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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:09:56 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/FNWHe6B.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters was an arcade game based on the cartoon series of the same name released by Data East in 1987. The game was later ported to the Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum. The game was released as a dedicated three player cabinet, as well as a two player conversion kit.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:10:16 GMT
Arcade Releases The Real Ghostbusters arcade game is a modified export version of the Japanese arcade game "Meikyū Hunter G" (迷宮ハンターG) with most of the graphical assets changed into Ghostbusters related imagery and the original music replaced with a chiptune rendition of Ray Parker Jr.'s theme song.
However, the changes are not just superficial, the gameplay in "Meikyū Hunter G" also differs significantly from its Ghostbusters counterpart. The second button is not the proton stream but does a spin shot (which also consumes energy)- instead, pressing both weapon buttons makes the beam. There are several power-ups for the player's gun in Meikyū Hunter G, each giving the gun one of six different attributes (such as longer range, faster bullets), whereas The Real Ghostbusters only has one power-up item for the gun that just increases.
Meikyū Hunter G consists of only eight stages, in contrast to the ten stages in The Real Ghostbusters, and does not have a proper ending. After clearing the eighth stage, the game simply loops back to the first stage with an increased difficulty level.
Home System Releases In 1988, the UK had ported versions of the arcade game to different types of home computers.
Amiga (Disk) Commodore 64 Zx Spectrum (Cassette) Amstrad CPC (Disk)
Gameplay The game allows up to two or three players depending on the version. Each player character is distinguished by the colors of his jumpsuit: blue (left side player), yellow (right side player), and red (center player and only present in the three player version). The objective of the game is to fight your way through each of 10 levels, capturing and storing ghosts along the way. The end of each level features one or more guardians who, when defeated, will yield a key allowing the player(s) to exit that level. The characters are armed with both guns and Proton Beams. Creatures can be shot with either weapon to transform them into ghosts. The ghosts can then be zapped with the proton beam to store them in the player's backpack. Ammunition for the gun is unlimited, while the proton beam has a limited charge which is displayed at the top of the screen. When two proton beams are crossed, it will combine into an even more powerful proton beam. Also displayed are the number of lives remaining and the number of ghosts collected. On reaching the end of a level there is a short graphic sequence in which collected ghosts are beamed into ghost storage. A bonus life is awarded for every hundredth ghost delivered. Some creatures and objects (e.g. oildrums, wheel-barrows) also award the player with the following bonus items.
Items Ghostbusters logo - Increases the firepower of the player's gun. The more logos the player accumulates, the stronger it becomes. Slimer - Floats aroud the player from attacks, shielding him from enemy attacks. Trap - Refills the player's beam energy. Potion - Creates an aura that makes the player invulnerable for a while until it disappears. Skull - Drains the player's beam energy.
Stages Stage 01 Stage 02 Stage 03 Stage 04 Stage 05 Stage 06 Stage 07 Stage 08 Stage 09 Stage 10
Characters Note, that enemies also used as bosses are listed with a link in the enemies section.
Enemies Idle Attacking Ghost Flying Dragon Green Alien Braided with Hair bows Ghost Mummy Haunted Spikes Large Slime Head Creepy Thing Ghost Elephant with Bow tie Ghost Cult Leaders Dirt Eel Walking Gooper Tree Spirit Dirt Creature Flying Bat Bouncing Ball Mini Flying Bat Gill Man Monster Wall Monster Head Red Imp Flying Dragon Head Long Neck Bird Sickle Attackers
Bosses Gliding Grim Reaper Toy Ghost Long Neck Bird Long Neck Wall Monster (Assisted by One Eyed Green Ghost) Sickle Attacker Teleporting Grim Reaper Ball and Chain Lava Monster Elephant with Bow tie Ghost
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:11:06 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/H8NvcRW.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters flyer.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:11:38 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/ZQofFQ8.jpg) Back of The Real Ghostbusters flyer.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:11:57 GMT
The Real Ghostbusters is a 1987 shoot 'em up arcade game developed and published by Data East in the United States. It is loosely based on the animated series of the same name. In Japan, Data East released it as a non-Ghostbusters arcade game under the title Meikyuu Hunter G. In 1989, Activision published The Real Ghostbusters for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum.
Gameplay The Real Ghostbusters is a shoot 'em up game loosely based on the animated series of the same name. It features 10 levels, each viewed from an angled overhead perspective. The player controls a member of the Ghostbusters team who must defend against various monsters and ghosts while completing each level on a time limit. Monsters are killed if the player shoots at them, and the player can earn bonus points by trapping each monster's soul, which is done by using a proton beam to suck in the ghost.
Bonus items that can aid the player are hidden throughout the game in objects such as oil drums and wheelbarrows. Bonus items include weapon upgrades, or a Slimer ghost who protects the player by killing enemies who get too close. The end of each level features a boss enemy ghost who must be defeated, leaving behind a key that allows the player to access the next level. The arcade version includes a multiplayer option for up to three players, while the computer versions feature only a two-player option for multiplayer mode.
Meikyuu Hunter G features eight levels, similar to The Real Ghostbusters but with different layouts. It features less weaponry than The Real Ghostbusters and the multiplayer mode supports only two players instead of three.
Development and release Meikyuu Hunter G was originally intended to be an arcade game based on the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. However, because of licensing issues, the game was instead released in Japan as a non-Ghostbusters arcade game, although the unaltered version was released in the USA and Europe. The Japanese version features some modifications from the U.S. and European versions. Most of the enemies were redrawn for Meikyuu Hunter G, which also removed Ray Parker Jr.'s song "Ghostbusters" from the game.
In 1989, Activision published conversions of The Real Ghostbusters for various computer platforms in Europe, including Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64 (C64), and ZX Spectrum. In the United Kingdom in 1991, The Hit Squad published The Real Ghostbusters as a budget re-release for CPC and C64.
Reception Chris Jenkins of ACE called the arcade version "enormous fun" and believed it would become a hit, while John Cook of Computer and Video Games (CVG) considered the arcade version and its computer conversions to be mediocre, and believed that the game would primarily appeal to Ghostbusters fans and "undemanding gamers". Some reviewers criticized the computer versions for their graphics, character sprites, and scrolling. Critics had differing opinions as to whether The Real Ghostbusters was a superior game to Activision's original Ghostbusters game.
Andy Smith of ACE reviewed the Atari ST and ZX Spectrum versions and considered them to be an accurate reproduction of the arcade game, but he criticized the graphics, the collision detection, the gameplay, and the "confusing" perspective. Zzap!64 criticized the graphics and sound of the C64 and Amiga versions, while also criticizing the latter version for poor collision detection. The Games Machine considered the color scheme of the Amstrad CPC version unattractive, and stated that the Atari ST version was as "unimpressive" as the Amiga version. The ST version was criticized for its animation, "crude" music and sound, and jerky movements, with the conclusion that it would only appeal to Real Ghostbusters fans.
Mark Patterson of CU Commodore User Amiga-64 considered the playable character to be "tiny, blocky, and poorly animated", and considered the character movements difficult to perform due to the game's perspective. Reviewers for Crash called the game "addictive and highly enjoyable", praising the graphics, music, and gameplay, although one reviewer criticized the two-player mode for issues involving the controls and scrolling.
Stuart C. Russell of Amiga Computing praised the sound and the two-player option, but was critical of the graphics, scrolling, gameplay, and character sprites. Russell mentioned that the arcade version had very smooth, clear graphics and superior sound. Gordon Hamlett of Your Amiga considered the graphics to be adequate, but criticized the presence of a loading sequence that occurs in order to restart each level whenever the player is killed. Hamlett considered it an average shoot 'em up game stated that the screen does not scroll unless the player is at the edge of it, with the result being that "you are frequently getting shot at, and killed, by creatures that you can't actually see!"
The ZX Spectrum was criticized for attribute clash, while The Games Machine criticized the playable character sprites for being outlined "thickly and unattractively in black", but said that the creatures were well animated. Your Sinclair criticized the graphics, music, difficult controls, and jerky scrolling of the ZX Spectrum version, while Sinclair User criticized the perspective and believed it would only appeal to Ghostbusters fans.
Later reception CVG's Richard Leadbetter, reviewing the Amstrad CPC re-release, criticized the game's jerky scrolling, repetitive gameplay, and its color scheme. Commodore Format considered the C64 re-release to be worth a look, praising its sound and abundance of gameplay, while writing that the graphics looked fairly well. Zzap!64 criticized the small character sprites, as well as the bland and repetitive graphics.
In 2014, Robert Workman of Shacknews ranked it among the top three best Ghostbusters games, calling it a classic and a delight, but thought that the main theme song is over-used. In 2016, Luke McKinney of Den of Geek also ranked it among the series' best, writing that it delivered the chunky pixel graphics and action that fans had wanted. He also said that the game would have benefited from controls similar to Smash TV and more music, but concluded that the game was a good way to fire off a few coins and proton streams.
In 2019, Kurt Kalata of HardcoreGaming101.net stated that The Real Ghostbusters was more refined than its Japanese counterpart, and wrote that while the Ghostbusters version was "not exactly exciting", Meikyuu Hunter G was not fun because of the large amount of enemies, whereas Ghostbusters is playable on the virtue of giving the players more powerful weapons. Kalata considered the main "Ghostbusters" theme music to be well rendered, but wrote that it later becomes repetitive. Kalata said that the Amiga and Atari ST versions have choppy animation and some annoying sound effects; Commodore 64 version is smoother, but the hit detection is iffy; the Amstrad CPC version has some bad colors and is quite choppy; and the ZX Spectrum is a little smoother and more playable, and less garish.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:12:23 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/LjJn1CW.jpg) European Computer Cover
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:12:51 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/kYNMfPs.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Title Screen.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:13:15 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/OiQwszW.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Save the City.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:13:42 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/sPkrEjz.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Let's go.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:14:05 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/CrPR3gV.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Purple monsters.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:14:31 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/iCLXb1H.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Surrounded.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:14:56 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/nhxJMcS.jpg) The Real Ghostbusters (Arcade) screenshot: Ghost storage.
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:15:46 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/obnHvO6.jpg) Release Date(s): 1984 Publisher: Activision Developer: (produced) by Brad Fregger Designer(s): David Crane System(s): Commodore 64, Atari 2600, NES, Sega Master System Ghostbusters is a licensed game by Activision based on the movie of the same name. It was designed by David Crane, produced by Brad Fregger, and released for several home computer platforms in 1984, and later for video game console systems. This has nothing to do with Sega's version released in 1990. The game was made in such a short time by incorporating portions of a game already in production called "Car Wars".
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:16:13 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/zg00QVh.jpg) Ghostbusters (Activision) on the Commodore 64 (1984).
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Post by Science Fiction Movie on Nov 18, 2023 6:16:35 GMT
![](https://i.imgur.com/0KgInLe.jpg) Preview Ad
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