
	Platform Playstation 2 Genre Action Publisher Namco Developer SCEE ERSB M (Mature) Released September 2004

- I love the switchable interface between perspectives - Good voice acting, graphics, and sound effects - Excellent environmental design

- I hate the sections with Astral - Annoying puzzle and stealth sections

Review: Siren (PS2) Review: Resident Evil Zero (GC) Classic Review: Night Trap (SegaCD)
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Ghosthunter

Score: 8.0 / 10

Ghosthunter is the latest foray into the horror genre, using one of the best graphical engines that I’ve seen in some time. The game is centered on rookie homicide detective Lazarus Jones, who is called out to a disturbance in an abandoned high school with his partner.

During the course of investigating the area, he comes across a room filled with advanced equipment, the apparent source of the disturbances. While examining the room, he accidentally unleashes a group of captured ghosts on the living world, and one of the ghosts manages to take his partner captive. With no other option, Lazarus is forced to become a ghost hunter and begin recapturing the ghosts that he released.

The gameplay is a third-person shooter for the bulk of time; a majority of the fighting and puzzle solving will take place with you watching Lazarus. When combat begins, you can switch from movement mode to “hunting mode” where you slow down and draw one of your weapons. If the need arises, you can switch from hunting mode back to movement mode with the push of a button or if you require more precise attacking, you can switch to a first-person mode, which will stop your character but allow you to direct fire in your current line of sight. This rapid switching between modes of movement is probably my favorite feature of Ghosthunter especially with how the character’s mobility changes depending upon the level of concentration.

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Fighting itself uses two sets of weapons: ballistic weapons and energy weapons, which are run off of spectral energy that you collect during the course of the game. As you might imagine, it can become very important to keep track of ammunition levels to prevent running out at a crucial battle. Ghosts that you fight are weakened by weapon fire until they can be contained using the Capture Grenade (a la Ghostbusters). Besides capturing ghosts, it can also tie up an enemy for a while in an energy field or can be used to snag

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distant power-ups. Besides the usual pistol, shotgun, and energy weapon Lazarus will also get his hands on a sniper rifle, a grenade launcher, and a few other cool guns.

Graphically, Ghosthunter is one of the best looking games available on the Playstation 2. From Lazarus’ hair to the dripping water pools that form on the ground every texture looks really good. Usage of light and dark contrasts not only impress gamers, they also help establish the mood (especially when you have to walk around with the flashlight on).

The sound is minimalistic, but in a good way: the music is background fare only, you don’t notice the score at all unless you specifically think to really listen. The voice acting is another bright spot – all of the characters turn in strong performances despite the somewhat hoky story-line.

Ghosthunter isn’t all high points though. To balance out the action sequences a series of puzzles and stealth sections were added. Inevitably, these are the weakest sections of the game and will quickly kill any high from stomping on ghosts… nothing better than a stupid “find the object” exercise to kill the momentum. Not all of the puzzles involve just Lazarus. In certain places, he can summon a spectral totem: an ethereal woman named Astral who can interact with the environment to a degree and later take over enemy units (at the cost of your spectral energy reserves). Although she does look really cool and it is sort of neat to float around an area, the sections where she is used are buzz-kills to the game. Worse than the puzzle sections are the stealth areas: you have to navigate areas while not being seen by a creature called a Howler (serious Slimer from Ghostbusters copyright infringement if you ask me) so that you can move on. It’s just a part of the game that doesn’t fit in.

All in all, Ghosthunter is a linear action game that certainly brings style in spades, but has a series of flaws that prevent it from being a truly great game.

- Tazman

(October 11, 2004)

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