Love my GBLE . Like the theme, the gameplay, the art and the shots

Love specifically:
The steep left ramp
The left captive ball feature
The ecto goggles
The blinding light shows (yes, love them)
The music
The callouts
The artwork/color scheme
The backglass
The "scream"
The reverse flipper mode
The storage facility multib all start
The magna slings
The crazy right corkscrew ramp
The moving slimer toy
The Scoleri brothers
The slime green armor
The cabinet art
The dot matrix animations (extra ball)
The entire integration of "what Ghostbusters is and was as a movie to me has been built under glass" - incredibly immersive!

Didn't like, but now fixed
Outlane wire guides that were easily jumped
Too wide for me flipper gap
Airballs

seems they are hit or miss. Some premiums it's fine, others are not. LIke the ramps are made wrong or warped or something.

Love my Premium. I play far more than any of my other game. I'm planning to tweak it a bit to keep the wife and kids engaged - they currently love it but I can see its a bit frustrating for them.

It's pretty much all been said about this game...either love it or hate. I personally really enjoy it. There are people who hate MM and TZ, both generally hailed as two of the best games ever. Taste is personal in everything.

Don't get hung up on ratings, or the "repetitive/linear" argument. There are three mode ladders that can be started in any order and a total of nine modes. But unlike most games, you don't just get to pick which one you want. You have to hit a specific shot to begin each ladder and each mode in that ladder. Most people play WBTD because it's the easiest to get started. That doesn't mean you always have to start that ladder. I like the left scoop option. That only takes two modes to complete. But you better have a plan to finish it. Good luck starting the second mode if you're not careful about your shots.

GB has very unique modes as well. They're not just 8 ramps or 30 pops or 20 switches. Most of the modes only require 3 to 5 shots. But they are very specific, and if you want to progress up a single ladder it takes planning to put you on the correct shot last. I think it's really difficulty that fuels the repetitive argument.

There are 6 choices on GOT, but how many of us start Martel on every game? How many of us play the right side modes on ST to get super ramps every time (or do you know someone who is different and goes three deep on Nero...every time)? Or Hoth on SW? By that logic all games are repetitive when you play them the same way. If unfettered choice makes a game the best, TH has something like 30 modes, right? That must mean it's the least repetitive game ever made and must be universally loved!

Play it yourself. You'll either love GB or hate it...there's no in between apparently!

This is spot on

GB is a great game that just needs a few tweaks from the factory to make it even better. It has some of the best artwork in all of pinball and it shoots really good. I even like the right ramp being difficult, its meant to be hard but its very makeable if you hit it just right. GB has some of the best sound and call outs in all of pinball too. The game is brutally hard at times and it probably would have been better if it was a little more player friendly but its still not that bad once you get used to it. It forces you to make good shots and actually makes you a better player. GB is not a perfect game but overall it is damn good and im glad to have it in my collection. To those that want to complain about the flipper gap, all i can say is PLAY BETTER!!

How did you find that out?

My crossover ramp works perfectly after installing a shorter hex post. I found that it needs to be pretty short (so the switch lug is less than 1mm above the plastic, as pointed out in the photo). My Coil Pulse Strength = Soft. My incline is 6-1/2 degrees (according to my Craftsman level).

IMG_2279.jpg

Great game...period!

As said many times in this thread, the top 100 and all ratings are manipulated both up and down. Take it with a grain of salt.

Either read up on the basic rules or play the game with someone that knows. I find I need about 20 games with a little instruction to make a judgement.

For example, the first 10 or 20 times I played SW, I thought it was blah. Only after playing with one of my friends and he pointed out the basic goals and rules did I become addicted to it.

GB is no different. With current code, you can't just "shoot the blinky lights and don't drain". You will not get very far and will start many of the same modes and hear many of the same callouts as you start the first mode of each ladder and get nowhere. As someone said earlier, there is strategy with the order in which you finish a mode. If your last shot is the first shot of another ladder, you will complete the current mode and start the next (first) mode of the next ladder, again, getting nowhere.

The call-outs make me laugh, every time. The art is one of the best (the LE armor is disappointing). Gorgeous, well appointed playfield. One of the best, if not THE best multiball starts in pinball. The magnaslings are hilarious to watch. Some of the shot are tight but all are make-able including the right ramp on mine, right out of the box. The game does need some mods to eliminate airballs and cheap drains but after that, it's pure fun and still bolted to the floor.

I've owned the LE since launch. A dream theme for me. It has been a love-hate relationship but mostly love once I settled down and used some strategy to progress through the game. I'll never forget the first time I started "We Came, We Saw, We kicked its A..", such an adrenaline rush!

I still really enjoy my premium, but I made a crucial mod very early- I installed the 'upgrade kit' that adds a center post that hangs down to compensate for the larger gap. Makes the game much more kid and wife friendly.

GB is an example of what happens to a great pin, when the software is not complete and the manufacturer decides not to support the machine, cause there are more lucrative opportunities for the manufacturer.

Every game will not suit every person, so advise you to find one and play if in doubt

that aside, it is a fun game and keeps me coming back.
- theme is awesome
- sounds and music awesome
- full playfield (toys), unique layout which is fun and good to different compared to many games that seem to have repeated features

* some people complain about the ladder modes but on the flip side it keeps you coming back to try and complete the ladders which is a good thing.
* personally not a fan of scoleri brother drops but I am working on an alternative there
* the software / rules could do with some polish but it has been mentioned that stern will be updating this game so hopefully by the end of the year we have a nice update and make the game even better and sure once done colordmd will create a colour dmd for the game and would be sweet.
* a few of the targets create airballs but there are a few solutions now so a non issue

fun game if you are tempted go for it.

Two years in with limited space and mine still stays planted. Is it frustrating sometimes....... yes. But its a option packed full featured game that has a unique layout and toys.

One of Sterns most feature packed games in over a decade. Its also a different style of gameplay and not the typical fan layout

When new code arrives, which it seems Stern has been doing . I feel it will be a staple in my collection for some time to come.

It has a lot of good and bad. I owned an LE for almost a year. I moved it along and haven't missed it a single time.
Art work is great and once you figure out how to play the game, the flipper gap isn't THAT big of deal along with fixing the cheap "over inlane" drains. The sounds and callouts are good, too.
The problem I had was the code. I don't like the ladder code and "strobe the lights as fast as possible all thru the multiballs" type programming. Dwight is my least favorite code designer/programmer and would definitely play a game thoroughly before I'd buy another game he coded.
Plus, the airballs off the ramp targets and drop targets that don't drop, breaking screens, etc. etc. left a bad taste in people's mouths right from the beginning. Hard to change an opinion after the first one.

The top 100 is subjective and a popularity contest. When I first started pinside 6 or 7 years that is when the true top 100 existeted. Now it’s just whatever new game and MM always on top. And IMo I don’t think MM is that great. I own GB and have had close to 20 diff games and have played almost all the top 200 at some point and IMO GB is a great game. But doesn’t deserve its spot.

It suffers from what it could of been vs what it is in people’s eyes and that is the lasting impression.
It is not a bad game. Just could of been the greatest.

Great game! Hands down, prettiest game in pinball. Owned a Premium for ~6 months. Got to the point where I needed a break from the game for a while before I enjoyed it again.

I think the key for GB is that it’s in a collection of other pins. Like the 4th or 5th (minimum).

I will buy a GB again one day, but probably the Pro and mod the hell out of it like I did with my Premium when my collection gets bigger.

maybe I need to use a shorter one. I'll give it a look again and screw with it more

Can't wait to see what you come up with for the Scoleri targets. My main complaint about those is that they are black plastic with a dark decal and no lighting (a design decision that makes me scratch my head). For now, the hack I came up with is to light them up from underneath using long flat lead wedge sockets (insulated with heat-shrink tubing), soldered to the Tony and Nunzio insert sockets. I bent the leads (like a Gumby doll) so 4-LED lamps are aimed up through the playfield at the drop targets.

I really enjoy mine. It's been on location since the launch party and is pretty well liked. Can it be frustrating? Yes, but I'm glad it's not super easy. I have mine set to 1 extra ball at 3 modes and both kickouts go to the left flipper. It plays very fair and players never get hosed by the left kickout.

I'm a fan of the right ladder, but tend to get stuck at Gozer. I try to start Storage Facility with that mode so my odds of finishing it are better. If nothing else, maybe survive for 40 seconds and it'll just time out. The bad thing there is then you have to hit Slimer to light modes again. I think that's the part that trips most players up, again, not super easy.

The video mode argument is tough to get behind. Sure, you finish it and get mid 50 million points. I'll do We Got One, finish it in 3 shots and have 21 million and go right into Spook Central and lock it in for 15.6m most of the time. I'm about to beat your best video mode score, continue rolling through valuable modes, and you now have to go to town on Slimer. If I drain, I'm trying for lighting the multipliers because I'm either in a mode of have them lit. What does a video mode player do on ball 2? It's the Little King's beginner strategy for a reason.

Have I scored 7 million on GB? Many times. Have I scored a billion+ before? Quite a few times. The scoring is hugely imbalanced, but getting a hold of the game and breaking into the billions is an amazing ride. Coming back from a certain defeat by getting into and rocking the sh!t out of Stay Puft for a last ball last player victory is an amazing feeling.

The game is exciting. It screams "TRY ME" and will beat you down from time to time, but when you hook a monster hold on for the ride!

Also shave down the blue nub as small as you can go to just stop it from the ball doing damage.

It definitely make the shot repeatable.

Iceman, we finally agree on something again, lol. Right on! I hope the upcoming code update takes GB to the next level.

So, is there anything that could be included in the final updated version that would turn the haters here to lovers? Or is there more to your dislike than the code?

I think it depends on how radically Stern wants to alter the underlying gameplay (considering the fact that you can't change the playfield). What can they do to alleviate the most common complaints....

1) Repetitive ("I have to play WBTD all the time...blah, blah, blah") - Are they going to introduce a "select your mode at the plunge" system, like every other game? This just means everyone will select Spooked Librarian now because they can jump into the shortest ladder. It's not repetitive anymore!

2) Linear ("I never get to play Stay-Puft, because I can't get that far") - Now that everyone gets a freebie with SL as the first mode, WCWS... is going to be a pretty lame "mini wizard mode" when you get it almost every game and usually on the first ball. So, the ladder system has to be scrapped. Maybe they'll make the mini-wizard mode kick in after finishing any 4 modes, like every other game. It's not linear anymore!

3) Bad Layout (...airballs...inlanes...pop ups...slimer...) - With the modes being selectable and the ladder system dead, we can't keep having to start new modes with that clunky slimer mech. Make the right scoop the new mode start...single shot, simple and just like every other game! New players will figure it out, even though there's not an insert on the pf because everyone knows - "scoops start modes". It's not a bad layout anymore!

Sorry for the sarcastic rant, but I don't think the haters can be converted. The airballs, right ramp, pop-ups, and inlanes are easily dialed in, but it doesn't matter. Those still come up in Pro/Con lists. Unless the playfield layout/inserts become meaningless, a code update can't change the basic gameplay. Then again, I'm no software engineer. So, I'll just keep playing and see what happens!

Play better

Hoping for just that Panzer! Take it from really really good to great.

Those lines were my attempt at conveying the arguments of GB haters. I must have failed....

It's always tough to turn a hater into a lover. In general though, here are my thoughts. The Ecto Goggles could be better integrated (it's too much of a nothing-burger right now). The red inserts in the outlanes need to be relevant (maybe part of a proton-stream feature, a chance to get your ball back, or something). Are You a God is still missing, right (I've never gotten that far)? Maybe some tweaks to increase ball times and/or make things easier (but make them OPTIONAL settings). When the code is finished, I wouldn't be surprised if full ColorDMD colorization follows at some point.

i've already done that. I cut off about 1/8". That did help open it up a bit.

One of my top themes in pinball. I even made a custom Ghostbusters pin from a Flash Gordon years ago, which I still have. I was initially blown away by all the features on this game and ordered a Premium. It seemed like a no brainer for me. By the end of the first year, even after installing all of the fixes and adjustments, I had completely lost interest. I agree with the criticism of the code. It's unbalanced and repetitive, and there's not nearly enough quotes and sounds from the movie. But I also started to feel like most of the shots weren't very satisfying. I detested the magna-slings as they are too random to have so close to the flippers. That's just my feelings on it. A few of my friends really liked it and were sad to see it go.

No you did fine. I was just trying to be funny and act like Steve Ritchie. I cant really tell people to play better when i need to play better myself but i still do anyway.

This thread has inspired me to fire up Ghostbusters! Once again, I'm finding some solid enjoyment with this game. It really is a good game.

Can't wait for the new code and impending ColorDMD!

I hope with the new code they can make those red inserts more useful - staying lit permanently for a feature: like proton beams, reverse flippers as have another mod idea.

I would like to see if you collected gear there were some game play benefits

Game just isn’t enjoyable to play. Full stop.

I always thought GB was a fun pin to play. The wider than normal gap between the flippers doesn't bother me as much as others. I think it's another great Trudeau pin. Most likely his last after recent events in his life. I don't get the hate for GB and I don't understand the love for Iron Maiden either......so I guess I'm on opposite ends of the spectrum for both of those pins.

Fun when it comes to pinball machines is subjective, as everyone likes different things. Admittedly, GB seems more polarizing when it comes to "fun" than a lot of other machines. Personally I have fun playing it and would like to add one to my gameroom in the future.

Both my wife & I really detested GB at locations and would have no part of them, didn't even care to read anything about them in the threads, didn't troll and make an issue out of it. The flipper gap, the unfair design that if you didn't hit a shot/ramp correctly it would drain 90% of the time, both scoops popping the ball SDTM, air balls, and balls jumping over into the out lanes was just a waste to put money into the machines. We keep giving it a try at shows (free play) as we like the theme and look of it, and early on would just laugh at it, turn to each other and say "Stern!" at the same time and move on to the next pin. Lately it seems that people have figured out how to fix those issues as the scoops don't send it SDTM much anymore, and mods fix some of the air ball issues. We have played some with longer flippers and some with the center drain post on the plastic protectors. With either of those installed, it is more fun for us. We are starting to be interested more in the premium as (for some unknown reason) it seems less unfair by design than the pro and more fun. We almost bought a premium last month for a decent price and we were going to give it a shot to try to learn it more, give it a good effort in a home environment with things tweaked correctly, and if the game didn't keep growing on us, we would just sell it. Someone beat us to buying that pin. So ... yes ... some of us early haters can be converted, and for us it is still a work in progress. We bought a different pin, but maybe this fall we will look at this one again - premium only. Just our opinions, and we know others disagree. I may have to start to read GB threads (like I did this one).

When I got my le a month or so ago, it was literally unplayable. I have no idea how the previous owner played it. Airballs galore, sdtm from left scoop, ball jumps in outlanes. I fixed all of it and the pin plays great, it's very challenging and games can be a minute or they can be 7 or 8 minutes. A forthcoming code update will hopefully fix some of the linearity. I didn't think the game would last as I took it in trade for my wozrr with an intention to sell it fast, but it's still here with no intent to let it go right now. I can easily see how the game got a bad rap if the issues I saw prevalent at release, I'd be really pissed if I bought nib with them.

I had played this a bunch about 6-8 months ago at a friends house before he modded and did the normal fixes. I found the game to be visually beautiful and jam packed with things to do, however the game-play was all over the place. A month ago I played a modded premium that had all the fixes done to perfection and the game played perfectly. I ended up going home and searching for a premium. That week I ended up buying ( on here ) a modded premium for my collection and my family has been very happy with the game. It gets more plays right now than anything else. I do notice that the code, as discussed here previously, needs to be addressed to get this game to the next level. I anticipate Stern will really put some effort into that before 2019. All in all we enjoy the game and hopefully.....like many other highly anticipated Stern's before it, the code will be addressed.

Great game, just not for everyone.

Been loving it for the 3 weeks it has been in my house. For me, it is a game of reflexes, ball handling skills, deliberate shots, and nudging. Spent the first week tuning based on the Ghostbusters Issue thread, and it has made this pin an excellent addition to my lineup.

My thanks to the many that had to endure through all these trials and tribulations to quantify and document these adjustments. *raises glass*

I got a briefly routed GB Premium when I sold 5 classic 90's games. I wanted some short shots,lots of toys, good callouts with some humor, and great art like on the games I was selling. My game has the plastic shield above the outlanes that has a center pin. I have no airballs and I enjoy the center pin, especially trying to nudge the ball off it. I might have done the carrot flippers instead, but I really never minded the flipper gap and droopy flippers at the events I've played at. My right ramp works fine but is a tough shot that I usually find accidentally. I find the lack of a score display and ball count at the end of a ball annoying.
What no one has talked about is how much fun it is to just shoot the flashing lights and set it on ten balls and easy. Sobriety optional. I haven't wanted to learn the rules 'cause I have so damn much fun just flailing on this game. That's a crazy light show you get somewhere around five billion. Gonna have to do that again tonight. My other games are getting lonesome. I guess I'll learn the rules when they fix the problems that bug the rest of you guys so much.

Absolutely. On paper this game has everything. And looking at it, before you play it, it has everything. But for me, it just wasn’t fun to play. Not sure code can change it - maybe. I’d give it another go if there was a major code update, but can’t see them giving it any more than polish.

I've heard Judge Dredd often described the same way. Oddly... well, maybe not oddly... both JT games. LOL

all has been said...

GB is a good & fun pinball, despite the fact you have to tweak it
(as YOU will enjoy it, because yes, from factory its a hard one to play) : carrot flippers or center post
(and frustrating) anti airball plastics, on the outlanes, but also over the 2 targets at the ramp entry

if you're a lambda player, code will be ok & enough as it, else it need for sure polishing

Love my JT designed Gold Wings

Well, yeah... I love my Creech too

I got a premium a couple weeks ago and it's pretty rough out of the box. After playing it a bit and tweaking it a lot I think it's great. I did tap the lane dividers up to .700", closed the inlanes, and lowered the right ramp 3/8". Between those and turning the coil power down to low(can still backhand the left ramp), all of the issues except for airballs which I'm still waiting on a plastic to arrive for, have been solved. The outlanes weren't too bad really, but being on location that helped make up for the excessive amount of center drains. My only real complains at this point are minor code things, like adding a 2 second ball save after mass hysteria that puts you back in single ball play.