If none of these themes alone compel you one way or the other- like me- than SW Pro is my recommendation. On the other hand, if you love a theme then that trumps everything else since gameplay is not SIGNIFICANTLY better or worse among the 3.

If you're not particularly crazy about one theme over another, then you seriously have to play all 3 for several (not 50!) games to feel what grabs you at the gut level, taking into account the entire experience- theme, gameplay, lights, sound, video. Do you rush to put more $$ in? Or do you pause and contemplate? GB was initially a blast to play, but then for some reason I became bored of it (or irritated?) and I stopped playing it altogether. I'm glad I didn’t buy it. AS never grabbed me, I can’t explain why (I enjoy AS music more than ACDC, but enjoy ACDC pin more than AS.) I had to stop and decide after every game do I want to make the $2/3 game investment here again or play something else.

SW keeps me pumping $2/3 plays in over and over until I have to go. To me- compared to the other 2 titles- it’s fast and immersive and the theme is interesting enough.…. And/but , yes, unfortunately it has a playfield that’s hard to justify for the price you pay NIB. At least the Pro is the lowest amount you’re getting “ripped off”, while still having more fun than playing the others. I’ll probably own a SW (HUO) one day, but not the other 2.

Where is D.) None of the above

This is by far the worst description of SW I've read to date, it is simply an amazing game, I really like AS gameplay and GB is fun but neither are in the same league as SW, don't listen to the JJP guys or the Stern haters (usually one in the same)with all their toy and build quality crap, its one of the best pins I've owned, go with the pro, you won't be disappointed.

GB is literally the worst game ever made in the history of humanity...that includes video games, board games, tic-tac-toe...E.T. on Atari 2600 is better, and that got buried in a desert. GB is pretty much a signal of the end of human civilization - so, stay far away from that for the good of mankind.

AS is perfectly mediocre, but if you really like the band, you could do worse. I voted for AS.

SW is featureless & the rules are bizarre and confusing, but if you like the theme enough and super fast gameplay, it might do the trick.

As mentioned all three are fun GB>SW>AS for me

SW and it's not even close.

Thought AS was super fun...for like 2 weeks. Don't have very much desire to play it anymore.

I own GB and think it's mostly garbage. Hoping this alleged final code update will breath a little life into it. I really just don't want to kick Bill Murray out of my game room but would absolutely trade if for a SW if anyone is interested.

Thank you for yet again reminding us you hate GB.....

Thank you again for taking a cheap shot at me in an OPINION thread after TONS of people already gave a negative opinion of GB.

You are proof of GB's negative impact on humanity.

At this point, I'd almost pay to see a reaction shot of a GB pro delivered to Rares door. Almost.

Responding to a question.

I'd be thrilled! A free pinball machine?! Sweet! I could then sell it and buy a good game!

Again, if you'd like to have your ass kicked by a pin, you are welcome to play my SW. Guarantee you leave with a more positive outlook about it.

GB and it's not even close. The masses have spoken with their votes. The flamers keep flaming. AS is a lot of fun when the toy box works.....50% of the time. SW is fast and barren and repetitive and NOT in the good IM kind of way.

I have all 3 (all premium or LEs). I’d go SW, AS, then GB....but all are fun.. I’m just not a Pro fan. I really like all the extras in the premiums. The extras in the SW, although seemingly small, are really cool when actually played.

I’ve certainly been in this position. Feel free to take a look at my collection past and present. Looking at your collection, I have had some similar titles. Tron LE, AC/DC Prem, STLE and GB Prem come to mind. My first Stern was a 2010 Spiderman. It was a premium at least in terms of today’s tier system. It had webbed side rails, metal ball returns, several molded toys etc. my first Pro, once that system started, was Mustang. I was so pleased with value for the dollar, that I began to look at Pro models differently. I now totally love my AS Pro and got it used at a price pretty close to half of an LE.

I love getting a good value for money, even in luxury toys. Like so many things, one persons value is another persons total waste of money.

I will struggle to go beyond Pro for SW as the Stern Prem/LE prices have gone beyond what I see as value. I’ll just keep playing and trying them for now.

It shouldn't be surprising, GB has lots of little toys and magnets and that gets even the JJP guys to rate it higher regardless of gameplay, because toys and magnets and little ships that move back and forth is what makes pinball great.

I’m pretty surprised by the results on this one so far. I own GB and SW (albeit Premiums), but I’ve played several games of all three Pro models, and this one isn’t even close.

Star Wars is easily the best of the three.

I was in this same predicament over the last month, and decided SW Pro. Admittedly, the theme resonates with me more than the other two, but there was something more to it as well. The more I played it on location, the more I appreciated the little nuances about it. Yes, it isn't as feature packed as the other 2 games, but the difficulty level was just right for me, the challenges felt rewarding, and the rules actually make perfect sense the more you play it.

Aerosmith was super fun and easy to understand, has the best LCD integration, but... it's Aerosmith.

Ghostbusters, like everyone says, is the best looking of the 3, but I never had that "one more game" feeling with it. I almost felt like I was forcing myself to play it sometimes to try to find where the joy is in this game.

If you like GB, I don't think you have to go the Premium route. The Pro is great, people with the Premium just think it's that much better to justify the extra 2K they spent. I personally love the mini right ramp and prefer traditional slings.

I'm all for the Pro models and done with paying extras. I don't miss the features I don't see on my games. Ignorance is bliss.

The only Pro I own is Tron. The extra on that game to the LE was not worth the price difference. I modded the CRAP out of it and it is beautiful...every bit as good as the LE. But that was when the LE and Pro had no premium competition. But it is SO personal taste, I say just play all and go with what you like best...if you enjoy it, that’s all that matters

526C0A53-0F69-4096-B912-6988E8FE1061 (resized).jpeg

Maybe with some people, but when I played the GB Pro I wasn’t impressed. When I played the premium, I wanted the game. Same with GOT and AC/DC. That was before I bought them (except GOT, have bought that one...yet). And I love the exploding Death Star and hyperspace ramp on SW. Again, it all boils down to what you personally love. Just go with what makes YOU the happiest and enjoy playing

I'd like to see people give GB more time. After spending some more time with one (a prem, though I still like the pro a lot) it's got issues with air balls, yes. However, I feel a lot more like I've achieved something when I get a huge score. My main complaint with GB is the overly linear ruleset, it gets old quickly. However, it has the best selection of shots and a lot more going on than AS or SW. SW is fun, but doesn't have any of that wow factor. I get more wow playing Paragon at times than SW. Don't get me wrong, at the right price I'd likely have one because of the speed but compared to something like AFM (speaking of bare playfields) I'd take AFM over SW any day.

GB, SW, AS

Then like ur comment about GB's I'd like to see u give it more time, way more exciting than AFM for me, too different to compare really but once you experience a planet multi with an added Tie F multi that leads into Hyper space multi, all stacked then right into Escape Boba Fett with a Light Saber Duel waiting in the wings and then all of sudden another planet multi I just have never experienced that level of excitement in any pin I've owned, Oh yeah.

I almost sold my GB and decided to give it more time. I updated to latest code, added outlane guides and subway ramp airball deflector and I am really enjoying much better. It is a pretty brutal game which is a nice change from some of my other games with longer ball times. The art is really great and there are a ton of shots. The subway ramp on the premium/LE is one of my favorite in all of pinball. I am looking forward to the next code update.

We just had this debate in my house lol. We ended up going star wars . We're huge star wars fans and obviously loved the theme. We like the flow of star wars . So many modes and missions which keep your interest . Ghostbusters seemed very start and stop to me , lots of cheap drains . It has so much on the playfield that it catches the eye ,but the game play itself didn't interest me . Aerosmith was fun ,but seems very repetitive for a home use game .

Thread ended in fail.

Don't let haters hate...I haven't played GB, but it is beautiful. Artwork is next to none. Enjoy!

I finally get to answer one of these, because I own all three. I agree with the above.

I ....I can't. lol.

I would go gb
Yes you have to set up
Yes it’s hard. If u own it thats a good thing

Toys rock code needs finished and more polish

I’d go as or sw. I’m officially in the I hate GB club. I will no longer even play it for free. I’ve played a lot on three different machines. It’s not hard. It’s cheap.

AS I’ve only played a few games on one machine, but it was really fun. Same on SW but I love it.

don't listen to this guy, go jjp its like driving a lambo after you get out of the stern volkswagon.

It should be with the ridiculous price they are charging for their games.

I agree STERN Star Wars ( Pro ) is like on of the best Pro you could by addicting as hell.

StarWars White trim kit t-molding (resized).jpg

I agree

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Given the choice, I would have taken none.

GB is great. Really dont understand the hate towards it....

3 reasons
Its pinside and its a Stern so that's the first thing, secondly several people had ghosting issues and thusly will forever hate everything Stern does, and lastly its a Stern, Spooky or JJP can release a box with a piece of shit inside and it would be deemed artistic and innovative, if Stern does that its just a shit box. I'm a Stern fanboy for saying this so don't listen to me, its not like its a proven fact or anything, GB was too hard for the old timers, too many problems for the BOM dickheads and I won't even mention "Build Quality", "build quality".damn it.

I'm close to hating GB. Hard to explain why exactly other than gameplay just not fun. Liked it at first but the more I play not so much. I like a lot of other Trudeu games and admit GB looks great. It just doesn't seem balanced at all and it's a lot of work to do anything.

I had a lot of time playing SW pro recently. While not the looker and stripped down, it is pretty fun. Super fast and shots feel good. Not perfect but great location game.

I think the hate toward Ghostbusters may stem from a few things-
1. It is not an easy game to play. The right ramp and left orbit are pretty tight to hit. Some people complain about the flipper gap (doesn't bother me). 2.Hardware issues out of the box. The original Slimer mechs didn't register well. (Stern will send you a new style version if you have an old one) Some left scoops shot SDTM right out of the box. Playfield clearcoat issues plagued some games. Insert joke here about play field ghosting in a Ghostbusters machine.
3.This is a thread on Pinside
I think if you temper all of this with the initial hype and expectation of the game, there is your explanation. If you are getting a new one now, you probably won't have any of the aforementioned playfield issues.
While I haven't spent a ton of time on SW to fully weigh in on it, I think all three are good machines. As far as Pro vs Premium on these titles, I don't think any of them are worth the extra money(just my opinion, put down the rotten fruit). The Subway ramp on GB premium is neat and the right ramp is cool and maybe? easier to hit. Playability vs extra toys is a query in regards to some of the recent Stern titles as you compare the tiers. All this said, I have a GB pro and love it. Yes, I had to replace the Slimer mech and I have a couple of tiny slivers of insert ghosting. Mine is one of the early runs. AS looks and plays great, I don't really care for the band. I'm ok on SW but need to dig into it some more.

Side note- backhand the Scalari targets. They almost always will drop and it is a safer way to do it.

All fun games. You will be happy.
At the moment I agree with AS>GB>SW.

Flipper gap on GB not an issue for me. It's the left outlane drains that seem impossible to prevent. Ball just shoots over there, skips over the inlanes, and straight out with no chance to nudge. QC issues not an issue with gameplay other than slimer mech not working right. I just find it hard to start modes, finish modes when you have to make a tight shot, and getting to mb. Some shots are super easy and others extremelly difficult. Not impossible but just seems like you have to work really hard and fight the drains. There also seems like a bunch of random stuff that does nothing other than give you a few points. Also, what's up with the screaming ghost chick? That get's mighty annoying after the first few times. No idea who thought that would be great.