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AICN Games: Who They Gunna Call?? GHOSTBUSTERS Need Your Help!!
Greetings humans, Monki here with a very very short update from the new and improved treehouse. Unfortunately there won't be a full wrap-up this week due to the fact I am actually leeching off someone's wireless in my new treehouse apartment complex.
I have so many toys and so little internet! How am I supposed to whoop up on more folks in Vegas? Speaking of which, thanks for everyone who sent me their gamertags. It's nice to see my gamerscore was higher than everyones except for one guy who had the easy 1000 playing King Kong. (Note to self, add to GameFly queue.)
Alright, all that being said, expect a full-to-the-gills Weekly Wrap-Up sometime by the end of this week. Along with that I'm finishing up my Q&A with a producer from Fullmetal Alchemist and I'm just this close to launching a cool as hell contest with some sweet prizes. Here's a hint, get your crayons and brushes ready.
Before I go though I need to share some love and send a call out to all my fellow gamers and geeks alike. Ghostbusters are in trouble, who are they gunna call? Uhm...online petition! Of course.
As you've probably read/heard by now a European company named Zootfly released to Youtube some videos of a proof-of-concept of a Ghostbusters title for the 360. Hopefully you've already seen those videos because they are completely gone, wiped from Youtube along with any reference of the Ghostbusters title from Zootfly's website. Zuul and his/her minions must have gobbled them up in a high rise apartment refrigerator or something.
For some odd reason Sony and the other holders of the Ghostbusters IP didn't want their pitches up on the net. It seems as though now the in-progress title is as dead as Viggo and his little puppy.
What can WE do you may ask, right now there is an online petition to Sony and all the owners of the IP to save the Ghostbusters. Sign it here. As of me writing this there are around 755 signatures. AICN Gamers unite!! With our combined forces we can push that number up in the thousands, or at least we can create Captain Planet. (Quint loves being 'Heart' and Merrick is definitely an 'Earth' kind of guy.)
We'll probably never see another Ghostbusters movie, but there is a fighting chance to see a game in the not-too-distant future. I think console technology has gotten to the point where a Ghostbusters game could be done justice. Why not now? Why not here? Why not yes?
So, go sign the petition with a smile and share with others.
Oh, really quick, for those of you in the Austin area, Spike and Mike is currently running at the Drafthouse downtown and featured in the compilation of insane shorts (including BNAT favorite 'Chirpy') is the totally fucking awesome 'Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006.' (Thanks to Beeslo for providing the correct title since I don't have accessible internet here.) Classic 'Die Hard' arcade style done with evil babies and yes men. Sweeeet. Anyway, check it out.
Okay, stay tuned this week for that Fullmetal Alchemist Q&A and again for the really for real Wrap-Up. Until then, back up the tree I go!
-Monki
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Anyone remember the old Ghostbusters game for the NES?
It was horrible!
Hell, they've done scarface, the godfather.. Ghostbuster might work in a GTA styled game.. It also might not.
One of the best things about Ghostbusters wasn't the effects it was the wit of the cast, mainly Bill Murray. Will Bill Murray voice a video game? Proably not, he wasn't even into Ghostbusters 3...
www.Warp11.com -
It was, just Gears of war with different skins, but it looked pretty damn interesting. And yeah I know it was only concept, which is why I think the full version would be an awesome sight to behold...
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It would be great to have video blogs for these AICN posts, complete with footage/pics from what they are chatting about. BBS are kinda like 10 years ago...
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and yes I signed the petition.
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Seriously? I mean I hope it does those vids looked awesome, but seriously has these petitions ever worked?
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She said petitions are gay and she's sending a large and moving slor.
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You nailed it. There are so many reasons why the developer was wrong, it's scary.
IP's are awarded on a very concealed basis for a number of reasons. One of which is strategic marketing. It is up to the game's publsiher and IP owners of when and how a new title is to be announced. For the dev to step forward, and without even owning the IP, and release copyrighted material in such a way, it undermines the IP owner and the game's potential financers.
It's a big shame really, because a next gen ghostbusters game would be great. -
I was signature 1000 on the petition. Don't know why just thought it was cool. There past 1000 so go sign it so we can get this game and maybe a movie.
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Those clips looked like ass.
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20 Century Fox closed down a Half Life mod that was based on Die Hard, but then wound up having the team make a full game using an earlier version of the engine used to make FEAR and Condemned. Die Hard Nakatomi Tower... I think that was it. It's known to happen.
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I know....thanks.
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You wouldn't want to miss my film Teddy Bears' Picnic, would you?
WOULD YOU?! -
Because a look at ZootFly's page shows they are the standard third rate European game developer who makes games that show up in supermarkets for five bucks right beside the straight to DVD movies? Because the gameplay demonstrated in the videos is pretty basic and uninteresting? Because nothing other than the proton pack was demonstrated? Because these "license issues" are likely a group of creators going "Don't let this shit touch my franchise"?
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that footage was ass. Franchise the Ghostbusters to fucking Bioware or Epic or some developer worthy of the magic.
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Ghostbusters, while certainly showing its age, is still a viable film franchise. The supposed videogame we saw clips of blew big time, was devoid of any of the charm of the films and what the fuck: guns? This is one of those things where we need to just pray it doesn't get made because c'mon, how may times must or childhood be assraped?
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Sony will take notice the day after your petition surpasses one million individual signatures. Short of that, you're pissing into the wind, soppy-pants.
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Helped get the Donner cut of Superman 2 out on DVD. Of course there was also a timed letter writing campaign where thousands of people sent in a letter on the same day asking for the DVD
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1. Online petitions don't mean shit. Nobody pays attention to them, and anyone who thinks otherwise was quite obviously dropped on their head as a child. 2. The available evidence seems to indicate that the Ghostbuster's video was really nothing more than a fairly brilliant piece of advertising for the company's game TimeO. Use the game engine, slap a label on it that will drive the fanboys wild, then say "Oh yeah, we're not really making that game, but buy TimeO!". Yep. So my advice is to stop wasting your damn time.
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"Totally fucking awesome" doesn't even begin to do Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006 justice. If I tell you there's a special appearance by Sammo Hung and a monster truck, it seriously doesn't even rate as a SPOILER. That's how far beyond "totally fucking awesome" this short is.
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Sony holds the licence. There's no way there going to give it out for a 360 game. They'd have to switch over to PS3.
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They could make their Ghostbusters game for Sony's Ps3 system as an exclusive. It would be a win for Sony because they would likely have a great game that uses a valuable Sony IP to help sell their new console. IT would be a win for the developer that would likely be a successful title that would facilitate in esablishing themselves as a developer. Most of all it would be a win for gamers who've wanted to see something new from the Ghostbuster's property for a LONG ASS TIME.
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So mant TBs and not one saying Ghostbusters Rule yet? That must be established before proceeding into any specific issues.
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Ghostbusters cannot be a complicated FPS game like all those games intended for hardcore gamers. It needs to accessible to the mainstream public (while still maintaining great gameplay). Basically it needs to be like a Nintendo game, except Ghostbusters, and online.
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Um... I love Ghostbusters... but uh... Bioware and/or EPIC are WAY THE HELL above a Ghostbusters game league. Sony needs to get an up and coming studio with something to prove who loves the franchise and will put the kind of love in it that it deserves. Bioware and Epic have a lot bigger and better things to do than a Ghostbusters game. Sorry, but it's true. It would be like thinking Spielberg would direct a Ghostbusters movie. It's beneath his league... even if it did make 200+ m.
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Ghostbusters is a household name and zillion dollar franchise. Nobody outside of PC gamers has even heard of any of the Bioware games. But whatever.
I'd like Artoon to take a crack at Ghostbusters. They did Blinx the Cat 1& 2 and Yoshi's Island DS....and are more "up-and-coming" as suggested. -
Good tip.
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Petition's will not help get a Ghostbusters game get made. For one, the licensing rights are extremely costly for any single game company to afford. Secondly, any Ghostbusters characters relating to Dr. Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Dr. Egon Spengler and Winston Zeddmore all have to be approved by the actors who originally played them. It wouldn't matter if these characters looked like stick figures, they still have to be approved.
It's a known fact that Bill Murray and Dan Dan Aykroyd are finished with the franchise, and without those two, Murray especially; they just aren't interested in allowing their likeness in that franchise to continue.
Anyone who collects action figures and has been waiting so patiently over the years, can tell you first-hand that the GB franchise has been stuck in the same dead-end situation. NECA Collectibes obtained the license for the franchise a few years back, and produced the two terror dogs, Zuul, Slimer and Mr. Stay Puft for series 1. They were hoping to have approval by the actors for series 2, but guess what... it never happened, and the contract between Sony and NECA lapsed. There was simply no point in renewing it, especially if the company couldn't make the main characters.
The fact remains, until Bill Murray finally gives in, there will be no new merchandise relating to any of the original main characters. And no company wants to produce just Egon and Winston; they want the whole package.
There are a number of movie properties stuck in this same rotten situation. BACK TO THE FUTURE is one that comes to mind. Michael J. Fox will not allow any new products to be made that have anything to do with Marty McFly. A company can make all the toy DeLorean's and hoverboards that they want, but forget it when it comes to the main characters. Sure, Christopher Lloyd may allow his likeness, but like I said before, no company is willing to gamble on just one or two of the characters. They want everyone, or no one.
So keep dreaming folks, this Ghostbusters game will never see the light of day. -
Was the biggest pile of shit. I read through 4 paragraphs to get to the meat of the matter, then the last two or three are more unrelated bullshit.
FTW. -
Sony is a fucking mess right now. There is no way this project will happen in any kind of satisfactory manner. In terms of video games, at least sony america has proven that they do not give a shit about what the consumers want. Case in point, they majorly hard-core fucked up star wars galaxies and refuse to corrcet their mistake. Instead they keep digging the ditch deeper.
Anyway... I am not getting my hopes up... Neither should you. -
Movies, games, whatever - stuff goes into development, but they have to play this little game for stroking egos of everyone involved. Something gets leaked. Everyone panics. The project(s) die. Just stupid. I wish they would take advantage of the Nets scope and power to pump up support.
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Read martydmc12's post a few above and you'll find the real reason for this being sqaushed. Also, it was a crappy looking job from a shitty developer. If you guys want to pretend that Sony doesn't want to make coss-platform games from Sony Pictures material, just look at the Spider-Man movie based games. They were cross platform. This Ghostbusters thing has everything to do with the rights being tied up with the creators. It has been all over the video game sites for the past week or so, and this is pretty much a waste of time.
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Heh...I was the one that gave him the correct title. Worship me or such nonsense.
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Damn you Michael Bay
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Now where's the gatekeeper?
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...Without them Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker would still have been a censored pile of shit. I mean come on...Joker "accidentally" electrocuted himself?!
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...Honestly - did it look that great??? The vids that were shown didn't seem to capture any of the Ghostbusters charm or what made Ghostbusters fun.
"I know what! Lets set it in a dark, gritty decaying urban setting thats really popular with all games at the moment - that will be great...!!"
Blegh...
It's all been done before - Gears of War with a proton pack? No thanks - I got Gears of War already.
And it's shite. -
...They are best known for STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC 1 & 2, JADE EMPIRE (all three for XBOX) and the MDK2 series (PC, DREAMCAST, PS2) more than they are for NEVERWINTER NIGHTS 1 & 2 or their other PC games. The ST:KOTOR/NWN2 engine would be a good place to start to make a terrific Ghostbusters game. 'Busters should have some roleplaying aspects to it to make it really fun. Point and shoot first person is a lame direction to go with a GB game. We need good story and character interaction the player can take part in. Crack the wise, bust some ghosts and save the world from sticky evil stuff...marshmallow, slime, purple goo...whatever those old gods and anceint evils want to throw at ya. What more can a guy in a tan jumpsuit with an unlicensed nuclear accelerator device strapped to his back ask for?
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Mary is mostly right. Securing rights from actors can tie up a property, but usually if you agree to alter the appearance so it does not look like the actors you can get a property license without getting character liscenses. The recent Ghostbusters comic book was a good example.
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... on the PS3 of course!
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Jan 30, 2007 7:23:44 AM CST
I signed the petition but hold off on the Captain Plane
by quentintarantado
Captain planet makes me want to rape baby seals and nuke the whales.
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he's had it comin' for a while.
Ghostbusters 3...no thanks, I'm arthouse now. Garfield 2? Sign me up bitches! -
I mean, I love the guy and most everything he's been involved with (except those Garfield movies), and I really applaud his sensibilities when it comes to choosing projects, but does he honestly believe people are going to forget he was Peter Venkman? Or Carl the Greenskeeper? Or the wacky camp counselor from Meatballs? What's he so ashamed of? Those were solid, funny roles. Oh, and by the way, online petitions are about the most pathetic form of coordinated campaigning ever invented. "We have to do something! But I don't really feel like getting off my ass or leaving the computer today. I know! An online petition! That's sure to be taken seriously!"
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Knock-offs are so diabolical!
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That pretty much explains the whole situation. Move on, folks. There's nothing here.
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And the game needs the original talent for the voiceovers. I've heard and read that Bill Murray isn't at all too interested in pursuing Ghostbusters ever again, but now that statement is a bit invalid now that he's lent his talents to the Garfield movies.
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a GB game could be great...but... It needs to be set in the '80's & use the same exact dated special effects as seen in the film & the same music to maintain the level of charm needed with such a fucking awesome thing. The Ghostbusters had a whole containment tank full of ghosts by the end of the first film (the 2nd film can lick my mantaint), the game should fill in the gaps by letting you run around the city ghostbusting & trapping those ghosts. Think of all the great stories just waiting to be told there. The problem with "entertainment" these days, whether it be movies or games is that they only cash in on the name itself and completely forget what made the fans flock to start with. "Hey! people love Punnisher, right? Let's put some assdouche in a skull shirt & have him strategically set people up as a form of revenge!" To make a long story short: People just marked out for those GB videogame clips because they love the Ghostbusters. We all know we'd just be getting some lame "G'Busters Extreme 2099" bullshit with crappy controls.
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I read a lot of those comments in the petition and everyone is saying they are going to buy an XBOX 360 for this game. That could kill it. Sony does not want to give them any buisness at all but it could push them to make it for the PS3.
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Fuck Xbox 360. I'd totally play this for PC, however.
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You are like the buzzing of flies to him!
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Jan 30, 2007 12:14:50 PM CST
Soon, the city will be mine and Vigo's... mainly Vigo's
by ricky henderson
Don't knock Ghostbusters II, it wasn't as good as the first, but still a solid flick nonetheless.
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Take a peek at this article: http://ridingwithricky.blogspot.com/2007/01/he-is-vigo-you-are-like-buzzing-of.html
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don't seem to even be remotely effective. 1000 names can be scrolled over in seconds. 1000 letters, now that is impressive. Spend the 39 cents and actually get something accomplished.
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Are you sure about this being the case with BTTF? I can understand Michael J. Fox having a say regarding the use of his actual likeness, but I don't think he has any control over the Marty McFly character. I think Bob Gale and Bob Z, as the writers and creators of the character, have said power. Remember, for the new DirecTv commercial, it seems they contacted Bob Gale first regarding the use of Doc Brown, then Chris Lloyd about acting in the spot. I think the situation with the recent BTTF toys and merch has more to do with the fact that the general public has more interest in the Delorean time machine then they do with Marty and Doc. What about those BTTF Kubrick lego-like figures released a few years ago, that had a number of Marty figures? (Though, if you're the same martydmc12 that is a mod at BTTF.com, you may have more inside knowledge about this then I do). Regarding Ghostbusters, you are right, simply because, as I understand, the IP rights of each character, which usually goes to the writer, was given to each respective actor. That means that they have control over any use of their character in any form or medium, regardless likeness or photo realism. This is why the later GB cartoons and themepark attractions only featured Winston (if at all) and a crew of new ghost busting recruits.
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Ray Parker Jr. > Bobby Brown
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Thanks, Monki and AICN!
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top of your shoulders, you'd see the $$$ in havign this game made.
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one takes the taco, pal.
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just after that guy in Pt2 who says "I think he took his wallet." I mean, I know what you're saying, and you're probably right, but companies and people generally bend in the direction of cashflow. Sure, they might make money off licensing their image, but if they think it will inhibit future cashflow, then they won't do it, hence Murray's resolute stance on GB. But I would bet if he hadn't had a resurgence of acting popularity in the last few years, it'd only be a matter of time til he felt ok mining his characters for some retirement dough. I mean, who wouldn't want a 7-inch talking Spackler figure who can swing a golf club? With BTTF, if they wanted to make a game, you'd probably need Marty, given his pivotal role int he film's stories, but even without it, it wouldn't be hard to come up with a storyline that focused on Doc and time travel. Heck, Even Tom Wilson would probably cash in on it so Biff and the family could be in the game. There's precedent for this kind of thing too: look at the BTTF ride at Universal. Not a speck of Marty McFly, but those rides got done, and in a big way. Anyway, this GB game is probably a long shot, especially using the likeness of Murray and some others, but it wouldn't be too hard to still have a great game with out all of the original guys. Between a game that looks and feels like the one we saw but with part or none of the original team and no game at all, give me the first.
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all that and no proofreading....
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All that true gamers want are great games. Sony, where are the great games?! Between GRAWII, Guitar Hero II, Biochock, Mass Effect, ForzaII, PGR4, Halo 3, Crackdown, Winning Eleven, VF5, and a few others, I HAVE to budget my money and decide which of these game am I going to get. I will not buy them all! Unfortunately, for early PS3 adopters, 2007 is looking mighty lean.... Surely, PS3 owners are not pinning their gaming lives on ONE game, MGS4?!
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And by that I mean I got major wood and need a willing female (Gatekeeper)
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BTTF: I'm not exactly sure what percentage of control Zemeckis and Gale actually have over any newly created BTTF properties. But I am sure that based on agreements between the studio and what policies the writers guild have in place, they do have the final approval on any newly filmed/audio based entertainment, such as movies, television series, radio plays, and probably even novelisations. When it comes to merchandise, it’s a completely different matter. M.J. Fox does have the final say on whether or not merchandise with Marty McFly can exist. Remember the BTTF Pinball machine? It’s not M.J. Fox in the pictures, but rather someone from the pinball machine company dressed up to look like McFly. There have been several companies over the years trying to get new BTTF merch off the ground (especially action figures), but it hasn’t happened simply because Fox and his people keep saying no. Same thing probably goes for Bill Murray and co. with Ghostbusters. The Kubricks on the other hand; I couldn’t tell you how those things get made. Forget BTTF, how do so many movie properties get Kubricks made, and yet we still don’t have action figures for most of them. That’s a mystery I don’t have an answer for; buts got to be some loophole somewhere. But regardless if it’s BTTF or GHOSTBUSTERS, up until the mid-1990’s, actors contracts with merchandise related approvals never existed; simply because no one thought the merchandising market for movies (video games especially) would ever get this big. Everyone except Lucasfilm, it seems. If GHOSTBUSTERS were made today, the cast would have to sign off on their likeness from the start, and we would have the video games and toys. Instead of petitioning Sony, I suggest writing Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. My gut feeling tells me that Murray simply doesn’t want to lend his image for somebody else to make money on. But what he and his fellow actor pals fail realize, is the huge fan base and demand that’s really driving it. Get Murray and co. to a Comic Con, and let them know this is what the fans want, not what Sony or a videogame developer wants. Do that and I think there’s a better chance of it happening. (And yes, DocBosch, I am the same martydmc12 from BTTF.com).
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coool!
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I will love Bill Murray till the day I die. But Ghostbusters is the movie (along with BTTF coincidentally) that put me onto movies and started me on the path to a career in film. Believe me when I say that no one wants to see another Ghostbusters movie more than I do. Bill... you're breaking my heart buddy. If done right it could be the movie event of the century.
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any fucking sense at all. I'd buy 'em. Corpse Bride may have been (gorgeously animated) shit, but damn I'll get every one 'cause the designs and beautifully finished figures are so nice. It took a while for Arnie to buckle on the T2 likeness rights, but it happened eventually. What is the actual reason for Fox withholding his approval? Seems a bit mean considering those were almost the only flicks that have used him to his comic potential. Most won't agree but Frighteners used him well too.
I actually like Michael J. Fox's idea that if they wanted him for another sequel that he should become like the doc/crazy mentor figure. Unfortunately maybe that time has passed, considering his illness. Bring back Tom Wilson though. I recently watched the movies again and damn was he good. Guest spots on Freaks and Geeks were just not enough.
I never did care for Ghostbusters and thought it was sorta lame when it came out (though yes I had the shirt like everyone else) and opened the floodgates for sci-fi comedy adventure mishmashes (like Will Smith vehicles). Much better than the sequel though. I like Murray's newer stuff, like the films where you see Scarlett's bum.
Where was I? Oh yeah. A game with that stuff however would be great, as long as they learn the lesson from Luigi's Mansion or whatever it was called. -
level progression and replayability the way the films play with time. It'd add a degree of difficulty to replay a level keeping out of the line of sight of your previous Marty from when you played the level before while pursuing a different objective. This could compound if you kept replaying it opening up all types of strategies both on subsequent play and forward planning possibilities would make your brain explode.
Of course there'd probably be all sorts of gameplay paradoxes and the universe would blow up. It'd be like interracting with a Michel Gondry video. Aaah! -
Telling ya, that's the game to do.
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I did not know about the pinball situation with MJF's likeness. Even after nearly 17 years of BTTF fandom, I still learn something new. But this case deals with his actual likeness, not the character. Evidently, the Marty McFly character still appears on the pinball machine, it just doesn't look like MJF. So while MJF has the rights to his likeness, he does not control the character. Universal/Amblin could, say, make another BTTF movie with the Marty McFly character played by somebody else, or a cartoon or a video game, or a novel, or whatever, as long as it doesn't use MJF's likeness. Which would explain the Kubricks, which don't really have a likeness at all, yet the lack of detailed Marty action figures. With Ghostbusters, from what I understand, each actor hold the IP rights to his own character, regardless of whether it's depicted with their likeness or not. It's as if they were the writers and creator of their character. In this case, Sony couldn't make another GB movie and recast the Venkman character because Murray would have to sign off on the use of the character anyway.
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