Is Ghostbusters: The Video Game Canon?
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- čas přidán 12. 08. 2022
- In 2009, Ghostbusters: The Video Game reunited the original four Ghostbusters and created a canonical third story which continued their legacy. Then in 2021, a third film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife debuted, leaving questions as to whether the video game can still be considered canon. Join as we investigate supporting evidence and issues for the canon of Ghostbusters: The Video Game.
Voiceover Narration and Audio Editing by Heidi Dion
Written and Edited by Devin Dion
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I completely believe that the game and Afterlife can completely coexist without any serious world breaking issues. My vote is also a BIG YES.
Same here along with sanctum of slime and the IDW comics
And ofcourse the idw comic's open up the idea of a Ghostbusters multiverse in one of there comic issues as well so basically to settle the 2 arguments about canonocity of Ghostbusters basically everything is canon
Rumor has it that the sequel to Afterlife may involve aspects from the video game.
It's just a rumor, so we won't know the details, until the movie comes out next December.
@@SpaceWizardCosplay interesting but yeah will have to wait to see if it's legit
The game most be cannon since the complete original cast were Part of it ,common don’t waste there work.
In the game Ivo killed Gozer. He tossed Gozer's skull to the side in a cut scene before the final fight. Ivo was also destroyed in that game and he turned on Gozer to become a God himself. None of that jives with Afterlfe. We see Ivo is alive and kept in suspended animation. He is still truly devoted to Gozer. Plus, Gozer isn't dead as Ivo did not destroy her and take her power.
Dan Aykroyd once said the game was meant to serve as being Ghostbusters 3. Which actually means Afterlife is Ghostbusters 4. And the upcoming sequel to Afterlife is Ghostbusters 5.
Nah, these new love letter flicks starting with Afterlife are a new entity. Definitely not canon. Ghostbusters ended with the game.
I believe ghostbusters the video game is soft canon, ghostbusters afterlife is ghostbusters 3
I agree.
Don’t forget the 2016 reboot. It counts as a full ghostbusters movie
@@Ottophil oh god no…. No no no we do not no no no D- d- d- don’t say that…..
Dan says it's canon, so it's canon. Also, why would anyone want the game to not be canon, it was fantastic! The replay factor is so good and hearing the guys together for the last time is amazing
From the perspective of someone higher up, it's easier to make a sequel movie without any continuity errors if you simply declare a previous entry non-canon. Obviously you can't do that with the movies that started it all, but with things the average viewer is unlikely to experience, like games, comic books, and TV shows, you can, unfortunately, get away with it. Often, it doesn't even seem like it's necessary, just a preemptive thing to save money.
I replay the game every couple of years now. It really is an amazing game.
Without a shadow of a doubt...the video game is "unofficially" the third movie we fans deserve and had been waiting for. Afterlife...is the 4th installment that not only makes us original fans smile. But it also brings and opens the franchise up for a whole new generation to fall in love with this franchise.
Plus it is a nice end for the orginal team's story while passing it off to the next generation of Ghostbusters
By that logic, Ghostbusters for the Sega Genesis (1990) is the 3rd movie.
@@Robert-nu4vcwhat logic? All he said was this game is unofficially the third movie. It makes perfect sense. You’re mad weird
Afterlife didn't make me smile. It made me despair.
It would be a shame if it were no longer canon, as it was Harold Ramis's final performance in the franchise. Having said that, I think it's likely the filmmakers may not confirm the game's place in canon during future films simply because not all members of the cinematic audience may be familiar with it. It would be nice to have some subtle allusions or references if relevant to the story.
Great video as usual with well made points, many of which I hadn't considered. I especially liked the symmetry of crossing the streams your observations imply. The third time was not the charm for that tactic.
Same here and not to mention afterlife made nods to real Ghostbusters and extreme Ghostbusters to
I'm late to this but I agree with you, it could be nice as it was his last performance and it could have been done in a way of adding some nice easter egg/ nod to those who played the game while adding some lore in a natural way to show that the characters exist with their own adventures outside the movie. Kinda like Hades did in God of War 3 by mentioning an event from one of the PSP game
It would make sense if they kept it. Normally I would say it isn't canon anymore, but it was the last thing Ramis worked on. Do you REALLY think Ivan Reitman's son is going to toss it like garbage, especially when Afterlife is dedicated to his memory? I don't think so.
Shandor in "Afterlife" looks EXACTLY like Shandor from the game... that is not a coincidence.
The GB game IS GB III!
@@thisisnotachannel Ghostbusters Frozen empire that is already plausible solution things distinguish himself away from the video game
This is why I think TVG could still be canon:
*•At the end of TVG, the Containment Unit is destroyed, which would explain why in Afterlife it's back to it's original build.*
*•The event of hauntings becoming thin is mentioned in the end credits, which is why they set Rookie up with a job in Chicago. However, it would seem that this didn't change the fact that nobody was calling the GBs.*
*•As I just said, they set Rookie up with a job in Chigaco. In Afterlife, it's revealed Egon has been spying on Callie, Trev and Phoebe. Maybe moving the Rookie to Chicago was part of his plan to keep an eye on them. Even though Venkman claims that he would decide if they go to Chicago, Los Angeles or some other city (what was it called)?*
*•Gozer is, for some reason, extremely angry at Shandor and destroyed him. The reason for this could be because he banished her from the world as revealed in the GBs battle with him in TVG.*
*•The Ecto-1 is back to it's original form, which is weird because it never got reverted back in the films, but in the game, it's gets destroyed, and they could have just removed the Super Slammer and instead of calling it Ecto-1c or Ecto-2, they used the old Ecto-1 plate.*
*•In the battle with Gozer in Afterlife, the Busters try crossing the streams to blow Gozer up. They would never do this with kids and civilians around, as it would kill them. It would be likely that the Proton Packs they're using are the 1991 versions, as the effect of crossing the streams on these versions are seen to be no longer fatal, but still slightly dangerous.*
*•The body in the tomb is not a real body; it's Shandor's ghost taking the form of his own body. How do I know this? Look carefully at the body as it's ripped. There's no blood at all and no bones or organs are visible. This means that the skull could indeed still be canon. This sounds far-fetched, but it is worth noting.*
*•Ray mentions that those mini Stay-Pufts are a collective manifestation of Gozer. The fact that Stay Puft went from being very strong in '84, slightly weaker in '91, and then extremely weak and ineffective in 2021, makes perfect sense, as Egon tells the Mayor in TVG that while Stay Puft looked the same, was weaker in his second attack, meaning Stay Puft get increasingly weaker as time goes on, and explains why in 2021, he's very weak and needs several copies of his destructor form in order to be a threat at all.*
*•Ray's theory can still be canon to Afterlife. What Ray means when he says Gozer is locked in Stay Puft's appearance is that it's locked in that form when it arrives as the destructor. It can still have the female form if it chooses to, or it can have the Stay Puft form. It's one or the other. Does that make sense?*
*•The creator of the video mentions that the Trap Field might have been inspired by the Super Slammer, and while that may be true, it would seem that the Remote-controlled Trap was more inspired by it, and it may have been created so that the Proton Streams didn't need to go near it and damage it like how it did during Stay Puft's second attack.*
*•In Egon's basement in Summerville, all of the Ghostbusters' old gear can be seen, even things from before they went into business. However, Slime Blowers are nowhere to be seen. I think this could be because they were implemented into the Proton Packs.*
For a few of your points
1991 game proton packs have cross-stream governors, which I assume basically cause the stream cross effect we see in the game to prevent a full stream cross from taking place, and it has to be turned off for the streams to properly combine.
I got nothing for shandor's body being his ghost instead, that could be plausible.
Gozer being stuck between its flat top and stay puft form is also a strong possibility. We do see the flat top form is powerful but not necessarily world-ending, which is why he gets destructor forms. Being stuck with a sucky one forces gozer to confront the Ghostbusters in flat top form to have a proper chance, as it knows the weakened destructor form can be fairly easily defeated by them at this point.
woah i never thought of that last point and that actually makes perfect sense. gozer didnt arrive in the destructor form so hes still the original. smart!
okay, can I just thank you guys for giving me options to consider these two canon? Still find it weird with the shandor/gozor relationship, but still.
Cincinnati was the other city.
I think there was multiple Ecto-1s. I think the video game (Ecto-1b) one was a modified version of the one from GB2 (Ecto-1a). The one we see in Afterlife is probably the original GB1 Ecto-1.
Dan essentially called it the 3rd part. It's the 3rd part.
Simple as that.
And I'm glad that most seem to agree.
If you look to passenger side of Ecto in-game...
A desk w a PC/note on it saying "went home sick"...also has a placard saying "Louis Tully" on it & a suit w ear protection hung behind it on the wall w a "Tully" name-patch...
Louis Tully was the accountant (played by Rick Moranis), who was already home sick before being possessed by Zu'ul the Gatekeeper (1 of the "dog-goyle's") - he then later suited up to go "help" the guys.
So that suit etc being there (as tully is just the accountant), also very definitely ties in GB2 - Tully's still sick & hung up the suit/went back home after GB2/before the game.
Combine that with your (rather astute) observation & it very definitely/canonically bridges the following & preceeding films with the video game in-between.
(Obvs given the understanding that 2016 GB never happened; it's more canon to the detox scene in Trainspotting than anything in the Ghostbuster's franchise, far as I'm concerned)~
For me, and I'm sure a lot of fans, this game is special because it was not only the return of the original team, but without knowing it at the time, it would be Harold's final contribution to the series. However, if I may add my own perspective, I'm sure people might get why for some fans, it matters to keep it canon (to some degree).
Unlike many Gen Xers and early Millenials who grew up to watch the films and cartoons and buy the toys and play the games during its heyday, I was born in the mid 90s. I was only 2 when XGB came out, and I have no recollection of the series. I came across the VHS of GB1, idk how, but it was in my life, and at age 4-5, this was my movie. It was to me what Star Wars or Jurassic Park meant to others when they first saw it as kids. A year later, I got GB2 as a gift from my grandparents, so for all intents and purposes, the franchise was these two movies.
Years later on a random day, my mom comes in with this copy of Gameinformer that she took from our neighbor since he didn't want it anymore and was about to throw it out. She hands it to me, and to my shock, the cover has the logo, announcing Ghostbusters: The Video Game. I dug in, skipping to the article, and my mind was once again, blown. From 2007 to 2009, even though that small period where it was in this odd status of possibly being cancelled, and then picked up again by Atari, I was obsessed with this game. I watched every trailer on CZcams countless times, looked up every interview and behind the scenes video, looked up the shots and concept art from the game in dozens of previews over and over.
Sadly, I couldn't relate this to other kids my age because in the 90s and 00s, Ghostbusters just wasn't popular as it is now or back in the 80s, but for me, this game represented a big important part of my childhood being fulfilled. New and multiple scenarios with the guys who were my heroes, and I WAS a Ghostbuster with them. I could only describe my hype as being similar to anyone in 1989 being hyped for Ghostbusters 2. I can only say that I'm glad that Afterlife doesn't go out of its way to make it non canon, and so YES, Ghostbusters: The Video Game is canon to me.
Ain't that the truth and atleast the good thing about fictional media is that since there not really ment to be taken super serious we can still pick and choose what we like and make it our canon timeline for our favorite media in our hearts
@@alastor-yw7og Yep. I don't want to enforce this theory. Its fan canon at this point, and hey, Jason could make the next film completely make it non canon where it cannot fit. I don't see the non-canon state by Ivan as if he was saying the game never mattered either. The thing is they can't be beholden by a story that narratively doesn't hold dramatic weight and will likely confuse audiences if they made a call back to it. However, regardless of that reason, it is ALSO reasonable to keep it canon because of its artistic and historical value. It was not only a piece of entertainment for fans, but an experience that was fun and meant a lot to people's lives.
This is so relatable to me. I was born in 1996 and I only became aware of Ghostbusters existence through one of XGB reprises on TV back in the mid-2000s. I remember being obsessed with the cartoon together with my cousin and it was actually a shock to know that an older "prequel" film actually existed! We eventually went watch the original films and loved the franchise even more. By the time the game came out in 2009 it was one of the most antecipated games of my life and witnessing a new GB thing be released for the first time was simply amazing. This game has such a special place in my heart that it's impossible to not consider it canon, specially with Harold's passing in 2014.
Interview has been declared non-canon which is a complete contradiction cuz the ghostbuster video game could explain how they found out about them the mind
To me this game is the official sequel to the movies. It's a interesting story, feels faithful to the lore, and overall it's just a good game. I replay it atleast once a year and still enjoy it
Dan Akroyd (let's face it - the *BIGGEST* GB fan of ALL time) would agree with you there.
Striking it from canon would be nothing less than a travesty, for a myriad of reasons...
(R.I.P. Harold Ramis - Egon FOREVER)~
Whole heartedly, yes, the video game is still canon. As you so wonderfully pointed out in this video, elements in Afterlife do support that events of the video game could have happened. Also, since the video game script was written by Dan and Harold and had all of the original cast, I feel the video game represents the final film for the original Ghostbusters. I think Afterlife is the beginning of a new story for a new group of Ghostbusters with the boys in gray passing the baton to the next group.
Perfectly said.
@@ChannelingSpirits Dan aykroyd truly believe the game to be the third movie he would have told Ivan when he stick his opinion dan was just doing that to promote the game
@@ChannelingSpirits you bring up a lot of valid points
No elements in Afterlife do not support this. In fact Afterlife and TVG contradict each other. In TVG Ivo Shandor is a ghost, who becomes a deity when he assumes a destructor form. The Ghostbusters in the game crossing streams destroy him. In Afterlife he is in some kind of suspended animation and awakens when Gozer comes back. If his ghost/destructor form was destroyed in TVG, then how can he still be alive (in suspended animation) in Afterlife? The two versions can't exist together.
I've always thought it would be great if an animated feature was made based on the game, since you have the voice tracks, as a bridge between Ghostbusters 2, and "Afterlife".
Yes!
i also had that idea, but maybe add more downtime scenes like there are in 1 and 2 because it wasn’t nearly non stop ghostbusting like it was in the video game. there might be some problems with ramis, though because you cant record more lines with a dead person
@@geggy310Probably find someone who can imitate his voice.
I highly believe that the 2009 video game is indeed cannon to the lore of the ghostbusters and this YT vid just proved it. well done team, I'll be happy to have you as researchers at any time.
Taking the advice of Winston Zeddemore...
When somebody asks you if the game is Canon... You say YES!
The '09 video game is absolutely Canon. It's the third major installment.
Afterlife is Fourth.
That's a definite BIG YES from me.
I'm just hoping they bring the rookie back in some shape or form
I don’t care what any of the future movie writers and directors say, this game is the third movie. It has fantastic writing and story and it can completely exist with afterlife. This has became my favorite childhood game and it’s sad to see how it’s getting swept under the radar. I really hope it gets referenced in a future ghostbusters movie.
The game has always been my Ghostbusters 3. That will never change. I do hope someday they can give it a deluxe remaster.
My theory is that Ecto-1, Ecto-1A and Ecto-1B are different cars.
If you look closely, you can see that Ecto-1 has vents on its hood, but Ecto-1A doesn't. And Ecto-1B's vents aren't clearly shown.
But Afterlife's Ecto-1 does have hood vents.
Ecto-1A and Ecto-1B were most likely taken by Winston Zeddmore as antiques of his time as a ghostbuster.
I vote Yes, it is Canon to me.
Ivo Shandor roaming the Ghostworld Broken and beaten, returning to its body and welcoming Gozer followed by punishment.
And the whole marshmallow man theori: Gozer could have changed into the Destructor Form if desired. (but that failed twice) ;)
Love this video!
Dan Akroyd said back in 2009-2010 that he considers this game the third movie. But with Ghostbusters Afterlife here now, this game has technically become Ghostbusters 2.5. Plus, Paul Rudd's character, Mr. Groober (Is that how his name is spelled?) said "There hasn't been a ghost sighting in 30 years." The 2009 Ghostbusters game is set in 1991 during and after Thanksgiving, almost two years after Ghostbusters 2 which is set near Christmas Eve of 1989, and Ghostbusters Afterlife is set in 2021. Perfect fit.
Then there's Ivo Shandor. The first movie and the 2009 game implied that Shandor died, but they never say how he died, and in the end of the game, and Shandor's destructor form is the final boss of the game. The reason why he wanted to create his own destructor form was because he lost faith in Gozer destroying the world because he got defeated by the Ghostbusters twice (during the first movie and in the beginning of the 2009 game, he reappeared again as the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Ray during the game theorizes the reason why Gozer did not appear in a different form is because he can only appear as one certain form in a dimension he has already visited. For example, if he appeared in one world taking the form of a T-Rex and was defeated, but returned a few years later, he can only appear in his normal form or the form he used, which was the T-Rex, which would explain why in Ghostbusters Afterlife, he appeared to the Ghostbusters in his natural form, because being Stay Puft got him defeated twice!)
Sounds to me like they purposefully made Afterlife in such a way that it doesn't contradict The Game in any major way thus allowing it to be canon if we want.
This feels correct, especially hearing that the design for Ivo Shandor just happened to more or less match his design from The Game and was immediately approved.
Agreed. I like to believe that's why they didn't give Afterlife a number as well - calling it Ghostbusters 3 would have decanonized the game for a lot of people, and could have alienated people who consider the game to be GB3.
Afterlife is a soft reboot. The only previous media that HAS to be canon for the film to make sense is GB1. GB2 could be de-canonized and Afterlife would still make just as much sense, probably more so. Same with the game.
@@WiGgYof09 That's not what I consider a soft reboot to be. If it isn't ignoring or contradicting anything from a previous series that is now partially or entirely unconnected to, then it isn't a reboot, soft or otherwise.
@@WiGgYof09 Ray’s Occult literally appears in afterlife. That means GB2 is almost definitely canon. What you on about?
@@gmansgnarlyscienceshow2820 Ray's occult existing does not mean the events of GB2 are automatically canon. It just means Ray opened a book store and called it Ray's Occult. None of the events of GB2 ever get referenced. We only ever see the events of GB1 during the film.
GB2's canon is left ambiguous while GB1 is obvious front and center as 100% canon to the reboot. If they wanted to solidify GB2's canon then there would have been something from that movie's events, other than Ray's Occult, which does not exist as a result of the events of GB2.
I will always choose to believe that It is canon. Not matter what
I thought the idea of Ivo Shandor usurping Gozer's Power to become a god himself was a better story than bringing Gozer back.
The Game is definitely still canon - I, personally, like how it ties in 2 with the rest of the story. Afterlife is the fourth entry.
So...the bigger question: was Vigo also a Gozer worshipper?
My headcanon is that Vigo didn't have the Gozerian Codex but did study at least texts that copied from it or learn the magick from that lineage.
Side note, game canon did confirm that the slime running under New York came from the Slor that you fight in the video game, Vigo just took advantage of what it was doing and how it was growing
The only Ghostbuster I'm still missing is Louis Tully
I hope Rick Moranis decides to come back for the next one.
Yeah and unless a miracle occurs you won't be seeing Rick Moranis. He retired from acting when his wife passed away.
Honestly, it doesn’t matter if the actors and movie producers could agree if Ghostbusters: The Video Game is canon or not, I believe that if Ghostbusters is close to the heart for the fans; then yes! I would say that the video game is the third movie that the fans craved.
Also, since Dan Ankroyd is the main cast member who has the compassion of believing on making a Ghostbusters 3, and that he’s the heart of the Ghostbusters, than that alone says it right there.
I couldn't agree more to that my friend
When it comes to GB, what Akroyd says, IS
It was Akroyd & Ramis that came up with all of it, not the producers...& Akroyd is the only one left who can actually say & whose words have any merit, plain & simple/end of story.
(R.I.P. Harold Ramis - Egon FOREVER, *NEVER* to be forgotten)~
The game is the third and final entry in the original trilogy.
Afterlife is a soft reboot and the start of a new universe. It was done with great love and respect, was fun in its own right even if it's not exactly what I wanted it to be -- much like Ghostbusters II -- and so as of where things stand now, I'm happy to support the Afterlife-verse it and game to see where it goes next.
The Real Ghostbusters is my favorite timeline and the one I most want to see a continuation of.
That's how I feel as well. Afterlife was obviously made with love but that doesn't change the fact that it is a very poor film. Not something I would ever watch again.
Afterlife is a sequel, because...that's what it is. It's not a soft reboot or anything of the sort.
The game was fun, and I loved that everyone was involved, but it's nowhere near canon
@@mikefish1124 its been cannon since its release smh even the creator of ghostbusters said so aswell that it was loosely based off of a rejected ghostbusters 3 film script
@@freshlyfishedbread5567 their exact words were "this is the closest we will ever get to a sequel". They never said it was official canon
I agree 100 percent
I'm beyond impressed with how much you dissected the first 2 movies, the game, and 2021 movie. I can't believe I missed the details from the game (but I haven't played the full game since 2010 lol)! As a fellow ghostbuster fan and hardcore geek, great job on this vid! Jason Reitman played close attention with the details from the first two movies and the game. I'm impressed. But, in my opinion, the game is the third installment. Back in 2009, they had no plans to bring back Ghostbusters to the silver screen. When I played the GB game on release day, it felt like I was playing in a movie. The 2021 movie ties in after the first 2 films and the game. I think Jason did a great job tying everything together.
Thank you so much!
I was really obsessed with anything related to Ghostbusters as a kid: the movies, toys both versions of the cartoon ("The Real Ghostbusters" and "Filmation's Ghostbusters"), the music, etc. I even asked my parents to take me to the cinema to watch Ghostbusters 2, as my only birthday gift in advance. I was 6.
In 2009, I was working as a video game tester and guess what? Yup, I'worked on Ghostbusters: The Video Game on PSP, PS2 and PS3. I did countless 100% playthrough to test the Trophies, on every difficulty, in every supported language.
But there's one thing I never managed to figure out: the story.
- Who is Zuul? Is it the name of the dog in the fridge? If so, what is the name of the other dog? Zaal? Or they're both named Zuul? And why is he just chilling in there (I know I know), waiting for someone to open the door and say his name? If it's not his name, why would you sand there just to say someone else's name? And why would someone sent their dog to sit in a fridge portal and say that person's name with no context? And why would someone ask anything to a dog in the first place? "Zuuuuuul...". Yeah ok, Zuul, but... okay, I'm listening!... So? Zuul-what, what do you want?!
- Why do the dogs bite/tickle/possess Weaver and Moranis? Why them?
- They are Called Gatekeepers and Key Master, but you never see any gate anywhere? What whas that about?
- Who is the she-male? Is it Zuul? Is it Gozer? Or The Destructor? And Stay Puft? Again, Zuul? Gozer? The Destructor?
- Why do Weaver and Moranis still have their human forms while being Zullified but turn into dogs when they reach the she-male?
- If they knew they were dealing with Sumerian entities, why didn't ask the Vatican for help? The demon from The Exorcist, Pazuzu, was also Sumerian and it kinds worked out in the end.
- And what about Vigo in all this?!
So yeah, I guess Gods and shit is not my forte after all, but...
1. Zuul is a female Terror Dog. Vinz Clortho is the male one. The image of the dog in the fridge was a vision, a portent.
2. Dana and Louis happened to be in the closest proximity to the hidden temple stairway. Alternatively, Louis threw his coat on Vinz, making this one personal.
3. Keymaster and Gatekeeper are a double entendre. (What goes in like a key to a lock? Think about it.)
4-5. This was a lot clearer in an earlier concept. Zuul was the favored pet of Gozer. Ivo Shandor--at that time the CEO of Ghostbusters, Inc.--had captured Zuul on an extradimensional safari of sorts. Zuul escaped and came to our world, taking on the form of Sigourney Weaver. Gozer came to our world looking for her.
The game is only Harold Ramis' final performance as Egon, I don't recall any contradiction in Afterlife
The portrayal of Ivo Shandor in both TVG and Afterlife contradicts each other. You can't have Ivo Shandor as a ghost/deity/destructor form in one and alive, albeit in what appears to be suspended animation, in the other. The two contradict each other. As much as I love the game. It cannot exist in the same universe as Afterlife.
I always tought it is still canon. And always liked the idea of Gozer bypassing the StayPuff form by creating the mini Puffs, that way the choosen form is manifested, but on its own and leaving Gozer a better "form" with his prechosen one. The skull of shandor fake, also remember you can find a GB DVD as item in the game... I think all ties nicely and explains why Gozer Rips in 2 Shandor.
It makes sense if the director is consulting Dan Aykroyd, and him and Ramis signed off on Ivor in the game, that he would instantly use a design for Shandor that was close to the game design.
I hope it remains canon because it's so well-written and designed. It would take a little work due to some things presented in the new movie, but with good writers it would be possible.
Depending on how Ghostbusters 4 goes, I feel that that movie can tie back in more with what happened after GB2 to the extend that it can fully cover (if not modify a little) of the Game to full fit in canon.
yeah dan aykroyd even said so himself that this game is canon and the fact mntions of what happened in the first movie confrims it the only thing thats not canon is Ghostbusters 2016
Thay was marketing hype, and he has t said that in years. He said it was like the third movie. That's different.
@@JasonDeline yeah, the real question should be, which is the true canon, the real Ghostbusters, or the video game. Both can't be canon
@@zero1zerolast393 But does it even matter? People are too obsessed with that these days. They're most stories, they can do what they want.
@@JasonDeline if the mentions of references in ghostbusters 1 is still canon just because Ivan says it’s not it doesn’t mean the games timeline is still mentioned
@@zero1zerolast393 if events are mentioned and referenced in a timeline it’s canon non canon wouldn’t reference anything
I've always thought of it as Canon.
Though I would like the next film to solidify it more by either adding more direct references or even bringing in The Rookie.
I really think the game should be cannon, like even Danny himself said it was like a third instalment! Like the small little details are well good enough ig but I'd absolutely love it if there were more Easter eggs or a return for some of this stuff from the game itself in the new upcoming installment 🤷
I will say the video game is canon, it adds to the story and with what you described it fits nicely and since Dan says he considers it the third movie I will take his word since he was one of the minds behind the franchise
You guys missed something, when Ivo was ripped apart, his reanimated body was full of Slime. Perhaps the reanimation of his dead body was an off shot of his slime experiments.
I've always seen the game as the 3rd story then afterlife is the 4th. For the proton packs "didn't work out", or "drains the fuel cells to an unacceptable rate with 4 modes in one pack so they are separate packs" then never thought about the timeline as the game was the 90s
Jason and Dan said it's in an A and B timeline which basically means that there are two different timelines the video game timeline and the afterlife timeline
Then what happened with Dana's relationship with Peter between the game and Afterlife?
Third time's a charm!! LOL
I will definitely have to buy the game...
I would highly recommend it. Lots of fun, great lore building and you truly feel like a Ghostbuster
The skull found in the game, I believe it's just a souvenir, since in the same game we can find a Ghostbusters Dvd
But yes, I believe that the game is canon, maybe there's a mismatch here or there, but any franchise has that
Shadors first line in Afterlife to Gozer should have been "I am so sorry". Before she rips him in half for what he did in GBTVG
For me they are both canon.
Heck Aykroyd says GBTVG is canon and I take his word over some Sony exec any day
Well he did call gozer A bonehead.
I still consider the video game a part of the main timeline with the first two movies as it can always be set before ghostbusters afterlife
It was...it fits between 2 & Afterlife
Game DEFO happens after GB2, as you can see, jist to the L/passenger side of Ecto-1B, Louis Tully's desk w a note on his PC he's gone home sick (explaining his absence in game) & there is a Co suit hanging on the wall w a "TULLY" name-patch on it/his ear-covers etc from GB2 when he tried to go to the Museum to help fight Gozer.
Also, Rick Moranis' character/Louis Tully, *WAS* in fact, already home sick when he got possessed by Zu'ul (the "gatekeeper" dog)...
...so after he suited up, the suit got hung up & he went back home, as he's STILL sick (& really is just the accountant anyway)~
Dan Aykroyd always did say in interviews that the game was "The THIRD Movie" for him,
So I choose to believe this to be fact, and overlook that it is a Videogame.
(and, besides that. a Ghostbusters Multiverse was already established in the IDW Comic Book Series.
which the OG Ghostbusters teaming up with their animated counterparts, and...Yes, even the 2016 ones.
So, I doubt it matters that much anymore.)
Exactly what i mentioned and basically because of that to me there all canon
True. It's like the Halloween movies. There are multiple timelines.
You make a good case for it's place in canon. Thanks for doing this.
Yes. Like it or not, Dan Aykroyd himself said it was basically the third movie.
He also said that before Afterlife came out. And since Afterlife actually does contradict TVG in its portrayal of Ivo Shandor, I bet you Dan Aykroyd would not be saying the same thing now.
some people might say no due to shandor being defeated at the end of the game. but the thing is, they don’t trap shandor. they cross the streams and blow up his destructor form. that’s also how they defeat gozer in gb1. however in afterlife, they trap gozer in many ghost traps.
Personally, I would consider it canon over Afterlife, but I think it's just a matter of personal preference.
Also regarding franchises... being sent to run a franchise is the entire plot of the tabletop RPG "Ghostbusters International", released in 1989. But I guess you could say GBI starts taking place in 1991.
Wow, was surprised to see this on my CZcams picks. When we made the game, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis were the driving forces behind the story as well as getting Bill Murray to come do some audio (I think he did his lines in a single session and he tweaked his dialog to be more Venkmen like). In the production meetings, this game was presented as the third movie told using the video game media format. (I think it was Aykroyd that said that they were getting too old to run around with proton packs on their backs in regards to having this digital version instead.) As to whether the game's story is still cannon, it looks like it comes down to the beliefs of the guy that was a part of the writing for all 3 movies as well as the game (Aykroyd) and the guy that directed the first 2 movies (Reitman). Given that we made the game after the first 2 movies, my money is on the opinion of the guy that worked on the all of them.
Holy crap, were you on the Terminal Reality team? I have so many questions. Reach out to us at channelingspirits at gmail dot com if you want to talk or even do an interview.
I totally consider that 2009 GB game as Ghostbusters 3 since it had so much of the cast and writing team behind it. I’d like to see a remake on newer consoles or perhaps a CGI movie based on this game though. It deserves it.
The 2009 game actually was re-released in remastered form on PS4/ergo playable on PS5 etc (I don't do XBox, but pretty sure re-release is there too)...no clue bout PC, but wouldn't be surprised.
In fact, I'm on my Proffessional difficulty run/last thing to Platinum right now~
Soft canon to me. It explains so much and confirms EVERYTHING I've troubled to think of
Kinda like telltales Jurassic park game and Jurassic park trespasser
@@alastor-yw7og Bingo
what is soft canon?
@@geggy310soft cannon its when only some elements of a sequel are cannon to the timeline, at least i think this is the right description of it
I think it is for many different reasons.
1. This was the last Ghostbusters project Harold Ramis worked on, why would they toss it out like garbage?
2. It also delved deeper into many different loose ends not tied up in the first and second films.
3. In Ghostbusters, Gozer manifested as Mr. Stay Puft, and they crossed the streams to destroy their destructor form. In Ghostbusters 3, Ivo Shandor manifests as Satan, and they defeat him in that form. Both of those characters return in Afterlife.
4. Gozer looks very pissed off at Shandor in Afterlife when he was in their temple when the ghost montage happens. This could be because Shandor attempted to be a God himself instead of continuing to worship them, and failed to destroy the world.
5. Ivo Shandor looks exactly like how he does in the video game as he does in Afterlife.
6. With leftover PK energy, Gozer manifested as Stay Puft in 3, and Ray talked about one destructor form per god per dimension. Gozer manifests the Mini Pufts in Afterlife. Gozer decides to stay in their default form in Afterlife because they were unsuccessful as Stay Puft twice, and sent the Mini Pufts as a distraction to the Ghostbusters.
7. The Ghostbusters go straight to crossing the streams as if it's safer than normal, and it is as when you accidentally cross streams in the game, you just fall down. When Shandor and Gozer are defeated at the end of the first and third parts, there is a big explosion because there is energy there to cause it.
8. Ray mentions during the credits that business would be slow, and he also mentioned that in Afterlife.
9. The extra equipment on the proton pack was removed to cut maintenance costs when buisiness got slow.
10. Ecto 1b breaks down when they try to pull down the giant gate, so they didn't have the budget for a new car and got the original Ecto-1 repaired. There are car doors hidden behind windows in the game with the ghostbusters ii logo on them, implying 1b is an upgrade.
11. Ghostbusters II was never mentioned in Afterlife in an obvious way, but was confirmed to be canon.
Afterlife, IMO, should have taken place after Ghostbusters: The Video Game. IMO.
Other than the containment grid (which is easily explained away) there's nothing in Afterlife that directly contradicts the game.
As for the grid being different, I think the remastered version of the game put parts of the old grid around the basement area as an easter egg. If I am remembering that correctly, then that would easily explain why the end of Afterlife had the GB2 grid as, like you pointed out, the bigger one was destroyed in the game so Egon and Ray would have had to put the older one back together quickly.
i own the switch version of the remastered ghostbusters game thanks to my father and it does have refrencess to the cartoons and i think (i cant remember because im in the hardest level of the game right now on medium difficulty aka THE STONE ANGEL GATE) i did see the red peices of the old unit but i could be wrong
Ivo Shandor completely contradicts the game.
The entire plot of Afterlife contradicts the game.
For one, Ivo killed Gozer in the game and became a God himself. He tosses the skull of Gozer over his shoulder in a cut scene before the final fight.
Second, Ivo was destroyed in the game. In the movie he is alive in some kind of suspension ded animation.
Three, the time line doesn't add up. The game takes place e in 1991 around thanks giving. Ray said business was booming during the Reagan years before the incident with Egon. If the game was canon, that would mean the best years they had as a business took place between GB2 and the game, which was not the Reagan years. Frankly, Ray saying that also contradicts GB2 taking place.
Afterlife is a soft reboot. It keeps all the events of GB1 and that's it. There are no references to GB2 other than Ray's occult existing, which doesn't mean that the plot of GB2 took place. The entire plot of Afterlife makes far more sense if only GB1 is canon.
@@WiGgYof09 Actually, Eric Reich of Ghost Corps in a private email with the Ghostbusters wiki administrator said that the movie canon only consists of Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2, and Afterlife. So, yes, Ghostbusters 2 is still canon.
And he also said that the video game is in its own separate continuity.
Yeah, I don't consider Afterlife a real sequel to the series. The videogame is the third part of the series. Afterlife is some other universe or something. Some kind of remake/reboot thing. In any account I don't care because I didn't like it and won't be watching it again anytime soon.
I will always consider the game canon, considering just how Dan talks about it and in respect of honoring Harold's last role in the franchise. Keeping it canon only adds to the story and, as shown by this video, doesn't detract from it with plot holes. There are even little design pieces that only really make sense if you include the game, mainly looking at Egon's proton pack in Afterlife. On the upper left corner, you can see the module with the antenna tied to the fourth firing mode from the game, and that's not even mentioning that the new Afterlife Egon proton pack toy has access to all four firing modes from the game. That attention to detail from even a merchandising company can only mean the game is canon.
I always felt they could have easily made Ghostbusters The Video Game canon via one simple change. Make Gary Grooberson the Rookie from the game. It would have helped lend with suspending disbelief that Egon just up and left in the middle of the night, while stealing a lot of equipment from the firehouse, including all the ghost traps. If the Rookie had helped him, and stayed in Summerville to help supervise, but also went no contact after awhile because Egon bece increasingly erratic.
It would make Ray feeling betrayed a lot more easier to swallow if it came from Rookie, and he was transferring that anger and resentment equally to Egin for literally splitting the team and stealing the equipment, forcing them to shut down operations once again.
And the fact that Egin died is not relatively known to the townspeople in Afterlife, unless the Spengler family personally let them know, the Dirt Farmer was a well-known recluse.
Making Gary Rookie helps jad some history to years we didn't see between 2 and Afterlife, and helps fill that gap even better if the Video Game is canon. Ot also retroactively helps with Peck position as mayor in Frozen Empire, since the Ghostbusters are operating openly and he didn't shut them down immediately, since Peck in the Video Game was head of the Paranormal Contracts Oversight Commission, a committee that was made to oversee and supervise the Ghostbusters. That carried over a lot into the IDW comics, but the comics go deep into story, so, I'm not too beholden to be a slave to the comics continuity.
But, making the Video Game canon would actually help in the long run, in fact, it also helps with a quick character interaction in Afterlife as well. In the Video Game, Ivo Shandor becomes unhappy with Gozer's ineffectiveness at destroying the world, so he takes the god's power for his own, essentially forsaking Gozer. And then in Afterlife, Shandor's body is resting a glass coffin in the mines, where another Gozer temple had been constructed. When Gozer enters our dimension again, it unleashed a surge of ghosts, including Ivo Shandor, possessing his own deceased body. He tries to shower Gozer with praise and admiration, but Gozer just splits the supernatural sycophantic, ripping him in half without a second thought. Don't even have to explain it, but if you played the game, it helps with extra context to believe Gozer would have been extremely angered by Shandor's actions during the Video Game.
Anyway, that's my personal opinion, of course, i feel like they're already too far gone into the new movies to make that sort of change, that would have to have had happened during the pre-production phase of Afterlife. They had the original writers and and cast for the Video Game, seems a shame not to use what they already had available to them to help build off of besides just the original movie and 2.
huge YES! the video game is ghostbuster 3 and Afterlife is it's sequel making it Ghostbusters 4.
I'd give it a big yes, yet, moreover a bridge between 2 and 3 (Afterlife).
I’ve assumed that the gathering of ghost/slime energy always seemed to me to not necessarily be as some kind of power boost to a post-dimension-hopping weakened Gozer, but just a necessary step in Gozer’s summoning, a sacrifice needed in the ritual.
Hasbro released the "Spengler" Neutrona wand which is based on the Afterlife movie version. It has lights and sound that you would expect but it also has 3 other modes that mimic the lights and sounds from the other modes you use in the game. (Slime, Boson darts, etc.)
FIRST TIME WATCHER HERE - your videos are amazing, so in depth and well produced - thank you for this! As a OG GB Head from 1989 - I'm in love with this channel.
Welcome aboard! Thank you so much, seriously. We work very hard on our videos and we are so happy you found us!
I call it the 3rd movie for sure and it's definitely canon in my eyes and i love this game
Just popping by and saying always quality content from you mam..I really enjoy the material you cover..super interesting and neat details..
I feel the game can be and should be canon. I’ve been saying this for a while, I wish Sony would remake the story of the game as an animated film. Keep the voice acting and story, translate it to pure film form.
That said, I don’t expect this. The next film could make or break the game as canon.
I agree with Dan, before we got afterlife, the game was "Ghostbusters 3"
Here is my ghostbusters timeline: ghostbuster1-real ghostbusters-ghostbusters 2- ghostbusters the video game- extreme ghostbusters and now ghostbusters afterlife
This was extremely intriguing. You all did a really great job with this. Thank you for making it.
I’d say the game is soft canon, as Afterlife doesn’t go out of its way to contradict it. It holds so much value to me, and while Afterlife was great, the video game was the final adventure for the original cast.
I like to think that SOME of what happens in the game takes place, but the game is actually a fictional recounting of it with embellishments thrown in for entertainment's sake by Venkman.
Maybe the game is a movie or cartoon adaptation that was released in the early 90s right as the actual firm was falling apart in real life.
I don't see anything in the game that irrevocably contradicts anything in any of the four movies, therefore we callin it canon.
It seems to me that the final word is this: The Reitmans believe the video game isn’t canon but Aykroyd believes it is.
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide who’s opinion you trust on the matter. Personally, I trust Aykroyd because Ghostbusters is essentially his baby and it always has been. The concept came from his brain and he’s the whole reason it exists.
It's canon. It will always be canon. If the future filmmakers of the Ghostbusters franchise don't mention the game and don't mention it's not canon, then it is canon. The game and the story is great! :D
i think it all fits together, there are even episodes of real ghostbusters and even ghostbusters extreme, that can support it all
The video game is definitely a staple in anyones library. It was great the first time through and many times since.
Mini puft could just be a byproduct of inter dimensional travel. Maybe this form of gozer is exactly how they imagined it initially wasn’t shown before because she had both the terror dogs there all the time?
I think if when we see the afterlife sequel it would be awesome if they show a bunch of stuff alluding to the after battles with staypuft like the original marshmallow suits that the spectral ghostbusters fought in, and also maybe mod parts that ego took off the packs before he left for Oklahoma.. he really only needed the photonstream to keep the pit at bay. Theres ways they can give nods to the games fans without making it full plot lore of the film since alot of movie goers wouldn't have played the game through. Id love to see the firehouse with an added wing or rooftop heli-pad with some of the extra toy vehicles we grew up with. The put the eyeball ghost in afterlife from the Kenner toys. Also would love to see the ghost viewer as well. The kids could actually come across the viewer and see trapped ghosts like boogieman and Samhain (if they don't use those for the next film)
I will always consider the video game to be canon just like Dan Aykroyd said since he is the original creator of the idea of Ghostbusters overall, and I think it fits in well with Ghostbusters: Afterlife in the way that you explained it here in this video. Just my opinion of course, but I stand by it.
You should do a similar video about The Real Ghostbusters and its revival Extreme Ghostbusters
To me everything in the franchise (Ghostbusters, The Real Ghostbusters, II, The Video Game, Extreme and Afterlife) is one timeline
Everything in the franchise being in one timeline doesn't make any sense. Stuff that happens in RGB contradicts what happens in GB II.
They really ought to make a sequel to this game, tying in the events of Afterlife. Make it open world in NY, with side missions coming from phone calls that take you to various parts of the map busting ghosts.
I think the game can still be canon if we omit one collectible you can find, The Skull of Ivo Shandor, since we see Shandor’s body in afterlife.
The thing about Afterlife I'm still disappointed about is that we only see Ecto-1, I'd have loved it if the boys arrived in Ecto-1A and we got a scene of both ectomobiles riding towards the climax together.
Tbh the game still works with the timeline, and honestly gives one last hurrah to the OG boys in grey before haunting got thin and Afterlife continued on afterwards
You managed to come up with a lot of ideas I didn't even think of but there's one thing that Frozen Empire added since this upload that I believe de-canonized the video game officially. SPOILER!! Eleanor Twitty appears again in Frozen Empire in the library, despite that she was captured in the video game. I really liked the movie overall, but that immediately made the video game not canon which I hate because it was the best "sequel" we ever got.
I believe the Game and comics are cannon, rather then going in crazy directions it just adds on to history within the franchise.
Same and sanctum of slime counts to in my opinion and having the game be not canon is also a waste of potential to because it was the last time Harold played egon and I'm not saying the game is required for the general audience to understand but i still believe atleast still give suddle nods to it so that way it would still be mentioned
I believe Aykroyd.
Don't forget that Gozer the Destructor never appeared in Afterlife, only Gozer the Traveler. That means Gozer's appearance didn't violate Ray's hypothesized "one Destructor form per god per dimension" idea, and perhaps even reinforces it. But also part of the issue in Afterlife is that Gozer is trapped in our dimension and doesn't have the power granted him from having the gate to his own dimension opened, since the Ghostbusters appear to have destroyed it by crossing the streams in the first film. No extra power from home, no Destructor form. Also, Ray does mention to Podcast that he just singlehandedly destroyed a manifestation of Gozer, so I think the Mini Puffs are intended to be just that, a manifestation of Gozer's power, but not necessarily where his consciousness resides. More like a side effect of that much of Gozer's specific energy existing. Still not enough to make a full Marshmallow Man, but also locked in that form as Ray suggested earlier. Like adorable mini-Destructors.
So maybe Gozer the Destructor did appear, and he was the mini-Puffs, while Gozer the Traveler also appeared and was the Yugoslavian model.
Gozer working like the Marian Devotions would make sense.
For those who are not familiar with Catholicism, Marian Devotions are the diverse titles and forms given to Mary, Mother of Jesus. They usually are given to a particular apparition.
OF COURSE it is canon, I've always considered the videogame the third movie, making afterlife the 4th movie in the Ghostbusters series, I really enjoyed watching the OG cast all together in the videogame, had a blast playing it and knowing more about the lore
I figured it's canon. I know they kept saying "30 years" in the Afterlife film, but people take words too literally sometimes. After all, who ever heard someone say "I'd die for __?__" and actually dies when they got it?
I wish the cartoons and IDW comics could tie in a little more (question is: is Extreme Ghostbusters Canon now?).
I dont think extreme ghostbusters is canon. It involves complete revamping of the ghostbusting gear and a cast we never met in main canon.
Extreme Ghostbusters is absolutely cannon.. to the real Ghostbusters lol.. and in that "timeline" the movies are just that.. movies based on the real Ghostbusters.. there's even a whole episode about it.
Official word from Ghost Corps is that it is not canon to the movies.
Whether it was originally canon now made into non-canon, or considered a parallel timeline to Afterlife, I think this game is an important part of Ghostbusters' lore.
I’ll always consider the game to be canon. Although some connections are tenuous at best. Where I don’t think that Gill, Jason and Ivan had the game in mind when bringing us Afterlife, I think luckily there is enough still plausible that we can keep that dream alive.
For example, I don’t think that Shandor would have been such a willing servant to Gozer in Afterlife after the events of the game. I’m also unsure why the containment unit would change back when they had advanced it to be bigger etc. but let’s just put that down to creative license from Atari more than inconsistencies.
I love this channel’s videos. Keep em’ comin’.
He could've been trying to appeal to Gozer in case of overhearing his plan from the game. I could see Shandor bootlicking to a god he tried to subsume
This was very well done. I hope we get a definite confirmation of the video game being canon. Thanks for this video!
They also crossed the streams in the animated series as well
I feel like Frozen Empire retconned the Afterlife plot line that had The Ghostbusters basically out of business for the 30 year time gap from 1989 to 2019. That's how Ray made it sound on the phone. Was he just lying? How long was Dirt Farmer on his dirt farm for? Was it DECADES? They made it look like it was quite a while. It had to take a long time to set up all that he did.
Another possibility is that Gozer was only locked to the Stay Puft form the first time they returned... but any other tume after that Gozer no longer was locked to said form.
Kinda feels like 84, 89 + the video game are the original Trilogy and Afterlife is the GB equivalent of Jurassic World. Just a soft reboot to the franchise that hopefully gets a whole new generation of people psyched to see a Ghostbusters movie in a theater and buy t-shirts and toys.
Very interesting deep dive! Nice job!
Great research awesome job guys