Activion vs. The Ghostbusters: The Breakdown

This Fall, They Won't Answer The Call


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...

Monday's Report | The Beginning

Here There Be Rants


Sadly, it doesn't seem like the Bannendrome has caught on like it would. I must admit, I'm not much in the way of marketing, so I fear this will only continue. I'm basically the digital form of a homeless guy mumbling to himself. Still, I figure this is a pretty good place to do as I like, though I think I'll always have the ol' soft spot for my original home over at 1up.com. Visit it if you like, invisible friend. I have to say, I have become more and more curious over this whole Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe game that Midway's got coming down the pipe. At first (and, still now) the idea sounds simply ridiuclous. I mean, at least Marvel vs. Capcom was top to bottom crazy - a ton of random characters thrown together for laughs. But now Scorpion is beating the hell out of Superman, which is odd to see. It's like a Superman Returns flashback. And, by the way, that's what ruined the movie (if you don't count the reveal of Super Brat), for the last half of the movie, Superman is getting the crap kicked out of him. While Superman needs some sort of threat in the cinematic realm, the truth of the matter is that no one wants the guy to be a puss. And seeing Scorpion latch that spear into Superman's cheast and yank him into the all-too-familiar uppercut from Hell was depressing. Surely, America is doomed. Just as confounding is Batman's grapple with Sub Zero. Whatever. The point is, early word from the journalist crowd is that the game plays surprisingly well, bringing back the "feel" of MKII, which is great since it's one of the few fighting games I could ever actually play and wi with some regularity. Add to that the new announcement that The Joker is a character and I'm sold. We'll see what happens when November rolls around and 10 different games are pulling at my free time, soul, and wallet though. It could be that no DC hero has the strength required to pull $60 from me. I just hope this whole Fatality for villains rule does actually apply, because how cool would it be to see Scorpion fry Superman? Cool.

Speaking of DC heroes and The Joker, I'm wondering how long until Heath Ledger's performance forever influences future apperances of the character in the comics, cartoons, and so on. I can only imagine the answer is "not long". I read an interview about DC Universe Online and Rob Lee was mentioning how he's already tweaking the Joker's appearance to be more inline with his Dark Knight counterpart. Will the Mortal Kombat version follow suit? And it's not that I mind - Ledger's Joker is an incredible performance. Will he get an Oscar nomination? No. For all the buzz, it's from us - the comic book fans, internet fiends, and the cinematic laymen that the Oscar folks clearly ignore (how else do you explain all the love given to period pieces?). In reality, the people who programmed Oscar's primary directives are far too stuffy and bitter to applaud the works of The Dark Knight. it's funny though. Imagine, for just a moment, TDK if it were just a crime drama without the Batman mythos. Imagine Ledger's same performance, sans facepaint. You just know he'd get the nod then - he makes Anton Chigurh look like he was part of Amateur Hour at the villain club. Ledger's Joker makes you uneasy, makes you squirm. But add that makeup and "The Joker" moniker and the rules change somehow - now he's brushed off as a comic villain, which is a shame considering Ledger left the world this as the proof that the dude could act. Nevertheless, awards or not, the movie is making stupid money, earning in just a week what Ironman and Indiana Jones took three months to make. Who would have thought? And back to Ledger again - would the movie be such a phenomenon if he hadn't died? It's an impossible question, I know. Still, makes me wonder. I've heard people have seen the movie numerous times, anywhere from three or more. I'd like to see it again (therefore bringing my number to two), and may do so tomorrow - but then again, I may rather simply enjoy a day off to do other things. I have a tree that needs some limbs trimmed.


I just finished up MGS1. It was odd playing a PS1 game - I mention the whole adventure over at World 1 dash 1, a site I highly recommend you visit if video games are your thing. So, as my OCD demands, I have now begun playing through MGS2. It's odd, because while I want to get through it, it's more so I can play MGS3 and less about this adventure. I still blame Raiden, and while MGS4 helped smooth things over a bit, and somehow managed to make everyone's favorite transgendered hero look incredibly cool, MGS2 still holds the stigma of being the game that killed the series for me. But I have to play it, I just do. I bought the damn box set, so I might as well play them all, and if I take on MGS3 now that means I'll really never get around to MGS2. It's all about knowing one's self - and I put things off. I'm currently on the Tanker section of the game (also known as "The best part"), and while I dread seeing Raiden, I'll take comfort in having a reunion of sorts with Fortune. Ah Fortune, my favorite Metal Gear Solid person. Don't know why, but she is - so back off.

This concludes my first official Monday's Report. Expect more in the future...

Electronic Arts and the Icky Monsters

In today's gaming climate, hating on Electronic Arts is sort of like a Borat impression about a year or so ago - everyone was doing it, regardless of ability to do so. It's cool to hate EA. Aside from the relentless spend-monkeys who slave over each years' copy of $60 NFL Roster Update (also known as the Madden series), you're simply not permitted to approve of EA's products. And crappy games aside, the truth of the matter is the company put it upon themselves. There are only so many subpar games they can release based on monopolized sports leagues and movie licenses before the gaming community wakes up and lashes back in its trademark over-reactive manner. Buying beloved developers certainly doesn't help, and that goes double when other purchases in the past have lead to the death and mismemberment of independent developers. In the end, all that was left was decidedly "EA" - and "EA" is code-speak for "Just good enough to get some return on the investment". But in the last couple years, EA has tried very hard to improve the image, to get us all to re-embrace them and not give them the ol' stink eye. The developement of new, original IPs is a great place to start, as is the idea that developing groups are given a broader sense of freedom - able to craft the games they invision and not train-wreck bullshit ala Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, a game that I use as my own personal symbol of everything EA means to me. I think if you give it a shot, Rogue Agent might fit yours as well...


...sigh. See, I try to put things on the good foot and end up still spewing bile. It's not my fault, I've been trained to hate. What my topic here really is is that I think EA might actually be on the up and up on all of this. Sure, as of late, the sports division has had some issues (competition helps iron out stuff like this), but at least some of the newer stuff coming down the pipe looks promising. I did, however, get bitten once by the "new EA" already. Army of Two looked good, and the concept sounded foolproof - but it's actually a very linear and rather boring affair, and it's got a hell of a lot of holes. I mean, they couldn't even get the game's big ending right - adding it as DLC months after the game had been released (and returned to my local GameStop). It looked good, but was a flawed experience. Now though, I'm becoming more and more curious of Dead Space. The game originally looked kind of dull, but now that I see more video and hear some rather positive word of mouth from the recent E3 hands-on demo, I'm getting kind of psyched to experience it. It looks like it could be the perfect blend of sci-fi and horror, which a nice dab of both Event Horizon and The Thing - and who doesn't love The Thing? I like the complete lack of a HUD, relying mostly on holographic displays given off by guns and your inventory. It's a nice touch. And the atmoshpere looks to be spot on, full of spooky space stuff. But even though the game looks so promising, I can't help but wonder how the ball will be dropped - so to speak. Will it be glitchy? Hard to control? To difficult? To short? Too easy? Boring? I should probably stop being such a negative dick, but the good news as that making Dead Space into a hit that people agree is great will go a long way towards proving EA is turning it around. Who knows, they actually might do it...

E3 Presentation Review

As of about an hour ago, Sony wrapped up their E3'08 presentation, and that means that now each of the big three in the world of games have had their say - so now it's my turn. In a lot of ways, I felt that this year felt understated, full of news we've heard elsewhere, and a whole lot of catering to that darned "casual" base. In terms of big-name titles, again, we've heard it all before this week, and it was kind of sad that none of the companies decided to use this chance to announce something crazy - something preferably "hardcore" that would send people into a frenzy. There is one exception, but I'll get to that in a minute. Let me just go ahead and breakdown how I felt about each company's presentation, and what their various announcements mean to a gamer such as myself, who thinks of himself more along the lines of hardcore, if not at least devoted to the gaming culture...

NINTENDO: Of the three, the biggest disappointment had to be the Big N. While there was plenty to be proud of, with the Wii and the DS both being licensed machines to print money, the company did little to make people think it hadn't forgotten about the fan base that helped to pull them from the wreckage of the GameCube. Of all their various announcements, the only one I'd even have a big of interest in is Animal Crossing: City Folk, which will feature all the things we'd expect from a game that should create a community feel - this goes hand in hand with the new Wii Speak, which finally allows for chat, only in a group environment, making a mic open to a whole room. It's an odd take on the whole chatting concept, though from Nintendo I expect it. And while I'll be sure to play Animal Crossing, I was disappointed that Nintendo didn't mention a single game that hinged on any of the Holy Trinity - Mario, Legend of Zelda, and Metroid. Not only that, but I know a lot of folks (me included) were rather pissed and disappointed that no mention of a Kid Icarus game was made. Also, no new IPs, at least not any that aren't part of the current Nintendo philosophy. I mean, it's nice that Nintendo is doing well again, but it would seem that the way we've seen them go towards the casual market is here to stay, with the occasional scraps thrown to those who expect the glory days of Nintendo. I mean, Animal Crossing is cool and all, but it's not something like a new adventure for Link or the resurrection of a long-forgotten classic. All in all, Nintendo's outlook is oddly familiar, and doesn't look to change anytime soon.
BANNEN'S GRADE: C-

MICROSOFT: Now don't go hatin', fanboys, but of the presentations, Microsoft's was probably the best - but only by default. Microsoft opened E3, and they took that oppertunity and ran with it. Honestly, most of the show wasn't exactly a surprise. We all knew Gears of War II was going to kick ass, and sure enough, the demo of it certainly impressed. Actually, let me take this time to say that I think one of the big things I noticed was that Microsoft showed a lot of in-game demos and videos of their big games, both first party and third. This is a stark change of pace from Sony, which didn't show a whole lot of anything. If nothing else, Microsoft has some serious confidence in their library, and aside from all of the stuff I don't care much about - like the new Avatar thing and the Xbox Live redesign - the games look great, and that means a lot once the Fall rolls around and "Must Haves" start raining down like crazy. The pocket book is gonna hurt this year - and that's between all the consoles, not just the 360. Of course, Microsoft also ruled E3'08 because it had the ace in the hole, the one bombshell announcement. Final Fantasy XIII. Now that is an announcement. Personally, this doesn't mean much to me because I gave up on FF a long time ago, but I know it means a lot to many, many people. This is huge. Now, when it comes to big third party franchises, Sony's pool of exclusives big names is shriking. Along with GTA and Resident Evil, Final Fantasy is now a big game you can get on the 360 the same days it's available on the PS3. That's pretty important, and it stands as the one big surprise of the whole event. Well played, Microsoft.
BANNEN'S GRADE: A-

SONY: Sony's presentation was a confusing one. Of all the systems, I truly believe it has the chance to bring the most cool exclusives come this holiday, and yet the only games it chose to really focus on was Resistance 2 and LittleBigPlanet. I understand highlighting them, but I was stunned that more time wasn't spent on Killzone 2 which, aside from a ver brief glimpse during a montage, didn't make an apperance to speak of at all. I was also kind of pissed to not see more on inFamous, which could be the breakout sort of surprise Crackdown was for the 360. In general, Sony's presentation was just more looks at what we already knew about, and fairly underwhelming in that respect. Home, something I've slowly given up on over the last year and a half, was talked about ("your patience will pay off, I swear!"), and a new video was shown of it open world design, but no word was given on its progress or when we could expect the wider open beta to arrive for the masses - not even so much as "this Fall!" was said about it, and that makes me think this is something that will either come out in 2009 or not at all. It's funny, because Microsoft's new Xbox Live upgrades mimic much of the social networking Sony wants Home to do, and the new Live will be up and running in the Fall. Sony got totally faced on this one. For me, I was waiting for word on God of War III, and hoping it would be Sony's bombshell, maybe releasing this holiday to pull some folks away from their Gears fix who might otherwise not gel to Resistance 2's business. Sadly, all Sony had for Kratos was a very short teaser that showed zero of the game. Again, no date was mentioned. When all is said and done, Sony had the door left wide open for dropping some sort of epic bomb, and simply decided not to. It was a tame affair, and described nothing new. At least the big speech about Sony's profits was enjoyable, highlighted with a funny clip from LittleBigPlanet...
BANNEN'S GRADE: B

STANDOUT GAME: Sure, Gears of War II looks awesome, and my heart pines for Ghostbusters, the game that really stood out (primarily from Microsoft's presentation - another title PS3 breezed past) was Fallout 3. Sure, I already reserved my copy of the game, but that was simply because the pics I had seen looked neat-o. Now that I've seen the game in motion, I can hardly wait to get my hands on it. The "Bloody Mess" perk is this year's "Enrage Plasmid"!

That's it for my take on E3'08 and the big three. Hopefully, more surprises will appear at the next few events. Fingers crossed, maybe at PAX!?

Waiting Is A Payne

"Payne" Puns Persist!
Before Bullet Time became the late 90's version of the exploding barrel, Max Payne took the concept and ran with it. Looking back on it, I'm kind of sad that the saga of the tormented cop can be so easily forgotten - either on purpose or simply managing to fall through the cracks. It's possibly Rockstar's most underused and underappreciated title. Aside from some of the best shootouts and action set-pieces games would see, and aside from that trademark Bullet Time, Max Payne oozed character and mood - two attributes that are only now really starting to find they're not exclusive to the RPG genre. The dark noir themes and over-stated dialogue helped shape the series into something unique and interesting. And while the first game help set the foundation, I still think that Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne not only improved upon the first, but excelled in delivering a story filled with emotion, twists, and an ending that actually lived up to what you'd hope for. No punches pulled is a nice way to put it. Every now and again, the theme music creeps into my head, and it's then that I wish I'd hear more rumors about a third chapter for Max.

Nevertheless, I was a little concerned to learn a few months ago that Max Payne was going to be the next game license to jump from the consoles to the big screen. It would be easy to see how this could be a disaster - in the wrong hands, and someone who never played the games, a Max Payne movie could turn out as little more than a watered down, generic, vigilante-cop action-fest without a soul. One of those movies you see on TBS in a couple years and wonder if it had ever been released in the theaters, or simply go "Hmm, never heard of this." But then came word that Mark Wahlberg in the role, and my mood changed considerably. I like Wahlberg, and his role in The Condemned sealed it for me - Happening aside. If anyone can bring some sort of life and likeability to a tormented and vengeful man on the edge, it's Mark Wahlberg. Still, things could end up being just a slightly better brainless shootathon. But now, a trailer for the Max Payne movie is making the rounds, and it has not only made me feel better about the whole ordeal, but it makes me just giddy waiting for it to arrive in a theater near me. Check it out:


To me, from the way the movie looks, to how it's being shot, to the brooding guitar rift running through it - it actually feels like Max Payne. From what I can tell, the movie also makes plenty of nods to the original game - snow blowing around, the bleached colors, and the noticable sign for the Ragna Rock nightclub (one of the best scenes in the original game). Sure, there appear to be angels flying around, but don't forget that the first game centers around tailor-made drugs circulating through New York's underworld, causing all sort of chaos - not to mention disturbing hallucinations, which these likely are. I can't wait to see if Max goes into those nightmare scenarios like in the games, where things get real weird, and real twisted. All in all, this looks like it should, and looks like the most faithful version of any game to screen move I've seen. Sure, it's only a trailer, but I have faith.

Pardon Our Dust: Under Construction

A Drome Of My Own
I've spent a good three years or more blogging my little heart out over at 1UP.com, but over the last few months, things just haven't been running all that smoothly. I've been a decent sport about the various ups and downs involving all the bugs, mistakes, and missteps done to the site's blogger community, but now that they've made blogging even more difficult with some new window thingymado, I've decided enough is simply enough. Therefore, I've packed up some boxes, hired a shady moving company, and am going to follow in the footsteps of my fellow blogger and pal, Matt (go check out his site too - it's good stuff), and spread my wings, opening up a blog site all my own. It's easy to set up blogs here, and I don't have to worry about the damn thing suddenly triple-spacing all of my posts - so that's a good thing. I plan on shifting most of my time over to the Drome here, and I'll primarily focus on topics like TV, movies, video games - you know, all the stuff of great cultural significance. In terms of tone, I try to stay light-hearted, though I'm prone to rage at times, and I love nothing more than sarcasm. But I'll do my best to keep things on the ol' up-and-up.

Hopefully, I'll be visited by my various awesome 1UP friends, and look forward to meeting new ones here. We'll see what happens. Either way, welcome to the Bannendrome...