Reviewed: March 2, 2007
Reviewed by: Mark Smith
Publisher
2K Games
Developer
Climax Studios
Released: February 13, 2007
Genre: Action
Players: 1
5
5
5
5
5.3
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
I’m a pretty big comic book fan, or at least I used to be before I sold my collection and got into video games. Marvel was always my favorite publisher, so I was admittedly surprised when I learned that the new Ghost Rider game was based on a comic, or rather a movie based on a comic. And given the choice between seeing Nick Cage in a pair of Superman tights or black leather with a flaming skull…well, is there really a choice?
Peoples opinion on this game seem to be about as varied as they are for the movie – you either love it or hate it and there is no real in-between. When it comes time to make a game based on a movie (based on a comic) there are always going to be some challenges, especially when you “hero” doesn’t have any conventional super powers.
Johnny Blaze (i.e. the Ghost Rider) can ride a bike and whip up damage with his chain in true Devil May Cry style, but the movie just doesn’t present that much in the way of content, location, enemies, or even story to generate an appealing video game. To their credit, Climax did the best they could with what they had to work with.
The plot of the game loosely follows that of the film in that Blackheart (son of Mephisto – who is NOT the devil by the way, even though the movie makes it look that way), and several of his elemental demon buddies have escaped hell and causing some serious problems topside. Johnny, who has already sold his soul in exchange for a very short extension on his father’s life, is called upon by Mephisto to destroy these demons and restore balance to the cosmos.
Sadly, the gameplay is restricted by the limitation of the character himself. He can attack with his fiery chains using light and heavy hits, and these can be strung together into somewhat interesting combos that fuel your special attacks like super shotgun blasts and radial burst attacks. Once you fill that Spirit meter you can go into Retribution mode and invoke your ultimate attack – the Penance Stare.
The other meter is the Vengeance bar, which rewards you for mixing up your attacks and combos. Basically, keep the combat fresh and original and this meter will increase the number of souls you collect when dispatching the endless waves of enemies. Of course there is a trick, and any hit you take during combat resets this bar forcing you to start over.
Basically, if you have ever played Devil May Cry or God of War you already know the style of gameplay, but the lack of variety in enemies, environments, and even the combat itself create a very repetitive and boring game that will have you losing interest before you reach the midpoint of the game.
Mixed in with the walking and fighting levels are numerous driving stages that have you racing your flaming Hellcycle through hellish landscapes filled with lava, chains, and wicked-looking track designs with ramps and gaps and obstacles. Apparently the biker lifestyle is big in hell since all of the demons have their own rides and you can choose to shoot them off the track or pull alongside and whip them into road rash with your chains.
At first, this aspect of Ghost Rider really appealed to me but then the racing got just as repetitive as the on-foot combat, plus, when you factor in that you must race each track in reverse (the return trip) the whole concept just falls flat. Even the multiplayer racing cannot save this part of the game from the pits of hell.
Ghost Rider initially impressed me with its gothic-style graphics and twisted depictions of hell, but it never really changed, and much like everything else in the game, just got repetitive. Even the flashy fire and particle effects during combat, while cool the first few levels, just dragged on like a fireworks show that never ends.
The character models are okay and the animation is nice, but a lot of it is either hidden by the flashy effects or obscured by the horrid camera that seems to be totally out of your control for the most part. The virtual cameraman gets stuck on walls, objects, and even enemies, leading to a lot of off-screen attacks and needless deaths.
Framerate takes a noticeable hit on melees with large numbers of enemies, especially when the special effects start going off, and even the motorcycle racing can generate some less-than-smooth animation. The game does look better than the PS2 version but only because the graphics are being compressed into a smaller screen. I also liked the overall comic book presentation for the cutscenes. It’s been done before but it still works for a game like this.
The soundtrack is okay I guess. It pretty much slips into the background and is quickly forgotten, overwhelmed with some excellent and powerful sound effects for slashing and clanking chains, shotgun blasts, motorcycle engines, and screeches and howls from the spawns of hell. You’ll really want some headphones to appreciate the subtle layer of sounds.
The voice work is acceptable but the actors come nowhere near close to mimicking the stars from the film. Then again, Sam Elliot is in a league of his
If you can deal with the uninspired and repetitive gameplay there is quite a bit of extra content to unlock as well as a Challenge Mode that has you racing to collect one of 15 skulls across three modes of racing. If you can come to terms with the poor handling of the motorcycle you might have some fun with this, but there are a lot better racing games out there.
There is Wi-Fi support for up to four players in a limited variety of race modes and you can even do a single copy download (GameSharing) if you can’t find anybody else who dared to purchase (or rent) this game. Ghost Rider can be found for about $10 less than most other new releases but even at its discounted debut price I can only recommend as a rental and even then you had better be a big fan of the comic and/or movie.
I definitely liked the Ghost Rider movie a lot more than most, and I probably tolerated the game a lot more than most, but at the end of the day, the game is just a repetitive mess that tries to build on a limited foundation of hack and slash combat and uninspired motorcycle racing.
Not every comic book or movie needs to be turned into a game, and this is one Marvel character that falls into that category. Ghost Rider is a cool character and a fun movie, but as a game, it just can’t compete with anything else you might be considering for the PSP. Leave it alone and save your money for the DVD.