If you’ve been trying to keep up with the development and publishing of the Ghostbusters game, then you’ll be understandably dizzy. Victim of the Hadron Collider’s experiment to merge Activision and Blizzard (I think that’s how it happened), thrown between publishers like a radioactive ball, eventually picked up to be part of the misadventures of Atari, and then at the last second swooped in on by Sony like a mad buzzard, it’s been a deeply peculiar process. Then it got weirder. It’s currently on sale in the US on all formats. And in the UK and Europe? Due out today, it’s on PS3, PS2, and er, nothing else, the PC and other console releases pushed back to October. Then another twist – the Americanly released PC version turns out not to include the multiplayer features. What the cripes is going on?
Well, it seems it’s thanks to the Sony deal. Or indeed thanks to Atari’s continued troubled ways. GI.biz reported the Sony deal earlier this month, during which they speculated the deal was another sign of Atari’s financial woes. This prompted a response from Atari to defend their decision that at this point is rather stinging with irony. VP of Atari’s worldwide marketing, Jim Wilson, explained,
“Atari is committed to maximising the launch of the Ghostbusters videogame across Europe. In partnership with both Sony Pictures Consumer Products and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, we have a unique opportunity to add new game products and expand marketing opportunities to reach Ghostbusters fans in Europe.”
According to the RPS abacus, releasing the game on only two of the six planned platforms doesn’t quite maximise the launch. We’d go so far as to suggest it somewhat minimises it. Although it probably works out quite nicely for Sony, who have it exclusively until – in what might be the strangest deadline of all time – the PSP version is finished. Um, right. So once it’s ready for the flailing handheld, PC, Wii, DS and 360 players will be allowed a go, four months later.
The irony of this ridiculous situation is only deepened when you learn the PS3 port is the poorest version of the game on the current-gen consoles. Eurogamer’s 360 vs. PS3 face-off article reveals that the PS3 version is extremely compromised, runs more poorly, and doesn’t offer the same resolutions as the 360 (and therefore we also assume PC) build. Richard also talks about something called “quincunx” which has to be about the rudest word I’ve ever seen.
So what about the PC version and its missing multiplayer? Because when you think PC, the last thing you think of is multiplayer, right? Apparently this was the case during development, as the explanation offered to Big Download appears to suggest. They spoke to CEO of Threewave Software (the company hired to create the multiplayer for the game), Dan Irish, and asked why the world’s largest online platform doesn’t include online gaming.
“Multiplayer for the PC version of Ghostbusters is something that Threewave and Terminal Reality always wanted to do. However, our focus was on making the console version the best that they could be – an experience that allows multiple players to re-live and re-fight many of the themes from the movies. When we looked at the resources necessary to pull off multiplayer on the consoles and the PC, it became a question of what could we do and still be excellent in our execution. We couldn’t do all versions with multiplayer simultaneously with the resources that we had available – there was simply too much to do. Something would have to suffer. Therefore, we kept our focus on making the console versions deliver on the promise of being an integral player on the Ghostbusters team.”
Which seems to be quite openly saying that they considered the PC version to be the least important, so ditched it. Whether they will find time to create a PC version post-release has yet to be established. Nor indeed whether the four-month-delayed European version will have given them a chance to get it done.
It’s hard to imagine a more ludicrous route from initial excitement to disastrous release mess. (Unless you count poor Brutal Legend of course, with Activision now suing EA for planning to release the game.) And it’s hard to give a shit about Ghostbusters any more. Once we were all hyped up about the possibilities for a continuation of the films’ story, written by the original team. Now it’s been ensured that all UK reviews are of the weak PS3 version it’s already got a bad name, and by October we’ll all have forgotten about it in the mix of the big name releases at the end of the year.
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RC: You mean they may consider console-users to be more buy-happy? Less critical?
Figures that if they think that’s where the money is, that’s where they’ll focus on. But it still puzzles me why they made a PC version at all, if that’s the case. I mean, giving a version with less content to the crowd which is the least easily satisfied?
When Hollywood meets anything else, it all goes a bit Hollywood. Hopefully the stench of FAIL surrounding this debacle will give game executives pause for thought before they go chasing the brass ring again.
Hmm, think I’ll wait for it to show up on a steam weekend deal offer… Once (If?) it’s actually been released here of course. Bah.
I’d just like to add, Adam, if this were a letters page we’d totally title your comment, “I just got a handy yank”.
And Neil – you seem to have mistaken complaining about graphics with complaining about not getting the game at all. (Although I think PS3 players might have a tiny bit of a right to complain that their version runs at 75% of the 360 version.)
Nice work screwing up a release! The lack of pc version in europe is sad, but hey many pirates probably play the game already! Surely NOT releasing an euro version for the pc is going to HELP in many european potential customers NOT pirating the product =D=D… jesus fckn christ, what are they thinking?!
The singleplayer is 8 hours at best with no replayability. 30 bucks is still too much to ask.
It’s hard not to think of this as PC Gaming’s Dark Ages, it really is.
Still, at least we’ve got the new Ghostbusters film to look forward to, right? Fresh new films of beloved old classic franchises never go wrong after all…*coughIndycough*
The only reason to look forward to this game was the Coop. I guess they figured it wasn’t worth putting in the extra effort for the one platform thats going to pirate the hell out of it and sell the least.
Damnit Sony!
You forgot to mention Mr. Walker that only reason Sony were able to swoop in, was because they actually own the rights to Ghostbusters
A very sorry case though…
Sony and Atari are a combination of evil and incompetence, really.
I, for one, am not surprised by this whole mess, it’s a known fact that anything Atari touches turns to shit. Sony didn’t help either:
“Sony person 1: Oh hey, let’s delay the PC and 360 version in Europe for 4 months. Also, we’ll not try to improve the PC version during these 4 months, like removing mouse acceleration and implementing multiplayer. We’ll just sit on your asses and wait.
Sony person 2: But… won’t that just encourage piracy?
Sony person 1: Yes but then we’ll BLAME piracy to justify the delay and the lack of extra work put into the PC version!
Everyone: Genious!”
I’m playing a pirated copy right now and I don’t feel one bit of guilt. Why? Because Sony wanted me to pirate this game
Shame about the game. After watching Ghostbusters 2 last night, I’m in the mood for something like this.
When will people learn that exclusives don’t make more people buy your console (unless you do a super awesome sale)?
Predictions of mass piracy and minimal sales on non-PS3 platforms in Europe. Since by the time we get it, it’ll be 4 months old, still full price and no one will give a quincunx.
Not that it excuses their incompetence, but Atari sold their European division, including distribution network, to Namco Bandai. Things are probably a bit of a mess over there right now.
Can you hear it, the faint crying sound ? That’s Atari, rehearsing their “OMFG NO piracy killed the ghostbusters pc release in europe” press release.
Just finished playing this, and its surprisingly fun. And it doesn’t seem to have any DRM (On the steam version) unless it can melt through my firewall (ZoneAlarm)
I’m sure I saw the 360 game in a shop today. Unless it was an import…
So…let me get this straight, the people who made this game want me to torrent it? Off I go to the pirate bay then.
I’m pretty sure what happened involved Phil Harrison in some way ex-Sony moved to Atari for a brief stint and has now been sidelined by Atari.
I’m guessing Phil gave Sony a sweet deal for Ghostbusters on Playstation only, something other Atari brass weren’t too happy with hence his removal. Even the Blu-ray Ghostbusters has a sticker on it advertising the PS3 version.
The PC version does only sell for $30 though as some compensation, the game itself is pretty good but a bit rough round the edges. Xbox 360 performance is a touch sluggish and watch out if you quit the game during the firehouse/base you will miss that section (holding plot development) and have to replay from an earlier checkpoint. Some real amateur mistakes I’m guessing from a developer with not much experience.
Which makes it all the more said for Euro gamers as the PC version really would be the best version to get.
@ Persus-9: I’ve got a more than four month backlog of games to play, a 512Mb graphics card and I don’t actually care about multiplayer but it’s the principle of the thing dammit!
This is my opinion as well.
And @Paul Moloney, an anecdote: I’m under 35 and I do know Murray primarily through Lost in Translation and old SNL skits. I have never seen Ghostbusters (actually I think I did when I was a child, I have very vague memories of Marshmallow Man rampaging down a street). However, when I told (similarly-aged) friend this he looked at me as if I had told him I had never heard of the Beatles or something. Take that as you will.
So it’s an embarrassment for both the PS3 and Atari.
I wonder how long either will last.
/Me facepalm
This is all about money and it happens everyday. Sony probably either gave Atari [much needed] money to do this or they gave them a break on the royalties – thus saving them money either way.
What a mess.
Whats another blow ti us pc gamers are the steep hardware requirements both minimum and recommended
core2duo 8400 and gtx260 as recommended!!!!!!!!?i mean wtf. i have an 8800gt and i can play every game at max and now this game ( which i was anticipating since they announced it) which looks worst than doom3 ( a 2004 game) needs a gtx 260 as recommended?? That and lack of multiplayer smells “we run out of funds and we are gonna do a direct console port to pc without multiplayer”
and in the end of the day they are gonna blame poor pc sales to piracy!! good job activision and terminal reality ( goes of to pirate bay)
Did i mention the implementation of DRM that requires online activation?
” I’m under 35 and I do know Murray primarily through Lost in Translation and old SNL skits”
I remember getting the Best of Aykroyd, Belushi and Chase, and being stunned to find that Chase was the funniest. He really was good in SNL; where did it all go wrong?
P.
It’s $30 on Steam in North America, and for that price the game is a steal! It’s incredibly polished, I haven’t run into any issues or bugs. The only problem I have with the game is that it immediately made me go out and re-watch the movies again, spending an afternoon doing so instead of looking for a job.
You could always find some nice guy in NA to gift it to you if you didn’t want to wait.
So… Atari were involved with the complete ballsing of a launch – probably exacerbated by the fact Atari are desperate for cash because they keep ballsing launches.
Anyone in the least bit surprised?
Why won’t Atari just die, how does it make sense to keep resurrecting a brand identity that has only negative conotations?
I agree, the world of gaming would be a better place to live if Atari was extincted. They’re like a cancer, feeding off it’s host until it eventually kills it
I’m getting a retail PC copy for Father’s Day. I look forward to busting (which apparently can make you feel good).
Sorry it doesn’t arrive in the Europe until Oct, perhaps you could have a handy yank to console yourselves?
How dare they treat us all like pirates, I’m going to have to pirate this game now to prove …Oh.
Looks like a turd. I’ll wait for a demo.
I find it absolutely hilarious that people here are antagonizing Atari for blaming pirates (which they haven’t even done) and then simultaneously saying they will pirate the game.
This is the problem folks. Digging your own graves.
No intention of pirating it, but atari will blame piracy.
“GUYS I JUST HAD A GREAT IDEA
How about releasing a game for all platforms simultaneously, and have them all be great? That way, get this – more people can buy it! Oh, oh, and you can port them really well, and make them be good games! What a great plan!”
“You’re fired.”
I enjoyed the film when I was 11, but I’ve never felt a burning need to play it as a video game.
@ catska
No, the problem is staggered releases and lousy ports. THAT’S that problem
“No doubt sony will take a leaf from the “Fox entertainment” book of talent management, and use the disasterous PC sales/reviews as proof that it was the right decision.”
This was exactly my thoughts.
I hate peoples self-fulfilling prophecies like this.
I won’t be buying the game at all – though I was going to buy it for 360, due to the way they’re treating half their customers, fuck ‘em. Hey look at that, I saved 50 bucks.
Fuck companies like this, they don’t deserve my money.
I wish a few of them had gone bankrupt when the recession was hitting the hardest.
I wouldn’t have bought the game regardless based only on the horrible screen shots where the guys are shooting the beam and it is looping around at 90 degrees to hit the ghost O.o Looks horrible
I ain’t fraid of no DRM!
@Serondal
Huh? The beams bent like that all the time in the movies.
Not like that, they twisted around ect but they didn’t shoot over their freaking shoulders. They shot right at the ghost, any twisting done by the beam was in between the shooter and the target. In this photos the guys are facing 90% away from the ghost, not even looking at the ghost at all i nfact and the beam is hooking round like crazy.
Looks like the freaking medibeam on TF2 actually now that I think about it.
Once the beam was on the ghost, it followed the ghost pretty much regardless of the pointing of the gun. They’ve got one snagged, there, I’m assuming in that shot it’s twisted away significantly from its original location.
This is an insane argument to be having Vinraith and I refuse to take part in it any longer and make myself look like even more of a super nerd for debating the functioning of a fictional weapon: P lol
Personally, I’d say the weirdest part is that the game is apparently getting pretty good reviews despite the multidimensional cross-license tug-of-war.
Nill – surely you’re not going to leave out “What about Bob?”!?!?
@Serondal, so glad you pulled the rip cord on that argument XD
@Serondal & Vinraith
I’d recommend playing the game before you have daffy arguments =)
In the game, as in the film (if you pay attention), the beam has 2 fire modes. The first is flat out damage that fires where pointed and is used to weaken the ghost (think when they fight Slimer) the second is a capture beam used to hold the ghost while they trap it and this beam can be used to “pull” the ghost into position like it is being wrangled.
The film sticks very closely to how the film works but also expands on the tech available to a) give you stuff to play with and b) make the experience more complete and functional.
jusy wanted to say this is a great analysis.
ps3 sloppiness and pc delay and lack of co-op means this has gone from cheery must-buy to eye rolling can’t be bothered.
Paul Moloney says:
” I’m under 35 and I do know Murray primarily through Lost in Translation and old SNL skits”
I remember getting the Best of Aykroyd, Belushi and Chase, and being stunned to find that Chase was the funniest. He really was good in SNL; where did it all go wrong?
People kept telling him he was the funniest, and he started believing it. The coke addiction didn’t help much.
BTW I’m playing Ghostbusters PC here in America, and I’ve got to tell you guys it’s actually very good. When you get the opportunity, play it on PC. The visual effects are even better than they look in the screencaps, and the proton zapping and trapping is more fun than I had hoped. That said, there are some bad gameplay balance problems like dead squad AI and too many enemies that can attack you at once and randomly end a mission. But overall I love it.
BTW there is a hilarious installer bug in the physical US PC version that craps up the game installation. It’s a pretty easy fix, but imagine my rage on release day when I found out that I couldn’t play the game after waiting through the 10 gig install. Hopefully they fix it for the Euro discs. The Steam version is supposed to be fixed too.