This post is going to sound lame, but I’ve spent 13+ years wading through Ghostbusters III rumors online, trying to do my part as a fan of the franchise, contributing the only way I know how. From running this website for over 11 years to recently building my own replica of the Ecto-1.  So, if that wasn’t lame enough for you, here goes nothing.

The online Ghostbusters community may not be as big as the Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Star Trek fandoms.  In reality, we’re a whole different group all together.  It is easy to typecast and dismiss us all as nerds, geeks, dweebs, etc.  Want to hear something strange?  I haven’t seen any of the Star Wars films, nor have I ever sat through an entire episode of Star Trek.  Yes, that’s right folks!  I’m a 27 year old white male, born and raised in the United States and I have never seen Star Wars.  I’m a different kind of nerd, I suppose.  I listen to NPR, collect vinyl, enjoy working at a tech startup, and I really enjoy Ghostbusters.

When Ghostbusters was released in 1984, it was a blockbuster success on so many levels.  Sure, it had innovative special effects, science fiction / fantasy undertones, and a huge budget.  But it was also a well written comedy, executed on behalf of a very talented and bright cast.  It had the magic formula. There is just something about the film, it transcends any stereotype, pigeonhole, or label you could possibly fathom.

The online Ghostbusters community, in a similar fashion, is comprised of a healthy amount fans who were touched by the franchise in many different ways.  We have grown together as a tight knit community, not because of sequels, spin-offs, and licensed merchandise, but because of the adversity we have collectively faced over the years.  We have all waded through years of Ghostbusters III rumors, we witnessed a new cartoon and toy-line awkwardly come and go after just one season, and we have, in recent years, dealt with rumors regarding a Ghostbusters remake.

Each member of the community expresses themselves in their own way. For example, Chris Stewart of Proton Charging is passionate about finding and distributing Ghostbusters news to the masses, exploring and chronicling the fandom, it was one of very first Ghostbusters sites to come online. AJ Quick of Ghostbusters Fans has been building props, identifying and selling prop parts and recently expanded his website earlier this year.  Paul Rudoff of Spook Central has been faithfully documenting many aspects of the franchise for over 13 years!  There are tens of thousands of ghostheads all over the world in the community who contribute in their own way, with hundreds of websites dedicated to Ghostbusters in one form or another.  Ghostbusters.net, which will be coming out of hibernation soon, has focused on user-generated content, fan fiction, and collaborative documentation, piecing together the small tidbits of information we’ve been fed over the years.  There are many facets of this fandom and we all congregate because we love the franchise.

This is our year to soak in all the cool new stuff coming our way.  We have a lot to be thankful for. In light of what some reactions were to the recent Activision pull-out.  We really aren’t “ungrateful little yuppie larva”.

Thank you Dan Aykroyd for keeping the franchise alive with your passion and big heart.  Thank you Terminal Reality for building the next chapter of the Ghostbusters series with with your phenomenal game engine.  Thank you Sierra Entertainment / Vivendi Universal for picking up the license and believing in the franchise.  Thank you Sony Pictures for moving the franchise forward.  Last, but certainly not least, thanks to the original cast for coming back and lending their voices (Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and William Atherton).

We are grateful and excited to not only watch, but experience the next chapter of Ghostbusters, which Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis so lovingly penned.  What more can you ask for?  Did you ever think you would have the opportunity to trap a ghost with Dan Aykroyd?!

In short, cheer up folks.  We have something very special coming.. and it’s real!

I remember when I first witnessed what appeared to be a trailer for a Ghostbusters game, awhile back… it looked as if it took place in an apocalyptic world, with HUGE space marine-esk equipment, and the Ecto-1 had just appeared on “Pimp My Ride” and came out a pimp-a-licious wreck.

It was my greatest fear come to life. There was a buzz in the air for a new Ghostbusters game that had lost all the Ghostbusters charm! I didn’t want Peter Venkman as Master chief! No! I wanted the Venkman that I remembered and loved! Soon after, things quieted down and the idea of a Ghostbusters game left the public’s immediate consciousness. But recently news of an official Ghostbusters game resurfaced, and guess what!…it was the old Ghostbusters I know and loved! YAY!

But then I noticed some things.

With all this Ghostbusters game footage being released as of late, I have noticed many modifications to the equipment. Some subtle, some not so subtle. First is the PKE meter. The entire front plate is now a big screen with a bar graph showing the levels of Psycho-kinetic Energy.

Another subtle change I have noticed are the addition of new lights to the pack. What was once simply a label or hook/clamp is now a series of blinking or rotating lights.

Perhaps the biggest alteration to the classic equipment is the merger of the slime blower with the proton pack. It now appears to have a small slime canister attached to the left side with an extra tube feeding into the proton gun.

Now you may be wondering, “Is Too Zuul For School not for these changes? Is he talking smack about the new game?! Blasphemy!”. Not at all! As a matter of fact, I actually enjoy these changes! First off, the new PKE display makes perfect sense. I always felt the old design had a screen that was way too small to be practical in the field. As for the pack lights, I have always subscribed to the theory “The more flashing lights, the better”. This hold true with space ships, robots, ray guns, and proton packs. Why have a label with science mumbo jumbo when you can have flashing and rotating lights! WAY MORE FUN! And lastly, the slime blower attachment. This one had to grow on me a little, but I found it makes more sense than having a separate piece of equipment all together like in Ghostbusters 2. And the use of the slime as a tether is rather brilliant. Plus it was integrated in such a way to not destroy the design of the classic pack. Over all, it is a grand update on a classic look.

But this creates a whole new playing field in a specific sub culture of fandom…..THE PROP MAKERS! For nearly 20 years now, Ghostbuster fans have had a limited selection of props to recreate. You had your two movies, and to a lesser extent, The Real Ghostbusters and Extreme Ghostbusters. With no Ghostbusters 3 released, it seemed like the idea of any new equipment was dead. But now you have “Ghostbusters: The Game” nestled nicely between the movies and the cartoons. How long before we find pictures online of prop replicas for the PKE meter (Video game variant), or the Proton Pack (with slime shooter attachement)?

As a matter of fact, I would like to set up a challenge right now! I want to see if anyone is able to recreate a full size prop from the video game BEFORE the video game is released this fall! And those who do, I would like to premiere the pictures on the Ghostbusters.net Blog for the world to see!

It’s a good time to be a Ghosthead.  Post your reply here.

Too Zuul For School