anchovyd I decided to watch this movie since I totally dug King of Kong, but was ultimately let down by the way it was directed. The reason why King of Kong worked was because it was a documentary with a story. There was a hero, a villain and his minions, a showdown at the end the didn't take place but still some action happening.This movie is a straight documentary that just shows us some old footage and photos, takes a peek into the current lives of these high scorers and shows us a lot of the Twin Galaxies guy who looks a lot like Ezra Cobb from the old 1970's Deranged movie.My main problem is the direction of this documentary. It seems that the director thought that it'd entertaining just to exploit these video game nerds. He lets the camera linger while they laugh like nerds, shows us how most still live with their parents, one has hundreds of pet spiders and lizards, one has a mail order Mexican girlfriend. I think this all has been done before in Revenge of the Nerds but better. Here in Chasing Ghosts it isn't funny, it is disturbing and sad. It is really telling that there is not one normal guy here except for the old Berzerk / Ham Radio guy who is about 20 years older than all the other guys who were teens in the early 80's.They really build up the suspense when they first show Billy Mitchell, the villain from King of Kong. Showing shots of his jeans, belt and hair before showing his face. He looks like more of a loser here, not as menacing as he did in the other movie although he does brag about how his restaurant was the first to bring hot wings to Florida.Bottom line: the movie is watchable and a little interesting but more than likely you'll just come away depressed from watching how sad these people turned out. I'm sure the director thought that it'd be funny to show how nerdy these guys are and how most still live with their parents but in the end it is just sad and depressing.

changedname I agree with jfgibson73, at times it just seemed like all these guys clapping each other on the back and laughing. I thought The King of Kong had a bit more too it, and not just because of the sensationalising of parts of that movie. I had many suspicions over the accuracy of The King of Kong, it's normal for documentaries like that to exaggerate and I was aware at the time that there was probably no "maliciously taking apart his machine" etc.I expected this to be better than King of Kong, but it just didn't hold the same interest for me. I think Walter Day came off better in The King of Kong, here he seemed a bit almost regretful of the time he's spent in videogaming. I think they were leading Mr. Awesome to say things, then cutting him off before he had a proper chance to explain what he meant. The King of Kong glamourized the whole thing a lot more, like the guys maliciously breaking in seemed almost like something the FBI or KGB would do, you know, something that was extremely serious business. I think the whole "That's Amazing" world championship, for example, was lame and way too long. I mean it's segments like that that give videogaming a bad name. It also didn't help that some of them said they completely gave up videogames after their teens. There were some cool things about it, such as the guys showing their houses, collections, families, etc.Overall, it was a bit like playing a couple of games at once without getting a chance to get into any of them too well. It was plot less and there was no excitement or "outcome" at the end, it was alright.

ElijahCSkuggs I don't know what it is about these Video Game docs, but they entertain at really high levels. The King of Kong was a fantastic one driven by two amazing characters who excel at Donkey Kong. And with Chasing Ghosts it gives us a closer look into the lives of the past arcade champions.In Chasing Ghosts you get to understand the intricacies of attaining a perfect game in Pac-Man, "realizing" that Missile Command was the manliest arcade around, discovering that some high scores are folly when it comes down to playing a certain game fairly, and even that Arnold Schwarzeneggar attained all his money by being a drug-dealin whore....I kinda had hunch about that one though.Chasing Ghosts succeeds in many fashions, but the two that spoke to me most was seeing how good they actually were. There was one guy who was just flat out sick at Centipede. If you've played that game, you know how simple it seems to be, but when watching this dude play it's utterly jaw-dropping. And the other aspect that was truly memorable was hearing the background story to each of these gamers lives. Some had very tough roads, some didn't. Friendships were made, and some were lost. Celebrities on TV shows one day, nothing the next.With a combination of great footage of the classic era and the portrayal of a plethora of unique personalities, this is yet another fantastic documentary on video gaming. Definitely see it if you enjoyed The King of Kong or if you have any interest in gaming at all.

John Seal Did you know that Arnold Schwarzenegger made his fortune by selling drugs and working as a prostitute? That's perhaps the most surprising revelation of this extremely enjoyable documentary about the glory days of the video arcade. Focusing on half a dozen or so men who became temporary celebrities thanks to their prowess at such games as Frogger, Burgertime, Pac Man, and the most manly of them all, Missile Command, Chasing Ghosts features tons of archival footage and plenty of amusing interview segments. Most of these guys would happily be described as nerds, a few of them are totally over the edge, but their passion is undeniable, and who am I to criticize? After all, I spend all MY spare time watching movies--and there's even less reward for that than racking up a record score on Ms. Pac Man.