Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)

For the identically-named Sega Master System game, see Ghostbusters (Master System).

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Ghostbusters
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
Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code JP 1990-06-30 ¥6,0006,000 G-4030 US 1990-08 $49.9549.95 1007 EU 1990-12 1007 PT 1990 MDJ1007 UK 1990-12 £34.9934.99 1007 IT 199x AU 199x CA 199x BR 1991-06 KR 199x GM4062JG AS 199x

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.

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

Pause menu

Stage select

Ghost trap

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
	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
	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

Item shop

	Gyoza
	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

Weapon shop

	Energy Restoration
	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
	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

MX advert (1992)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1990-04: "April 1990" (1990-03-08)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1990-06: "June 1990" (1990-05-08)

Print advert in Beep! MegaDrive (JP) #1990-07: "July 1990" (1990-06-08)

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average
Publication Score Source

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Based on 0 review

Sega Retro Average

Publication Version Score 1700 igr dlya Sega (RU) 30 ACE (UK) 82 Ação Games (BR) 92 Beep! MegaDrive (JP) NTSC-J 65 Buzz! Computers (UK) 79 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 82 Complete Guide to Consoles (UK) 82 The Complete Guide to Sega (UK) 82 Console XS (UK) PAL 58 Cool Gamer (RU) 40 Computer & Video Games (UK) 82 Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide (UK) 73 Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J 63 The Games Machine (UK) 78 Joystick (FR) 82 Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming (UK) PAL 48 Mega Drive Fan (JP) NTSC-J 69 Mega (UK) PAL 62 Mega (UK) PAL 62 Mega Play (US) NTSC-U 83 MegaTech (UK) 82 MegaTech (UK) PAL 70 Mean Machines (UK) 80 Mean Machines Sega (UK) 82 Megazone (AU) 83 Player One (FR) 84 Raze (UK) PAL 72 Sega Power (UK) PAL 70 Sega Power (UK) PAL 50 Sega Pro (UK) 64 Sega Pro (UK) PAL 28 Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J 57 Tilt (FR) 75 Tricks 16 bit (RU) 28 User (GR) 90 VideoGames & Computer Entertainment (US) 80

	69
Based on 36 reviews

Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)

Mega Drive, JP
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, US
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, EU
Cover
Cart Manual

Mega Drive, IT (US Import, Extra IT Instructions)

Mega Drive, PT
Cover

Mega Drive, AU
Cover

Mega Drive, BR
Cover
Cart

Mega Drive, BR (Cardboard)
Cover

Mega Drive, KR
Cover

Mega Drive, AS†
Cart

Mega Drive, CA
Cover

Technical information

Main article: Ghostbusters (Mega Drive)/Technical information.