(This is from our personal blogspot site, thus the common GB knowledge you guys all know.)

On Monday, June 15th, I had an awesome day.

As most of you know, I've been a Ghostbusters fan since I was about 6 years old. I had most of the toys, watched the cartoons all the time, and over the years I've pretty much memorized the movies. I even made my own uniform and proton pack for Halloween last year. As part of my collection, I have a few of the old video games that came out on the original Nintendo. Those games weren't very good due to the lack of technology available in the '80s, and also the lack of effort by the game designers back then.

But today is a new day. This year is the 25th anniversary of Ghostbusters ('84-'09), and it is being celebrated by releasing lots of new stuff for fans like me to get their hands on. The most exciting product for me is the brand new video game.

The game was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, who also wrote and acted in the 2 movies. It takes place 2 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, and is the next chapter in the story. It was developed just up the road in Lewisville by a company called Terminal Reality. Perhaps some of you remember last year when I got to do some focus testing there during the Summer.

Tuesday is the official release date for the game, as all games come out on Tuesdays. Game companies have to wait until Tuesdays, but there is not an exact time on Tuesday, so some stores have parties for some games on Monday nights, then sell the games to customers at midnight, which technically is Tuesday.

I went to a Game Stop in Lewisville that had one of these parties. It was cool, because the development team from Terminal Reality was there to sign our games. But the coolest part of the night was that they arranged for the original car from the Ghostbusters movies, ECTO-1, to be there. This was the actual car, not a replica. It had been falling apart on a Sony back lot for 20 years, but it was recently refurbished to it's rightful condition for the 25th anniversary.

When I found out it was going to be there, I knew I had to go, too. So I called up my buddy, Brian, put on my jumpsuit, strapped on my proton pack, and we had a blast. I'd been waiting so long in anticipation for the game, then it was almost like the game was secondary because the car was there. It was a once in a lifetime experience.

So we got our games at midnight, which came with a free t-shirt, and we headed home. I also won a different free shirt in a raffle drawing. I played when I got home for about 4 hours, then finally went to bed. It was a great day to be a Ghostbusters fan.

(Check out my profile pics for some shots of me with the real Ecto-1.)

I got an XBOX 360 for Christmas, so I decided to get rid of my PS2 and it's games/equipment. I traded it all in at GameStop and got over $50, which surprised me. I didn't expect to get that much. The best part is they let me use that money to put toward my pre-order of GB:TVG. Only about $10 left. Now let's just hope GameStop doesn't go under before June!

Now that MR has announced their dipping their toes in the GB waters to make traps, packs, and much more, the debate has raged over whether this is good for the GB prop business or not. I'm not posting here to follow one side or the other, just give my personal point of view. Here it goes:

If it's going to cost roughly $1000 to get a pack with lights, sounds, and extras, I'm extremely tempted but I just don't think I can afford it. I've got a family to support, including an infant, and to drop the equivalent of a house payment (gotta love Texas house prices) on what is essentially a toy I'll really never get to use on a regular basis is irresponsible.

As I said in my initial post, I spent 2 months of my rare spare time building my first pack in time for Halloween. It's not completely accurate, it's fragile (foamboard, mostly), and there are still some parts I want to buy from AJ and Colin to make it look better. So basically I can drop another $100 for upgrades and accept that it'll never have the awesome lights and sounds other guys have, or I could drop a grand and have it all.

So when Christmas time comes around, I'll be paying attention to what pictures MR is putting up with their prop offerings, but my Christmas money will more than likely be going to AJ and Colin instead. Maybe I'll be able to save up and get a PKE meter or trap if they're reasonable.

I was fortunate enough to be able to focus test GB: TVG last Summer. I had to sign an NDA, so I can't spill the beans about anything, but I can say I can't wait for this to finally come out. The delay is killing me more than the average fan, in my opinion, because I know what I'm missing! It's awesome and I want my own copy.

It was cool to be able to play the game and then provide constructive feedback for the developers at TR to take into consideration. I'm excited to see if some of my ideas for improvement make the final cut. It was nothing big, just some things I thought would streamline the game play a bit.

I'm hoping that if they decide to tinker with the game before it's release in 09, that they call me back in for another go around of testing. I doubt it'll happen, but I'm there if it does!

I just noticed this control panel thing had a blog on it.

This past Wednesday at Friday I made the Halloween rounds with family and church friends. I got to debut my proton pack that I've been working on for a couple of months, along with the new uniform as well. As I'm sure many of you hear, I got a lot of "where'd you get that?" questions for my pack, and a lot of perplexed faces when I told people that I made it. It was a lot of work and patience, but those reactions made it all worth it.

Again, like many of you, I've wanted to be a Ghostbuster since I was a little kid. It was fun to strap on my almost accurate foamboard pack (minus sounds, lights, and a couple of pieces that came in too late to add) and walk around and get those reactions.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many teenagers knew exactly what I was supposed to be, even from a distance. Considering there hasn't been a movie put out since they were born, it bodes well for the future of GB as the next generation already has an interest and recognition, even before the game and other new things come out. I'm excited about the future of GB.