Ghost Rider – PSP – Review

Deal with the devil and you
will most definitely get burned. This is a lesson stunt motorcyclist Johnny
Blaze learns the hard way in Marvel Comic’s Ghost Rider series. The comic
book chronicles the fate that befalls Johnny after he is cheated of his soul by
the tricky devil Mephisto and his curse to forever become the supernatural hero
called Ghost Rider. It’s an interesting story that Hollywood (and actor Nicolas
Cage) wanted to bring to the big screen and has finally done so. This, of
course, means that a game will also follow and it does in the form of Ghost
Rider for the PSP. Sadly, even with a cool character this game doesn’t burn
as brightly as the Rider’s flaming skull.

The story, penned by comic
book scribes Garth Ennis (of “The Punisher” fame) and Jimmy Palmiotti, the game
recalls the very moment Mephisto drops Johnny Blaze a visit to collect on the
deal that was made. You see, Johnny made a pact with the devil when his
legendary stunt racer father was diagnosed with cancer but the deal went sour
because his father died of an unrelated cause. Now Mephisto wants Johnny to
become his Spirit of Vengeance and do his bidding as hell’s bounty hunter. He is
to become the Ghost Rider, a demon in leather who rides a motorcycle from the
underworld, and his first task is to stop Blackheart from sparking the
apocalypse. The twist here is that Blackheart is Mephisto’s rebellious son and
daddy doesn’t like junior’s plan to destroy the world of the living.

While the story is a modern
retelling (meaning it’s original), the game makes no real connection to the
movie itself so don’t expect to see or hear the stars from the film like Nicolas
Cage, Sam Eliot or Eva Mendez. In fact, just about the only one that bares a
striking resemblance to their film counterpart is Mephisto who looks a lot like
Peter Fonda in the comic book-styled panels that make up the cutscenes. There’s
no footage from the movie either, unless you count the production stills you get
to unlock in the Extras. As a matter of fact, a big chunk of the game takes
place in hell as the Ghost Rider attempts to escape the underworld the hard way.

Almost immediately, gamers
will notice that the game “borrows” elements from both God of War and
Devil May Cry. Well, borrows might not be the right word seeing as the
similarities between these games and Ghost Rider are far too similar when
it comes to the combat.  Much like God of War’s Kratos, the Rider swings
a chain as his weapon of choice and the way he uses it is extremely familiar as
well. The Ghost Rider can jump and swing and perform a number of combos as well
as perform a Kratos-styled finishing move (with flashing button icon as well).
Much like Dante from Capcom’s Devil May Cry, Ghost Rider uses a
projectile weapon (in this case it’s a shotgun) as a secondary weapon. Like both
games that inspired it, there are collectible orbs used to upgrade the
character’s skills.

What separates Ghost Rider
from the rest of the bunch are the Hell-Cycle levels. It is here that the
Rider puts his riding skills to work as you hop on the chopper and race to the
next point. While it’s admittedly cool to race across stretches of road,
battling enemies that get in your way, the controls play a role in making each
cycle level feel awkward. Speaking of the controls, while the on-foot battles
come off rather good, the game lacks a variety of moves that make both Kratos
and Dante so much fun to play. The game also tosses in similar demons to battle,
which makes combat all the more repetitive and dull. Sure the boss battles add a
refreshing change but the rest of the game is just way too dull to be much fun
for very long.

At least there’s some
multiplayer action found in this game that comes in the form of a racing game
(called Challenge Mode) with three different game modes like Vengeance Race,
Eliminator and Survivor. You can race against three friends using Ad Hoc
connectivity and even if a friend doesn’t own a copy the game does support Game
Sharing. The modes are actually somewhat fun in a Twisted Metal sort of way
seeing as you race against other characters like Blade and Vengeance and there
are power ups scattered throughout the racecourse. Eliminator, for example,
eliminates the racer who comes in last for each lap while Survivor counts the
last racer still living as the winner.

The graphics aren’t very good
as well and this is a disappointment seeing as the main character has a flaming
skull head. Ghost Rider looks Ok, actually, seeing as he looks better than the
large number of demon clones you’ll be fighting. As for the backgrounds, the
look a bit better only the textures aren’t as smooth or as detailed as they
could have been. As for the sound, the game’s music is replayed often and with
very little diversity. Even the sound effects are recycled often in the game so
you’ll be glad the voice acting is decent. The actors do a good job during the
cutscenes and the actor who voices the Caretaker does a good job of trying to
sound like Sam Eliot.

While it borrows elements
from some great PS2 action games, Ghost Rider for the PSP is nothing more
than a bland, repetitive action game that does not do the Spirit of Vengeance
justice.  Sure, Ghost Rider is a really cool comic book character and yes the
Hell-Cycle is just plain awesome but the game fails to capture all the things
that make him such an appealing character. As a fan of the Marvel character, I
can’t recommend this game to anyone so count this one as another movie tie-in
game that just isn’t any good.

Gameplay: 4.2
God of War
and Devil
May Cry will pop to mind when you play the game, only there is very little
to explore throughout the game and the action feels less exciting than the games
that inspired it. You can upgrade Ghost Rider but he essentially fights the same
way and the Hell-Cycle levels just feel awkward thanks to the control scheme.

Graphics: 5.5
As far as the
graphics are concerned, the backgrounds look pretty good despite the muddy
textures and the visual effects are actually pretty decent. It would have been
great if there was more variety to the demons you’ll face and Ghost Rider
doesn’t look as cool as he should look considering he has a flaming skull for a
head.

Sound: 4.0
The game’s
running soundtrack is recycled and used throughout the game so expect to hear
the same score from start to finish. The sound effects do the trick and the
voice acting is acceptable but there’s nothing that really stands out.

Difficulty: Medium
You will go up
against some of Mephisto’s nastiest demons throughout the game as well as some
bosses but the real challenge will come from the awful controls and the almost
impossible Skull Challenges. Oh, and the Hell-Cycle is in serious need of a tune
up.

Concept: 5.0
The retelling
on how Johnny Blaze became Ghost Rider is handled rather briskly and for those
expecting to a real sense of connection with the Ghost Rider movie will
be disappointed. The Hell-Cycle levels aren’t as fun as it could have been but
at least the game tosses in a multiplayer mode and loads of unlockable goodies.

Multiplayer: 4.5
Racing against
Blackheart, Vengeance and even the Daywalker named Blade in a motorcycle race
from hell sounds cool and it is … for a very limited time. Up to four players
can join you in a race that takes you through courses like the rooftop of the
Daily Bugle or the Avenger’s headquarters. The good news is that the game runs
smoothly and a friend doesn’t even have to own a copy. The bad news is that the
controls kill all the fun.

Overall: 4.5
It’s sad to
see a game based on such a cool Marvel comic character turn out as bad as
Ghost Rider does on the PSP. While it does steal from some truly spectacular
action games, somehow the action really doesn’t take off in this repetitive,
bland action game. Even if you’re a fan of the comic, do yourself a favor and
stay away from this one.