I finally just finished listening to the entire John Trudeau/Ghostbusters episode and wanted to say thanks for the great interview! It was both fun to listen to as well as informative. Tommy’s enthusiasm for Mr. Trudeau’s distinctive design talents really shown through.
The huge initial excitement over Ghostbusters clearly demonstrates how critical theme and artwork are to a game’s popularity. This can also be seen by another recent Trudeau design: Mustang, that I happen to think is terrifically fun to play, but conversely, seems to have been poo-pooed by many pinheads due to its theme and artwork. Taylor himself seems to be somewhat unfamiliar with it as he compared GB’s pop-up targets to those on Cactus Canyon even though these are basically identical to those already found on the Mustang Premium and LE models. It also merits inclusion in any discussion of innovative Trudeau ramp designs for its multi-function ramp/orbit lane and “shooter lane” cross ramp - the latter also repeated on the Ghostbuster Premium and LE models.
Although I’m personally not a super fan of the Ghostbusters theme, its colorful hand-drawn artwork and intriguing playfield features are undeniably appealing. As such, I’m really looking forward to checking out the gameplay on the LE that is coming to my favorite local pinball bar!