Here’s the manual the came with the Ghostbusters 2 video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System. This game is not to be confused with New Ghostbusters 2, which was developed by HAL Laboratories in the UK and only released over there.
Ghostbusters II – Player’s Guide
Once Upon a Time, Five Years Ago…
…Manhattan was overrun with spooks and ghouls. Slime oozed from every nook and cranny of the city. The atmosphere throbbed with paranormal activity. So who did New Yorkers call…? The Ghostbusters! Armed with proton packs, they zapped and toasted every ghost in town.
Once again, the Big Apple has proved it’s rotten to the core. And this very rottenness could prove to be its undoing. Five years later, the Ghostbusters have discovered a huge river of slime running underneath the city. This time, it’s mood slime – feeding off the meanness, rudeness, and general ill-will that permeates the city.
This river of slime is flowing directly to the Manhattan Museum of Art, headquarters of Vigo, the Scourge of Carpathia. Trapped inside a portrait, this legendary blood-thirsty tyrant from the 17th century is impatiently waiting for the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. Then he will emerge, drawing together all the evil potency of the slime to unleash a reign of terror upon an unsuspecting world.
They’re Back… and They’re Ready to Believe You
So, who ya gonna call this time…? The Ghostbusters! Join them as they run through the city, blasting slime and dodging ghosts; race around the streets in the Ecto-1A; and guide the Statue of Liberty through treacherous, ghost-infested waters into Manhattan. If you succeed, you’ll meet Vigo in a slime-slinging battle to the finish! If you fail, Manhattan will drown in a sea of slime, and Vigo will be loose to control the world.
Getting started
- With your game system and TV or monitor off, insert the Ghostbusters II cartridge into your Nintendo Entertainment System, as described in your owner’s guide.
- Turn on your game system and TV or monitor. At the Ghostbusters II logo screen, or anytime during the demonstration mode, press Start or A to begin play.
- At the selection screen, press Select or the right and left arrow keys on the control pad to select a one- or two-player game. Press Start or A when the option you want is flashing.
Keep pressing Start or A to go directly to the first scene and start Ghostbustin’!
The Scene of the Slime
The Ghostbusters have to make it through seven stages of increasing difficulty before they can meet Vigo. The scenes are divided into three different types of action sequences: running, driving the Ecto-1A, and controlling the Statue of Liberty.
If you’re playing a two-player game, you take turns, playing a scene at a time. If Player 1 completes a scene, then it’s Player 2’s turn to play the same scene. If Player 1 loses all the lives in the scene (and is then out of the game), then it is Player 2’s turn to play until he or she loses.
Tunnel of Slime (Scene One)
The Ghostbusters have discovered the source of the dangerous paranormal activity infesting the city. It’s a river of slime, running through Van Horne Station, an abandoned underground pneumatic train tunnel from the 1870s. Boldly, they lower themselves into this cavern and swap slime for slime with a legion of unfriendly ghosts and other paranormal types.
Use the control pad to maneuver the Ghostbusters:
| Raise slime blower | |
| Run right | |
| Lower slime blower | |
| Run left | |
| Start Button: | Drop ghost trap |
| A Button: | Fire slime blower |
| B Button: | Jump |
Using the Slime Blower
As you run along, shoot the ghosts circling around you. You also have to dodge them and the slime they’re dropping. The slime, as well as the slime from your own slime blower, is a slippery hazard – you can flounder away precious time in a slimy glob, besides making yourself an easy target for the ghosts. Press the up or down arrow keys to aim the slime blower, and press A to fire.
Setting Traps
Set the ghost trap on the poltergeist-type flying objects – your slime blower has no effect on them. Once you set the trap, it’ll catch everything that flies by – including ghosts and logos – until its power runs out. Step lively, or you might be caught in the trap yourself! Press Start to set the trap. Note: you can only set one trap at a time.
Ghostbusters II Logos
Aim for the Ghostbusters II logos. When you’ve hit 20 logos, you earn an extra life. You can see how many you’ve hit by checking the number in the lower left corner under the Ghostbusters II logo.
Messages
The message area in the bottom of the screen will flash valuable information as you play. Keep an eye on it.
Stayin’ Alive
You start off with four lives – the ghostbuster currently playing, and three others, as indicated under the ghostbuster icon in the lower left corner. These lives must last you the whole game – they’re not replenished after each scene (unless you earn extra lives by getting enough logos). You can see how many you have left by checking the ghostbuster icon in the lower left corner.
You get SLIMED or STUNNED if one of the ghosts touches you or knocks you down (your condition will be announced in the message area). Each time this happens, you lose a life.
You also need to keep ahead of the spider that’s dogging your steps. Every time it munches down on your ankle, you’ve one less life to live.
If you lose the scene, you see the Final Score screen. You have two more chances to play it again. Choose Continue by pressing A or Start.
If you want to start over from the beginning, press the down arrow to move the cursor to the End Game option.
Hitting the Road (Scene Two)
The Ghostbusters careen through the Tenements on the way to the Courthouse, performing a slime patrol of the city streets. There’s plenty of action here – in fact, it’s one big supernatural traffic jam.
The control pad maneuvers the Ecto-1A:
| Move up a lane | |
| Speed up | |
| Move down a lane | |
| Slow down | |
| A Button: | Fires slime blower or any other weapon you pick up |
| B Button: | Jump |
Of Globs, Logos, Manholes, and Arrows
You begin the scene with the lives you have remaining from the previous scenes. You can see how many you have left by checking the number under the Ecto-1A icon in the lower left corner.
Fire at the ghosts, and swerve out of the way of the red slime they’re firing at you. If you touch a ghost or get slimed, that’s one car down. Press A to shoot, and use the up or down arrow keys to change lanes.
Leap over the barricades, or veer around them. If you crash into one, you’ll lose valuable time and speed. Press B to jump, and use the up and down arrow keys to change lanes.
Globs
When you shoot, your fire goes in two directions simultaneously: straight in front of the car, and up into the air. Floating above are glowing green globs. If you hit one, a bonus medallion that gives you different power-ups falls to the ground. You must touch the medallion to get the power. Check the message area to see which ability you now possess.
There are three different power-ups:
A slime-resistant shield (lasts temporarily)
A more powerful weapon with two levels of increased fire: the red blast has a long range, and the yellow blast is a far-shooting ray (lasts permanently until slimed)
A smart bomb that can blow up everything on the screen (one time only)
Logos
As you did in the Van Horne stage, aim for the Ghostbusters II logos (they carry over from one stage to another). When you’ve hit 20 logos, you earn an extra life. You can see how many you’ve hit by checking the number in the lower-left corner under the Ghostbuster II logo.
Manholes
Look out for manholes. If you run into one when it’s spouting slime, you’ll get slimed and lose a car. If you’re on top of one and it gushes slime, it may be easier to reach the green orbs or Ghostbusters II logos wafting through the air.
Arrows
The purple arrows whisk you forward. If you press B immediately after driving over one, it’ll propel you up and out – handy for soaring over any gaping chasms that may suddenly appear. Time your speed and jump correctly, or you’ll fall in and go BOOM!
If you lose the scene, you see the Final Score screen. Choose Continue by pressing A or Start. If you want to start over from the beginning, press the down arrow to move the cursor to the End Game option.
Order in the Court (Scene Three)
Talk about lack of gratitude! The Ghostbusterts have been hauled into court and slapped with a heavy fine. The judge don’t believe in no ghosts, and he threw the book at them. All his hostility activated the bad vibes in the court’s slime sample, causing it to explode and release all kinds of ghosts.
The Ghostbusters stalk these slimers the same way they do in the Van Horne tunnel (see “Tunnel of Slime (Scene One)” above).
Ghosts in the Park (Scene Four)
The Ghostbusters are back in business, ready to deal with the ghosts trespassing in Central Park. They follow the same procedures they do in the Tenement (see “Hitting the Road (Scene Two)” above).
In the Central Park scene, be careful of the big blobs of red slime bobbing down the highway. You can puncture one with a well-aimed shot, but if you do, watch out! If a blob touches the car, you’re done for.
Subway Slime (Scene Five)
The Ghostbusters are trying to follow the river of slime in the subway. Their plan of operation is the same as in the Van Horne and Courtroom scenes (see “Tunnel of Slime (Scene One)” above).
The Statue of Liberty Strikes Back (Scene Six)
In order to defeat the evil Vigo, the Ghostbusters need to find an equally positive presence. A presence that embodies all that is good, all that is noble, all that is true. And even tougher, a presence that brings these qualities out in the people of New York. It’s the Statue of Liberty! Only she can penetrate the slime-coated Museum of Art and stop Vigo where he lives. First, she has to slosh through the Harbor and march through the streets of Manhattan to the Museum. Will she deliver our ghostbusting heroes before it’s too late? It’s New York’s only hope!
The scene opens with all the Ghostbusters in Liberty’s crown.
The control pad works as follows:
| Aims arm to the right (once you’ve hit the torch) | |
| Walk right | |
| Aims arm to the left (once you’ve hit the torch) | |
| Walk left | |
| A Button: | Fires from torch |
| B Button: | Fires Book (see “The Book’s a Bomb” below) |
Slime Warnings
You begin the scene with the lives you have remaining from the previous scenes. You can see how many you have left by checking the number under the Statue icon in the lower left corner.
Torch-ering the Ghosts
As Miss Liberty makes her way through the Harbor and through Manhattan, she’s bombarded by slime-bombing ghosts. These frisky ghouls travel in packs, circling around Libby’s head. Press A to shoot them out of the sky with fireballs from her torch.
Aiming
If Libby bags a torch out of the sky, she can aim her torch fire to the right or left. Press the up arrow key to aim to the right, and the down arrow key to aim to the left. Once she’s slimed, though, she loses this aiming ability until she shoots down another torch. Libby’s a tough old gal – she can sustain a lot of sliming. But if the ghosts touch her, she’s history. The message area will tell you when Libby’s done for, and she’ll disappear below the waves or the skyscrapers.
The Book’s a Bomb
Libby starts off possessing a book (though you can’t see it), which has the power to clear all the ghosts out of the sky. You can save it and use it at any time. Press B to set it off. After setting it off once, she has to shoot down another book to be able to do it again. —
Storming the Museum (Scene Seven)
Finally, the boys get to the Museum. The slime-coated building looks like a giant Jello mold. They know Vigo lurks within. They know they must vanquish him – it’s a battle for the fate of the New York City – and the world!
As in Van Horne, the Courtroom, and the Subway, the Museum requires the Ghostbusters to dodge and destroy ghosts and paranormal pests. This time, their goal is to make it to Vigo’s portrait in the Restoration Room. One at a time, all four Ghostbusters must run through the ghoulish gauntlet. It takes the ghostbusting power of all four to vanquish Vigo.
Tips
- If you are about to be slimed or hit by a ghost when racing through the streets in the Tenement and Central Park sequences, you can become briefly invincible by driving into the barricades or obstacles. You also lose time when you do this, so do it sparingly.
- To avoid a low-flying poltergeist-type object in the running scenes, turn and run away from it. Then, when you’re ready, press B to jump over it, and set the ghost trap behind you to suck it in.
- You can get the Statue of Liberty out of a tight spot by releasing the book bomb when the air is thickest with ghosts.
- Libby would be smart to make a real effort to bag any torches flying by. When she hits one, she can aim left and right, and clear the air in front of her, or keep the flock of ghosts from circling around behind her.
- In the driving games, shoot all the airborne targets you can – you may be pleasantly surprised.