• Publisher: Namco
  • Release Date: Aug 17, 2004
Ghosthunter Image
Metascore

Mixed or average reviews - based on 44 Critics What's this?

User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 13 Ratings

  • Summary: Following the adventures of Lazarus Jones on his first day on the Detroit Police Force, Ghosthunter sees the plucky rookie called in to investigate a disturbance in an old abandoned school, the scene of a grisly (and ultimately unsolved) mass-murder. Heading out with his senior partner Anna Steele, Lazarus sets off on what he believes is a routine call but, in the true spirit of survival horror, it's not long before the crime-bothering duo are knee-deep in ectoplasm. After much bickering between the pair, Jones somehow inadvertently sets free a horde of ghosts contained in the school's secret paranormal research lab. An errant apparition materialises, grabs Anna, and drags her away with him to a dark, eerie place (the school canteen, perhaps?). One of the wayward spooks (Astral) also manages to 'bond' with Jones, giving him the gift of supernatural sight, allowing him to see dead people. Nice. Picking up the reins as Laz, you'll start out in search of Anna, and attempt to figure out the mysteries buried deep in the school's past along the way... [SCEE] Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 44
  2. Negative: 2 out of 44
  1. The graphics are just shy of amazing, and the level designs are solid and believable. [Sept 2004, p.20]
  2. Graphics whores or anyone with a penchant for experiencing truly surreal and wildly imaginative creations would do well to put this on their buy list.
  3. 7 / 7 / 8 / 7 - 29 [Vol 821]
  4. Regardless of the strong visuals and design, Ghosthunter only feels like a half-hearted attempt, and a flawed one at that.

See all 44 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. JoshP.
    10
    Great Game fun and scary with surprises. Don't let the so-called professionals discourage you at looking at this great game.
  2. GrahamM.
    10
    I cant find a single thing wrong with Namco's "Ghosthunter" on the PS2. Ghosthunter delivers a slick piece of polished work complete with film-quality visuals, a creepy atmosphere, and some rockingly good Ghostbusting (did I say that? I meant GhostHUNTING) action! My only complaint so far is that Ghosthunter is EASY. And boy, do I mean EASY. I havent died ONCE, and I've played the game for days. But apparently it gets a great deal more difficult, and It's decently long, so I'm drooling in anticipation. Well, gotta go obsess some more. 'Till next time!!! Collapse
  3. Dan
    8
    I'm just over three quarters of the way through this one and i am not disappointed. Admittedly i picked this one up in a summer sale for only three pounds (stupidly cheap). I was put off buying it on its release by the reviews that the game received on its release in the UK - the critics were very scathing. Imagine my delight when I discovered that contrary to what some critics lead me to believe, the game is fun. Most of the criticism focused on the character control which can be unforgiving. However, it does not detract from the enjoyment of the game. I personally did not find the control mechanics frustrating and by no means did the game deserve the hammering it received from magazines like Edge. Which brings me on to what the game does offer the discerning gamer... The environments are beautifully realised and it is clear that the programmers have toiled exceptionally hard to create some quite superb effects. I loved the mansion level which has some wonderful moments and some genuinely eerie scenery. There are some ingenious spectres in the game, my personal favourite being a hideously distorted teddy bear and the game never fails to deliver some wonderful visual feats. There is even the opportunity to study the ghosts that you capture in the game which are housed in an enormous tank. The music and voice acting add further substance to the game which as i have tried to establish, has a wonderfully cinematic feel. I unreservedly recommend this game especially to fans of survival horror and action games. In spite of the flaws that critics mention, the game rewards the player through its rich and lavish environments and imaginative character design. Parts of the game will have you genuinely marvelling at the detail, they may even scare you! There are hours of game play here and you certainly get your money's worth (especially me!). If you get stuck, I recommend the excellent walkthrough provided on gamefaqs.com (The one by RaccoonCityPD), it certainly helped me in places. So...Don't be put off by those bad reviews and have a go! Expand
  4. 7
    There was allot of hype prior to this game's release. A real shame that it didn't fully live up to it. But I will say the game is still extremely good none the less. Just a real shame that it isn't what it could be. The first few levels are really done well and the level design is superbly detailed. Camera can be extremely irritating at times, particularly in the enclosed areas. So many good and unique idea are introduced but just barely implemented. The last few levels do feel like they were rushed and I got the distinct impression that the developers were pushed into releasing a game that wasn't fully complete. Ghost texturing is a bit poorly done at some points. Overall: It is a REALLY good game that really feels like it is the BETA version of the game. As if they still needed to polish it off and a few more things. Expand

See all 11 User Reviews