Ghostbusters Game genre?

[BIG D]

If you couldn't use ACTION as a genre for the Ghostbusters game (C64,atari2600,master system) what would you use?

[thetick1]

Simulation as you are simulating being a Ghostbuster... though Action is a much better description.

Edited April 5, 2018 by thetick1

[carlsson]

Ghostbusters is listed as following:

 

Atarimania: Arcade - Miscellaneous

GameBase64: Arcade - Miscellaneous

Lemon64: Arcade - Miscellaneous

World of Spectrum: Arcade - Adventure

Generation MSX: Action (no further subdivision)

SMS Power: Action (through icon, not written in text)

Mobygames: Action (no further subdivision)

CPC Power: Action (no further subdivision)

 

This is just the start of a list, as there are lots more sites (I didn't visit any NES site for instance) to compare with. It is striking that the main Atari and C64 sites have settled on Arcade - Miscellaneous while several of the other sites just calls it an action game, without trying to categorize games further.

 

If anything, I would call it Arcade - Multi-Screen or something, because it is the different types of game play that makes it special to me. Many games around 1984 would only have one type of screen and then increasing difficulty of attack waves, while this one has many connected screens and even an ending.

[Video]

Sim? It's roleplaying being a ghost buster, you drive, money manage, buy supplies, bust ghosts, etc.

 

I never could get past that damn tower I guess youd right marsh mallow man and either end, or restart?

[thetick1]

Sim? It's roleplaying being a ghost buster, you drive, money manage, buy supplies, bust ghosts, etc.

 

I never could get past that damn tower I guess youd right marsh mallow man and either end, or restart?

 

You need to have more money than you started. A few blocks destroyed by the Marshmallow man makes it impossible to have more money than one started with.

 

[mbd30]

Hybrid sim/action. It's an action game with some sim-like elements in managing the Ghostbusters business.

[Torr]

It's a Role Playing Game, Duh!

You play the 'role' of the Ghostbusters.

Like Super Mario Bros... you play the role of Mario Mario (an unfortunately named fellow)

Or Double Dragon, you play the role of Billy or Jimmy Lee

Or Ninja Gaiden, you play the role of Ryu Hayabusa

Or Burger Time, you play the role of the chef...

 

wait, aside from Tetris-type games they're ALL role-playing games!?!?!!

[Bill Loguidice]

It definitely best fits in action, but as an alternative or sub-category I guess I'd personally be OK with referring to it as a simulation. It has business elements, strategy, planning, etc., along with the majority of action elements.

[Montrealer]

It's a QTE game of sorts, where pressing the right button(s) at the right time(s) will determine your success.

[carlsson]

Perhaps I've played the game in the wrong way, but is there much of business planning and strategy in Ghostbusters? I used to think of the car as a kind of a fire truck but instead of extinguishing one fire at a time, you try to capture the ghosts until the end of the counter where you might be allowed into the end game if you have made enough money. Is the strategy part to give a damn about ghost infested houses that are far too scattered around and accept a bit of damage and lost money if you can make up for it by catching ghosts closer to you? The business planning to me is limited to which items you buy at the start of the game, not that you really can upgrade the car in the middle of the game or get a second car etc...

[Bill Loguidice]

Perhaps I've played the game in the wrong way, but is there much of business planning and strategy in Ghostbusters? I used to think of the car as a kind of a fire truck but instead of extinguishing one fire at a time, you try to capture the ghosts until the end of the counter where you might be allowed into the end game if you have made enough money. Is the strategy part to give a damn about ghost infested houses that are far too scattered around and accept a bit of damage and lost money if you can make up for it by catching ghosts closer to you? The business planning to me is limited to which items you buy at the start of the game, not that you really can upgrade the car in the middle of the game or get a second car etc...

 

Your point is a valid one. Those elements are definitely on the light side, but they're at least there. In the end, the fact remains that we're trying to shoe-horn what is best described as an action game into another genre.

[Video]

I could get to the tower, it's just (at least on the c=64) the ghost like up at the top of the screen and I never could avoid them.

 

On 2600 I don't think I ever made enough money to try to fight my way up the tower, assuming this gameplay element made it into the 2600 translation. Maybe some day I'll look for the nes or master system version? The ms looks most like 64 to me from the YouTube videos I've seen.

[haightc]

Maybe action-adventure, given the time it came out I think it could also qualify as well. I played this to death of my, I think the disk wouldn't boot anymore when I was younger. I had played enough loops, I am not sure what the max was but I think I hit 183 + 6 or 9 digits. I recall 9 but I am not sure it that is possible, I don't recall if this game has a hard limit. I want to say at least some versions did.

[Newsdee]

Driving around doing different missions sounds like an early GTA. That genre is also a bit vague in "action", I suppose.

[Mulletino]

The dreaded "Movie tie-in"?

 

I'd say Action though. One of my favourite C64 games too.