Sony
At long last , Sony has started adding morePlayStation 2 games to its classic catalogon PlayStation Plus . The first batch includedSly CooperandTomb despoiler : Legendas the freehanded names , and while the scene of diving back intoSlywas incredibly tantalizing , it was a title on the lean I had never heard of that wake up my peculiarity .
AlongsideSly , I score download on the curious secret plan calledGhosthunterand booted it up to see if it was just padding out the aggregation or if it was a major unreasoning spot in myPS2 knowledge . The third - person shooter was created by SCE Studio Cambridge , which briefly became a sister studio to Guerrilla Games before shutting down in 2017 . As it turns out , it ’s a piece of music of PlayStation account worth exploring . While it sure as shooting has its issues , Ghosthunterisn’t afraid to be experimental and weird . It feels like a true religious cult classic that never found its garter in its daytime and prime to gain that condition all these years by and by .
Sony
I ain’t afraid of no ghost
The first matter you ’ll find aboutGhosthunteris how well it holds up graphically . Coming out in 2004 in North America , this was the tail - end of the PS2 ’s lifecycle and it show up in terms of how well the lighting , character models , and animation of the era have aged . The very first cutscene is about the most early-2000s scene you could imagine , complete with a hooded image pulling out two sci - fi guns and shoot jumbo skeleton soldiers in dull - motion back by thumping club music . It ’s very muchMatrix - inspired and , while corny , put me in the thoroughgoing mindset for the experience forwards of me .
Ghosthunterwastes no time getting you into the secret plan . After a speedy introduction to Lazarus Jones — a name that could only survive in this era of games — you are given a accelerator and a special Capture Grenade . The gameplay moil down like this : play a ghost , flash it with either a traditional or energy weapon , and discombobulate a disc - like Capture Grenade at it to trap it . I can hold fast the grenade to the ghost at any time to see its “ wellness ” prevention to bed how much damage I need to do to capture it , though some ghosts and bosses require different scheme . There ’s no denying the flow of combat is unwieldy , specifically the transition between “ running around mode ” and combat mode where you could really shoot . Players can at least facilitate some of the awkward ascendancy pains thanks to the unexampled tools these embrasure include .
WhereGhosthunterfeels most fresh is in its puzzler and the second grapheme called Astral . At specific points , player can summons a ghost associate to vanish around surroundings and reach arena Lazarus ca n’t . She ca n’t fight , but if musician capture enough of specific variety of ghosts then they unlock new ability for Astral , such as luring other ghosts around , track through specific points in walls and ceilings , and manipulating object to resolve puzzles . Just like combat , no puzzler is all that taxing to figure out or solve , but the extrasensory twist on how I go up and figure out them feels sweet .
Similarly , level design is one ofGhosthunter‘s substantial suits . Levels are almost totally additive occasion , but the impressive art and lighting ( especially when using a gun ’s flashlight attachment ) make Lazarus ’ slightly boring run focal ratio tolerable . Aside from a swamp area outstay its welcome a morsel too long , the environs are all distinguishable . This is especially true when the game embraces the bizarre and creates insufferable blank .
This game ’s transience would have been a negative when it was first free , but it might be one of its greatest strengths on PSN in 2024 . The armed combat , puzzle solving , and exploration are all solid , but nothing mind - blowing or so warning that it demands more than the about 10 hours it take to fill in . It gets in , doles out new toy and sights at a dainty tread , and does n’t outstay its welcome once it feed out .
I wo n’t get into spoiler , but there ’s one moment near the game ’s end that threw me for a true closed circuit for a few moments that I am shocked does n’t get talk about more — not so much for what it does , but when it did it .
PlayStation Plus Premium ’s classic game offeringshave had a slow clock time ramp up . We ’re only now ( hopefully ) interpret a return of PS2 game being added to the catalog , and games likeGhosthunterare on the button the kind I want to see . Sure , we all say we want the great titles from our childhoods , but finding a game likeGhosthunterfeels like reliving a piece of nostalgia I did n’t cognise I had .
If you love this era of games , Ghosthunteris the staring hidden gem to take you back to that simple fourth dimension in gambling .
