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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...
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...
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!💖
@@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.
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 😆
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
@@BobExcalibur For anyone interested I'm doing a heavily edited playthrough of this game on my channel. Also I will have to add primal to the games i want to revisit never heared of it before. Primal the adult swim show is sick. Made by samurai jack people and its a caveman exploring a crazy prehistoric world with a lil t rex
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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
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.
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.
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.
I love this game with all my heart, I used to play it way too much time as a kid. But I'll never forget how I got stuck for months on the mansion mission in the part where you needed the Astral ability to go through walls and ceilings. I didn't had Internet back in the day. My dad and I eventually found out how by pure, random luck. It's a very cryptic game sometimes.
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
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)
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
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 😂
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!
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
It might be a spoiler but going to state it here, but in the end kate's ghost goes into laz before the place is blown up just her body is killed off. it might be eu copy/uk copy that has the cutscene play out or the north American one that does not show it but it does show up. The video is good though and game is too but I feel the ending is just meh I wish there was maybe a reason to replay it again like another ending or unlockables and so on.
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.
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