http://blogs.ign.com/Atari_Ghostbusters/2009/04/02/116597/
The More the Merrier
Jeff Mills
Technical Design Director
Red Fly Studio
Ghostbusters for the Wii was built from the ground up to support split-screen multiplayer co-op for two players. One of the major focal points of the Wii as a console has been the ease and accessibility of multiplayer co-op, even for non-gamers. We knew from its conception that Ghostbusters on the Wii would contain a cooperative multiplayer component. It's yet another aspect of the game that sets it apart from the Xbox 360 / PS3 version.
Every time players choose to start a new level, they are presented with the option to play single or multiplayer co-op. As long as you've got a second controller and a friend, you can play any of the levels in two-player mode. Our goal was to make everything in the game very accessible, so even if you don't start a level in two-player mode, activating the second controller mid-level gives you the option to restart that level with the second player active.
Because we built the game to support two-player mode, we developed two unique "rookie" models for the player to control, male and female. They perform the same, so there's no harm in choosing the avatar that you prefer. We expect and hope that the recognizability of Ghostbusters will bring a whole new audience to the gaming world, so it was important to us to include playable characters that your mom or little sister can relate to.
A second player shares the challenge of hunting, blasting, wrangling, stunning and trapping ghosts. There are many occasions throughout the game in which the rookie must be the hero and pull the senior busters out of the fire, so it's especially helpful to have someone watching his back when ghosts surround the player and there are no other busters around.
The two-player option means that there's always backup, even in the most demanding scenarios. As long as one of them is on his or her feet, the rookies can revive each other, meaning the game keeps moving at a very brisk and exciting pace.
But because Ghostbusters consists of more than just blasting ghosts, tactical choices and teamwork make multiplayer more than just double the "firepower." One simple and iconic example is that while one player is wrangling a ghost into submission, the other can throw out the trap that will snag the ghost. Players can also team up to wrangle a single ghost at the same time, amplifying their control over the situation. Certain environmental puzzles require the player to use his equipment to manipulate the game world. Some of these challenges are simplified by having two players working toward the same goal.
One of the collection mechanisms in the game challenges players to use their P.K.E. Meter to scan every type of ghost in the game. In some cases (like boss encounters, for instance) there is only one chance to grab that critical scan if you want to get them all. In single-player mode, stowing the proton beam to pull out the P.K.E. Meter is risky, especially during a harrowing boss fight. With a wingman sharing the responsibility of busting those ghosts, one can hold the monster back while the other performs a scan from a safe distance.
The rookies' prototype proton packs are equipped with gear the other ghostbusters aren't quite ready to strap to their own backs. One of the experimental gadgets is a slime launcher that fires a stream of positively-charged slime. While most ghosts can be taken down with the regular proton beam, some are shielded with a layer of negatively-charged slime that has to be washed off with the good slime. Without a second player, the rookie must juggle his different equipment, switching to slime blaster to do the cleaning and then back to the proton beam for the blasting. As a team, one rookie can slime while the other waits for his chance to shoot as soon as the target becomes vulnerable.
Similarly, the rookies' stasis beam locks spectral beings in place, halfway between their realm and ours. It's handy to freeze ghosts for a few seconds to give the player a little time to recuperate and regroup. A second rookie allows for tactically taking turns freezing and blasting. With one player holding the ghostly hordes at bay while the other blasts and traps, the team is almost unbeatable against waves of specters.
It doesn't all have to be about teamwork, though. There is a mechanism for tracking how much damage the player does to the environment. Challenge your friends: Who can finish the level doing the most damage? How about the least? With environments packed with destroyable objects, furniture and fine art, it's tough to hit either end of the damage spectrum.
One question has been asked since this game was announced: what happens when you cross the streams? Well, the four original busters are too smart to let your beam cross theirs, but two rookies, together on their first day, are bound to make some mistakes when they have unlicensed nuclear accelerators strapped to their backs…
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
