Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters
For the Nintendo Entertainment System

General FAQ/Walkthrough
Written by Reverend Eric "Vegita" Johnson ([email protected])
Version 3.1459

Sections:

I - Introduction
II - Game Story
III - Controls
A - The City Map
B - Driving
C - The Shop
D - Ghost-Busting
E - Climbing Zuul's Stairway
F - Battling Gozer
IV - How to Play
A - How to Win
B - How to Lose
V - Various
A - Revision History
B - Thanks
C - No Thanks

================================= Ghostbusters ================================
---------------------I: Introduction---------------------
================================= Ghostbusters ================================

Welcome! I am Reverend Eric "Vegita" Johnson, and I see you want help for the
Nintendo game "Ghostbusters". Wellsir, I'd say I'm fairly qualified to write
the guide for this game. I've owned the game for years, and I believe I've
actually survived it a few times. This is not to say that it's a BAD game,
I'm just saying that when you're somewhere around the age of 12 and really
aren't THAT good at things like coordination or rational thought, games that
require both tend to kill you. However, since my earlier gaming days I HAVE
acquired both, so I think I can handle not only the game but the FAQ as well!

First off, let's get one thing straight: Even though I am Vegita, I will try
to write from an un-biased point of view (although I still think I'm the best
at everything). Second of all, if I catch anyone copying all or part of this
FAQ, ANY part of this FAQ (not counting little, inconsequential sentences like
"First off, let's get one thing straight), I will destroy you. I will rip you
limb from limb like the excessively weak individual you are, and then I will
sue you for copyright infringement. Well, ok, maybe I'll just sue you, but if
I got the chance I'd certainly go for the ripping of limbs from other limbs.

Third of all, I do not own the rights to this game, the names of the
characters in this game or FAQ, or have any ownership whatsoever of this game
(except for the cartridge sitting in my room, that is). Those are the
property of their respective owners. If I find a website with this FAQ on it,
and it has been changed in any way, does not give me proper credit, or is
selling it without my knowledge and consent, then I WILL have my lawyers
contact that site. Are we clear (this means YOU, Vertsk8!)?

Hey folks, if you're going to write me about this game, I must insist that you
put, in the subject header of the e-mail, the name of game that you are writing
about. I am tired of having people write me, asking about games that I've
written for, but they never tell me WHAT game they need help with. This will
help me in identifying what game you are talking about, and will also help me
weed your e-mails out from the Spam I constantly receive. If you do not put
the name of the game in the Subject header, then I may not read your e-mail at
all; I get a lot of spam, and people like trying to send me viruses, so if you
don't do something that will actually help me in determining whether or not
your e-mail is legitimate, you can only blame yourself.

================================= Ghostbusters ================================
----------------------II: Game Story----------------------
================================= Ghostbusters ================================

In 1984, the movie "Ghostbusters" premiered. The premise was simple - 3
rather oafish scientists, who study paranormal events, have their funding cut
by the local university. Thus left to fend for themselves, the 3 Scientists
decide to persue a career in the very field they were studying - by catching
Ghosts! The movie was an impressive hit, followed by a sequel, a couple
cartoon series (and a couple knock-offs), and a few video games. This is one
of those games.

================================= Ghostbusters ================================
----------------------III: Controls----------------------
================================= Ghostbusters ================================

The controls for the game are actually really simple, no matter where you are
in the game. I should mention, though, that the premise of the game is so
simple that you really only need the control guides to find your way through
the game.

________________________
_~A~ The City Map Screen______________________________________________________
========================

A BUTTON - Press this to entera a Building (in conjunction with
the Directional Pad).
B BUTTON - Try as hard as you like, pressing the B BUTTON will do nothing.
SELECT - Press this to pause the game.
START - Press this to see what's currently in your inventory.
DIRECTIONAL PAD - Use the Up, Down, Left and Right Directional Pad
buttons to move your "Ghostmobile" (symbolized by the
Ghostbusters Logo) throughout the streets of
Manhattan.

The trick to navigating the game effectively is to know what you're trying to
do - you can visit whatever building you want by simply moving next to it,
holding the DIRECTIONAL PAD in its direction, and pressing the A BUTTON.
However, you're the Ghostbusters, and sight-seeing is not what your job is -
you're here to bust some ghosts! Therefore, you need to enter the affected
buildings and nab the Ghosts. In order to do that, move around the city until
you find a building that is flashing red (they only flash red when you're next
to it, unless you have a Ghost Alarm). When you find one (assuming you've
already purchased your equipment), enter it, go through the driving scene, and
capture some ghosts!

Map Synopsis - Just so you don't feel foolish, the overview of the map is
simple. The Building at the bottom labeled "GBHQ" is the Ghostbuster's Head
Quarters. When you need to empty your traps, go here. The Buildings at the
Top of the Screen, labeled "GAS" and "SHOP" are (obviously) the Gas Station
and the Shop, respectively. Finally, the building in the middle of the screen
is Zuul's Building, which you will worry about later on in the game.

SPECIAL NOTE - You'll notice the ecto-plasm meter on the screen, showing you
just how much paranormal activity is amounting in the city. You can slow this
down and give you more time for ghostbusting, however, by driving over the
ghosts on the screen. So do your duty and run down a ghoul today!

_______________________
___~B~ The Driving Screen_____________________________________________________
=======================

A BUTTON - If you have a Ghost Vacuum, by pressing
the A BUTTON you can suck up Ghosts that
are on the streets.
B BUTTON - Press this to switch the information on
the bottom of the screen (Gas Left and
Distance Remaining switches to Money
Accumulated, and vice versa).
SELECT - Press this to pause the game.
START - Press this button if you REALLY want to
waste your time.
DIRECTIONAL PAD UP - Speeds up the Ghostmobile.
DIRECTIONAL PAD DOWN - Slows down the Ghostmobile.
DIRECTIONAL PAD LEFT/RIGHT - Although impossible for a 1976 Hearse, by
pressing LEFT or RIGHT the Ghostmobile
travels horizontally left or right. I
don't see how this is possible, but hey,
it's just a game...

The object of these scenes is simple - you are given a random distance to your
destination, and you have to get there. You control your car as you drive
towards your destination, all the while dodging other vehicles. If you
collide with another vehicle, you lose 200 Dollars (stupid collisions...why
doesn't the OTHER guy pay for it? Doesn't he have insurance?). Also, while
driving along you will come across Oil Drums and Ghosts. To save time on
refueling, nab an Oil Drum. If you have room in your trap(s), run over the
Ghost to pick up for some quick cash. Eventually, you'll arrive at your
destination...however, if you happen to run out of gas on the way there,
you'll be forced to get out and push Ecto-1 to the Gas Station, and then
you'll have to go all the way back to the building again!

Remember - the longer you drive around without actually going into a building,
the further you have to drive when you actually pick a building. Save fuel -
make your drives short by making your decisions early.

SPECIAL NOTE - When you speed up, you move a lot faster but also use more gas.
When you slow down, you move slower but use less gas. The funny thing is, the
programmers must have gotten the mathematical formula wrong for this
particular equation because if you travel as fast as possible (meaning your
car is at the top of the screen), you travel many times faster than normal
while expending marginally more gas than you would at an average speed.
You're actually SAVING gas by speeding as fast as possible! Of course, this
DOES have a downside...if you're going that fast, there's no way to stop quick
enough to grab a Ghost or Oil Drum (or get out of the way of another
car)...unless you drive fast for 4 seconds, then slow down to nab the precious
gas.

ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE (courtesy of Blitz) - While going full speed while
driving, a gas barrel shows up every 5 seconds. If you go top speed for 4
seconds after you see a barrel, then hold down to slow down, you will slow down
just in time for when the next one comes and you can grab it. Also, going full
speed at the top corners you rarely hit another car.

____________________
_____~C~ The Shop Screen______________________________________________________
====================

Ah, shopping. For a lot of people, shopping is a great way to relax and have
fun. Other people realize that they'd have more fun for their money's worth
if they simply flushed it down the drain. However, as a Ghostbuster, you need
to do some shopping if you're going to get anywhere in this game. The shop's
controls are simple:

A BUTTON - Make a Purchase or Sell an Item.
B BUTTON - Switch from the list the items you have purchased
(and vice versa).
SELECT - Pressing Select while in the shop does so little, it
hurts.
START - Leave the shop.
DIRECTIONAL PAD - Select different items from the shop.

Now, let's talk about the items located within the shop, their prices, and
what they do.

ITEM COST. WHAT IT DOES.

Ghost Vacuum $2,500 Sucks up Ghosts you drive past on
the street.
Sound Generator $100,000 Slows down the Ghosts in Zuul's
Stairway.
Capture Beam $3,000 You use these in the "Ghost-
Busting" scenes to nab ghosts. It's
a weaker Proton Pack,
but it gets the job done.
Hyper Beam $12,000 You use these in the "Ghost-
Busting" scenes to nab ghosts. They
have a better range than the Capture
Beam. It's the stronger of the 2
Proton Packs.
Ghost Food $2,000 Distracts the Ghosts in Zuul's
Stairway. You get 2 uses.
Ghost Alarm $2,000 Shows you which buildings are
currently haunted.
Anti-Ghost Suit $20,000 Gives you 6 added hits from the
Ghosts in Zuul's Stairway.
Capture Trap $1,000 (each) For every Capture Trap you buy, you
can hold 1 Ghost. After that, they
have to be emptied. You can hold up
to 3 Capture Traps.
Super Trap $6,000 Unlike the Capture Trap, you can
only hold one Super Trap at a time.
However, each Super Trap has an
unlimited Ghost-packing capacity, so
you never have to stop and unload
ever again. Saves time, no?

In order to sell something, simply select the item you wish to sell from your
inventory and press the A BUTTON. You'll only get half of what you paid for
it, so think about what you want to sell before you sell it. When you want to
leave the shop, just press Start.

_______________________________
_______~D~ The "Ghost-Busting" Screen_________________________________________
===============================

This is where you make your main money, so make it count, Ghostbusters!

A BUTTON - Drop the Trap.
A BUTTON (2) - Once the Trap is dropped, Pressing the A BUTTON
makes your Proton Packs come alive, sending the
beams out.
A BUTTON (3) - Once the beams have been extended, pressing the A
BUTTON yet again makes the trap suck up ghosts.
B BUTTON - Switches from the left and right Ghostbusters.
DIRECTIONAL PAD - Moves your Ghostbusters to where they can drop
the Trap.
DIRECTIONAL PAD (2) - LEFT and RIGHT move your Ghostbuster(s) left and
right, while UP and DOWN change the angle of the
Proton Beam.

Now, how do you make money this way? If you're familiar with the movie,
you'll know that you should hold the Ghosts in place with the Proton Beam
while the trap sucks 'em up. So set down the Trap, ignite your beams, try to
nab a ghost or two, move it over the trap, and press the A button to suck it
up. Congrats, you just nabbed a ghost!

Now, the trick to making money quickly off of catching ghosts is simple -
every time you manage to catch a Ghost, you get $200 dollars. If you managed
to nab 2 ghosts at once, you'll get $200 for the first one and $400 for the
second. Not bad, you've made twice as much as the first one. If you manage
to get 3 Ghosts at once, you'll be awarded $200 for the first, $400 for the
second, and $800 for the third. If you can somehow get all 4 Ghosts in one
try, you'll get $200, $400, $800, and $1600 for your efforts - you just made
$3000 bucks off of one trip! Considering the fact that if you get them one at
a time the most you can get is $800 for all four Ghosts, getting more than one
at once is CLEARLY the way to go.

SPECIAL NOTE - you can change the angle of your beams by pressing UP or DOWN.
The important thing to remember is this - remember what Egon said about
Crossing the Streams? Well, that doesn't exactly happen in the game, but it
DOES make you immediately leave the Ghost-Busting screen and returns you to
the Map screen. Be careful where you're wavin' that thing!

ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE (courtesy of Blitz) - Drop the trap as high up as you can.
The ghosts aren't going to fly below it, so you might as well make it as short
a trip as possible, eh?

_____________________________
_________~E~ Climbin' Zuul's Stairway_________________________________________
=============================

Ah, the final area(s). This is what it all boils down to, folks - you getting
to (and defeating) Gozer, the Traveller. When enough ghosts have generated the
necessary Ectoplasm levels to allow Gozer's return, then it's time to hit the
center building and do some climbin'. So let's get climbing!

A BUTTON - By pressing this repeatedly to move.
B BUTTON - Press this to open the door to each floor.
SELECT - Pauses the game.
START - If you have any Ghost Food with you, pressing start
will make you set it down.
DIRECTIONAL PAD - In conjunction with the A BUTTON, this determines
which direction you move.

This stage is nuts! You have to tap the A BUTTON repeatedly to make the 4
Ghostbusters run up the stairs. When you come to a door, press the B BUTTON
to open it. All the while, Ghosts will be homing in on your position, hoping
to touch you (yeah, I know, it doesn't sound as bad as it really is). If they
touch you 3 times (5 times with the anti-ghost suit), you fall down. If you
fall down 3 times, Gozer wins...apparently you break your necks during the
last fall, and everyone decides that death is certainly much better than
standing and walking.

To make your trip of the stairs easier, you can purchase some Ghost Food,
which will distract the Ghosts from you. A Sound Generator causes the Ghosts
to move slower and thus easier to avoid, but it is extremely expensive!
Finally the Anti-Ghost Suit gives you 2 extra hits (per fall) from the ghosts.
The most important item you can have to make this easier, though, is a turbo
controller - after a while, your thumb REALLY starts to hurt!

Oh yeah, one Final Note - you're heading up those stairs to beat Gozer, right?
What're you gonna use, harsh language? You HAVE to take a Proton Pack with
you, or else you can't even enter!

___________________
___________~F~ Battling Gozer_________________________________________________
===================

Finally, Gozer herself! How do you deal with her? Let's find out!

A BUTTON - Fires your Proton Pack.
B BUTTON - Diddly.
DIRECTIONAL PAD LEFT/RIGHT - Moves you left and right.
DIRECTIONAL PAD DOWN - Allows you to see the Stay Puft
Marshmallow Man climbing the Building.

Now here's the trick, folks - blast Gozer until she's dead. Got it? If the
Stay Puft Marshmallow Man (SPMM) climbs the building before you've killed
Gozer, then you lose, go it? Here's hoping after all that you don't screw up!

..yeah, it's just that simple.

================================= Ghostbusters ================================
------------------------IV: How to Play------------------------
================================= Ghostbusters ================================

It's a basic section, yes...but I feel it's important to outline this stuff.
_______________
_~A~ How to Win_______________________________________________________________
===============

The layout for the game is simple - you have to survive the trip up to the top
of the Zuul's building. In order to do that, you should save up and buy at
LEAST a Proton Pack and some Ghost Food. If you want to make the trip easier,
you're gonna need the Anti-Ghost Suit and the Sound Generator. In order to
afford that stuff, you're gonna have to bust a lot of ghosts. In order to
bust ghosts, you need to visit the shop anyways.

Step 1 - Go to the Shop.

My personal suggestion for your first purchases is getting the Capture Beam &
the Super Trap, or the Capture Beam, the Ghost Alarm, and 2 Ghost Traps.
There is a reason I suggest either:

~~~With the Capture Beam/Super Trap, you won't have to worry about unloading
your traps (and this saves time on constantly driving back to the Headquarters
and unloading them).

~~~With the Capture Beam/Ghost Alarm/Ghost Traps, you'll have to deposit the
Ghosts you collect at the Headquarters, but you won't have to drive around to
find Haunted Buildings.

Step 2 - Start Busting Ghosts.

Ok, so you've got your proton pack and your traps. It's time to decide what
you want to save up for. If you picked up the Super trap, I suggest you save
up for the Ghost Alarm. If you picked up the Ghost Alarm, save up for the
Super Trap. Easy enough, right? If you want to make money that much faster,
purchase a Ghost Vacuum when you can affort it - after all, sucking up spooks
on the road gets you that much more money!

Step 3 - Think about what you want to buy.

Remember, the entire point of the game is that you take down Gozer. You gotta
get to Gozer, and that's what counts. What do you want to save up for to aid
yourself in reaching The Traveller? As I said above, I suggest at least
having some Ghost Food (as well as a Proton Pack). If you want anything past
that, you'll be saving for a while.

Step 4 - Take on Zuul's Stairway.

Good GOD, I never want to have this much trouble with stairs! Honestly, this
is SO cheesy, I don't know what else to say. It's bad enough that there are
always 4 ghosts on the stairs, but the hit detection is so poor it's hard to
tell if you're going to get tagged or not! On top of that, if a Ghost is
STILL on you, you'll take hit after hit after hit until you either fall down
or one of you leaves. This is SO ridiculous...

Step 5 - Blast Gozer.

Blast Gozer. You win. The end. Happy now?

________________
___~B~ How to Lose____________________________________________________________
================

There are 5 ways to lose at this game (you'll probably see 'em all, too).

1 - You run out of gas and don't have any money to pay for it. Why can't you
guys just hoof it until you have enough for gas? Huh?

2 - The Psycho-Kinetic Reading (PK, listed at the bottom of the screen) hits
9999. This means New York City officially literally with Ghosts.

3 - The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appears, and you don't have at least $10,000
in your bank account. Apparently, the City expects you to be able to pay for
the damage done.

4 - You are knocked down 3 times while climbing the stairs in Zuul's Building.
("Gosh, this floor is so comfy, I think I'll just lie here and DIE with the
rest of the city.")

5 - The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man climbs all the way to the top of Zuul's
Building while you're fighting Gozer. Next time, don't even bother with the
stairs - hitch a ride with this guy!

Frankly, I'd just like to complain a bunch about this particular situation.
C'mon, why are your guys so lazy? Huh? HUH? "Oh no, I fell down, I guess
I'll just let New York City blow up!" "Oh no, I'm out of gas, heaven forbid I
WALK somewhere." "Oh no, The Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, an imaginary
advertising icon, is now a 100 foot tall walking monstrocity that is
destroying the City! I think I'll move to China and change my name to Merle!"
C'mon, folks, why don't you actually put some effort into what you're doing?

================================= Ghostbusters ================================
------------------------V: Various------------------------
================================= Ghostbusters ================================

_____________________
_~A~ Revision History________________________________________________________
=====================

05-15-01: Started this FAQ.
05-18-01: Finished this FAQ. Go me!
03-22-02: Almost a full year later, I return to this FAQ so that I
might do some updates.
03-14-03: Once again, almost a full year has passed before I gave this guide
another look. Yay!

___________
___~B~ Thanks_________________________________________________________________
===========

~CJayC ([email protected], www.gamefaqs.com) for putting this FAQ up.

~Al Amaloo (www.gamewinners.com) for being such a cool guy, and having a great
site.

~A big muchos gracias goes to Chris "Blitz" for various bits about the guide
that I somehow forgot to mention. Check it out, Chris, it's your first step
towards fame! Hope you approve!

[email protected] for giving me a heart attack with your childish "I
stole your FAQ and sold it with my name on it" antics. Because of that, I now
do dozens of things to make sure people don't steal my work. If they do, I
know exactly what to look for to see if they took MY work or not.

~Uh...I can't exactly thank God for the role he's taken in my life, because
that would seem like I'm trying to force my religious opinions on someone else
(which I'm not). Therefore, I'd like to thank "Murray" for the role he's
taken in my life (Murray, you know who you are).

~Yoko Kanno, The Seatbelts, the Warsaw Symphonic Orchestra, and the
Propellorheads. I realize they have absolutely nothing to do with this game,
but Miss Kanno's music (in conjunction with the Seatbelts and the Warsaw
Orchestra, whom performed her music) and the Propellorheads' "On Her Majesty's
Secret Service" remix were the sounds that kept my soul company while my mind
was occupied with this guide. OHMSS played my heart like a harp while my mind
typed the initial guide, and Yoko's amazing soundtracks for Cowboy Bebop and
Escaflowne guided me as I went through the revisions and updates. If it
weren't for them, I honestly don't know if I'd even bothered to finish this
guide - my mind would have most likely lost interest and moved onto another
project. Thus, I heartily thank them for their enduring aid.

______________
_____~C~ NO THANKS____________________________________________________________
==============

If you write me asking for help with the game, I'll send you a link to my FAQ.
If you ask for specific help, I'll try to aid you. However, if you ask me
about something that is already covered in the FAQ, I will simply refer you to
the FAQ again. I wrote the FAQ so that your questions would be answered here,
not so I could repeat that FAQ bit by bit through e-mail for the next few
years. If you need clarification about something in the FAQ, ask about it -
but don't ask me to repeat anything.

===============================================================================
End FAQ
===============================================================================

The following are sites that can NOT use my work. If you see these sites using
ANY of my FAQs, please e-mail me ASAP. Each of these websites are sites that
have plagiarised myself or others in the past, or simply taken our work(s)
without our prior permission. Since they do not have enough respect for the
authors (or an ignorance of the law), I am expressly forbidding them from using
my work. I will not promote such sites that partake in these actions.

911 Codes http://911codes.com
9 Lives http://www.9lives.ru/eng/
Bean's PlayStation Dimension http://www.bean.dk/psx/index.htm
Cheat Code Central http://www.cheatcc.com
Cheat Index http://cheatindex.com
Cheat Matrix http://cheatmatrix.com
Cheat Search http://cheatsearch.com
Cheatstop http://www.panstudio.com/cheatstop/
CNET Gamecenter http://games.netscape.com/Faqs/
Console Domain http://www.consoledomain.co.uk
Dirty Little Helper http://dlh.net
Dark Station http://www.darkstation.com/
Dreamland http://kirby.pokep.net
Games Domain http://www.gamesdomain.com
Game Express http://www.gameexpress.com
Games Over http://www.gamesover.com/
Mega Games http://www.megagames.com
Square Haven http://www.square-haven.net
Ultimate System http://www.flatbedexpress.com
VideoGaming.net http://www.videogaming.net/
Cheats.de http://www.cheats.de

(Taken from Jim "Red Phoenix" Chamberlin's FAQ Theft Guide, as well as added
onto.)

As I stated above, if you want to use one of my guides, I ask that you e-mail
me to gain my permission first. I like to keep track of which sites use my
work, so I know where to send the updates, and it's a little difficult to keep
you updated if you don't e-mail me.

This FAQ Copyright Reverend Eric "Vegita" Johnson, March 2003