Destructoid hands-on: Ghost Rider

3:39 PM on 02.07.2007   |   World Famous

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Due out next week for the PlayStation 2, PSP, and GameBoy Advance (yeah, the GBA is still alive), I got a chance to play the final build of Ghost Rider today during a visit with 2K Games.

Check out my impressions of this God of War clone after the jump. 

When first booted up, the thing I initially noticed about Ghost Rider was how good it looked on the PS2. If there's one thing developers know how to do right now, it's push the limits of this console.

The next thing I noticed as I was shown some gameplay was how much Ghost Rider looked like God of War. And it's not like an accidental thing either, this game really looks and plays like God of War -- except it has a Ghost Rider skin and story thrown on top of it.

Everything from combos to soul orbs to even those very same special kills Kratos will do when you make an enemy weak are in there. What sets it apart, however, is that Ghost Rider is actually half fighting game and half driving game. Also, there's no annoying puzzles in Ghost Rider -- no columns to push around and such.

As far as gameplay goes, this is a button masher. Think God of War meets Devil May Cry -- you have a gun, ala Dante, and you can upgrade yourself via the collection of soul orbs. It is every bit your modern-day fighting/action game as you'd expect. And you know what? For a licensed title that is scheduled to be released around the same time as its movie counterpart, it ain't half bad.

When playing through a few levels, I had fun. It's actually a fairly solid experience. The only downside of the game is in its driving levels -- which consist of you straddling Ghost Rider's motorcycle. Controlling the bike was difficult and seemed more like something the developers were forced to throw in to make the title a complete Ghost Rider experience.

Here's the really good part for you Ghost Rider fans though: There are a ton of unlockable items. You can unlock Ghost Rider comics, development diaries and check this out: Once you beat the game, you unlock Blade and can play through the entire game again as him. Cool, huh? Well, I thought it was.

Other details of note: The game is broken up into six different chapters with each chapter including an end boss from the Marvel comics roster. The game's story takes place after the movie and is meant to be more of a compliment, not mirror of the film. To regain health, find and stand next to open flames. And most importantly, no Nicolas Cage voice.