A line has clearly been drawn in the sand, a message sent. It all started in November, when news broke that a Ghostbusters game was being developed - and it wasn't that bizarre quasi-Gears of War Ghostbusters either. It was the honest to god Ghostbusters we all know and love, penned by Dan Arkroyd and Harold Ramis themselves. It's voiced by the entire crew. Even everyone's favorite dickless wonder, Walter Peck (you know, the brilliant William Atherton?), is back on board. Since the wordon the game came out, I've been on cloud nine, giddily awaiting the arrival of the game that would surely change my life. Finally, I'd be a Ghostbuster... As screenshots and videos made their way to the public, it became clear that this was going to be the real deal - a detailed and accurate take on the franchise that you don't often see in a movie-based game. And once playable demos got in the hands of the gaming press at E3 and Comic Con, all that's been reported on it is excellent word of mouth. Then, the unthinkable.
Activison Blizzard, not happy with being more valuable than EA, decided that they'd also like to own their rival's title for "biggest bunch of douchebags". Out came their press release that stated how they've combed through all the various projects now under their watch and were proud to show their support for such exciting titles as Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon. Mysteriously missing? Ghostbusters. As fans like myself quickly went bezerk with rage and confusion, the word came down - the game wasn't cancelled, but it was no longer being published by Activision. Consider yourself the biggest douchebags, Activision - wear the title with pride. The decision itself makes little sense to me. I think everyone can agree that Ghostbusters, as a game IP - with the original cast in tow and high production values - means a game that will sell like hotcakes. And the market for it is not all just GB fanatics either, I think the IP has enough strength to sell amongst the younger crowd who may be slightly unfamiliar with the classic movie. But now, the whole thing is turned on its ear, and I'm still sort of spinning from the hit. Vivendi was kind enough to send a PR guy out to explain the the game hadn't been given the undesirable fate of "cancelled", but without a publisher now, things just got a lot more confusing and complex for the title. Now Sony (owners of Columbia Pictures, and therefore Ghostbusters) has come out to say that this event is "good" and allows them to position the game along with the movie's 25th anniversary - which happens to be the summer of 2009. FUCK. I know I should be thinking a little more positively - at least it's not cancelled, right? But that's not the point. The point is, I've invested myself heavily in this game - it has meshed both my love of the movie and my tendency for obsession to create a hybrid creature of unspeakable horror. Short of covering myself in bubbles and proclaiming the be the "Destructor", the game has driven me to epic levels of Ghostbusters love. Now I'm a victim of the dreaded "wait".
Here's something that may shock you: Ghostbusters is my favorite movie of all time, ever. It means a lot to me - it's one of the first movies I remember watching, which is odd since I was six and probably should have fond memories of E.T. or some shit... While other kids were playing cops and robbers, me and my troop were busting ghosts in the mean streets of Union Lake, MI - we had the whole routine down. Halloween? Five years in a row of me with a crappy proton pack only a child could craft. So yeah, it's a movie I've grown up with and never stopped loving. And the game was like some sort of miracle gift, a reunion not only with the original cast, but also letting me run alongside them (and split up, so we can do more damage that way...). sigh But now, now I'm getting nasty GTA IV flashbacks, when it's October '07 release was pushed back to April of '08. Crushing, it was. The difference this time is that it hurts even more. Yeah, Ghostbusters probably won't equal something like Gears of War 2, Resistance 2, or the awe-inspiring cuteness of LittleBigPlanet, but the to me Ghostbusters was the Fall release this year - outshining even Fallout 3.
So the deal is this - it's war, Activision. You screwed with my mind, and I'm not pleased. I'm willing to do the unthinkable in order to do my part to give you a middle finger forged from dollar bills. From here on out, I'm never buying another Activion / Blizzard title again. That's right - no more Call of Duties or any of the other shit you've got coming out, which is so tough what with your exciting portfolio featuring Crash Bandishit and Spyro the Fucktard. And Guitar Hero World Tour? Yeah - I'm doing my dealing with EA now, and it's Rock Band 2 on my agenda, bastards. Oh yes, it's war now, and I'm dead serious about it. Ask Joel Schumacher. After he raped Batman, I swore off him and have yet to see one of his movies since. Batnipples require such punishment, and so does this bafflingly stupid choice to drop a game that holds so much promise, throwing the whole thing into chaos. The only positive I can even imagine coming out of this is almost another year of polish that can go into the game - and maybe a character editor for "the Rookie" so that I can make him look like me. BASTARDS! I'm going to go into a corner now, go fetal, and hum the Ghostbusters theme...
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