Battles do, however, ring in some nice sound effects whether it’s the screeching of demons or Ghost Rider screaming at suffering enemies in the midst of a penance stare. The decent voice work for the title also stands out and adds some pizzazz to battles and the game’s otherwise average storytelling.
If Ghost Rider’s music stood out as much as the sound effects, however, it would have served as the game’s saving grace in presentation. Entering into battle brings in a looping guitar riff that grates the nerves after a while and most of the other tunes are easily forgettable.
Fighting with Ghost Rider’s chains should feel quite comfortable to fans of God of War as long as the sometimes awkward camera doesn’t interfere (the right stick makes Ghost Rider roll a la God of War instead of controlling the camera) – in fact, a lot of Ghost Rider’s moves seem to be directly copied from the aforementioned title. Mixing up a combination of weak and strong attacks allow Rider to execute standard combos, launch enemies for an air beating or grab dazed enemies for a PG-13 execution. While hardly original, the format works well in Ghost Rider and flows pretty well until the constant button mashing leads to mass repetition.
The problem with playing the title, though, is it reeks of borrowed material and its one defining difference, the driving segments, are poorly designed and do not control as well as the other sections of the game. Constant panning replays of jumps break up what should be fast, furious action and taking down enemies is more of a mindless shooting gallery than brutal high-speed combat. The only thing that dictates player involvement in these segments is the constant jumps and occasional turns.
The combo ranking system, similar to Devil May Cry’s, offers players a chance to boost rewards from defeated enemies but also play a role in breaking shields found around some enemies. These shields require a specific level on the ranking meter in order for Ghost Rider to be able to smash them and make the enemy vulnerable. Unfortunately, this usually leads to much frustration as groups of enemies can find their way through a player’s offense and land a blow that makes the ranking meter reset.
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