Closing Comments
With Ghost Squad, its all about taking the old with the new. The games core may be taken directly from the 2004 arcade (one that you could still go drop quarters in and come out saving a ton of cash), but its still a solid starting point for more weaponry, multiple levels of difficulty for each stage, and two new party modes in Paradise and Ninja mode, not to mention first-ever four player support and Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection for online ranking. All in all the core experience is extremely short, with only three main stages taking about 20 minutes to complete total. If youve got a friend (or two, or three) and get into ripping through each of the 16 arrange modes per level, however, theres far more to see. Some decent IR calibration also enters the mix for the first time on Wii, and the outcome is a semi-accurate light-gun mode with no need for a cursor. As a core shooter experience wed put Ghost Squad over Umbrella Chronicles, but as far as depth, immersion, overall presentation, story, and uniqueness, SEGAs shooter is trumped. For light gun fans Ghost Squad is a must play though, and at $30 it wont break the bank to purchase this one. At the end of the day, Ghost Squad is simply a fun arcade experience, and certainly worth a look.
IGN Ratings for
Ghost Squad (Wii)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
6.0 Presentation
Ghost Squad retains the look of its 2004 arcade counterpart, offering three levels, 16 variants to each, 25 weapons, and a few added party modes. Simple interface all around.
6.0 Graphics
4:3 display only, but the game has 480p support. On par with SEGAs Dreamcast light gun games, but no improvement over what players got in the arcades three years ago.
6.5 Sound
Some seriously corny VO is mixed with great arcade sound effects and tons of Wii-mote speaker usage. Somewhat generic, but classic SEGA gun game audio.
8.0 Gameplay
IR control is more reliable than both Links Crossbow Training and RE: UC. The added guns and challenges mid-mission make for some added fun as well.
7.0 Lasting Appeal
The core game is very short, but if youve got friends (or love dual wielding) multiplayer is pretty fun. Paradise Mode and Ninja Mode are nice bonus games, and Wi-Fi ranking adds legs.
7.5
Good OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)
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