Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime Script

Mrmichaelt from the Ghostbusters Wiki has not only transcribed all of the cinematic and level dialog from Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime, but he also got in touch with the game's writer, Tom Waltz, and snagged a copy of Mr. Waltz's original script for the game. Being the kool kat that he is, Michael gave me the script so that I could share it with all of you through my site.

This script, which is equivalent to a movie script, contains the dialog and action from all of the comic book cinematics in the game. Overall the script is identical to the final game, but since this script contains the scenes as he originally wrote them, there will be differences. The major differences - and there are a few of them, including one level that was completely written out of the game - will be covered in a little detail further down this page. I don't want to spoil it for you just yet. Speaking of spoiling, don't even bother looking at this script until you've played the game, as it WILL spoil the story for you. So without further ado, I present to you...


Although the script was provided to the fans by Tom Waltz, the copyright on it is owned by Columbia Pictures, Sony, and probably Atari. No infringement of rights is intended or implied, and if those parties disapprove of the script being made available for the fans online, it will be taken down upon request - but I don't see any reason why it should ever have to come to that.

If you want some sort of official description of the new characters (besides the one Atari provided), here's what the script says.

The rookie team is made up of four 20-something men and women:
• Alan Crendall - a white male, typical blue-collar kinda guy, he's the Winston of this bunch - practical, hardworking, etc.
• Samuel Hazer - another white male, and the Ray Stantz of this bunch - excitable, optimistic, intelligent.
• Bridget Gibbons - an American-Asian female who is the Peter Venkman of this group - cocky, sarcastic, etc.
• Gabriel Sitter - a black male and the Egon of this bunch - an absolute genius with a dry personality.

The driver of the Ecto-4WD is:
• Geoff - a typical, crusty, New York cabby - short, fat, unlit and well-chewed cigar hanging from his mouth.

Assuming the PC version is the same as the PS3 and Xbox versions (minus the lack of online play, of course), here are the major differences found in the script.

• In the game we are never told that the Parkview Mental Hospital is being built on what was Dumazu's tomb. We see one panel of construction workers finding a shard, but it's never made clear where they were digging or why. (page 2)


• In the game it is never made clear that Janosz got a job as a museum employee so he could steal the shard. (page 5)


• After the Subway Smasher fight, the team was originally going to meet Janosz at the museum, not at headquarters. The rookies don't go into the cemetery en route to headquarters, as in the final game, but rather make a pitstop there while en route to the museum. Also, the cemetery originally had a name (the Saint Joseph Cemetery). (pages 20-21)


• After fighting through the cemetery, the gang arrives at the museum. That's where the conversation with Janosz takes place, instead of at headquarters. Also, we learn that Janosz kidnapped his nephew Alan when he was younger. (page 21-22)


• The end of the conversation with Janosz at the museum is not only different - no talk about the shards being drawn to each other, and pre-emptive striking against global annihilation, or going back to the Sedgewick - but it leads into A BATTLE AT THE MUSEUM!!! This museum level was eliminated from the game and the return to the Sedgewick was moved up. (pages 23-24)


• The cinematic that plays after the return to the Sedgewick level in the game was originally used after the museum level. Bridget's "boring" comment makes much more sense when talking about a museum than it does a hotel. The comments about family squabbles and domestic disputes makes much MUCH more sense when it comes right after talking with Janosz, rather than a level later. (pages 24)


• Originally, after the museum level, the rookies came back to headquarters. They chatted with the senior team about Dumazu, learned his story and the relevance of the shards, and decided to then go back to the Sedgewick. The original ending for this scene - the rookies leaving headquarters with the senior team standing at the desk behind them, then the rookies entering the Sedgewick with Gabriel holding the PKE meter out in front - was actually drawn and appears at the bottom of data/art/cinematics/gb_cin_page08.dds (inside data_common.pak).
  
  With the removal of the museum level, the Janosz and headquarters cinematics were joined together and reworked a bit. The dialog from when they left the museum was inserted into the scene after they leave the Sedgewick (noted above). After their return trip to the Sedgewick, they go into the sewers of their own accord in an effort to prevent ghosts from following them due to their attraction to the shards that they're carrying. They didn't crash in there in the Ecto-4WD, as the game tells us. (pages 25-29)


• After coming out of the sewer for the second time, the team makes a return visit to the museum. Another fight/level follows. (pages 30-31)


• After the second museum level, the team then goes to the cemetery for the second level there. (page 31)


• After leaving the cemetery the second time, Bridget hails a taxi, and instead of cutting right to the firehouse, Geoff pulls up in the Ecto-4WD. (page 33)


• An odd description of Geoff, perhaps hinting that he's not one of the living: "The only one capable of speech is Geoff, the Zombie Driver." (page 35)


• After the reveal of Dr. Tesmon as Ismael, in the middle of his speech, there's some dialog from the rookies that tells us why he chose the Tesmon name, and that the ghosts we've been fighting were actually the good guys! (pages 36-37)