance the plot.
Characters have a life gauge that goes down as they take damage from foes. If a character runs out of life, he dies, but he revives in place if the player has extra lives remaining. If the player runs out of lives, the game can be continued as long as there are continues remaining. Characters have their life and energy gauges fully refilled at the start of every stage.
The game has three selectable difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard).
Characters
The speed attribute determines how swiftly the character moves; stamina determines how much damage they take from enemies.
Peter Venkman | |
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He is a balanced character with middling speed and stamina. | |
Ray Stantz | |
He is slow but has high stamina. | |
Egon Spengler | |
He is fast but has low stamina. |
Items
Safe | |
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Shoot to reveal either a Money Bag or a Bomb. | |
Money Bag | |
Rewards a bonus $300. | |
Bomb | |
Explodes and harms the character if he is too close. | |
1-Up | |
Gives the player an extra life. | |
Slimer | |
Shoot to drop either a Blue Drop or a Red Drop. | |
Blue Drop | |
Restores a small amount of the life gauge. | |
Red Drop | |
Restores a small amount of the energy gauge. |
Shops
Items
Gyoza | |
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Fills the life gauge completely. Used while in the shop. Costs $500. | |
Peking Duck | |
Fills the life gauge completely. Used while in a stage. Costs 1,000 on Easy and $1,500 on Normal and Hard. | |
Infrared Scope | |
Enables the character to see in the dark. Costs $100. | |
Bomb | |
Equips another bomb. Costs $100. |
Weapons
Energy Restoration | |
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Fills the energy gauge completely. Used while in the shop. Costs $200. | |
Explosive | |
Fires a shot that explodes into shrapnel in the air. Costs $10,000. | |
Bubble Projectile | |
Shoots a bubble at an upward arc that envelopes ghosts (but does not work on all ghosts). Costs $3,000. | |
Phaser Shell | |
Shoots a powerful penetrating shot. Costs $5,000. | |
3-Way Shot | |
Fires a three-way spreadshot. Costs $7,000. | |
Energy Tank | |
Increases the length of the energy gauge. This item can be purchased multiple times to expand the energy gauge further, but its cost goes up each time it is purchased. Costs $500, $1,000, $2,000, $4,000, and $8,000. | |
Special Suit | |
Surrounds the character in a protective bubble that reduces the damage he takes. Costs $5,000. | |
Barrier | |
Renders the character invulnerable but drains energy as long as it is activated. Costs $35,000. |
Stages
The first four stages can be played in any order. Once they have all been completed, the last two stages are played in order.
Home Sweet Home | |
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Apartment | |
Woody House | |
Characters must use the Infrared Scope to help see in this stage. | |
High-Rise Building | |
Castle | |
The player must fight the two other characters to free them from their bondage. | |
Deep Hole | |
History
Development
During development, the game was known under the working title Ghostbusters II.
Production credits
- Main article: Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)/Production credits.
Magazine articles
- Main article: Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)/Magazine articles.
Promotional material
Physical scans
69 | |
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Based on 36 reviews |
Mega Drive, IT (US Import, Extra IT Instructions) |
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Mega Drive, AS† |
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Technical information
- Main article: Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)/Technical information.
References
- ↑ File:Ghostbusters md jp cover.jpg
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-20 09:51)
- ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/rec.games.video/c/wRnO6L9c_FA/m/zWN4M2gmqwUJ
- ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "June 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 67
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "June 1990" (US; 1990-0x-xx), page 56
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 ACE, "January 1991" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 165
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mean Machines, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 66
- ↑ Sega Power, "May 1991" (UK; 1991-04-04), page 25
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ação Games, "Junho 1991" (BR; 1991-06-19), page 12
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 87
- ↑ ACE, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-03), page 56
- ↑ Beep! MegaDrive, "July 1990" (JP; 1990-06-08), page 16
- ↑ Buzz! Computers (UK) (+0:00)
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume III" (UK; 1990-08-xx), page 76
- ↑ Complete Guide to Consoles, "Volume IV" (UK; 1990-11-xx), page 30
- ↑ The Complete Guide to Sega, "" (UK; 1991-05-xx), page 47
- ↑ Console XS, "June/July 1992" (UK; 1992-04-23), page 130
- ↑ Cool Gamer, "9" (RU; 2002-10-13), page 92
- ↑ Computer & Video Games, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-16), page 92
- ↑ Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 50
- ↑ Famitsu, "" (JP; 1990-0x-xx), page 1
- ↑ The Games Machine, "September 1990" (UK; 1990-08-xx), page 62
- ↑ Joystick, "Octobre 1990" (FR; 1990-xx-xx), page 107
- ↑ Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 92
- ↑ Mega Drive Fan, "October 1990" (JP; 1990-09-08), page 79
- ↑ Mega, "June 1993" (UK; 1993-05-20), page 20
- ↑ Mega, "January 1994" (UK; 1993-12-16), page 87
- ↑ Mega Play, "November/December 1990" (US; 1990-xx-xx), page 29
- ↑ MegaTech, "Xmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-06), page 78
- ↑ MegaTech, "August 1993" (UK; 1993-07-20), page 112
- ↑ Mean Machines, "December 1990" (UK; 1990-12-xx), page 64
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-xx), page 139
- ↑ Megazone, "June/July 1991" (AU; 1991-0x-xx), page 25
- ↑ Player One, "Janvier 1991" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 53
- ↑ Raze, "April 1991" (UK; 1991-02-28), page 54
- ↑ Sega Power, "May 1991" (UK; 1991-04-04), page 24
- ↑ Sega Power, "October 1991" (UK; 1991-09-05), page 53
- ↑ Sega Pro, "Christmas 1991" (UK; 1991-12-12), page 19
- ↑ Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 65
- ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 87
- ↑ Tilt, "Septembre 1990" (FR; 1990-0x-xx), page 85
- ↑ Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 80
- ↑ User, "Fevrouários 1991" (GR; 1991-0x-xx), page 66
Ghostbusters (Mega Drive) | |
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Prototypes: 1990-05-01
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