Stern

Ghostbusters (Pro)

Pinside Rating

This game received 514 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.241 _/10

8.241

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 2nd in the game group "Ghostbusters". The group itself ranks #40 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.674

Artwork: 8.91

Sounds/Music: 8.263

Other Aspects: 8.184

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

8.041

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This title is part of group: "Ghostbusters"

Ghostbusters
(Pro)

Ghostbusters
(Premium)

Ghostbusters
(LE)

Found 273 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 273 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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9.432/10

3 years ago

AWP

rapidflipper

Pinside member

Mooresville, NC

3y 41,300 153 2 23

Just added to the collection and enjoying the game immensely. Theme integration is very good, and the game is simply beautiful. Makes my Stern Jurassic Park look empty by comparison. While the flipper gap increases center drains, it makes this game challenging. Game rules are complex, but understandable. Love it - this game will stick around for a while.

rapidflipper has owned this game in the past.

8.040/10

3 years ago

NPS

SpencKS

Inactive member

3y 31,650 5 7 7

One of my favorite games. Deep rule set that takes a while to fully understand.

SpencKS currently owns this game.

9.023/10

3 years ago

DAD

Reefkeep

Inactive member

Milton, GA

4y 37,300 91 9 13

Love the theme, yes the flippers are too far apart, so what. Paid more than retail for a used pin and it was worth it.

Reefkeep currently owns this game.

5.912/10

3 years ago

PAT

Figgins

Pinside member

Ottawa, ON

6y 29,650 7 21 42

Dream theme for me. I just do not find it really fun to play. I don't know why, I prefer looking at it to playing it. Not bad but not great in my humble opinion.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.520/10

3 years ago

???

PinLoAf

Pinside+ Addict

Dallas, GA

4y 43,900 19 15 13

GB Pro is a pin that the theme just really does it for me. I’ve been a GB fan since I was a kid. This is a pretty fun pin to play. Can be tough with the ball drains and the wider flipper gap. I have the plastic ball diverter peg on mine which makes it way better in my opinion.

PinLoAf edited previous rating on September 09, 2021.
PinLoAf has owned this game in the past.

9.144/10

3 years ago

MBC

radfordian3505

Pinside+ Frequent

Radford, VA

6y 89,550 763 9 52 1

Best art package in a stern but sadly it's the hardest game I have ever played. I have owned it once and may own it again and give it another chance as the theme alone is one my favorites of all time.

radfordian3505 edited previous rating on December 05, 2021.
radfordian3505 has owned this game in the past.

6.792/10

3 years ago

PPP

proco

Pinside member

6y 53,550 55 32

Games played: ~20, >200 on Pinball Arcade

Layout/Toys:
Interesting in concept but the execution is abysmal.
It's a widebody, and here a lot of the shots are off to the side instead of in or close to the center.
I have no idea why they allowed the designer to put Borg outlanes on both sides of this game IN ADDITION to a giant flipper gap.
The angles in this layout are so bad that it needs a ball saver to compensate for both of the scoop kickouts!
Toys/Gimmicks are a big miss as well. Slimer is allright i guess.
Scoleri targets are stupid when there is such a wide flipper gap.
I'm not sure why exactly we need 3 captive balls stacked on top of each other that are held in this mech when hit.

Rules:
Very good ruleset with very distinct modes, good goals and wizard modes.
The mode ladders are linear but it fits well with momorizing the shots and not worrying about what exactly is lit.
There are a lot of values for hurry ups, jackpots and other things to build up over time and collect.

Display/Lighting/Integration:
Exceptional lightshow and display work.
Nothing more to say here. It just makes sense that this is the last game before they switched to LCDs as they were creating more and more interesting animation.

Gameplay:
Enormous outlanes and giant flipper gap just don't go well together and so the game is more frustrating than fun.

Art:
Really good artwork. Just very enjoyable to look at.
Cabinet art is just ok tho, since there is not much going on compared to the playfield.
The city skyline sculpt along with the left building and the plasic in the back is awesome.

Sound:
One of the best music and callout packages.
Just the catchy music with the diffrerent callouts at the start of the game is impressive.
Sounds are pretty good as well, except for the timer beeping noises. Those get annoying quickly.

Theme:
Movie theme, so whatever. Catching ghosts is something that I can understand without having to care for the movies.
Otherwise the game is still enjoyable with the music and scenes that make sense somehow.

Lastability/Fun:
If it weren't for all those layout problems, the game might actually have a decent layout with some interesting shots.
It's a shame because art, rules, display, sound and lighting are all incredibly well done.

proco edited previous rating on May 08, 2021.

9.440/10

3 years ago

JMB

Barroso1845

Pinside+ Addict

4y 35,900 3 6

It's hard to drive by my local watering hole where this machine currently lives and not stop to get in a few games. Although it can be tough with drains, there is not much more satisfying then hitting multiple loops on the left ramp. Love the call outs and the accuracy with incorporating the scenes from the movies. I have yet to play the premium model, but for a Pro this game does not disappoint. Hope to make a part of my collection soon.

8.928/10

3 years ago

???

curban

Pinside+ Frequent

Seven Valleys, PA

5y 83,800 1,073 38 16

It’s the first pin I owned, and it’s still a favorite in my collection.

Pros: theme, art, sound, music, rules (Modes), multiballs.
Cons: Cheap drains. Overall difficulty. Hate the Scoleri Brothers targets!!

curban currently owns this game.

6.300/10

3 years ago

EBC

EDUB919

Pinheadz

Eugene, OR

5y 48,400 194 14 13

I’ve owned this title 2 years..before and after the final code update. The code update obviously doesn’t change the geometry of the game itself which is what makes this title less fun to play than most.

Cheap drains coming out of the pop bumpers from both the middle and the right side through the gate. Scoleri targets cause the ball to fly back over the flippers or hit the glass. Slimer Bash toy is kinda fun, well timed shots can get a slimer hit and make the left ramp. Right orbit cheats you out of shots since the ball often rides high on the ball guide missing the rollover switch positioned in the worst place.

Loopin Supers is repetitive and makes you play it to progress.

If you like brutally cheap drains and marginally entertaining modes this game is for you. I on the other hand will be selling mine for a Hot Wheels.

8.028/10

3 years ago

???

Mattmz1

Inactive member

Unknown

3y 10,000 27

This game plays smooth with great art and sound effects. I like that it gives fair ball saves to make up for how wide the space between the flippers is. But I find the rules and shots really confusing and that lowers the fun factor. Once I got a really high score and I didn't even know how I did it. I also am kind of meh on the movie itself so I think that lowers the excitement for me.

9.720/10

3 years ago

JAR

JRay23

Pinside member

Shawnee, KS

5y 32,800 98 2 7

I love this game. The flipper gap people complain about is not that bad, it just makes you better. I am biased because of my love of all things ghostbusters, but the music, call outs, toys, light show, they are all perfect. Flipping over to god mode is like a bonus game. This game is perfect

JRay23 currently owns this game.

9.256/10

3 years ago

TTM

dimthedaylights

Pinside member

Depew, NY

4y 40,550 195 8 9

New code really takes this game to the next level. The shots and Modes are super fun and gives you that “one more game” feeling. The pro is more fun to me personally than the premium. Definitely get a ColorDMD and the many mods available to tweak it a bit.

dimthedaylights currently owns this game.

7.616/10

3 years ago

TOM

Thomas3184

Pinside member

Folsom, CA

3y 47,550 472 5 27

Not my favorite zombie yeti artwork. Video mode is so unbalanced.

7.675/10

3 years ago

MOT

Ceckitti

Pinside+ Frequent

Columbus, OH

4y 101K 1,085 13 70

Game is super eye catching and fun to look at. Game play seemed kinda repetitive to me. Not saying it’s bad, was just hoping for more. I’m sure the more I play it the more I’ll see from the code.
I’m not giving up on it yet.

9.580/10

3 years ago

VAD

Dexavator

Inactive member

Jundiaí

4y 28,550 5 4 9

For me this is the best theme. The machine has its quirks but the new code made it much better. Most beautiful Stern Machine to date. You can get a bit angry with the larger flipper gap, Is you do, instal the center post mod if not, leave it, since the new code added ball saves for various shots.

Dexavator currently owns this game.

9.256/10

3 years ago

MAT

mpdpvdpin

Pinside member

Providence, RI

6y 95,050 4,427 7 96 1

I’ve loved this game since it came out but this new code really takes it over the top. This is a top 10 game for me it’s fun, challenging, deep and has last ability in a small collection or otherwise. The graphic design work by Zombi Yeti is sick too! It’s just great pinball.

mpdpvdpin has owned this game in the past.

9.340/10

3 years ago

SRS

scheiny

Pinside+ Frequent

8y 45,650 69 9

A keeper!!! Owned this twice, will own it again!

7.448/10

4 years ago

WXW

Lawlor_and_Order

Pinball 518

7y 81,400 38 112

The last of the DMDs, in its way, Ghostbusters also was the 'last' of the unfinished machines, waiting nearly four years for "complete" code, and in true Stern fashion, was built on a then-35-year-old theme. If it was the last of the breed, it isn't quite the greatest, but the machine's eccentricities and bombouts early on have proven to be glitches more than fundamental flaws.

Let's start out with what works on this. There's a ton of cross shots on this machine, including a stop and start ramp with a diverter, pop up toys, a swing down toy (Slimer the ghost) and a variety of movie-callout toys from the public library to a ghost storage container. I *like* the flipper gap, it's unusual to have much variation on this these days. It seems odd not to have an upper flipper on this layout, given the number of shots available especially on the left side. The Are You a God wizard mode, now accessible by operator setting directly with the new code at startup if so configured, it an extremely satisfying tiered wizard mode. There's a good variety of multiballs and things to build throughout the game.

The animations are modern direct capture video with some admirable original work by the Stern team, although they're still somewhat lackluster in the end on the DMD. The resolution doesn't quite do them justice and there's a, shall we say, lack of flow in the way they're put together. The lack of Sigourney Weaver is a real downside. But they did manage to capture the manic comic flow. It still feels like something from the original film is missing.

Parts of the design are classic Stern flubs, though; the lack of visibility in the bumper areas, clunky return shots from the library and captive balls, erratic outlanes and slingshots.

I've occasionally praised some machines as being better than the sum of their parts, and Ghostbusters is the opposite: I really like individual parts of this machine in isolation, but somehow they never seem to come together.

Parenthetically, I think Stern missed an opportunity here: since this machine came out along the time of the all-woman reboot, they could have included alternate startup code to allow the modern characters to show up in the animations (and maybe an alternate translite) with an operator setting or a user sequence at the start. That would have made it more unique instead of just a throwback.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

9.480/10

4 years ago

TKM

Daditude

Pinside Moderator

Rockwall, TX

5y 266K 10,116 23 271

Awesome theme! Jam packed playfield!
The flippers can be maddening at times, but overall the game is great.

9.600/10

4 years ago

FUQ

Blackdawg

Inactive member

Naples, FL

4y 15,650 4 10

One of the best still! New code was an awesome fix. This is one pretty pin as the artwork is phenomenal!

9.520/10

4 years ago

JOE

jsharpe005

Pinside member

Peoria, IL

4y 29,400 16 6 13

Plays fast. Theme was very well done.

10.000/10

4 years ago

DAD

Mikespin

Pinside member

Vancouver, BC

5y 16,750 2 5 9

Great game!

Mikespin has owned this game in the past.

8.404/10

4 years ago

JEF

Jeff2

Pinside apprentice

4y 10,250 1 7

Great pro package but Premium is much better with ecto goggles, magna slings, moving slimer, extra ramp. Recommended to save for the Premium.

9.705/10

4 years ago

SLP

pinballsteph

Inactive member

Ottawa, ON

11y 22,650 77 7 10

Love the theme, and with latest code, gameplay is excellent. not a fast flowing game, but you know what you have to shoot at all times, which makes it fun for everyone.

pinballsteph currently owns this game.

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There are 273 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 3 of 11.

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