The Thanksgiving Day Parade Lost Level is the missing level that was cut from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions).
Known Events[]
In the Natural History Museum, Egon Spengler stated it was vital to stop the Black Slime flow. Rookie activated the slime door and they walked down the flight of stairs into the basement. Eventually, Egon realized they were in a tunnel network that was part of the Mandala system where accelerated P.K.E. consistently blew through. They tried to follow where the slime collected but they lost the trail and had to rely on their P.K.E. Meters. Rookie destroyed a wall so they could continue. They discovered the slime ended in a large pool in a cylindrical well. The slime formed into a pillar and rose up towards the surface. The Ghostbusters found another set of stairs that led to a hatch. They found themselves in the middle of the Thanksgiving Day Parade. The Black Slime stopped under a parade float for Blinkers, The Science Pup. Egon detected the same volume of P.K.E. spikes as in the museum. The slime commandeered the float and transmogrified it. Blinkers roared and left destruction in its wake. Ghosts took the place of the four human handlers of the float. Blinkers left Black Slime behind that summoned more ghosts. Parade Queen Possessors took over a float and followed Blinkers. Ray identified one of the Possessors as Broccoli Queen from 1964. Rookie trapped Lady Kielbasa from 1943. The guys got on a float and fought waves of ghosts while Ray drove.[1] They took on several Marching Band Ghosts then crashed into a float. The Ghostbusters jumped from float to float and took on the Loyal Order of Pelicans Ghosts, more band ghosts, and then more Pelicans and Possessors.
There was a six-float pile up. Unable to keep following Blinkers because of the pile up, Ray got an idea to take a shortcut. The Ghostbusters went into Ray's Occult Books.[2] They noticed how cluttered it became but Ray claimed he had no time for housekeeping. Egon advised Rookie not to shoot indoors because Ray was sensitive about the inventory. Egon then inquired about an item Ray was working on a few weeks ago.[3] Ray recalled the accuracy was about 25 percent improved but suggested unveiling it on the roof. Around the third floor, they are attacked by biped entities. On the roof, Ray and Egon introduced the Meson Collider prototype. Clown Ghosts confronted the Ghostbusters. Ray speculated they were ghosts of performers from Buryshkin's Moscow Circus who performed at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the 1930s but many perished doing deadly stunts. The Ghostbusters made their way to a neighboring building and headed down the fire escape into an alley. They sighted the Mayor in the grandstands but Blinkers cornered him and Walter Peck. Mayor hid behind Peck. Blinkers hurled Black Slime all over Peck. Peter Venkman and Peck exchanged barbs then the Ghostbusters apprised the Mayor of what was going on. He was told to prepare for the rest. The Mayor was not pleased and ordered the Ghostbusters to deal with the problem.
The Ghostbusters blasted the ghost handlers away and to buy more time, used Slime Tether on them. The Ghostbusters shot at Blinkers to flip it over and expose the valve on its back. Rookie used the Capture Stream on the valve to open it then everyone blasted into it. The ghost handlers returned to their stations. The process was repeated until Blinkers was defeated and The Chairman was revealed. They trapped him. Peck flipped out and vowed to shut down the containment grid and revoke their license even at the cost of his position. Egon noticed he was getting a maximum reading off Peck.
Trivia[]
- Despite being cut from the final version, the Parade is still mentioned twice.
- During Museum of (Super)Natural History Level (realistic version), Mayor Mulligan is infuriated the Ghostbusters ruined "his library, museum, and parade."
- During the cinematic between Lost Island Rising Level (realistic version) and Central Park Cemetery Level (realistic version), the Ghostbusters and Janine Melnitz watch a NY News 6 report, which includes footage of a disturbance at the Parade; Blinkers The Science Pup.[4]
- The "Museum of (Super)Natural History Level" includes some gameplay and dialogue that would have been included in this level.
- The Ghostbusters heading into the Mandala tunnel.
- The introduction of the Meson Collider.
- The Ghostbusters vividly describing to the Mayor what will happen if they failed to shut down the Mandala and stop Shandor.
- Peck going on a rant and threatening to shut down the Ghostbusters but Egon gets some strange readings off of him and wants him watched.
- At some point in development, Jesse Sosa pushed for Dopey Dog as the level boss but it ended up as a new character named Blinkers.[5]
- Blinker's was Ray's favorite cartoon when he was growing up. This a loose nod to The Real Ghostbusters and that Ray's love for Dopey Dog.[6]
- Blinkers was set to be retired after the parade because he wasn't connecting with kids anymore.[7]
- Ray reveals he owns all Blinkers episodes on Betamax tape.[8]
- Ray and Peter allude to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and the events of Ghostbusters when the former laments about another childhood icon of his being ruined.[9][10]
- The Broccoli Queen is one of the Parade Queen Possessor ghosts in the level.[11] She is the subject of the Cursed Artifacts, the Broccoli Queen Autobiography and has a "cameo" on the Pin-Up Calendar of Doom! for the month of January.
- The Parade Queen Possessors were repurposed into the female Possessor Ghosts that appear in the Museum of (Super)Natural History level, when Ilyssa Selwyn gets possessed.[12]
- The Clown Ghosts and Order of the Pelicans Ghosts were originally to manifest in this level but were repurposed for the Multiplayer Jobs.
- Some of the other parade floats were of Santa Claus and Pappy Sargassi. Another float was the trademark penguin left by Jesse Sosa, senior character artist, in every video game he works on as an easter egg. In the final version of the game, the said penguin was relocated to the Firehouse, where it is under Ray's bed.[13]
- Concept art for the Ray's Occult Books section of the level was made public.[14]
- Detouring into Ray's Occult is similar to gameplay in the Panic in Times Square Level (realistic version).
- Ray kept the "Fettuccine" painting from the end of Ghostbusters II at Ray's Occult.[15]
- Cutscenes for the level can be found in the game's program files of the game.
- In loose approximations, the level was 90% done in terms of content but only 20% done in terms of gameplay.[16]
Quotes[]
These quotes and soundbytes were pulled from the game's data files. Based upon the file names on the game disc, these would appear to have come from the deleted parade level. Ray's "That's your cue, Rookie!" line was originally heard in the E3 2009 Next Gen trailer released on June 1, 2009. A similar line is said by Ray in the library level in the final game. In that instance, he calls him "Killer".
| Ray: That's your cue, Rookie! |
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References[]
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 9/18/12 skankerzero says: "I don't remember much from this level other than you were in the sewers then came up into the middle of the parade. Then you got on a float and fought ghosts. Then fought Blinkers at the end."
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 9/18/12 skankerzero says: "You can also see Ray's bookstore which you were able to go into."
- ↑ Cross The Streams Episode 38 (ts. 39:38-42:58)
- ↑ Screen grab of Parade Lost Level scene
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 9/18/12 skankerzero says: "Protip: Blinkers was supposed to be Ray's favorite from his childhood. I was personally pushing for it to be Dopey Dog from TRGB."
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 2/22/10 skankerzero says: "One of the balloons was Blinkers: The Science Pup; Ray's favorite cartoon dog growing up. It was a loose nod to RGB. You were supposed to fight him as the level boss."
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 150). Ray Stantz says: "This is his last year in the parade. They're retiring him. Kids just don't connect with him anymore."
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 150). Ray Stantz says: "I still have all his shows on Beta."
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 151). Ray Stantz says: "How many more beloved icons from my youth does the paranormal have to ruin for me?"
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 151). Peter Venkman says: "Now Ray, the last icon that tried to destroy New York was technically your fault."
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 151). Ray Stantz says: "It's the Broccoli Queen, 1964! Ooh, she was something. Had a tragic death as I recall. Fell asleep in a sauna and died in '67."
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 2/22/10 skankerzero says: "There were also marching band ghosts that my old high school band recorded sounds for. The female possessors from the parade were put into the museum when Ilyssa gets possessed."
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 2/22/10 skankerzero says: "Not sure if the...We had a ton of parade balloons and floats too. Even one with Pap Sargassi and an awesome Santa float. One of the balloons was my penguin that I try and put in every game I work on. That one ended up under a bed (Ray's) in the firehouse."
- ↑ Spook Central "Ray's Occult Concept Art"
- ↑ Dille, Flint & Platten, John Z. (2009). Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Draft Revision February 11, 2008) (Script p. 156). Line reads: "It is a cluttered dark space and on the wall furthest from the doorway, the Fettuccine painting from the second movie is in full view."
- ↑ skankerzero post Ghostbusters Fans 12/26/15 skankerzero says: "I'd say about 90 percent of content, but about 20 percent gameplay."
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Behind the Scenes[]
