Ghostbusters: The Video Game Developer Q&A
- April 08, 2009 16:00 PM PST
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We sit down with designer Herbie Piland and executive producer John Melchior of Red Fly Studio to talk movies, crossing the streams, and... Walter Peck?
GamePro: What's it like to fight the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man?
Red Fly Studio: The Stay Puft battle takes place very early on and really sets the pace for the rest of the game. The players have been racing up a building that Stay Puft is in the middle of attacking in an effort to figure out what he's after and reach it first. The players are still new to their Ghostbusting equipment, giving an already tense and memorable battle an even higher level of excitement.
GamePro: Will this game be based strictly off of the movies, or will it also include content/story/lore from the cartoon as canon?
Red Fly Studio: The game advances the storyline laid out by the two movies, with nods to a few other sources (for example, Slimer being kept as a pet from the cartoon.)
GamePro: Will crossing the streams be a game mechanic?
Red Fly Studio: The original Ghostbusters who accompany you, in staying true to their knowledge and experience will of course do their best to keep this unfortunate event from happening. But accidents can happen, particularly when two rookies are around...
GamePro: How did the design team go about retaining the look and feel of the movies (with music, set design, story, etc)?
Red Fly Studio: This was really important to us, right from the start. Watching the movies frequently was key to keeping ourselves immersed in the Ghostbusters lore. We chose a more stylized art direction for the Wii but made sure it was still aesthetically compatible with the music, story elements, and character designs that are the heart of the franchise.
GamePro: What was the response from the original actors to portraying themselves and lending their voices and likenesses to the game? Were they excited to be a part of the project?
Red Fly Studio: They all have been great; they have been everything we could have asked for. Dan and Harold were true collaborators on this game from the very start. They looked at the concepts and helped us develop the storyline. They went on to write the script for us making it a true Ghostbusters experience. They have reviewed builds from prototype to alpha giving feedback and tips to make the humor shine and the universe authentic. Bill, Ernie, Annie and William Atherton gave us a lot of time and really wanted to get back to those characters they loved so much from 20 some years ago. It has been an incredible experience to see these guys wanting to make a great game and wanting to get involved and get their hands dirty. You can't find a group of actors with the legendary resumes that bring their talent the way they do, and work harder than anyone else to make a game great; these guys know comedy, know what is fun and what is not and know how to deliver it. It is really cool to know at the end of the day that they were involved with us and Sony in order to bring this title from a blank piece of paper to a very enjoyable game.
GamePro: What other enemies from the Ghostbusters movies can fans look forward to in the game?
Red Fly Studio: There are a plethora of major characters from both movies that make appearances in the game. Besides battling the Stay Puft marshmallow man in a familiar locale, some of the other original antagonists players will encounter include a certain green ghost with an appetite for sliming and hotel banquets, The (still not captured) Librarian, and the ever vigilant and skeptical Walter Peck. Of course, we don't want to give away all our secrets; but let's just say that there will be other familiar faces for players to discover when the season of evil begins again and an all-new Ghostbusters adventure commences this June.
