It may not have the voice talents of Bill Murray or Dan Akroyd, but Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime has something else great: four player cooperative play. Atari has decided not to follow up 2009's Ghostbusters: The Video Game, despite its success, and opted instead for a download only title. The top-down action game is slated for a 2011 release, so there's going to be a bit of a wait for those excited to cross streams with their friends.

Players take the role of "The Rookie", hired by the standard Ghostbuster crew for... who knows. Whether four player co-op will feature a group of all rookies or the usuals is yet to be seen. Check out the trailer and see if you can identify any of the crew:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVw9IgbzhE0

Certainly looks like Ghostbusters took a page from Alien Breed, where hordes of of monsters pour out out of the walls. Boss ghosts like The Chef and The Train certainly look like they'll change up the pace and challenge players in way we can only imagine. Surprisingly absent from the trailer was what happens when 'Busters cross streams. With four friends playing together, there's bound to be some stream crossing, and hopefully it will be shown in the next trailer.

The third Ghostbusters movie is still tentatively scheduled for 2010, so it's likely this game is meant to maintain any semblance of  hype left over from the 2009 game. Then, come 2012, it's likely there will be a larger-scale Ghostbusters game coinciding with the movie release. That game will be the true sequel to 2009's Ghostbusters: The Video Game.

Despite all of my sarcasm in this post, I do hold a warm place in my heart for any cooperative venture. My disdain only results from the fact that Ghostbusters has such strong characters that any project without them feels almost soulless. Ghostbusters is Bill Murray and Dan Akroyd; Ghostbusters is Slimer and Sigourney Weaver. Is four-player co-op enough to carry the project? We'll see.

Are you interested in Ghostbusters: Sanctum of Slime, Ranters? Are the Ghostbusters an important part of your childhood? What do you think of a game without the main cast of the movies?