Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker
System: Genesis
Release Date: August 1990
Developer: Sega R&D2/Compile
Publisher: Sega
Genre: Action
I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost and neither are the Ghostbusters! Three of the boys are back for this adventure set sometime between the first two movies. Winston must have been laid off, because business has been slow after defeating Gozer. However, an earthquake releases some ghostly apparitions and Peter, Egon, and Ray are back on the case in six levels of ghost busting action.
Choose which of the Ghostbusters you want to take into action, each with a different strength and weakness. Egon is fast, but not very sturdy. Ray is slow, but can take damage. Peter is average in both categories. I chose Peter, thinking I’d be able to switch among them. I was wrong. There are four levels to choose among as the game begins. These are there for you to earn some money by catching ghosts. Money is used to buy upgrades, items, and weapons. You don’t get enough money to buy everything, so you’ll have to pick and choose based on your preferences.
Stages are a platforming affair. You’ll be using Button C a lot to jump from ledge to ledge, as well as avoiding pesky enemies. Your proton pack is fired with Button B. Pressing the Start Button sends you into a subscreen that allows you to change your weapons or use items. Button A throws bombs, which are screen clearing items in limited supply. In each stage, you may find safes that can be shot to unveil either a money bag or a bomb that must be avoided. Enemies are generously placed across the level and will respawn if you walk far enough away. There are also slimers that you can shoot to either replenish life or energy.
You can access the shops by going back to the beginning of the level. The item shop holds only four items. Gyoza heals any damage you’ve taken. The duck is more expensive, but you carry it with you and can use it when your life is low during play. Infrared goggles are needed in one level, and bombs are always helpful. There are many weapons in the weapon shop that use the energy gauge. I experienced the explosives, three way shot, and phaser. They’re mostly useful for boss fights, but I bet they have uses against normal enemies, too.
Each level has a certain number of middle ghosts, which are sub-bosses, that have to be beaten before the door to the level boss opens. These guys all follow the pattern rule of action bosses. Once you get that pattern down, or are using the correct weapon, you’ll have them beat in no time. It took me a number of tries to get the movements down in some cases. Once you defeat them, they turn into a small ghost that you need to trap. Shoot a beam and then hold the button down to pull them in, but you need to press and let go multiple times to lure them to the correct spot. The final level is a boss rush with platforming in between. The final boss consists of two forms and really wasn’t too awful, as long as I kept my distance.
Graphics: 2.5
The graphics are fine, but they aren’t anything I’d write home about. The backgrounds and set pieces are very plain.
Sound: 2.5
Music is adequate and I don’t think I disliked the sound effects.
Gameplay: 2.5
Your Ghostbuster controls a bit wonky, with ducking movement being opposite to what I’d like.
Difficulty: 2.5
There’s a lot of learn the enemy spawns and boss pattern difficulty here. You’re going to die a lot, but there are 10 continues on normal difficulty, so totally possible to beat.
Fun Factor: 2.0
I was getting more annoyed than enjoying myself by the end, but it was fine for a little bit.
Overall Rating: 2.4
Ghostbusters earns a C+. It’s different than the 8-bit games, so I can’t say better or worse. It was fine for what it was so give it a shot.