Ghosthunter
Encyclopedia
Ghosthunter is a video game based on ghost hunting
developed by Sony Computer Entertainment
Europe. The game was released on the PlayStation 2
in Europe on December 5, 2003, North America on August 17, 2004.
) on his first day on the job. He is sent with his partner, Anna Steele, on a routine call to investigate a disturbance in an abandoned school which also was the scene of an unsolved massacre. After the two split up to investigate the building, Jones discovers a paranormal research laboratory along with a digitized version of its creator, Professor Peter Richmond (voiced by Joe Morton
). As Jones investigates the laboratory, he inadvertently releases the ghosts contained within it, including an evil ghost named Lord William Hawksmoor (voiced by Sir Michael Gambon
).
Anna is subsequently kidnapped by Hawksmoor and Jones, aided by the digital Richmond, is sent to recapture the escaped ghosts and rescue his partner. Lazarus' secondary quest is to find Professor Brooke, the reason behind Lazarus and Anna's visit to the school, and to question him about the massacre that happened two years ago. Lazarus is told early in the game that Professor Brooke is actually Professor Richmond, who was actually a Ghosthunter, searching for Kate Heller's / Astral's body in order for her to regain her true form.
Early in his adventure, Jones meets and bonds with the ghost of a woman named Kate Heller (Astral). Astral supports Jones by granting him the ability to see dead people as well as use her other abilities to help him on his quest to rescue Anna Steele and stop Hawksmoor in his quest to regain a living body. Professor Richmond gives Lazarus new equipment suitable for ghost hunting, including a rifle, which uses ghost energy, and a special grenade, which captures weakened ghosts.
Lazarus travels to locations the Professor has previously visited via teleport gates. First, he travels to an abandoned ghost town, named Oakville, where he meets Lady DeMontford, and eccentric old woman, who carries a shotgun, fearing that ghosts swarming the town will come for her children, saying that her son would deal with them, however he "has been called away", and sending Lazarus to find him. It is later revealed that her family, the DeMontfords, were once a wealthy and powerful family who owned Oakville as well as the mines. Her son, the leader of the mine workers nicknamed "Rednecks", made the town wealthy due to the successful mining operation. He was killed and eaten by a crocodile when trying to help a little girl who was trapped in the swamps. His mother, driven insane by grief for the loss of her only child, blamed the Rednecks for that, and started kidnapping and killing their children before she killed herself, becoming a ghost as well. Following these events, Oakville was abandoned by the people. Chief Redneck, and his two sons stayed and fought Lady DeMontford. Lazarus encounters several times sniper ghosts and ghosts wielding chainsaws. These are mere projections of the Chief Redneck's sons, who think he is not one of them, until realizing he "is fighting with the good side".
After the ghost town, Lazarus visits a ghost ship, full of hostile ghost soldiers. As he progresses to the ship bridge, he meets the ship captain, Coloner Freddie Fortesque, who informs him that the ghosts were actually WW2 English soldiers, carrying "the spoils of war" to the King in 1945. Among them was a special treasure, The Dagger of Poseidon. After a conflict with the ship captain Captain Kraken, who did not want to have it on his ship (as he said, "Never take the Dagger of Poseidon at sea"). The colonel also tells him that, even after his and the crew's death, they have been trying to protect the treasure from the Beast. Immediately after he finishes, one of the Beast's tentacles grabs him and takes him away. When the player reaches one of the taped messages in the phonograms, they can hear that captain Kraken became greedy with the treasure, and tried to take it, killing the Colonel's men. Colonel killed the Captain, though, ironically, with the very same Dagger. They also hear that Kraken became the Beast, Fortesque talked about, and that Professor Richmond caught it before. After Lazarus defeats and captures the Kraken, colonel comes to congratulate him, and he captures him, too.
Right after Lazarus returns from the ship to the research laboratory, he goes to a prison. There, he meets with Professor Richmond, and learns that he was innocent about the massacre in the high school. He also uncovers the story of a Death Row
prisoner, Frank Agglin, a former police officer, who was possessed by Hawksmoore into murdering his wife. In Death Row, there is a puzzle where the player has travelled mentally into Agglin's past, and so the story uncovers.
After that, Lazarus and Richmond try to escape the prison, but they are ambushed by the Electric Guardian, Frank Agglin's ghost, possessed by Hawksmoore. Lazarus defeats it, and he and Professor head to the scrapyard, where they fight with a behemoth made of former car bodies.
When Lazarus defeats it, with the help of Professor Richmond, they make their way to an abandoned Military Base. After making their way to the computer room, Richmond reveals his former job, being a scientist in that base, as well as the real reason of his departure: Hawksmoore had proposed a deal to the executives of the base: If they granted him Kate Heller's body, as well the right to exploit the Professor, he would destroy their enemies once and for all. Of course, he wanted Kate's body for a different purpose: he desired a living body once more, by feasting on another. Professor also shows Lazarus the Zero Bomb, a top secret weapon, not for capturing ghosts, but for eradicating them.
After a while, Lazarus and Richmond meet Anna, possessed by Hawksmoore. Professor Richmond then removes Lazarus of all his equipment, leaving him completely vulnerable. It is then revealed that Hawksmoore made a deal with Richmond: If Richmond brought to him the body in which lies Astral's Spirit, he would unite Astral to Kate's body once more, as well as let him leave. Hawksmoore separates Astral from Lazarus and has Anna kill him. The start screen then loads.
However, it is a false ending
, as the digitized Richmond-computer becomes a machine, resembling RoboCop
, and it goes to eradicate the ghosts. Along the way, it finds Professor Richmond, hiding in an empty room. It then tells him how disappointed if is of him, for letting Lazarus die, and making him feel bad about himself. It then walks away to the Military Base Core to save Lazarus, who, in his spiritual form, resembles Astral, as well as to stop Hawksmoore from achieving his purpose. It tries to destroy the machine in which Kate is bound, as well as Astral, but Hawksmoore drops it from a higher level to the ground, almost destroying it.
At the same time, Lazarus has entered the machine, and regained his body. He then tries to destroy the machine, though unarmed. All of a sudden, Professor Richmond comes and gives a rifle to Lazarus, as well as Steele, revealing he had a change of heart. Lazarus then tries to eradicate the ghosts, as well as Hawksmoore. In the end, Richmond makes Lazarus and Anna leave, and stays with the computer, which took the Zero Bomb, plotting to use it. As Hawksmoore draws near, he detonates the bomb, seemingly killing Hawksmoore, the computer, and himself. Kate's fate is not specified.
Right before the credit roll falls, Lazarus and Steele are seen getting out of the high school, into their car.
, action
, comedy
and drama
, blending these disparate genres together in a manner some critics have compared to the Ghostbusters
films or the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. While the action and horror aspects predominate throughout, some sections of the game - such as the "Redneck" aspects - are more comedic, while others - such as the later prison plotline - are dramatic and sometimes even rather tragic. Certain sections, such as Mrs. de Montford's mansion, contain highly surreal
elements. Ghosthunter is also a relatively rare example of a game including the cinematic convention of the false ending
: Lazarus is killed, apparently for good, and the game then brings up the title screen, inviting the player to start over and strongly suggesting that the game is over. But within moments, the action begins again.
. General praise was given for its high quality graphics, level design and EDTV
support. It was criticized for some camera and control issues as well as occasionally repetitive gameplay.
Ghost hunting
Ghost Hunting is the process of investigating locations that are reported to be haunted by ghosts.Typically, a ghost hunting team will attempt to collect evidence claimed to be supportive of paranormal activity...
developed by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
Europe. The game was released on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in Europe on December 5, 2003, North America on August 17, 2004.
Plot
Ghosthunter follows the adventures of Detroit police Officer Lazarus Jones (voice by Rob PaulsenRob Paulsen
Robert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
) on his first day on the job. He is sent with his partner, Anna Steele, on a routine call to investigate a disturbance in an abandoned school which also was the scene of an unsolved massacre. After the two split up to investigate the building, Jones discovers a paranormal research laboratory along with a digitized version of its creator, Professor Peter Richmond (voiced by Joe Morton
Joe Morton
Joseph Thomas "Joe" Morton, Jr. is an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early life:Morton was born in The Bronx, a borough of New York City, New York. He is the son of Evelyn, a secretary, and Joseph Thomas Morton, Sr., a U.S. army intelligence officer. Because of his father's...
). As Jones investigates the laboratory, he inadvertently releases the ghosts contained within it, including an evil ghost named Lord William Hawksmoor (voiced by Sir Michael Gambon
Michael Gambon
Sir Michael John Gambon, CBE is an Irish actor who has worked in theatre, television and film. A highly respected theatre actor, Gambon is recognised for his roles as Philip Marlowe in the BBC television serial The Singing Detective, as Jules Maigret in the 1990s ITV serial Maigret, and as...
).
Anna is subsequently kidnapped by Hawksmoor and Jones, aided by the digital Richmond, is sent to recapture the escaped ghosts and rescue his partner. Lazarus' secondary quest is to find Professor Brooke, the reason behind Lazarus and Anna's visit to the school, and to question him about the massacre that happened two years ago. Lazarus is told early in the game that Professor Brooke is actually Professor Richmond, who was actually a Ghosthunter, searching for Kate Heller's / Astral's body in order for her to regain her true form.
Early in his adventure, Jones meets and bonds with the ghost of a woman named Kate Heller (Astral). Astral supports Jones by granting him the ability to see dead people as well as use her other abilities to help him on his quest to rescue Anna Steele and stop Hawksmoor in his quest to regain a living body. Professor Richmond gives Lazarus new equipment suitable for ghost hunting, including a rifle, which uses ghost energy, and a special grenade, which captures weakened ghosts.
Lazarus travels to locations the Professor has previously visited via teleport gates. First, he travels to an abandoned ghost town, named Oakville, where he meets Lady DeMontford, and eccentric old woman, who carries a shotgun, fearing that ghosts swarming the town will come for her children, saying that her son would deal with them, however he "has been called away", and sending Lazarus to find him. It is later revealed that her family, the DeMontfords, were once a wealthy and powerful family who owned Oakville as well as the mines. Her son, the leader of the mine workers nicknamed "Rednecks", made the town wealthy due to the successful mining operation. He was killed and eaten by a crocodile when trying to help a little girl who was trapped in the swamps. His mother, driven insane by grief for the loss of her only child, blamed the Rednecks for that, and started kidnapping and killing their children before she killed herself, becoming a ghost as well. Following these events, Oakville was abandoned by the people. Chief Redneck, and his two sons stayed and fought Lady DeMontford. Lazarus encounters several times sniper ghosts and ghosts wielding chainsaws. These are mere projections of the Chief Redneck's sons, who think he is not one of them, until realizing he "is fighting with the good side".
After the ghost town, Lazarus visits a ghost ship, full of hostile ghost soldiers. As he progresses to the ship bridge, he meets the ship captain, Coloner Freddie Fortesque, who informs him that the ghosts were actually WW2 English soldiers, carrying "the spoils of war" to the King in 1945. Among them was a special treasure, The Dagger of Poseidon. After a conflict with the ship captain Captain Kraken, who did not want to have it on his ship (as he said, "Never take the Dagger of Poseidon at sea"). The colonel also tells him that, even after his and the crew's death, they have been trying to protect the treasure from the Beast. Immediately after he finishes, one of the Beast's tentacles grabs him and takes him away. When the player reaches one of the taped messages in the phonograms, they can hear that captain Kraken became greedy with the treasure, and tried to take it, killing the Colonel's men. Colonel killed the Captain, though, ironically, with the very same Dagger. They also hear that Kraken became the Beast, Fortesque talked about, and that Professor Richmond caught it before. After Lazarus defeats and captures the Kraken, colonel comes to congratulate him, and he captures him, too.
Right after Lazarus returns from the ship to the research laboratory, he goes to a prison. There, he meets with Professor Richmond, and learns that he was innocent about the massacre in the high school. He also uncovers the story of a Death Row
Death row
Death row signifies the place, often a section of a prison, that houses individuals awaiting execution. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting execution , even in places where no special facility or separate unit for condemned inmates exists.After individuals are found...
prisoner, Frank Agglin, a former police officer, who was possessed by Hawksmoore into murdering his wife. In Death Row, there is a puzzle where the player has travelled mentally into Agglin's past, and so the story uncovers.
After that, Lazarus and Richmond try to escape the prison, but they are ambushed by the Electric Guardian, Frank Agglin's ghost, possessed by Hawksmoore. Lazarus defeats it, and he and Professor head to the scrapyard, where they fight with a behemoth made of former car bodies.
When Lazarus defeats it, with the help of Professor Richmond, they make their way to an abandoned Military Base. After making their way to the computer room, Richmond reveals his former job, being a scientist in that base, as well as the real reason of his departure: Hawksmoore had proposed a deal to the executives of the base: If they granted him Kate Heller's body, as well the right to exploit the Professor, he would destroy their enemies once and for all. Of course, he wanted Kate's body for a different purpose: he desired a living body once more, by feasting on another. Professor also shows Lazarus the Zero Bomb, a top secret weapon, not for capturing ghosts, but for eradicating them.
After a while, Lazarus and Richmond meet Anna, possessed by Hawksmoore. Professor Richmond then removes Lazarus of all his equipment, leaving him completely vulnerable. It is then revealed that Hawksmoore made a deal with Richmond: If Richmond brought to him the body in which lies Astral's Spirit, he would unite Astral to Kate's body once more, as well as let him leave. Hawksmoore separates Astral from Lazarus and has Anna kill him. The start screen then loads.
However, it is a false ending
False ending
A false ending has two contexts; in literature it is a narrative device where the plot seems to be heading to its conclusion, but in reality, there's still more to the story. In a musical composition, it is a complete stop of the song for one or more seconds before continuing.The presence of a...
, as the digitized Richmond-computer becomes a machine, resembling RoboCop
RoboCop
RoboCop is a 1987 American science fiction-action film directed by Paul Verhoeven. Set in a crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan in the near future, RoboCop centers on a police officer who is brutally murdered and subsequently re-created as a super-human cyborg known as "RoboCop"...
, and it goes to eradicate the ghosts. Along the way, it finds Professor Richmond, hiding in an empty room. It then tells him how disappointed if is of him, for letting Lazarus die, and making him feel bad about himself. It then walks away to the Military Base Core to save Lazarus, who, in his spiritual form, resembles Astral, as well as to stop Hawksmoore from achieving his purpose. It tries to destroy the machine in which Kate is bound, as well as Astral, but Hawksmoore drops it from a higher level to the ground, almost destroying it.
At the same time, Lazarus has entered the machine, and regained his body. He then tries to destroy the machine, though unarmed. All of a sudden, Professor Richmond comes and gives a rifle to Lazarus, as well as Steele, revealing he had a change of heart. Lazarus then tries to eradicate the ghosts, as well as Hawksmoore. In the end, Richmond makes Lazarus and Anna leave, and stays with the computer, which took the Zero Bomb, plotting to use it. As Hawksmoore draws near, he detonates the bomb, seemingly killing Hawksmoore, the computer, and himself. Kate's fate is not specified.
Right before the credit roll falls, Lazarus and Steele are seen getting out of the high school, into their car.
Gameplay
Ghosthunter can be classified as an action shooter. Jones is equipped with a range of projectile weapons and may control Astral, a ghost with various abilities. Astral's powers are charged via the capture of the various ghosts in the game.Style
Ghosthunter is an unusual mix of horrorHorror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
, action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
, comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
and drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
, blending these disparate genres together in a manner some critics have compared to the Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters is a 1984 American science fiction comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. The film stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Sigourney Weaver, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis and follows three eccentric parapsychologists in New York City, who start a...
films or the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. While the action and horror aspects predominate throughout, some sections of the game - such as the "Redneck" aspects - are more comedic, while others - such as the later prison plotline - are dramatic and sometimes even rather tragic. Certain sections, such as Mrs. de Montford's mansion, contain highly surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
elements. Ghosthunter is also a relatively rare example of a game including the cinematic convention of the false ending
False ending
A false ending has two contexts; in literature it is a narrative device where the plot seems to be heading to its conclusion, but in reality, there's still more to the story. In a musical composition, it is a complete stop of the song for one or more seconds before continuing.The presence of a...
: Lazarus is killed, apparently for good, and the game then brings up the title screen, inviting the player to start over and strongly suggesting that the game is over. But within moments, the action begins again.
Critical reception
Ghosthunter received generally positive reviews, with a composite ranking of 69% on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. General praise was given for its high quality graphics, level design and EDTV
Enhanced-definition television
Enhanced-definition television, or extended-definition television, is a United States Consumer Electronics Association marketing shorthand term for certain digital television formats and devices...
support. It was criticized for some camera and control issues as well as occasionally repetitive gameplay.