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!

IGN Nintendo Wii Ghostbusters: The Video Game First Look:

Our time seeing Ghostbusters in motion on the Wii was all too brief, but the title looked interesting. Rather than port the exact PS3/360 experience with watered-down everything, Red Fly is using the same outline and giving the Wii and PS2 something unique. There are PKE goggles to put on and they provide you with a view ripped from when Ray was scoping Slimer in the original movie — you know, the binocular view with the red meter on the side — and there are custom load screens for each transition to keep you immersed in the story. It won’t deliver the same “I’m playing the third movie” feel the PS3/360 version are shooting for, but the Wii/PS2 version could turn out to be a fun romp.

IGN Playstation 3 Ghostbusters: The Video Game Hands-on:

Although it’s way too early to sit here and give you the final word on Ghostbusters, I can tell you that it seems like it has the pieces in place to become a solid affair. The environments are detailed, living places that change as you blast them apart; the Ghostbusters themselves and their equipment looks really good; the dialogue is funny and fitting for the franchise; and the gameplay feels solid.

We’ve still got a while until we strap on our pack so who knows what the final product will feel like, but after living out a boyhood dream of running down a specter with Ray and Egon, Ghostbusters definitely has my attention.

Proton Charging recently posted the first screenshots of Ghostbusters: The Video Game for the Nintendo Wii, which is being developed by Red Fly Studios.

Not much information has been made available about the Red Fly version of the game, but Proton Charging also found an interview with Red Fly producer Chad Barron and lead designer Ryan Mattson.

Originally posted on Proton Charging, a member of Ghostbusters website Ecto-Web was able to to capture the promo video shown at the MCM London Expo.

In a post titled “Ghostbusted!” on the Comic Blog Forums, ghosthead Dapper Dan claims to be the inspiration behind the style for the upcoming Nintendo Wii version of Ghostbusters: The Video Game (entire claim).  Should Redfly / Sierra credit the fan regardless of the provisions in their license?

It is an exciting time to be a ghosthead. After all, Terminal Reality is developing Ghostbusters: The Video Game for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC while Red Fly is developing the Nintendo Wii, DS, and Playstation 2 versions.

That said, Ghostbusters.net is in the process of getting overhauled. Until then, keep it here and subscribe to the blog for updates on the site re-launch, guest editorials and musings from members of the community, and all things new in the Ghostbusters fandom and franchise. Also, for you Twitter-using ghostheads, feel free to follow Ghostbusters.net on Twitter.