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Credit: Sony PicturesA certain female-led Ghostbusters team will return in the Afterlife sequel…
Fans of the Ghostbusters franchise have many reasons to be excited lately. Not only is there a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) in the works, last year, asymmetrical multiplayer game Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed (2021) hit the shelves.
And there’s plenty more on the horizon too, including a brand-new comic book series, a virtual reality game Ghostbusters: Rise of the Ghost Lord (2023), a Ghostbusters animated series, and a Ghostbusters animated Netflix movie.
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But before we get too ahead of ourselves, let’s shift our focus back to the awesome video game Spirits Unleashed, which sees actors Ernie Hudson and Dan Aykroyd reprise their roles as Ghostbusters Winston Zeddemore and Ray Stantz.
The game, which acts as a sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife, as it picks up where the film left off, allows players to join a team of Ghostbusters or play as one of the ghosts. As the former, though, you can customize your own Ghostbuster, explore the iconic firehouse, and use an array of ghostbusting equipment from the PKE Meter to the Trap.
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Since its release, the game has already welcomed some DLCs (downloadable content), and now, it’s set to receive another one in the form of Extreme Ghostbusters (1997). The cartoon series may not have been a huge hit on its release in the late ’90s, but it has since amassed a pretty big following within the Ghostbusters fandom.
Exactly what this DLC will look like in its entirety remains to be seen, however, developers Illfonic have teased fans with a first look at the upcoming DLC via the Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed social media accounts, in the form of a PKE Meter based on the design from the cult animated series, with a caption that reads, “Are you ready to get Extreme?”
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And, as the game already features a DLC that allows players to create characters from the original animated series The Real Ghostbusters (1986), it’s only reasonable to expect the same from the upcoming DLC, which would feature the characters Eduardo Rivera (Rino Romano), Roland Jackson (Alfonso Ribeiro), Garrett Miller (Jason Marsden), and the female leader Kylie Griffin (Tara Strong).
There’s no release date as yet, but it’s great to know that Extreme Ghostbusters, which, in our opinion, is an extremely underrated addition to the franchise, is finally getting the attention it deserves!
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As per Wikipedia, here’s the synopsis for Extreme Ghostbusters:
Set years after the end of The Real Ghostbusters, lack of supernatural activity has put the Ghostbusters out of business. Each member has gone their separate ways save for Dr. Egon Spengler, who still lives in the firehouse to monitor the containment unit, take care of Slimer, further his studies, and teach a class on the paranormal at a local college.
When ghosts start to reappear, Egon is forced to recruit his four students as the new Ghostbusters: Kylie Griffin, a goth genius and expert on occultism; Eduardo Rivera, a cynical Latino slacker; Garrett Miller, a young white paraplegic athlete who uses a wheelchair; and Roland Jackson, a studious African-American machinery whiz. Filling out the cast are Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters’ previous secretary who returns to the job, and Slimer, a hungry ghost.
The series follows the adventures of this “Next Generation” of Ghostbusters tracking down and capturing ghosts all over New York and occasionally beyond the city. The series is styled as a supernatural comedy, following the trend set by its predecessor but with an updated and darker feel. This is reflected by the use of a gritty, rock/punk-inspired variation of Ray Parker Jr.’s song “Ghostbusters” as the opening theme, written by Jim Latham and performed by voice actor Jim Cummings.
Recurring themes throughout the series are the new team learning to work together despite their differences, Janine’s largely unrequited affection for Egon, the unresolved love-hate relationship between Kylie and Eduardo, and the Ghostbusters’ frequent clashes with authority figures who disbelieve their work.
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Ghostbusters 4 will be released on December 20, 2023. Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed is out now.
Are you a fan of Extreme Ghostbusters? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!