(Topic ID: 227402)

Ghostbusters! Diamond or Dud?

By Squeakman

5 years ago


Topic Heartbeat

Topic Stats

  • 79 posts
  • 58 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 5 years ago by rai
  • Topic is favorited by 2 Pinsiders

You

Linked Games

Topic Gallery

View topic image gallery

CB60CE6F-5B01-4A39-834F-BD91C6ABDD34.gif

There are 79 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.
#51 5 years ago

Maybe not a dud, but I thought it was meh. I am a huge fan of the GB theme. I love and own some notoriously difficult games like BSD, FG and TWD. I picked up a GB Premium and got tired with it pretty quickly. It looks really nice and it's one of the most innovative Stern games to ever come out, but it just wasn't that fun for me, even after a multitude of tweaks and fixes. The geometry seems off, the rules are unbalanced and I disliked scoleri targets and the magna-slings. You could be having the game of your life and the magna-sling could decide it's over by backhanding the ball out the outlane on the same side.

Also, as a GB fan, I didn't think it had the right tone... the artwork is great, but too cartoony and colorful for the theme. There were some annoying sound effect choices and very few sounds from the movies. Very few quotes from the movie too. It felt more like an anime version of Ghostbusters, but that's just a personal taste thing.

#52 5 years ago

Pro is a diamond in the rough; just enough potential to keep you coming back, but cuts your hand every time you touch it.

Premium is an absolute dud. Ski jump left ramp ruins the one great, smooth shot on the pro. Slimer blocks more shots, because the f-you brothers weren’t enough. Right ramp goes from bad to terrible. Magna slings are a fun gimmick on paper, but add more garbage drains to a game already overflowing with them. Ecto goggles force more right orbit shots to make sure you brought the dog. Avoid.

#53 5 years ago
Quoted from yancy:

Pro is a diamond in the rough; just enough potential to keep you coming back, but cuts your hand every time you touch it.
Premium is an absolute dud. Ski jump left ramp ruins the one great, smooth shot on the pro. Slimer blocks more shots, because the f-you brothers weren’t enough, right ramp goes from bad to terrible, magna slings are a fun gimmick on paper but add more garbage drains to a game already overflowing with them. Ecto goggles force more right orbit shots to make sure you brought the dog. Avoid.

I couldn't disagree more, on almost every point. The Premium is a total gem. The left ramp is steep, but why is that a problem? Get the shot down and you can loop it all day...my max is 12 loopin supers. I've seen videos with over 20. That sounds smooth to me.

The moving slimer adds to the game. If it's blocking another shot, get him out of the way by hitting him. As for the Scoleri brothers, I don't get this hate...and it comes from a lot of people. It's a ridiculously easier version of the MM trolls. It takes one hit each and you cash in for a super jackpot. That's a hell of a lot easier than the trolls. The difference being you can just time out the trolls. So just turn off the brothers if you don't want to interact with the whole game.

The magna slings do suck...no wait they're great...no wait they suck...no they're great. That's my feeling on them. I love the chaos they create, and watching the ball fly around the playfield is very cool. Having it suddenly stop between the flippers and fall straight down sucks, especially when you have a good game going. But then you can always press start again.

There's no reason to bring the dog at the start of every game. There are two other ladders...which are shorter and easier to finish. They're just harder to start. Too many people feel the need to do that stupid plunge exploit...and guess what, you bring the dog. Overall this game is great, and the new code and ColorDMD will only make it better.

#54 5 years ago

Plenty of threads about this. Bottom line is to make sure you play a bunch of games on it before thinking about buying one. I think gameplay appeals to certain people but not sure who because those certain people are not me.

#55 5 years ago

I saw ghostbusters at the theater when it was released. So lucky.

So the theme is great for me.

The only true detail I don't like is the flipper gap. But whatever. What's done is done there.

I like it in the lineup at league too.

#56 5 years ago

The main thing with GB is it's different, especially the Prem.

Specifically, the magna slings react differently to standard slings and interact with the ball differently. Sometimes they basically throw it down the centre or outlanes, but just as often they treat the ball more 'sympathetically' than a standard slingshot - however the haters only ever remember the drains.

I can't think of another machine which has double inlanes on BOTH sides separated by the wireform with no rubber, this does make it much more likely that you have little control through nudging to influence the ball. Again different than the majority of machines.

The flipper gap is not as much of a problem as people make out, I'd bet there's a similar percentage of ball drains down the outlanes as the majority of other modern machines. Putting a centre post in just seems like desperation to me, but each to their own.

It's as linear as you want to make it, although it requires more thought as to which mode you start next, as it's dependant on the shot you used to finish the last mode.

I just can't defend the right PKE ramp. the angle of entry and steepness is all wrong.

I don't find the shots any narrower than any other game - I don't have any more trouble hitting them than any other.

Scolari brothers can be annoying, but's it's in your power to a) trigger them and b) dispatch them - I don't see the problem.

Lots of people complain about bugs in the code, I think the main problem isn't bugs - but the unbalanced scoring - especially the skill shot for 10% of your score. Put up a great 1st ball and it's a massive game changer. The short plunge exploit / playfield validation doesn't help either, but that's hardly unique to GB - I'm looking at you GoT. I see no reason why that can't be amended in the code. As soon as the shooter lane switch is triggered, then untriggered, the playfield is valid, Iron Maiden does exactly that.
If you're worried about a flaky shooter lane switch robbing people on site - have it so that it's a setting, which is automatically on in Tournament mode.

It's a game which generally produces short ball times, so what? Not every game needs to last for 30minutes plus. The fact that there is a lot to do to get to Wizard Mode, coupled with the short ball times means a lot of people won't get there and resort to 5 ball games, or centre posts being fitted. Not every game should necessarily be designed that everyone gets to wizard mode every few games. (IMHO I think the new code for Aerosmith sucks as it makes the game FAR too easy, but that's getting off topic)

Basically, It's not the best game out there, nor is it the worst. Plenty to do, great soundtrack, great dots (which should look even better in colour), could do with a bit of polish in the code.

#57 5 years ago
Quoted from WJxxxx:

I just can't defend the right PKE ramp. the angle of entry and steepness is all wrong.
I don't find the shots any narrower than any other game -

Right ramp just isn't great, but as for the other shots I never found them any harder to hit than any other game either.

#58 5 years ago
Quoted from TheLaw:

Right ramp just isn't great, but as for the other shots I never found them any harder to hit than any other game either.

The right ramp isnt even that bad, it just takes a precision shot to hit it. Its difficult on purpose, it was designed that way.

#59 5 years ago

It's a little of both at the same time honestly. It has things about it that are super fun and really cool and unique. Probably sterns best toy offering since Metallica. The magna slings are great. The layout is flawed though and the code is crazy linear for me. 3 shots are easy and you hit them all the time, everything else is very unpredictable to hit and just not designed all that well. You can buy kits to fix the air balls and outlane problems but that still doesn't fix the wonky layout. The code also does not take advantage of the unique captive ball and is overall just very unrewarding.

So great toys, great looking game, good theme integration, good sounds, weird oddly designed layout, decent modes but you end up playing the same ones a billion times, and code that just doesn't use the toys that well.

So it's a dud and a diamond all in one for me.

#60 5 years ago
Quoted from Who-Dey:

The right ramp isnt even that bad, it just takes a precision shot to hit it. Its difficult on purpose, it was designed that way.

I would disagree, it requires tweaking just to shoot that ramp and complete it and the game has a combo mode just for that ramp which is crazy inconsistent to hit. Some space should have been taken from the crazy wide right orbit to add a few mm to that ramp. Just lots of design flaws overall in the layout. The toys, sounds, art, etc make up for that for a lot of people though.

#61 5 years ago
Quoted from jgentry:

I would disagree, it requires tweaking just to shoot that ramp an complete it and the game has a combo mode just for that ramp which is crazy inconsistent to hit. Some space should have been taken from the crazy wide right orbit to add a few mm to that ramp. Just lots of design flaws overall in the layout. The toys, sounds, art, etc make up for that for a lot of people though.

I dont have a problem making the right ramp shot at all honestly and my ramp hasnt been modified with the shorter hex screw either. I mean yeah its not an easy shot but its not that bad in my opinion. I actually like the fact that it’s somewhat difficult.

#62 5 years ago

I think its fun to play and love the Premium and hope to pick one up some day.
Just hesitant as I think it would be too hard for family to enjoy and would see
constant frustration with those drains. I'm sure the final polish will be well
received though when that do arrives. Love that new ColorDMD!

#63 5 years ago

Diamond.

#64 5 years ago

If you want it, I don’t see a problem.

I haven’t played a lot of GB but it seemed ok. Like the quirky layout and the magna slings.

As for the modes being linear, that’s one way to look at it. But that’s the way things happen in the movie. Say in ST you are free to play anything in any order. That’s cool but it jumps around a lot if you are saving the Enteprise one minute then you are fighting Kahn and then you are in space jump. It’s just random bits of the movies played out of sequence.

However I don’t think it would kill Stern to create an option. In XM you could stack heroes or not, this made it good for me. Some liked to stack some didn’t there was good reason for both camps but guess what there was an option and you could decide what you liked better.

My recommendation is Woz, DI, TWD, AFM remake instead of GB but I’m not a big GB fan so it’s not really a big deal to me. If you love the GB theme maybe it’s more a game for you.

#65 5 years ago
Quoted from Who-Dey:

I dont have a problem making the right ramp shot at all honestly and my ramp hasnt been modified with the shorter hex screw either. I mean yeah its not an easy shot but its not that bad in my opinion. I actually like the fact that it’s somewhat difficult.

We talked about this before in other forums I believe and I agree with you that the right ramp is easy to hit. It was just that it had to be hit dead on to make it up that ramp. I changed to a shorter hex screw and it completely changed the game. The other day I was in PKE mode and made that shot 3 times in a row. For those owners who have a premium, give the shorter hex screw a thought. You will love it.

#66 5 years ago

I had a Premium for about a year and a half, for the most part enjoyed it. I thought the magna-slings were great, loved the left ramp shot, lowered the PKE shot a bit and it was nice and smooth. Flipper gap has been discussed, some days it didn't bother me, other it felt like the grand canyon.

Mainly I got frustrated with the code, especially the overwhelming importance of skill shots. Missing that shot started to feel like punishment, not fun. That being said there is a lot to like about the code, the individual modes are great and fun to play. I just felt there needed to be a significant polish pass to tweak things and bring it all together. Probably held on to the pin 6 months longer than I would've waiting for a code update to see if there were going to be significant changes but got tired of waiting.

Will be interesting to see what the code update covers when it finally hits. If just a couple of minor tweaks and an update to the Spike OS then it will always be a "just ok" pin for me.

#67 5 years ago

I love the game/theme, does it have some issues out of the box ? Yep, most can be addressed in a few simple steps. Out of my 5 games it gets the most play hands down. It’s an absolutely gorgeous game, the game play is tough at 1st till you get the hang of the playfield. I was hesitant to buy mine but I have Zero regrets, I’m hoping Stern puts out a killer code to polish up a few Issues and add some new things to the play. All in all it’s a keeper for my family !

#68 5 years ago

The game has harder shots than most other recent games. The good news is that the harder shots are those that aren't used all the time. I would say the right ramp and the left orbit are the two hardest shots, and I find the left orbit to be pretty consistently. So basically the right ramp is hard.

Honestly, the only way you hear "who brought the dog" too much is if you are an idiot. There are two other mode paths, and both of them are shorter if you are trying to get to the mini-wizard multiball.

My list of cons:
The scoring can be pretty imbalanced, but that's salvageable with an update to the multiplier rules.
Modes need to be easier to start if they aren't lit
NEEDS to have a simpler Slimer 2-ball that's easy for new players to get to, but doesn't have to be worth much. Make it worth about what Storage Facility is currently worth now and bump that scoring.
Make a Super Jackpot actually a Super value.

With an update coming (nothing like being told that for 12 months) and the recently released ColorDMD, there is going to be an uptick in interest in this game. Is it the best? No. Is it hard? Yes. Is it really good? Yes.

#69 5 years ago

When we first got it in league I hated it more then any other game. And as a huge GB fan I wanted to love it. Just couldn’t get over the wide flipper gap, hard to hit ramp and non nudge-ing out lanes. Also it was basic code. We had it two seasons and it as my worst game. Was so glad to see it go. 6 months later it came back with code updates. This time I ignored the flipper gap and just played. Now I would buy one if I could afford it. Really enjoy playing it. If I bought one I would probably go with carrot flippers though.

#70 5 years ago
Quoted from arcademojo:

When we first got it in league I hated it more then any other game. And as a huge GB fan I wanted to love it. Just couldn’t get over the wide flipper gap, hard to hit ramp and non nudge-ing out lanes. Also it was basic code. We had it two seasons and it as my worst game. Was so glad to see it go. 6 months later it came back with code updates. This time I ignored the flipper gap and just played. Now I would buy one if I could afford it. Really enjoy playing it. If I bought one I would probably go with carrot flippers though.

The center post mod still allows you to lose tons of balls, but saves you from the SDTM cheap drains... So it's a nice addition to the game without making it too easy. The true test will be what happens to the price once Stern stops making them. I think this one will probably increase in value over time until it comes back as a VE.

#71 5 years ago
Quoted from arcademojo:

This time I ignored the flipper gap and just played. Now I would buy one if I could afford it. Really enjoy playing it. If I bought one I would probably go with carrot flippers though.

Maybe someone will be brave enough to put Williams lightning flippers on it. lol

#72 5 years ago
Quoted from Squeakman:

Maybe someone will be brave enough to put Williams lightning flippers on it. lol

#73 5 years ago

GB is a game I'll most likely be selling soon. I enjoyed it for a while, but it just doesn't get turned on much now

I certainly don't have this much hate for it but I was hoping Rarehero was going to bring the heat. Epic burn sir

Quoted from Rarehero:

Literally the worst game ever made. It’s an anti-fun garbage box from
the depths of hell, designed by a deplorable pedophile...and if that wasn’t bad enough, boring rules that make no sense for this design are attached. Most players who’ve played almost any other game in existence knows what hot trash this thing is...it’s uterly shocking that anyone is still going to bat for it. This game created some dimensional rift in the pinball space time continuum....there must be an alternate universe where there’s an actual good GB game, and that’s why there are such starkly different opinions about it. I’m from the Shitty GB dimension, if you haven’t noticed. Maybe this alleged good GB game was designed by someone else and coded by Lyman

#74 5 years ago
Quoted from ectobar:

GB is a game I'll most likely be selling soon. I enjoyed it for a while, but it just doesn't get turned on much now
I certainly don't have this much hate for it but I was hoping rarehero was going to bring the heat. Epic burn sir

Finally, someone understands I’m doing “schtick”.

#75 5 years ago

At one point I thought it was a diamond and enjoyed playing it. I even thought for sure I was going to buy one in the beginning. The game certainly has a lot of cool features and the world under the glass thing. I don't mind the flipper gap. Other games have that and they are still fun. My problem is that the game quickly got to be no fun once I played it more than a few times. Every game I play (mostly pro's) had different issues or clunkiness. It's just not fun to battle these issues and bad mechanics. Throw in code that is unbalanced and difficult to get things going, it's just a mess. It's a shame because there does seem to be a diamond in there somewhere. I just think you have to be superman to squeeze that coal tight enough. Having to modify your game to get it to work and hoping for code updates to make it play better is not what I expect from an expensive new game.

#76 5 years ago

Opinions range widely on this game. Its one you just have to play quite a few times before making up your mind.

I personally like the difficult game play and never noticed the flipper gap until brought up by others. Mod the outlane drains is a must, lots of bad drains without. Its a good game to hone your flipper skills on in my opinion.

Its not a quite a dud but it may just pass for a diamond in the right light.

#77 5 years ago
Quoted from ectobar:

GB is a game I'll most likely be selling soon.

I think there might be a a river of slime under my house.

My wife has basically never touched our GB. I make that post, and she has put several games on it in the past couple days and has been enjoying it. I'm partially to blame. She has been watching some of the PAPA tutorials and was working on her dead flips and post passes. Her fav game is ST so she was practicing on that. I told her post passes are way easier on GB so she gave it a try.

I sure hope this code drop actually comes at some point soon and actually does something meaningful.

1 month later
#78 5 years ago

I see a lot of love and hate on games, but few people state their "point of view". To me, there is a big difference of opinion on games from the players point of view and the collectors.

For example, As a player, I do enjoy TNA. It's fun to compete on with friends and the soundtrack/lightshow is enjoyable. As a collector, I find the game to be too much money and lacking in sustainable fun. I had one in my collection for about a week (on loan) and it was about two days longer than I needed.

Same game, two different reviews based on point of view. Do people assume they are always the same?

For me, playing a handful of games on location is different than dropping $6500+ and having unlimited plays. I could review all the games in my collection and at least half would get different opinions based on point of view. Games like Star Trek, LOTR, Tron, and MET don't differ too much. WoZ, Rob Zombie, Stern Star Wars and GB are very different. I like all of the games I have listed (I'm a pin-slut), but sometimes...IMHO, point-of-view matters.

#79 5 years ago
Quoted from PersonX99:

I see a lot of love and hate on games, but few people state their "point of view". To me, there is a big difference of opinion on games from the players point of view and the collectors.
For example, As a player, I do enjoy TNA. It's fun to compete on with friends and the soundtrack/lightshow is enjoyable. As a collector, I find the game to be too much money and lacking in sustainable fun. I had one in my collection for about a week (on loan) and it was about two days longer than I needed.
Same game, two different reviews based on point of view. Do people assume they are always the same?
For me, playing a handful of games on location is different than dropping $6500+ and having unlimited plays. I could review all the games in my collection and at least half would get different opinions based on point of view. Games like Star Trek, LOTR, Tron, and MET don't differ too much. WoZ, Rob Zombie, Stern Star Wars and GB are very different. I like all of the games I have listed (I'm a pin-slut), but sometimes...IMHO, point-of-view matters.

I see your point, not everyone will like or love the same games. And some games which are great might not be for me. I owned LotR and sold it just a while ago STLE same. While I could appreciate how good they are I didn’t love them enough to keep them over say Metallica or Tron.

I got TNA just now and I can see that it’s very shallow or lacking something shots/toys like Woz or DI (etc.). But I don’t have a problem saying TNA is a great fun game for me and I don’t hate that it’s so shallow or less shot variety. To me TNA is almost a different type of pin.

I haven’t played GB enough to say if it’s good or bad or if it’d get on my nerves but what little I did play was fine and I like it but don’t make me want to own one.

Promoted items from the Pinside Marketplace
$ 63.99
Cabinet - Other
Cento Creations
Other
15,999 (OBO)
There are 79 posts in this topic. You are on page 2 of 2.

Reply

Wanna join the discussion? Please sign in to reply to this topic.

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!


This page was printed from https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/ghostbusters-diamond-or-dud-/page/2 and we tried optimising it for printing. Some page elements may have been deliberately hidden.

Scan the QR code on the left to jump to the URL this document was printed from.