CES 2016 starts Jan 6.

They're not going to hire 2 separate graphic teams and double their development costs just so the Pro can have a "cheaper" dmd.

I don't doubt what you just wrote, but why is someone who "has a Stern email address" sending out images for unannounced games, wanting them to be widely distributed?

I don't blame Pinside for erring on the side of caution, something about all of this is off.

If this is ZY's work, it really shows what jpop brought to the table for art direction. Too bad that's all he brought.

To me it is a bit much to think that Stern cares enough about 300 Rob Zombies or that the year-long build for fulfilling Hobbit pre-orders has started. Enough for them to think they can scuttle some possible sales by leaking art.

STERN probably loses more by people not buying THEIR games (available ones) and waiting for GB, more than hurting those companies.

Well, the other issue with this narrative is apparently this image has been around for months, people have seen it for some time, and was posted on Pinside before. So it has been leaked for a while. Can't really say it was timed for this week.

When you look at his website, there is nothing there that looks anything like this style

http://www.zombieyeti.com/

The producers of the new version kept saying it was not a remake of Arnold's movie, but they used Arnold's title, instead of the original book title (or a brand new title). Keeping the same name as Arnold's movie was a mistake, since we love that version.

The new movie doesn't even come out till next summer.

I agree, GoT is a big title for them and first time it's been at CES. last year they debuted the Spike system which they got a lot of press from. This year they don't have that. So I'd give good odds on no new title shown.

This makes no sense. He's still in the middle of GoT and you're saying he's on the very next release?

It's been brought up before that higher pitch actually makes games EASIER because the ball doesn't bounce into the outlanes the same way and you drain less. So you might have been unknowingly made your games easier by setting the pitch so high.

Just something to think about the next time you do it, perhaps open the outlanes up to compensate and keep it sporting.

If any of these LE pre-order rumors are remotely true, it really solidifies the power of themes, and everything Gary says about how he needs to be able to sell containers of games on theme alone.

It did give me pause buying GOT... potentially the last dmd game. I'll feel better when colordmd supports Spike, so at least that's an option.

There's no evidence that GOT's development was affected by The Hobbit AT ALL. If Stern is going to ignore a major factory with ability to produce 1000's of games, with a similar theme even, I think people are reading too much into Stern reacting to an actual boutique run of 300 games.

There was clear foreshadowing from Stern before the spidey announcement. Black image, clock, and a timed instagram post. I doubt their next "pillar" release would just get thrown out with no pre-hype.

I'd say it's safe to say it won't be announced today.

I'm wondering if our expectations are too high. Is John Trudeau's 3rd game for Stern in 2 years really going to outclass Steve Ritchie spending 2 years making GOT?

I think we should lower our expectations to more "typical stern" release. Beyond a cool retro theme that we like and hopefully some really nice art, is the game playfield going to be that feature packed that it blows GOT away?

Good thing I have space for 1 more pin I guess .

Seems like half of pinside has already seen it.

That is literally the only place you'll ever see it broken like that. On the screen cap of the movie's opening title. Literally every instance of Ghostbusters is only 1 word.

Ha. ok. there it is again.

A "peppers ghost" effect would be most impressive if it appears on top of something, floating in space. On the playfield somewhere. Otherwise you could just mount an lcd under the playfield like the Creech lcd mod.

Kind of surprised Spidey was announced so early when GOT Premiums hadn't even started being delivered yet. So they've got GOT to deal with still, plus Spidey, and whatever catalog orders they have. They'll probably be busy for a while.

I suspect Stern will be a release or 2 beyond GB when either Hobbit or Alien will be available to purchase for the general public. The only sales they are hurting at the moment are their own as they are the only company that has pinballs available that you can own TODAY with SEVEN different games in production.

It makes no sense for them to intentionally leak anything to drum up excitement when they have the most to lose from cannibalizing existing sales from themselves.

So, I put no weight in the idea that these were anything other than someone inside leaking something they shouldn't have.

Stern doesn't really have a history of leaks... not like what's happened with GB.

Working backwards through some recent titles:

-GOT, other than rumors, nothing leaked or seen before hand.
-WWE - no one had a clue this one was coming
-KISS - jpop told everyone Stern has licensed it
-Walking Dead - rumored but nothing known for sure till a blu-ray was seen promoting it
-Star Trek - nothing shown, only "leak" was Paramount listing Stern as a licensor.

GB with leaked playfield, unfinished artwork, etc... this is not like we've seen before. I'm sure falls down to something as simple as an employee showed a friend, and that friend showed a friend... and on and on it goes.

I'm going to buy a colordmd for my Hulk and move my green Hulk DMD to a Ghostbusters.

It's weird to contemplate this. Growing up with BTTF, the 1985 in that movie seemed like "now" for much of my life, but definitely now it is as quaint looking back as the 50s did then.

I wonder when we'll get a Stand By Me remake, set in the 80s.

Uhhh....

0657ef59dc6653e684e568855a243b348560ac09_(resized).jpg

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-magazine-surprise

Good enough for me.

The factory schedule drives everything. GB will be announced exactly when the factory is ready to start building them X weeks later.

Until then, the factory is busy building everything else.

And this is exactly why these leaks were NOT from Stern as some sort of marketing. They have way more to lose not selling machines than disrupting Hobbit or RZ. They've got games for sale TODAY and would like to sell those to you very much.

You don't think if you asked Gary Stern what would he rather sell someone, TWD today or GB tomorrow he would say TWD today? I know I would. That's all i'm getting at.

I'll be continuing my "has landed" threads with a GB LE .

The company is not exactly known to be marketing titans. They still promote their machines with flyers, and going to trade shows. Not exactly cutting edge. It is what it is.

It's been done... think of PoTC or even Austin Powers.

I agree, and these aren't "consumer goods" (even though we treat them like they are), certainly not for civilians.

If I were to fault Stern marketing in any way, it's that they should do more to drive location play, and direct people in that direction (beyond GS lecturing expo goers to get out of their basements). No one is going to drop $5k+ for a pinball just because they saw it on Price is Right, but they might be motivated to go to Dave & Busters to play it (if D&B had a pinball).

Replay ads have been the first confirmation for multiple titles since I've been around. You would THINK Stern would know Replay goes to the printers on DATE X, and people will start to see them on DATE X+Y... so line up everything so THEY (Stern) make the big announcement first.

But it's never that way... ever.

Well, Stern responded to the ad posted on their facebook.

If they're not deleting stuff anymore, and acknowledging it, then the big reveal must be here very soon. maybe today?

Screen_Shot_2016-03-03_at_11.56.26_AM_(resized).png

The reality is Stern games are not "done" until they start to roll off the factory line, complete with goodie bags stapled inside. If the Pros aren't on the line, then there will be no GB in Texas. They won't bring a prototype.

Wow. Looks amazing and packed. Dunno if the art alone makes it seem so packed or what.

still waiting for feature matrix.

I'm doing the LE, cause I just pulled my green dmd out of my Hulk. That'll really tie it together till colordmd is out.

shaker is back in the LE which is appreciated.

on C2C Jody did mention that the slings were the first thing that was developed, so they have had a lot of time with them. I doubt they are a complete nightmare.

IGN had a photo of it

stern-ghostbustersle-details-05xjpg-c74fc4_765w_(resized).jpg

This is my impression. You'll get animation of Ghosts exploding when you hit them. So it's like RFM - for one shot, as you said. Very cool.

Pat @ Stern just confirmed my Hulk green dmd is plug and play with GB.

This is the best part of Stern releases... the wait isn't THAT long. Fun to get on board for these rides. These are the only pre-orders I will do anymore.

Makes no sense for Stern to have an MSRP, and then a second "street price" that they also set.

True. The laser for Star Trek was in the matrix, even when we had no idea what it did and it was not shown until much later.

If the streams are not in the matrix, then it was dropped.

no Fire button on the lockdown bar = no.

Don't be a wet blanket!

My impression of this particular feature is it is being over sold. Likely all it means is that the 8 color changing inserts will turn green for the shot. So no different than any other game that has a handful of color changing inserts.

The GI may very well be all white. So it will probably look more like Mustang or Iron Man Vault. Which isn't bad, those are both "lit to be seen from space" and in this case will mean the artwork will be on full display.

Don't expect a Star Trek or MET light show. But it can still have nice sweeps and strobes, etc.

Still too early to tell. Pros will roll out first, and the LEs usually come 6 weeks or so after the Pros. So if the Pros start showing up end of March, then that would put us around mid May.

TPF 2017 maybe.

Nostalgia is big business nowadays, but I wonder if this is good for long term health. I know 80s movies are like catnip to us, but does that expand the pinball business for long term growth?

GB doesn't have all color-changing inserts like ST.

It also does not have 3 color GI like MET.

TWD had 2 color GI which is used to great effect as well.

But games like Mustang (Trudeau's as well) is all white.

exactly. That is a free market. Anything else is price fixing.

Resellers like Hemi have figured out "Value Add" and created Refinery editions, which is smart.

Everyone else is selling a commodity... a pinball in a box, and price is what drives commodities.

It's up to the resellers to differentiate themselves if they don't want to compete on price (great service, home visits, etc)... but if they are just taking a phone call and drop shipping a box... well, welcome to the race to the bottom.

Yup. I don't think we'll ever have a magical time like the 80s again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing

Price fixing is an agreement between participants on the same side in a market to buy or sell a product, service, or commodity only at a fixed price, or maintain the market conditions such that the price is maintained at a given level by controlling supply and demand.

Price fixing requires a conspiracy between sellers or buyers. The purpose is to coordinate pricing for mutual benefit of the traders. For example, manufacturers and retailers may conspire to sell at a common "retail" price; set a common minimum sales price, where sellers agree not to discount the sales price below the agreed-to minimum price; buy the product from a supplier at a specified maximum price; adhere to a price book or list price;

So people are saying these resellers are openly saying this?

Maybe they should read this part:

In the United States, price fixing can be prosecuted as a criminal federal offense under section 1 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.[2]

Private individuals or organizations may file lawsuits for triple damages for antitrust violations, and depending on the law, recover attorneys fees and costs expended on prosecution of a case.[3][4][5]

If you're correct, that is definitely a win fall for the drop shippers.

I've run multiple businesses in my life, and there is always someone willing to be cheaper than you. That is why it's important to not get into that price war.

If I were in the pinball business, I'd not take phone calls and quote prices and nothing else. You'll have no customer loyalty and you'll only sell for peanuts.

We've seen distributors on pinside complain about how they make a lot less than we think, which is probably correct. They should maybe expand their minds and education and learn how to expand their USP (Unique Selling Proposition). Build value and get out of the dog scrap business.

As mentioned, Hemi has this figured out. Kudos to him.

on recent Sterns the GI is still bulbs. Inserts are little boards.

It's sad to me that there is no, and won't be, a modern Breakfast Club for today's kids. They have to watch ours. Or wait for the remake.

I'm mostly speaking about how Hollywood will not take chances, so the next John Hughes would never get greenlit for some modern story.

It would be like if the same argument was said in the 80s, that we should be satisfied with the movies from the 50s, because they were great (they were), but every generation needs its own stories.

Hell, we would never have gotten Ghostbusters if the same thinking that is around today was around then.

Oh man, not sure I can handle the Ghostbusters theme forever like that. I knew it was coming.

I believe Pinball Browser already works with Spike? If so, this should be done easily.

I'm definitely going to hunt and replace the most repetitive GB theme parts. Maybe leave it in for a multiball or something.

Bobby Brown I'd throw in... and probably this one

Pinball Browser to the rescue .

Confirmed my LE today. Was also told that there aren't enough LEs to go around which is what we've been hearing.

To me that is what an LE should be. A limited number. Let them sell out, and that's that.

it clearly is. I don't understand the controversy.

I think any hit stern game could get a new premium model at any time, but they'll never be called an LE with plaque, signatures, etc.

Are you serious? No switch at all?

Is that the same ramp with ecto goggles on the le?

ah, right, it's the "double duty" ramp on the Pro.

Glad I'll have an LE.

I thought the original music pieces were all great. I liked them more than the GB theme which gets too repetitive. I like that they used different parts of the GB theme and dropped the lyrics though.

I'd almost rather the GB theme get played after the game is over, like Star Trek utilizes the ST theme... just drops it at the end. Not endlessly in the game. It is an ear worm, that is the problem.

But you couldn't have a GB game without it. So the question becomes how to best utilize it.

Based on those leaked photos - which were of the LE playfield, and how many months ago those photos have been around, they've been testing this for some time, or at least the LE.

Perhaps, if Trudeau is correct in saying he designed the LE first then makes the Pro, the Pro is the version that has been around the least.

So that leaves me pretty confident in the LE and that version will play the best.

Jody also mentioned on C2C that the slings were the first part of the game built, and tested. So they obviously liked them, they weren't tacked on at the end, they felt good putting them in the game. Can't wait to see them.

It's weird to me that GB2 is included in the game, but in such a small way. GB2 should have its own Ladder... culminating with Vigo battle.

-Runaway Baby stroller
-Trains
-River of slime
-Vigo

Dwight seems very dedicated. And he listens to players for feedback.

I won't buy Lonnie games any more.

GB1 > GB2, but GB2 isn't a dog's breakfast. I guess you "win" since they didn't go for it.

Dwight JUST came off GOT. As "complete" as GOT was when released, it still got lots of updates after.. and THEN he's got the very next release of GB. There's no way GB is anywhere near completed and definitely not polished.

Wow. That slimer toy is so much cooler. This looks to be a very decent pro.

This is going to be a huge release. To have that much game at the Pro price point, it'll move a ton.

I think the mag sling have to be different from regular slings, otherwise, what was the point?

If they mimic regular sling kickers, then it was a waste. I'm imagining the ball being thrown around like the wall walker magnet.

I've had plenty of games where regular slings kick the ball into a far outlane, so it's not like they are totally safe by comparison.

I think the main fear is if the mags drain the ball all the time, but I'd have to think no less and no more than usual.

I wish they'd just sanction colordmd and make that an official mod and let us pay for color on day 1 if we wanted it.

You know when they drop the red dots, it is coming with a price increase anyways.

Likely needs art/playfield printed. The white wood was in the leaked photos, but at this point I doubt they'll want to show a white wood.

To help me decide I go downtown and kick a homeless guy in the balls and tell him I can't decide between buying a Pro or Premium pinball machine.

Canada gets counted as "international" and gets sent games just after the overseas containers get sent out. The pros are on the line as we speak, so I expect the truck going to Canada will be loaded soon.

Man, that is just sad. It's like they went out of their way to omit him.

The leaked photos were of the LE playfield. It's existed a long time. They aren't going to do a deadflip reveal of a white wood though, only of a final game with art, playfield, etc, done. I'm not reading much into why we haven't seen an LE yet. Heck, it wasn't that long ago that no one saw anything until the first customers started getting machines.

There's a long history of "bad" movies becoming "great" pinball machines.

You can take the best parts of GB2 and put them into a pinball and it will be awesome. It doesn't have to bog down and be boring like the movie.

Glad to see ZombieYeti out there so much enjoying the release of his game. After Jpop had him working in the shadows for years only to see all that work go down the toilet.

To me, the ecto goggle lcd appears no bigger than say the Tron arcade mod, and reflects onto the "goggle". I think it will be a cool little toy, since as mentioned above it will basically act like a mini RFM shot.

I find it amusing that these explanations for delays have all just sort of come out of the ether and now we've sort of accepted that there is some sort of sling problem.

As if the Stern factory hasn't had production delays going back several months now.

I do find it odd that there is talk of the LEs going out soon and hardly any Pros are delivered.

Well, all I know is my LE is not here yet, but Pinside be the first to know when it shows up.

"Will follow along right after" to me means after the Pros... which could be on the line for a month. Which is exactly what any of us would have guessed originally.

I did not expect the magna slings to just replicate regular slings. I expected a different effect, and some sort of "ghost ball" effect. So this video seems to be doing exactly that. It will make the game unique which was the whole point. John has said he'd considered them in the past, but this theme opened up the possibility again. I can't wait to play it.

Jared was quoted earlier that he's seen the slings do more than we saw in that video, and here he is saying he's buying a Premium. So, I'm not going to get my titties in a twist over that facebook test video.

You consider the r&d, and the extra programming hours involved, as opposed to a stock kicker.

Then you consider how Star Trek lost the vuk to warp, because the performance wasn't reliable enough.

So, if these mag slings make it to the final game (which looks like they are), then Stern has to be very happy with them.

Like any Stern toy or feature, can always be re-used. But if we ever see them again that means they were successful so that would be good news.

this is the reason.

I suspect doing it this way also gives the programmers an extra couple of weeks before LEs start to get played, to fix the LE code.

I don't understand the hysteria. The LE has been seen and played at a few shows previous to this. The reviews from Germany seemed to be very positive. So to go nuts over a single Premium that was set up at a show seems a little premature. We don't know what factors contributed to the fast games.

When was it set factory?

No, only lump the incomplete games programmed by the "person who will not be named".

I think the game could use a simple 2-ball multiball that is easy to achieve, like turn Scoleri into a 2 ball or something. That would greatly extend a newbie game.

The main multiball does become easier to collect once you understand it better, and basically always shoot that ramp when the green insert is lit.

I believe the goggles replace the ghost insert for that shot. so instead of the insert, a ghost appears. I've seen:

Slimer
Taxi driver
ghost cat
flying fish ghost

I don't think it changes any game play, it's just really cool.

Also I have seen "Super Jackpot" appear there when I hit a jackpot. Sort of like mini-dmd information.