New Ghostbusters II

Overview

Not to be confused with the side scrolling Activision game released under the name Ghostbusters II, this version was actually made by HAL Laboratories and it was not released in America. It is very similar to the Game Boy version also released under the same name and uses a top-down perspective of the Ghostbusters and their spectral foes.

This version of the game uses a much more distinct cartoon version of the characters with its art direction as opposed to the Activision version which tried to create more realistic sprites.

Story

The game's story is loosely based on the Ghostbusters II movie and as such the game does not try to explain what the events in the game were and why they were happening. The basic premise of the game is that the long-dead barbarian warlord Lord Vigo the Carpathian is trying to resurrect himself. He attempts to do this by stealing a human child through which he can be reborn. This baby is Oscar, the child of Dana Barrett, a person who the Ghostbusters are very close to and now it is up to them to stop him and save Dana's baby.

Gameplay

At the start of the game the player is able to choose two members of the Ghostbusters team made up of Peter, Egon, Ray, Winston and for some odd reason their accountant Louis. The first character chosen is the primary character and the second character is the trapper. The player has direct control of the primary character and is used to fire a proton beam that momentarily stuns an enemy. The trapper character is utilized to trap the ghosts, thus dispatching of them entirely. The player does not have direct control over the trapper character other than letting them know when to set the trap. The trapper character moves by himself and is invincible. Progress through the game usually means walking around the different areas of a level and catching all the ghosts before entering a boss battle.

Game Boy Version

Ghostbusters II for the Game Boy was only released in Japan and PAL regions. It was never released in the US due to licensing issues with Activision. The Game Boy version follows the same gameplay and design as the NES version but with simpler graphics and fewer ghosts. Like the NES, the player can control two Ghostbusters at once; one uses the Proton Pack to zap the ghosts and the other throws the Ghost Trap to capture them. But unlike the NES, this version only has three stages and no multiplayer capabilities.

Players can change Ghostbusters by touching the other members that are scattered around the stages. The only unplayable Ghostbuster is Louis Tully, who only acts as a supporting character and provides extra lives. Changing to different Ghostbusters enables you to all kinds of abilities such as using the Slime Blower to inflict more damage, invincibility for a brief moment and using the Ghost Trap freely while the ghosts are frozen in place.

Stages:

Stage 1 (Floors 1-3): Courthouse

Stage 1 Boss: The Scoleri Brothers

Stage 2 (Floors 1-4): Abandoned Subway Tunnels

Stage 2 Boss: Ghost Train

Stage 3 (Floors 1-5) : Art Museum

Stage 3 Boss: Vigo the Carpathian