Overlooked Ghostbusting on the PS2 | Ghosthunter

Ghosthunter is a great example of the 7/10 Playstation 2 title.
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Ghosthunter is a title you may have picked up from Blockbuster to spend a weekend with back in the day. While you could find better titles, you could also find plenty worse.
Ghosthunter is one of those titles that's flown more under the radar from this timeframe. The gameplay is fine, if awkward and undercooked at points. It's the characters, the locations, the writing, and the humor that do the heavy lifting.
Ghosthunter has a great balance of humor and horror. Although more emphasis is on the humor, its able to get dark at a moments notice without tonal whiplash. It's one of the better games I've come across that are able to execute on its humor.
As far as overlooked horror titles, Ghosthunter is one of the lesser ones, but it has merits that are worth experiencing.
• 00:00 - Prelude
• 01:24 - Game Intro
• 06:29 - The Cast & Comedy of Ghosthunter
• 11:19 - The Gameplay of Ghosthunter
• 18:14 - Highlights of Ghosthunter
• 38:58 - In Conclusion
Additional Footage:
• GDC God of War Talk: • The Level Design of Go...
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• MediEvil
• Resident Evil 2
#ghosthunter #boulderpunch

[@BoulderPunch]

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[@arvinjay336]

@BoulderPunch its coming to PS4/PS5 Next week via Push Square.

[@GrimDarkHalfOff]

Hardcore version of Luigi’s Mansion

[@-EndlessHorizon]

"Pa... I'm so tired I couldn't even poop" damn astonishing writing.

[@antomanifesto]

Ghost Hunter, Second Sight by Free Radical Design, and Herdy Gerdy were the three games that absolutely burrowed their way into my brain when I was a teen and have never left. I don't know what it is about them, but there are so few games these days that capture the very particular atmosphere that each of these games had, and I dream nightly of waking up to remasters just so I can revisit those worlds, stories and mechanics...

[@HamzaAnsari1425]

Second Sight! What a wonderful game. It indeed had a 'different' atmosphere than most. There was SOMETHING about that era of games that cannot be replicated: GTA 3, Max Payne, Suffering, Manhunt, Eternal Darkness etc...

[@Jordan-fd6cx]

I remember Astral's walking/ jogging cycle was very similar to Jen's from Primal, appropriately enough. Miss the 90s-mid 00s days when I could fully lose myself in a game's story and setting like that, without so many other distractions around.

[@SoBor911]

The game's graphics and animation still look fantastic even 2 decades later.

[@zparklebugz424]

the PS2 definitely had some games with graphics that pushed the limits of what consoles could do at the time... This game and Silent Hill 3 definitely fit into that category!💖

[@budyll1]

Someone forgot about BLACK and God of War 2 ;).

[@Bobby3OOO]

He’s upscaling the resolution with an emulator

[@budyll1]

@@Bobby3OOO many PS2 games look terrible when upscaled like that. The truth is that Ghosthunter could easily be placed in the top 10 best looking PS2 games.

[@brooklynbred1460]

Someone forgot youre alowed to like other games ​@budyll1

[@NasaZombieDragon-vc7pl]

A GhostHunter... Back in those days were i did not know about the internet and this game was one of my "material" used during those curious times. With my many hours i can confirm, the lady ghost is "fully"drawn. SoulCalibur 2 is my first.

[@torshec8634]

Glad Rob Paulsen a.k.a Morte, a.k.a Mighty Max voiced the Ghosthunter. Hope you'll tackle their other 2003 game.

[@planescaped]

The entire video I kept thinking where tf do I know that voice from, it was driving me crazy.

[@VoodooSilk]

This is one of my favorite games that I still replay through every couple of years on my PS2. To me it's the definition of greater than the sum of it parts. The story, characters, humor, all just work for me. Like how some people have movies that kinda like comfort food for them and just makes them happy, this is the video game form for me. Also I love Primal but just not as much as I love this game.

[@GameGodZERO]

ok that dialogue between Lazarus and the professor as the junk monster is forming is great lmao wish I had played this back then, or known about it lol

[@TheHighvolt480]

HOLY SHIT I NEVER REALIZED THE BAD GUY IS VOICED BY MICHAEL GAMBON!!! This game was so much fun.

[@Vod_Crack]

Glad you took on my suggestion! I am also glad you enjoyed it. I remember feeling similarly to you. It's not a great game but it's something different and if played at an impressionable age, it does stick with you. I haven't played the game myself in about 20 years, so it was a fun trip down memory lane. I am surprised I was able to finish it considering the progression issues you found. I guess as a kid, you have more time to just keep trying things until they work! It was interesting hearing about the improvements made for the NTSC release, as I had the PAL original. Keep up the good work BP!

[@punkuke]

Absolutely crazy to hear Rob Paulsen in a role like this. Like, I get that it's still a comedic game, but the character and setting are so different from all the other things I've ever seen him in. I was definitely surprised to hear that voice come out of that character design. That's really cool! Also, 5:10 is really funny to me. I get he's probably supposed to be freezing up - first day on the job and all - but the character model doesn't really emote that clearly, so it just ends up looking like he totally let her get snatched for no reason despite having a clear shot 😆

[@mr.sinjin-smyth]

The game still looks amazing after all these years, and I've finished it twice years ago, first on the PS2, then by emulation (PCSX2). Gameplay was fun & challenging, the story & setting really drew me in, and the voice acting of the characters were solid good. The protagonist, Lazarus Jones, voiced by Rob Paulsen, I best remember in shows like Saber Rider, TMNT 1987, and the Gummi Bears. Ghosthunter is no doubt a very overlooked and forgotten classic. I would definitely play this much more if it had a PC port, but that's just wishful my wishful 2 cents.

[@Dzyan]

I remember finding this game in a bargain bin probably 15 years ago and a buddy of mine bought it because it reminded us so much of the ghost level in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect. "Ghost goggles." *quizzical look* "Ghost GUN" . Sir Michael Gambon, best known for wrecking the reasonably priced car on Top Gear, for which they named the corner the Gambon in his honor for the rest of the show.

[@Ndrake89]

Holy shit dude. This truly was one of my favorite games as a kid. I remember going to the website as a kid to look at the game. It truly frightened me. So much nostalgia man. Thanks so much. You pick the best games to look at. This video was so much fun.

[@BobExcalibur]

You might not initially consider it part of your typical survival horror wheelhouse, but if you enjoyed looking in on Sony Cambridge's work here, you should take a look at Primal. Primal was their first test run of the engine they would reuse in Ghost Hunter, and you'll feel the similarities. Its an isekai about a cute goth rocker girl exploring demonic worlds and solving puzzles with an erudite gargoyle companion. Its got that early PS2 jank but the presentation is really lovely and the dialogue is charming much like GH. You might really enjoy it.

[@Jordan-fd6cx]

I loved Primal as a kid, great gameplay and setting, and a real sense of escapism to another alien world. The characters were likeable and charming too, Jen and Scree had a real 'Buffy and Giles' vibe that I enjoyed. 😄 It felt like a real adventure story, and the janky parts made it a bit more genuine as opposed to the slick, overproduced feel, a lot of games have nowadays.

[@user-vj5xf9wg3w]

I was too young when I played primal got stuck on water level. Remember child me thinking jenn was a cutie lol

[@BobExcalibur]

@@user-vj5xf9wg3w If you're curious, it emulates well on PCSX2 Nightly.

[@Mankey619]

Why didn't I knew about this game? I really missed some gems on the PS2's library there. This is a closest we can get to a very good Ghostbusters game. It really has that humor of that movie.

[@magickmeat8763]

Ghostbusters The Video game is exactly what you just described, but better, as it is literally a Ghostbusters official game. Its fantastic and just recently got a visual remaster which made it even better. Since you clearly didn't know about it before posting this comment, I highly recommend it now that you're aware. Its great!

[@Ravenpaw1313]

Damn, I'm sad I missed this one, it would have been a lot of fun. I like the mechanics, especially the enemy possession and *especially* enjoy the monster design! The toothy Liquid Beast and the decaying crocodile devouring the other monster were some fun designs! The humour and darker moments seemed to balance out well for a pretty decent story with some notable VAs to boot. Excellent review. This is one I'll have to consider picking up sometime.

[@daviejones8862]

THANK YOU!!! oh my lord, I remember seeing a review of this game back in the day on Tech TV and, not having a PS2 at the time, I put it in the back of my head. Years later, I got one and all everyone did was point me to a bunch of games that weren’t ghost Hunter. Thank you for showing me that I didn’t make this game up

[@RyanCarbo96]

I still have this in my small Ps2 collection. Absolute gem mate

[@FragileBitch]

The Protagonist hairdo is something I would call both nostalgic and pretty much the monument of the years of early 2000s!!

[@Noperare]

I can hear Sum41 just by looking at his hair. God I love the early 2000's aesthetics

[@cygneturesounds]

I kept expecting him to sound like Theo Von

[@AngryWindmill]

I never played this but you made me remember I had a similar game called Ghost Master, but it was kind of the opposite because you played as the ghosts and had to haunt various houses and make the humans run away, good stuff.

[@treetheoak8313]

I think the Ps2 had the largest bump in graphical fidelity from the first few years to the last few years. This game looks beautiful and like you said Boulder, this has a lot to do with the great art direction.

[@MrDudeInTheSuit]

Dunno, The Bouncer visually looks on par or even better then anything that came out later. And it's a ps2 launch title.

[@DeepFriedHugs]

Lazarus VA sounds like the guy from the Tick show

[@thesidneychan]

I'm very convinced this is the same VA who voiced Quint Cetcham in RE revelations but never credited.

[@otherprisma7354]

Well some good news! This game is gonna get re-released on ps4/ps5 this month soon!

[@arvinjay336]

Just saw it as well this is great!

[@DinoDave150]

Who ya gonna call? _Ghosthunter!_

[@berserk2638]

“Who you gonna call?” Is actually the name for the Trophy you get when using Lady Demonte’s telephone. In the ps5 emulation that just released.

[@gslinger19]

Dude is the most 2000's dude I've ever seen. Just wondering, are you planning to cover "Alone in the Dark"? I'm curious to hear your thoughts on it.

[@Jordan-fd6cx]

As a 90s kid, this comment makes me feel old. 😅

[@gslinger19]

@@Jordan-fd6cx I felt old making jt

[@liquidrufus]

Hear hear those tracks featured during Astral portions especially the one near the end were fire.

[@arvinjay336]

I wish this'd be added as a PS2 Classic with trophy support for PS4/5 EDIT: Oh look it'll be available on PS4/5! Nice

[@sylverzenki]

I didnt know comedian Theo Von had a game about him hunting vampire ghost Dumbledore !

[@yuugenmagenevileyes9881]

This was my jam as a kid and I still play this here and there even as an adult. I remember first picking up the game when Family Video was still a thing and eventually getting a copy from my parents. Still loads of fun today.

[@J.O.E_]

Holy shit, im just finished both Primal (previous game made by the same developer) and then this game several weeks ago and enjoyed both, its nice to see you covering the game now.

[@MrNiveq]

Fantastic game with great atmosphere. Really happy to see it covered, also happy to see the soundtrack get some recognition. Especially the Astral soundtrack as mentioned, but its all good in my opinion. Still listen to it regularly to this day.

[@AlexGreat321]

Holy shit I thought I was the only one who remembered this game. I remember my sister saying Lazarus Jones looked like Johnny Knoxville haha Also this was the game that got me to check out Resident Evil. I had borrowed Ghosthunter off a friend and when I gave it back I wanted to keep playing it but couldn't find a copy so I found Resident Evil Code Veronica X in a game catalogue instead I did like the fight with the giant alligator and the son in the swamp level

[@marcusclark1339]

game a reminder of what passion can do the small neat gimmick ideas this game had, the spirit transition into his eye, the loading from painting into a actual level u can walk into, the fake out start screen, so many ideas devs now too afraid to do and companies too afraid to risk

[@nekkofrost1419]

This was the first ps2 game to ever have Greek dub And as a Greek it always stood out to me for that reason, as at the time I couldn't speak English

[@keness4768]

The haunted gator in the Louisiana bayou was very memorable. Hadnt played this in over a decade but i remember that part..

[@SkitSkat8008]

The main villain sure does love to hear himself talk

[@Destiny2isthebestever]

Hey, It's, "That Boulder Punching asshole!" Lmao. Good video bro, love it.

[@Kousaburo]

Being from the UK I played the demo of the EU version. I remember constantly wrestling with a camera that made the game unplayable. The reviews pointed this out the terrible camera as well.

[@cchristianjeremy]

This game along with Evil Dead A Fistful of Boomstick scared me so much as a kid lmao

[@soddoman1868]

I think a top 50 survivial horror games/ coolest games ive tried/ game recommendations video from you would be amazing you really cover the coolest games out there

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

The way that enemies explode reminds me a lot of shadowman as well which is interesting.

[@furikagi]

It’s a good day when boulder punch drops a new vid ❤

[@thedisappointedoptimist6916]

Omg this was my childhood! The first horror game I ever played! I thought it was just in my head!

[@Cam-pe3nd]

Aww hell yeah. Nobody ever talks about this game. The draw distance is wild!

[@reaverofjillsandwiches]

The opening words I recognized teh voice immediately as Rapheal from the TMNT cartoon.

[@Raymond13557]

the music in this game is pretty great too

[@brokenrecord2941]

Can't believe it but this was the kind of game I was too scared to play back in the day 😆 Glad you covered it but now I sorely miss my ps2.

[@BraveAbandon]

Dang only at the intro and already impressed, and also a bit sad i hadn't come across this game before

[@freddiemossberg7204]

Over all my time on YT I’ve never seen this game even mentioned in a passing comment so this video is a very welcome surprise.

[@labertasche58]

I have super fond memories of watching my mom playing this game ^^ tried it playing myself once when I was like 13-14 I think but stopped very early on because my friend and I were so scared of the invisible ghost with the chainsaw 😂

[@reedman1337]

you just unlocked memories i didnt know i had bravo

[@hatednyc]

To this day one of my favorite PS2 games of all time.

[@arkgaharandan5881]

One instesting thing about the european release of this game is that it was translated into many languages including small european countries. I guess they thought this will get them more sales in europe, it didnt it was a waste of effort and since then most games dont have but a few basic language options for a few large countries.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Prof has a funny running animation.

[@morkgin2459]

Tyler durden as ghosthunter

[@astrothsknot]

I had ghost hunter for the PS2, PAL ed. My 8 year old wanted to play it, so I let him,. He didn't get far. He didn't want to hurt the howlers and I had to make up stories about what they were doing, so I told him they were going to work and trying to get a mortgage.

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Anna Steele? Isn't that what the 50 Shades of Grey lady is called?

[@davidcurry332]

Never heard of this ps2 title before Boulder

[@rodneyabrett]

I absolutely loved this game when it was out. Easily my favorite game from this developer. I enjoyed it even more than Primal and was blown away by the quality if the graphics and gameplay. It was filled with a lot of creative ideas, despite some of the jank in the camera controls and a few of the tedious astral levels.

[@abadtyme]

the astral sections’ soundtrack sounds like eartheater

[@nightraven6969]

bro i was just thinking about playing this again the other day

[@vrapbrap]

I loved this game a bunch. Played it too many damn times. The atmosphere is so good.

[@LORDSofCHAOS333]

bro how in the hell did i miss a game like this as a chilled

[@Mallymizzle96]

Seems like it should be a movie the way it's dialogue was set up

[@bloodrunsclear]

All I can hear is Donatello (same voice actor pretty sure)

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

The professor and "ghost spy" idea seems REALLY reminiscent of Geist on the Gamecube... was that, like, _a thing_ at the time? Like the parallel thinking that brought us Deep Impact and Armageddon at the same time? At any rate, I'm awfully intrigued by what you would think about Primal now. I've not played GhostHunter - it is super expensive, after all - but I feel like this game smooths out some of the issues in Primal. Like, getting lost here seems much less of a hassle than it was in Primal, which was pretty often. At least on PS3 and PS4 (I never played that on PS2, so maybe if I had played it when it was getting coverage and maps and strategy guides and whatnot, I would've gotten through it. But years later via the HD downloadable versions, it's just kind of confusing. Neat game though. During the PS2 era, Sony Cambridge definitely had a knack for creating edgy/comedic horror IP in the vein of Buffy or something... wish they made a licensed Buffy game instead of that 24 one they did)

[@derrickhaggard]

I played this game and loved it. And the humor was there as it was actually funny.

[@pipong8808]

My 1st ps2 game when i was 7 or 8 & it scared the shit out of me

[@jjenk911]

It has a great story, characters, and writing. it also doesn't hurt that Rob Paulsen voices the main character.

[@GIJane-nr2xm]

loved this game is was bloody brilliant!

[@seasnaill2589]

So what you're telling me is that these ghosts Take on monstrous forms And you have to throw an object at them Catching the 'monster' in the object so you can put it in your pocket Like some sort of 'pocket monster' if you will

[@broodwars64]

Available now on PSN for PS4/PS5, apparently.

[@billykotsos4642]

This game is a classic

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

I remember loving Medieval.

[@JokerPlayer1997]

Are you going to look into the Alone in the Dark franchise? And the remake? I'd love to hear what you have to say about them!

[@Wilfulsmith-df4xo]

Legit Thought for a second this was a game of Extreme Ghostbusters show

[@chrisvarnado900]

I loved this game growing up. Played the crap out of it.

[@EMO_alpha]

This looks good!

[@AndyKazama2]

More 7/10 PS2 titles is what I want Sony to put on PS+ premium

[@nundulan]

I hate subscription services I hate subscription services

[@AndyKazama2]

That doesn't change a thing...

[@nundulan]

@@AndyKazama2 Game Pass is okay, not great but better than PS+ I do agree with your statement but I also prefer to play PS2 games on my CRT.

[@Nigel222]

This actually seems pretty cool.

[@Jonesy87Bradford]

Yeessss I loved this game so much as a kid

[@JohnQ5]

This seems like the kind of game where it was good and a sequel could have been great, like Destroy All Humans.

[@torrentthom4734]

I have this game for the PS2: 7/10 great weekend assured!

[@dimsumboy22]

I’m sorry I can’t finish this video. Rob Paulson. SLO mo. Interesting. I’m gonna put this video down to track a copy. Sorry but it’s too interesting. Up my alley

[@cmd5789]

22:38 I don’t understand what is being pointed out here

[@davidshinigami5692]

This game deserves a remake

[@LilyoftheLake14]

Anna Steele? 🤨🤔 I wonder if E.L. James, the author of -Twilight fanfic- the 50 Shades of Grey books, is a HUGE fan of this game because the main character in 50 Shades of Grey is named Anastasia Steele... aka Anna Steele lmfao!

[@fdj4601]

thank you for this comment i was jumpscared when i heard the name

[@Judie-Nator]

Gotta say, this game also looks pretty good for a PS2 game. Not as good as Silent Hill 3 or Metal Gear Solid 3, but it's still very impressive

[@HitoriSanzo]

1:22 nice marvel disney-asslooking f. writting

[@steelbear2063]

Gotta love sassy AIs

[@wastedweirdo9853]

Why are so many fictional stories set in detroit or Michigan in general it makes me scared to live here lmao

[@Guts295]

Are you contractually obligated not to say the mc is Brad pit from fight club? I don't understand why such a thorough commentary wouldn't say so else wise

[@chezzums2801]

The early concept of lazarus is literally tyler durden lol... they must have had to change him haha.

[@WangNurMouth]

This main dude is if scooby doo was a human being.

[@danteshollowedgrounds]

Ghostbusting... Ayoo.

[@toddhoward5555]

All I remember was how good the graphics looked, the main character's punchable face and that big deformed teddy bear monster ghost thing, and the astral projection segments a little... That's literally it and I played the game to completion lol It was an extremely forgettable experience through and through.

[@chezzums2801]

I don't understand why primal and medievil got a remaster but not ghosthunter?.... Ghosthunter is one of my fave games and a childhood memory...

[@otherprisma7354]

Goods news, its gonna get re-released on ps4 and ps5 this month!

[@chezzums2801]

@@otherprisma7354 Really?... If that is so is it gonna get a remaster for the pc?...