We’re literally giddy with excitement. Vivendi, our now favourite publisher, has announced that a new Ghostbusters game is in the works. In an ordinary world that piece of information would be more than enough. Our combination of blind love and nostalgic joy for the licence is borderline obsessive, and considering there’s no real reason to make another one (unless a third film is in production… please!) this is the greatest treat of all time. However, planet Earth is anything but commonplace, because rather than fob the franchise off to a bunch of morons and dimwits who know nothing about it, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray and Ernie Hudson are involved. Again, we’re more than satisfied, but 2008 is clearly going to be a special year. Not only are the awesome foursome lending their likenesses and voices to the project, but Akroyd and Ramis – who wrote the original films – are penning a whole new story. If we’re dreaming, please don’t wake us up!

Before we continue, let us decipher the fact from the fiction. Anyone who keeps their finger on the videogaming pulse will probably be aware that earlier this year, a Ghostbustersinspired video appeared online. Within a matter of hours it was proven to be somewhat of a lie: little known developer Zootfly had made a tech demo in the hope of obtaining the rights. Unfortunately, for Zootfly anyway, it didn’t succeed. Instead, Terminal Reality has been granted the honour and, to be completely honest, we just care it’s being made!

Set in 1991, two years after Ghostbusters II, it is, somewhat predictably, a third-person shooter. Nonetheless, with the entire ghostbusting fodder included – Proton Pack, Ecto-1, PKE Meter, Ecto Goggles and Ghost Trap – and some amazingly sexy visuals (move eyes to see), to shed doubt on the undertaking would be a very unwise decision; clearly this is no rush job. Not convinced? A little more background for you: Manhattan, as usual, is overrun by ghouls and goblins and the GBs need a new recruit to help against the ghoulish chaos… which turns out to be you! They’ll equip you with all the expected gadgets and, if word is to be believed, you can upgrade them as things progress. Of course when your Proton Pack is maxed out, you’ll cross the streams! Anyone desperate for more can check out the extremely short and pretty pointless teaser trailer; it’s basic, but will still send shivers down your spine!

We’ve got a long way to go before any concrete opinions can start to form, but if we pretend to live in a bubble where only the initial outbreak and information exists, we actually can’t wait, which is why we’re going to cryogenically freeze ourselves until later this year. See you in autumn!

Simon Miller