Holy crap....just move into your friends house. We just picked up a GB and love it.

To each his own. Most, if not all the players in our league think GB pro is garbage. BM66 is slightly better. TWD, Aerosmith, GOT are all fine games.

Play them all. Your friend has an awesome collection. Keep playing them all and you could change your mind on what you like. My wife loves.. loves loves our GBLE. We have had it for a year and she still plays it nearly every day. I love TWDLE. If you buy one and after a while still do not like it.. Sell it and go again. Sparky (Metallica) says when he likes things.. Again! Going forward we are putting playfield protectors on every machine. We love them.

I would not be too concerned about all the "supposed issues" with Stern quality. Ask your friend if he has any "quality issues" with his machines. Stern and our distro have always resolved any issues we have had.

Happy Flipping!

You have a very nice B/W collection already, so adding a few Sterns will really round out the fun. Agree with above, just move into friends house. If you have a chance to return and play a few more hours, ask why he enjoys the ones you didn't. Try them all again and see if your opinion on any changes. If not, no problem, but you could be surprised. Your comment about not knowing if AS is shallow for your taste tells me you need to play more before pulling the trigger. Report back if AS and GB are still at the top of your list.

IM takes some serious game time before you appreciate it. I did not care for it at first...at all. Now it's one of my all time favorites.

You have to really figure out GOT's rules to appreciate that one.

That being said it sounds like you should go for AS and GB.

Not deep. Just brutally cheap gameplay and linear modes makes it seem "challenging". Do you like playing the same modes in the exact same order every time? Every game will start with "Who brought the dog" or "We got one". If advancing through modes like linear video game levels every time doesn't bother you, you may like it.

I have had my GB premium since November and still love it. Huge "one more game" factor, just like you mentioned. Many are still hoping for another code update, but the game is a blast to play, as is.

I almost divorced my wife when she told me she didn't like IM.

I can be of no help here, but good luck with your decision.

Agreed! I have one coming next month. Very fun pin. The GB pro is also fun.

If you get Ghostbusters, get the Premium. The extras are well worth it!

Gb pro and bm66 aren't even on the same planet in my opinion. Gb is a great game. Bm66 is not even really much of a game.

OP,
Resist the urge. Too many quality issues with recent sterns. I don't think you'll be happy with your "investment" unless you have cash to burn.

Playfield/Clearcoat issues
Poor quality cabinet joints
defective node boards

You answered your own question in your post - obviously GB is the game for you!

Some of your opinions are too quick to judgment IMO - AS Premium mini-playfield isn't boring at all - you have to realize how it fits into the rules. Without that understanding it's easy to come to a conclusion as you did. Just an FYI. I would pick AS Premium over GB - but you obviously really clicked with GB and it's a great game too - just make sure you make a few mods to cut down on the airballs, lane hops and maybe deal with the flipper gap.

I say none. You seem to have too many New sterns already. change it up and start exploring the open old world of pinball.

Stop judging people. Who appointed you anything of anything?

just hate seeing people stay close minded.

Why? How does it affect you and your life? Let people like what they like. You do you.

"Closed Minded"...lol ...don't turn pinball into a religion...you're not Pinball Pope.

Are you sure you like stern games? Haha. Looks like you only mentioned two that you liked. I'd get AS and GB then.

because I hate to see people miss out on the other enjoyable fruits the pinball world can offer, from many other manufacturers and many other decades of enjoyment. DMD snobs usually don't see the light until years down the road, after they have played every DMD on the planet over and over again, do they finally broaden their horizons and explore the world of pinball in a more open minded outlook.

YOUR views on pinball variety are irrelevant to the thread!! The guy wants to buy some new games! Do you go into EM threads and tell them to be more open minded and buy some DMD games? Do you go on Nintendo message boards and tell everyone to stop playing the Switch and to get some Gameboy games!? FFS....

Don't buy into all the quality issue hype, if there are any remaining issues it's cabinet quality. All those previous issues have been resolved as long as you buy a new pin, not an old stock NIB. I bought 4 NIB sterns in the last 3 months and have no issues. the cabinets are the only questionable issue, and I hate to say it but if you have concern you can beef the cabs up with brackets on the inside. My pins are on route and holding up well.

yes....yes I do.

Whoa Nellie?

Looks like Rare needs a new avatar...

I'd get banned if I used that one ....

you could blur it out so it's there...but isn't.

I forgot to mention...
Another satisfied GBP owner here.
As long as your vendor of choice gets you one made after mid-October you should be good to go DEN.
(I hear the latest run has the flippers FINALLY set correctly...)

Plus you have myself, Neo, and many others here that can walk you through what needs to be done to make GB a more enjoyable experience without the need of POTC sized sneeze-guard plastics.

They are all fun. GB and Aerosmith are my favorites now. Also like Iron Man And Mustang a lot. Batman66 will be great in time. Go with GB for sure. So cool.

I have a Pro. Not a huge difference between the models except for cosmetics.

- Premium/LE has real kickback on left lane, Pro has virtual kickback.
- premium/LE has a VUK to the habitrails from the left mode start Hole, pro just kicks the ball out.

Can't think of any other differences in playing the machine.

rd

Like rd said, the gameplay is almost the same. There are subtle differences, and the LE is stunning. The biggest difference is the lights. On the prem/LE models all the inserts are color changers. On the Pro, just the main shots are color changers. But as far as play goes, they are pretty close. Plus it's a great game no matter which version you have.

Would highly recommend GB Premium. I received my game last week and it's been working perfectly. This game is an absolute blast to play and is filled with a lot of unique features and shots.

20170519_072422 (resized).jpg

Not having a go ... but where are the "unique shots"?

I don't think GB has anything shot wise that we haven't seen before.

The only new things GB brings to the table are cheap drains, massive crazy air balls and a pretty stink ruleset.

Signed, RareHero.

Whoops .... rd

I would take those sun glasses off if you can't see that GB has unique shots compared to traditional fan layout games, lol.

GB premium. Best game. It's my wife's favorite. Awesome ....it's a have to play one more game everytime!!!!!

I have a lot of games that aren't fan layouts. Probably 80-100 of my games are not fan layouts, pulling a number out off my ass ... so I think I can safely put my sunglasses back on.

rd

Actually, the more I think about it, that's one of the most ludicrous comebacks I've ever heard.

Who compared it to a "fan game" in the first place? Not me.

Name one unique shot?

Left orbit - standard
Right orbit - standard
Ramp - standard
Left Captive ball - standard position (see MM catapult, MB creature lane, Sopranos fish, blah blah blah.
Roll overs. Standard.
Pops. Standard.
I'm getting sick of typing standard.

Glad you like your new toy, but to promote it as some sort of new bastion of pinball shotmaking is misguided, at best.

rd

I never promoted Ghostbusters as a bastion of pinball shotmaking. I said it has unique shots and features, that's all and I was attacked for it...

Every shot has been done in pinball but Ghostbusters incorpates its shots and features in unique ways. I don't see any other game that has 2 scoop shots, 2 captive ball shots (one with a 3 ball lock feature), subway ramp with ball lock + scoop eject, crazy tight right ramp, etc. You listed a bunch of standard features but from multiple games, that just proves my point.

Ghostbusters is pure pinball fun

I love this game!

original (resized).jpg

Right ramp on the pro travels up the return from the left ramp and then back down. Kind of a unique feature but it just isn't implemented well. I don't think it's the layout that kills this game. It's the code.

id just buy one NIB game, play that and enjoy
none of those games are going to drop in price soon, so if you want to sell later , you won't loose much $$$

then in 6 months, then buy your second NIB game

TWD and AS
Owned/own both and I never get tired of playing them.

TWD gets better the more you play it. I originally was reluctant with my purchase, but after a short time I really appreciated the game play. It became "go to" game for my friends and I.

AS is new, so it's the honeymoon stage now, but I have to say I'm having a great time with it.

1. Jump the right inlane guide drain shot
2. Jump the left inlane guide drain shot

What do I win?

GB premium, Love the game, figured it would be my favorite for a long. Got Aerosmith Pro, and love that game more then GB.

Most of my friends that come over like Metallica more then GB, but they all like Aerosmith more then Met or GB.

The respect of all.

The best airball I ever got on GB was: ball hits ramp standups, flies through the air, lands perfectly in the shooter lane like a fresh ball! Never seen anything like it.

rd

Nope, exact opposite. I have a STLE that I think I'm going to trade or sell and get the ST Pro. The extra cost of premium/LE is not worth it as far as game play. I'd rather have the extra money from a premium/LE and get another pin with it. I think I enjoy playing the pro a little better honestly.