Ghosthunter is the next PS2 game coming to PS5 and PS4
Initially released on PS2 back in 2003, modern PlayStation fans will get the chance to check out lesser-known Sony shooter Ghosthunter when it launches on PS5 and PS4 on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
Developed by SCE Cambridge Studio — the team that would later become Guerrilla Cambridge before shuttering in 2017 — the PS2 classic merges third-person shooter action with a unique ghost power system.
Now, despite coming from the studio that brought you both MediEvil games on PS1 and the slightly better-known Primal on PS2, Ghosthunter doesn’t come up much these days. That’s mostly to do with the game’s poor sales, which is a shame, as it’s a pretty good PS2 game! In fact, it’s a good deal better than critics at the time would have you believe.
In Ghosthunter, you take on the role of Lazarus Jones, a schlubby sort of detective who gets ghost-summoning powers after fusing with Astral, an attractive lady ghost. The gameplay splits out from there with Lazarus handling the shooting and the action side of the gameplay and Astral using supernatural forms to solve puzzles and clear the way for Lazarus.
The tone is pretty campy with a larger-than-life villain (played by Michael Gambon of all people) and a lot of 2000s-era quips from Lazarus. Saying that, the characters are pretty memorable, the locales are fun, and the actual gunplay isn’t half-bad for a PS2 game!
While the puzzles do grate a little bit, there’s still some room for invention as you cycle through Astral’s various forms to figure out how to progress. It’s certainly a little dated by today’s standards, but Ghosthunter still has a lot of fun ideas for its day.
I can imagine this being a pretty fun game to revisit for the sake of a PS5 platinum trophy — something that does seem pretty likely! All of the PS Plus Premium PS2 games got trophies in June 2024 so far. Plus, this one’s a first-party Sony title, so that usually suggests that the game will get trophy support.
Here’s hoping we get that perfect platinum incentive to check this obscure PS2 game when it launches on PS5 and PS4! In the meantime, let us know if you’ve ever played Ghosthunter before and if so, are you surprised to see it coming to PS Plus Premium? Are you worried it might see the same issues as the other PS2 games on PS5 in June 2024? Let us know down in the comments below.