Ghostbusters

Who you gonna call?

If you were a Ghostbusters fan and an Xbox 360 or Wii owner this summer, the answer to that classic query would have been: “My mate with the PS3.”

Sony’s ‘lockout’ on the title denied many a Ghostbusters worshipper the chance to play one of the most anticipated licensed games of recent years – but now Namco Bandai Partners have stepped in to finally release the titles across formats.

The Wii, Xbox 360, DS and PC versions of Ghostbusters will be released on Friday, November 6th. For those unfamiliar with the title, Ghostbusters: The Video Game was penned by original Ghostbusters writers and stars Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd – and reunites many of the original cast members. It’s basically Ghostbusters 3. But you play it.

In addition to Aykroyd and Ramis, original Ghostbusters Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson lend their voices and in-game likenesses to the original story set two years after Ghostbusters II, with Manhattan once again overrun by ghosts and supernatural forces.

The player joins up as a new recruit with the original team to track, wrangle and trap a wide range of awe-inspiring phantasms in an all-new funny battle to save New York City from its latest paranormal plague.

“To support the launch, Namco Bandai Partners is running ads in specialist, lifestyle, movie and kids press,” explains Namco Bandai’s Lauren Bradley.

“A high-profile PR campaign has delivered covers on Official Xbox and 360 Magazine. Reviews will appear in November and December issues.  Competitions will garner further coverage in kids’ press.

“Although the game has already been launched on Sony platforms, the Xbox 360 and Nintendo versions are genuinely new and fresh and we have solid expectations for those.”

Trade and consumer promotions have already been plentiful from Namco Bandai. The iconic Ecto-1 and 30ft Stay Puft inflatables have popped up at various events including Atari Live, the MCV Awards, the London Marathon, the MCM expos and more.

With such a strong brand heritage, retail should expect this one to fly off shelves next month.