Jim1972UK
25-06-2009, 00:00
I bought "Ghostbusters: The Video Game" for my PS3 via pre-order from a reputable online store, and it arrived this Friday just gone (19th June).
Since then, and in the intervening five days I have come across problem after problem with the game, so many in fact that I will try listing them all but am expecting to forget alot of them because there is that many. In addition using game community sites I have come across others from the UK and the Irish Republic who have had similar problems, the same problems or completely different problems, which quite frankly considering this game is not a Beta makes me question:
a) Has this release been rushed through without being thoroughly tested, and do Atari/Terminal Reality really consider this bug ridden, error strewn attempt at a game something which they want to associate with such a well loved franchise as Ghostbusters and to be lumped in with the succession of previously poor thought out, poorly produced names bearing the Ghostbusters title.
b) How is it possible for the North American market to have a virtually bug free game, where online game play is from what I have been told by friends, pretty reliable, yet the UK are lumbered with a game that is unplayable online due to (i) "unable to connect" (ii) "wrong map version" (iii) "unable to sign in to network".
c) Has the game been created for NTSC and been ported over to PAL without considerations being made of what effects that would have on quality? or any attempt being made for the conversion to fully work (hence all the graphical problems) which brings me to...
d) Why is it that certain levels such as the Library are prone to screen freeze, game crash, or both with this being something that seems to be happening to the majority of gamers, and the only way to solve it being to switch off the console. the actual problem is that in the NYC Library level - As the bookcases close in on the player, the game freezes for about 10 seconds numerous times, sometimes it does not "Unfreeze", it is such a basic error that this has been missed by developers.
e) Why after entering multi-player mode, when I leave the lobby (irrospective of whether I have or have not been fortunate enough to manage to get a online game to work), my career save game is lost forcing me to quit the game and restart to get it back, and more often than not when the game has reloaded I find that some or all my scans and artifacts have been lost.
f) Why considering the leap in technology from the old PS to the PS2 and now to the PS3 are we stuck with a game that uses 540p resolution and abysmal texture detail is which are frankly unacceptable for the platform and look like something you may expect on a old Atari console from the 90's. Considering the skill that goes into making a game then claiming to be having problems with the PS3 hardware, is laughable and quite frankly insults the intelligence of gamers, many of who have been gamers long enough to know what their console is capable of. Just to re-affirm this point I look at the pictures from the X-Box version of the game which looks frankly far superior, and as if time and effort has been made to wring the last bit of the X-Box's graphics, the same 720p HD, that could and should be used for the PS3 if the route of laziness hadn't been used when deciding 540p resolution would "do".
I have been a gamer for near on 25 years now, and have seen some shabby, poorly produced, badly thought out efforts, that never quite made the grade or lived up to the hype, and this SHOULD NOT fall into that category, but it is borderline because as fun as the single player is, that is all we have, multi-player for European players is subjective and depends on if and when your contacts are online to be added into a game other than that you just click and hope to be connected.
Considering this is a Playstation 3 Game I do not expect or accept this bad a offering with all it's problems, especially when I am have payed the best part of £40 for the game plus another ten pound for the strategy guide (had I known how bad the game was for bugs and glitches I would have not purchased it thus would not have needed the guide). I have been looking forward to this game since the turn of the year when I first found out about it being in development and it is a shame that I (and I am sure others) feel that this has been a big disappointment of the game that has not lived up to the hype, or capabilities of the PS3.
Since then, and in the intervening five days I have come across problem after problem with the game, so many in fact that I will try listing them all but am expecting to forget alot of them because there is that many. In addition using game community sites I have come across others from the UK and the Irish Republic who have had similar problems, the same problems or completely different problems, which quite frankly considering this game is not a Beta makes me question:
a) Has this release been rushed through without being thoroughly tested, and do Atari/Terminal Reality really consider this bug ridden, error strewn attempt at a game something which they want to associate with such a well loved franchise as Ghostbusters and to be lumped in with the succession of previously poor thought out, poorly produced names bearing the Ghostbusters title.
b) How is it possible for the North American market to have a virtually bug free game, where online game play is from what I have been told by friends, pretty reliable, yet the UK are lumbered with a game that is unplayable online due to (i) "unable to connect" (ii) "wrong map version" (iii) "unable to sign in to network".
c) Has the game been created for NTSC and been ported over to PAL without considerations being made of what effects that would have on quality? or any attempt being made for the conversion to fully work (hence all the graphical problems) which brings me to...
d) Why is it that certain levels such as the Library are prone to screen freeze, game crash, or both with this being something that seems to be happening to the majority of gamers, and the only way to solve it being to switch off the console. the actual problem is that in the NYC Library level - As the bookcases close in on the player, the game freezes for about 10 seconds numerous times, sometimes it does not "Unfreeze", it is such a basic error that this has been missed by developers.
e) Why after entering multi-player mode, when I leave the lobby (irrospective of whether I have or have not been fortunate enough to manage to get a online game to work), my career save game is lost forcing me to quit the game and restart to get it back, and more often than not when the game has reloaded I find that some or all my scans and artifacts have been lost.
f) Why considering the leap in technology from the old PS to the PS2 and now to the PS3 are we stuck with a game that uses 540p resolution and abysmal texture detail is which are frankly unacceptable for the platform and look like something you may expect on a old Atari console from the 90's. Considering the skill that goes into making a game then claiming to be having problems with the PS3 hardware, is laughable and quite frankly insults the intelligence of gamers, many of who have been gamers long enough to know what their console is capable of. Just to re-affirm this point I look at the pictures from the X-Box version of the game which looks frankly far superior, and as if time and effort has been made to wring the last bit of the X-Box's graphics, the same 720p HD, that could and should be used for the PS3 if the route of laziness hadn't been used when deciding 540p resolution would "do".
I have been a gamer for near on 25 years now, and have seen some shabby, poorly produced, badly thought out efforts, that never quite made the grade or lived up to the hype, and this SHOULD NOT fall into that category, but it is borderline because as fun as the single player is, that is all we have, multi-player for European players is subjective and depends on if and when your contacts are online to be added into a game other than that you just click and hope to be connected.
Considering this is a Playstation 3 Game I do not expect or accept this bad a offering with all it's problems, especially when I am have payed the best part of £40 for the game plus another ten pound for the strategy guide (had I known how bad the game was for bugs and glitches I would have not purchased it thus would not have needed the guide). I have been looking forward to this game since the turn of the year when I first found out about it being in development and it is a shame that I (and I am sure others) feel that this has been a big disappointment of the game that has not lived up to the hype, or capabilities of the PS3.