The GB pro does look like a really good value. I'm sure all models will be a blast.

Only the cool kids get to drive a tank

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Found the video:

My first thought when it came up also

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My balls keep getting stuck.

try some Goldbonds

Dead_Flip streamed it today on Twitch. There is a link to the recording, at least for now (not sure if Twitch keeps them up permanently), but here it is:
https://www.twitch.tv/dead_flip/v/62015684

I played both at the TPF and I have a Hobbit on order. I must say they are both beautiful machines, especially the Hobbit with the LCD vs the dot matrix on the Stern , but when it came to game play, I was blown away by how much fun GB was to play. After the first game i was hooked and wanted to play again and again. I didn't get that feeling with the Hobbit. After one game, I was ready to move on.

I know Hobbit owners that have their games already are saying we won't be disappointed with the game and I am hoping that is the case. I may change my mind of the Hobbit after I get it in my home and play a few games on it. The way I feel right now, I would trade my Hobbit Samug for a GBLE in a heart beat.

I am just sharing my HONEST first games feelings and reactions of both.

I was seriously considering ordering TH, but knowing if I placed my order this late, it would probably take at least a year before I had the machine in my possession.

I'm very happy that I ordered the GBLE though. Hope to have it within the next month or so.

I haven't seen/played either machine, but after reading all of these posts on pinside, I'm glad I went w/ GB

I have both on preorder, i am always realy impressed how Stern pushs out so large quantities in just a short time

That is great until you see all the quality control issues they have...and lack of coding out of the gate. I can say this as I've bought over a dozen Sterns over the years. Maybe they are improving in these areas though. That's one thing that SHOULD be good for having a few companies putting out machines, the competition and in the end an improved product for us consumers.

Sounds like ... all the manufactures of pinball machines right now. Stern is not alone in this.

Good points. I had both games on order and after a lot of consideration I backed out of The Hobbit, again. For one I can't afford both games at this time. Yes the LCD on The Hobbit is amazing as is the mini LCD. However, I the toys on Ghostbusters to be far more interesting and interactive then anything offered on The Hobbit.

The Hobbit is a loaded game yet it still feels too open in my opinion, lacks satisfying shots and doesn't offer enough interactive toys. Drop targets and pop ups are cool but I much rather have a ramp that drops under the playfield into a physical ball lock, magnetic slings, a moving slimer toy, an Ecto Goggles type toy, etc.

I have not played gb but have on order. Also have the hobbit. The hobbit is an interesting game. It's not like twd where u get a 10 min Adrenaline Rush then yours balls drain. And not saying that's a bad thing.there are times for different types of gms. Sometimes I just want a quick ass kicking pin. It's a game where u wanna have some beers and immerse Yourself into that world. It is very creative and fun and has a lot going on. I would say it's the highest quality game I have ever seen and played. If can afford there is room for both.

I really really really want a hobbit; but price is holding me back. I'm still not sold on GB PRO yet. Looks amazing but also looks more brutal and frustrating than TWD.

Until we see GBLE gameplay (and rules), I'd be inclined to say that if I'm not after getting a GB PRO to save $; and I was dipping into premium/LE (+ mods) territory, I'd rather get TH which needs know immediate cash whore mods.

I am having a hard time wording this without sounding offensive. This is meant to be taken as a compliment and not a put down. I know after spending your well hard money on something that didn't come out the way you had expected, it would be easier to just do like a lot of people do and try and force yourself to like it. It takes a lot of character to come on a forum and admit that the game didn't live up to your expectations the way you wanted it to. Thanks for being honest and not jumping on the bandwagon like so many others have in the past.

Panzer freek, so you actually preordered the hobbit a 2nd time and backed out? I remember you backing out the first time and I remember you talking about possibly going in on the hobbit again. Again thanks for the honest posts

I've been on the fence between the two. I'm now leaning towards hobbit after watching so many videos about 1.01 gameplay. It's beautiful, and looks challenging with all the modes. I agree it is somewhat slower, but that's not a bad thing. It's definitely one you can relax and enjoy a beer playing while progressing through a story. GB looks great, and everybody is waiting to see premium footage with the slings. After that's released, I'll then decide. GB seems like a great party game, and most people can casually play. Hobbit seems deeper and more challenging for the pinheads to enjoy. Until we play each one, it's hard to pick. I really do like what I'm seeing from hobbit though. I think both will be great, and you can't go wrong.
I'm kind of curious too with everyone that backed out of hobbit recently, if the GB news had anything to do with that? If GB wasn't timed to release now, would you have kept your hobbit pre order? You waited a few years, and have seen footage or even played it over that time, and suddenly it feels like a lot of drop outs after GB news. Just curious.

No trying to justify here as a TH owner. Quite frankly I wish I could own both but out of room and will be looking to make room for a GB.
But I am very plsd with TH. After having it for 3 weeks, I have had time to get a real understanding of the (30) modes and having time to see what's happening in the clips on the lcd. The game has a ways to go for code completion but a sound base is already there for expansion of the game. The 3 main "wizard" modes if they are called that are not even in the game. There is no real completion of the current modes....so with an already ton of stuff going on, its only going to get more immersive. Game is not slow...at all. But, with control, its already a great shooters game. No no no...not at all concerned about getting this game. It could turn out to be truly one of a kind....kind of already is.

I've bought 4 NIB Stern in the past 4 years (plus Met pro new out of the box).

No real problems except crap balls (just throw them out).

XMLE had Aux board blow, after a year.

Code on XMLE was bad, STLE was so-so.

Tron, IM, Met all bought after the code was mature.

I recommend finding Hobbit and playing it first. I played it and felt it was a step backwards from WOZ and I don't love WOZ. I'm hearing mostly negative feedback from others. It's early, maybe too early to pass judgment, but first impressions regarding game play and fun factor aren't great. GB appears to be the opposite. Great first impressions from most. GB seems like the safer bet.

I had a great opportunity to play both machines side by side today. My distributor received a GB and had a Hobbit LE as well. I went in and GB and TH were on free play and no-one else to play. I played GB for a long time then immediately went over to play TH. Disclaimer: I have TH on order, with a deposit, but the game will arrive about the same time as GB will come, unless I want the premium. I was surprised, because I thought I would like one over the other, and was prepared to change my order if I liked GB better. I must be one of the few that liked both equally. They are both different play, and feel, but I really had fun playing both of them equally. That really surprised me. I really liked GB, and will probably own one after I save more money. I'm not cancelling my Hobbit order or swapping. My distributor had lots of other pins on free play, but they don't interest me. Both machines look fantastic, and I enjoyed playing both. One thing I will say, that it looks like TH will need more tweaking to dial it in, vs GB, at least from what I could see from playing both today. I agree with a lot of what people have said about GB, but honestly there are "small" negatives about both games, along with some great positives. I think it is a great time in Pinball when we have great options. I would suggest to anyone that is interested in purchasing one of these pins, to go try it themselves. From all the hype about GB, I was figuring I was going to swap my deposit, as I was figuring I was going to be blown away by the game. It is great, but so is Hobbit, so play them yourself to figure out what works for you. I'm one of the few, that came away not feeling swayed one way or the other. I'd be equally happy to have either one in my home.

So GB PRO Vs WOZ equals tie so GB Prem/LE vs WOZ equals KABOOM!!!! WOZ blown out of the water.

You can't even follow the conversation.

The thread was about GB vs Hobbit.

It's pretty much the same thing but you are right it is a Friday night and I can't follow to much right now.

The issue is common to EVERY XMLE as far as I heard. What happens is the magnet locks up and the NC stay up. It's quite clear that Stern did not have the correct board from the start.

What happens is Stern sends out a new board free, and we return the old board. It's almost something like Stern should have had a recall but either way it was covered, and I'm sure even if you were the second owner and so forth. Stern would be crazy not to free fix something like that which was a design flaw.

Forgot IMVE decals might be a tiny bit loose at bottom edge and a minor bubble around the flipper button too but only noticeable if you're right on top of it, I didn't notice the flipper area at all until I was putting Mylar there, also I plan to put lollipop rails sometime so won't be an issue.

I think Stern sticker glue could be an issue but IMVE was 2+ years ago. Don't know if they've got that fixed completely.

I've pulled about ten Stems out of the box over the years and none came close to having the problems WOZ did. Imagine my joy when I heard something BIG shift inside our brand new WOZ as we raised it to put the legs on. Low and behold the freakin huge ass metal computer box was not secured properly and had crashed to the back of the cabinet when they put it in the box at the factory. The unboxing party took an unhappy turn too say the least.

Edit: I should note that despite a lot of problems and tweaks to be made, I have not experienced the dreaded light board issue. I have also found the Jersey Jack technical support to be top notch and even provide support through the Internet over the weekend.

I just played some GB last night, it was a blast. It was fast but didn't seem like an overly drainy game. I'd take the GB Pro over the Hobbit, not saying The Hobbit is bad, but GB seemed like the total package, and that's the pro version. That be saying said you better love you some Ray Parker Jr, because there's a lot of it.

Sounds like pros are already are shipping.

I would take TH over GB. More value for what you get..

Until you plunge the ball....

Because after you plunge the ball in hobbit you actually get to play? Vs just plunging and draining on GB? seriously, if good artwork and fast drains makes a great pinball, then JPOP has a masterpiece with magic girl, all he has to do is put it in a cabinet with a plunger - doesn't even need flippers

Ha...fair enough. It's cheap drains versus big long shots that don't quite feel good. Now that I think aboot it...kind of reminded me of playing Zodiac

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lol. I agree.

Even panzer disagrees with you and he's the biggest JJP fanboy on pinside.

So what does this mean?

Panzer is all about the TOYS, those wonderful TOYS!!!! Toys, toys, toys! GB does have cooler toys.

WTB: Zodiac - prefer local near Boston.

I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult, lol!

I think The Hobbit is a fun game and I can see it being great once Keith completes the games code. When I got a chance to finally play a production Hobbit a few weeks ago I was very impressed with how much better it played compared to the version I played over a year ago. However, I still have some concerns with the game that led me to eventually picking Ghostbusters over it (besides not being able to afford both at this time)

1. The toys, yes the toys, haha. Throughout The Hobbit reveal I kept waiting for some cool interactive toys to be revealed. Surely there had to be a lower and or playfield, Smaug must interact with the ball, the wind lance must be a canon, etc. None of that happened. Yes drop targets and pop ups are cool but I'll take magnetic slings, a steel ramp that drops under the playfield and back out + is integrated with a physical ball lock (not on TH...) that ejects at a VUK / scoop, a peppers ghost effect Ecto Goggles toy, and a moving Slimer toy over any toy offered in TH

2. Rules: Yes there are over 30 modes in The Hobbit but some are just "bash the spider", "hit switches", "hit ramps", and "hit loops" type modes. I much rather have a smaller set of modes that require the player to work the entire playfield in unique and interesting ways. Also, some of the modes in TH tend to focus on minor events from the movies to the point I feel some were added just to increase the mode count. Example, imagine if GB had a "cook the eggs" modes in it where hitting any switch rewarded points. I'm sure The Hobbit will have a lot of fun modes in it but some just don't feel as substantial as others. I still standby what I said about Keith Johnson being the Jedi Master of pinball programming, the man has a gift to tell a themes story through code.

3. Theme: Ghostbusters is a classic comedy film that is very well remembered as well as popular today. I think a lot of people were banking on The Hobbit films being as good as the LOTR films but that didn't happen sadly. I think The Hobbit films are good but just won't be remembered as fondly as Lord of the Rings and Ghostbusters. Ghostbusters is such a popular movie that a pinball machine could be made based on it over 30 years later. Could a pinball machine be based off of The Hobbit films 30 years from now? No way.

4. Comedic elements: Ghostbusters has a lot of comedy in it and I think that will be one of the main reasons why the game is so much fun to play.

Finally, everyone that I talked to that has played GB has loved the game. With TH there's a wide range of opinions with some hesitation about how good it is to others liking it a lot.

Again I think The Hobbit is a fun game, I'm sure owners will be happy with it, and the game will be great once Keith completes the code. However, overall I just find GB the more interesting, unique, and fun game. Both games look and play completely different so there will of course be people that prefer one over the other. I'm looking forward to playing The Hobbit again once the code is complete and could still see possibly purchasing one down the road depending on how it eventually plays.

It's not an insult.
And you just saved me from typing why skyemont is completely wrong.

It's an opinion, and Skyemont isn't wrong at all in MY opinion.

But have fun with your GB pin with overly linear mode progression, cheap drains, and that old fashioned display with crappy captures from the movie.

LMAO Will do! and you have fun with your floaty wide open playfield, rotating dragon head (who's teeth are like swords), fishtail ramps and "vestigial" 3rd flipper which appears to be pinballs equivalent of a human appendix.

Whoa, someone has their big boy pants on today.

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