Ghostbusters

[cashcow06]

I have played this game several times now with little success and would like a few pointers. Has anyone ever managed to bait the Marshmallow Man and earn $2000? Do you flick the difficulty switch before or after he appears? Has anyone achieved or even had a chance To continue playing with your accumulated earnings by sneaking two out of three of your ghostbusters safely past the jumping Marshmallow Man?

[A.J. Franzman]

I haven't gotten the bait to work on the 2600 version yet, but I have gotten past Mr. Stay-Puft in the Commodore 64 version. In that version, the trick is to get your Ghostbuster lined up with the doorway, and just barely below Stay-Puft's foot as he's jumping, so it looks like he's actually jumping onto the GB's head. Then you wait for him to jump up and the instant he kicks his leg out to the side, push the stick up.

[StanJr]

Oh yeah, all kinds of times. Ghostbusters is one of the best dark horse games for the system!!

 

You flip the switch as soon as Stay Puft appears, he will vanish immediately and you may resume bustin' ghosts!

 

The strategy for getting under Stay Puft is pretty much the same as AJ explained. You have to time it just right. There is a sweet spot where you just clear his foot as you go across and then run like hell. Find that sweet spot and you are golden. Use the background to locate the best place to stand.

 

Wonderful game! Good luck!

[KevinMos3]

I grew up with the 2600 Jr. It was always hard getting to the difficulty switch in time on that console. I beat it once as a kid. After that, I got to the Marshmallow man a few times, but couldn't get my guys past him. I haven't tried to beat it in years. Maybe it's time for another go? ...And this time on my Heavy Sixer.

 

I remember there being an ending that I thought was really cool back then. I won't give it away, and it's not much by today's standards, but at least there IS an ending. Back then, any kind of ending was a pleasant surprise.

[A.J. Franzman]

Necro-bump!

 

The last 30 seconds of this YouTube clip shows how to get past Mr. Stay-Puft in the VCS version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2kpp0xRhf8

 

The building has 6 vertical columns of windows. It looks like you need to time your run so that you pass under him while you and he are about in line with the 2nd and 3rd columns from the left.

Edited December 31, 2010 by A.J. Franzman

[4ever2600]

I'll never forget the hours I played this on the C64 when it first came out, had speech at the beginning. That was great. The 2600 version was a bitch to play!

[Rex Dart]

The building has 6 vertical columns of windows. It looks like you need to time your run so that you pass under him while you and he are about in line with the 2nd and 3rd columns from the left.

 

Duh, haven't you guys seen the movie?

[Tempest]

One thing I never understood is what good are the proton streams? They disappear the second you hit the trap so even if you have the ghost pinned down above the trap it will escape the second you push the button. This happens on the Apple II version at least (and apparently in the 2600 version as well). Do other versions do this?

 

BTW the Marshmallow Man for the 2600 version is way cooler than in the other versions.

 

Tempest

[+save2600]

One thing I never understood is what good are the proton streams? They disappear the second you hit the trap so even if you have the ghost pinned down above the trap it will escape the second you push the button. This happens on the Apple II version at least (and apparently in the 2600 version as well). Do other versions do this?

I haven't played the C64 version in quite some time, but I do remember it handling the proton streams a little better than on the 2600. Fewer escapes, but yeah... seems to be more hit or miss on the 2600.

 

[A.J. Franzman]

Yeah, on the C64, if you had the ghost between the streams when you activated the trap, you'd get him better than 90% of the time, because when the "capture" circle first appeared over the trap, it was much higher up the screen. The VCS version is terrible in that regard, because the "capture" circle starts right at the trap and takes a bit longer to get up to where it has any chance of touching the ghost -- by which time he's usually moved away.

 

There was a trick way to catch ghosts even faster on the C64, that I don't know if it will work at all (or any better than the standard way) on the VCS. The trick was, to drop the trap to the left of center screen and put the first Ghostbuster facing the wrong way -- at the far left side of the screen, facing left -- then use only the second Ghostbuster to "scoop" the ghost from right to left and activate the trap just as you get him over it. Since the first Ghostbuster is turned the other way, you can't accidentally cross the streams until you completely overlap the men (which is easy to avoid).

[Tempest]

There was a trick way to catch ghosts even faster on the C64, that I don't know if it will work at all (or any better than the standard way) on the VCS. The trick was, to drop the trap to the left of center screen and put the first Ghostbuster facing the wrong way -- at the far left side of the screen, facing left -- then use only the second Ghostbuster to "scoop" the ghost from right to left and activate the trap just as you get him over it. Since the first Ghostbuster is turned the other way, you can't accidentally cross the streams until you completely overlap the men (which is easy to avoid).

That's how I always did it on the Apple.

 

Tempest

[PAC MAN FEVER]

cool i've always overlooked this version of ghosbusters but now i think i'm going to buy it.

[Godzilla]

its actually my favorite version of the game and the only one I could beat. great 2600 version, imho. love the music too