My personal opinion...
Jurassic Park Premium,.

Welcome to Pinside

I cant stop playing JP, seriously!
It is so much fun, so many shots , great code.
I owned GB premium, and I liked it but JP takes it for sure.

That's Probably the order I would put them in:

1) JP
2) GB
3) SW

Gameplay a more important than theme, so I would focus on that.

Star wars is one of my favorite themes...im a HUGE FAN...but it is the worst of the 3, and it's not even close. Ghostbusters is a great game, but a lot of people are divided with the code, sling kickbacks, and wide middle drain. JP is pretty much universally loved.

Check out the top 100 on pinside and look at the reviews, pics, etc.

Jurassic Park Premium gets my vote.

Go Jurassic Park
Elwin for President 2020

I used to fret over decisions like this but after years and years of pinball buying and selling, I realized at some point I was going to get all the games I wanted - just owning them at different times.

I keep 2-3 games at a time due to money and space limitations and rotate through when I get tired of them (which I always do at some point).

So assume eventually you’ll have all three of these games to play as much as you want. Buy whichever one is the best deal now or in the best condition. Don’t overpay from the start, so when you go to sell, you won’t lose too much money.

Of course if you are a big collector of games, this selling of games may not apply to you as much.

Enjoy whatever game you get!

Jurassic Park
Star Wars
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Ghostbusters

JP. Close this thread.

Premium Dude !

For me personally, I'd get the pro. I don't care about the moving toy, and the pro plays great. The money you save over the premium can be a nice start to fund your next game.

Better to get what you really want, than wonder if you should have .
I have the Pro and it is awesome/ with shaker, but you specifically asked about premium.

Guys what are all the upgrades on Premium?

JP

JP all day but consider the pro to save money for next pin. Premium features are always nice but feel like the pro delivers almost exactly the same game play experience. With money saved, look for a good deal on a used SW or GB down the road.

Owned all 3.
Personally I like SW better than JP, but they're both winners. GB is a bag of shit and the quickest I've dumped a game. Hear the code is better now, but no thanks on that.
SW multiplier system is totally unique, so make sure you're interested in that first
Personally I go pros, but if you got the cash you could try a prem.

I’ve played all three and I think JP is the best of the bunch. I find SW to be a bit frustrating. Great theme, sub par execution. I know there is a flipper gap issue with GB, but it really hasn’t caused me much of a problem and I’ve had a lot of fun playing it. So for me, it goes:

JP
GB
SW

Buy all 3. That will solve your decision making. You'll sure to look for a 2nd and 3rd game anyway within a year.

JP Premium - the moving T Rex, Raptor Pen, spinning helicopter, and stronger art package make the upgrade attractive if funds allow.

I would choose JP Premium above the others. I am a Star Wars fan (and own the Data East version) but do not enjoy Stern Star Wars at all. Ghostbusters would be my second choice.

I’m usually a pro guy, but JP premium is the way to go.

I own a SW Premium and love it! Lots of risk vs. reward in running the shot multiplier up and then shooting strategically to cash in.

I've played a JP LE on route a bunch and it's ... okay. Not a big fan of the theme, but the T-Rex is cool. If I bought one, I'd definitely get at least a Premium.

Ghostbusters? Blech. Not in love with the theme (like many others seem to be) and have found it to be frustrating to play.

I’ve owned them all and the most bang for the buck is by far Star Wars pro. Code and shots are so good... fantastic theme integration... I had so much fun on that thing! Upgraded to premium and while the hyper loop is amazing the pro shoots better and looking back probably preferred it.

A used SW Pro is what I’d do if I wanted to save some cash... JP prices will go down a bit over time and there will be plenty of them available.

All great pins but to me SW premium is the best.

I prefer GB premium too,

SW premium
JP premium
GB premium

It's interesting that people seem to be coming around on Star Wars.

I think it's a great game. I'd rather have one of those than JP or GB, but you really can't go wrong with JP.

Ghostbusters isn't so hot in my opinion.

JP premium

STAR WARS PREMIUM all the way , esp for home use . You’ll never get bored with the speed and the deep modes/missions/characters
I still can’t walk away , always looking forward to one more game .
( owned IM premium and played JP )

probably agree with this. I really love my SW comic premium though. The premium really is awesome for that game. But JP seems to be near the top of everyones list now(including mine in a few months when I add a premium). Good luck and welcome to pinball ownership!

If you’re looking at GB compared to those games, you have to be looking at a premium, not a pro. GB is definitely a model where the premium is in a different league then the pro. JP is a great game as well but if you like the Ghostbusters movie, you won’t go wrong with a GB Premium either.

GB is getting way too much hate. I think a lot of folks probably played it with the shit code and never got a chance to play with the final god-tier code.
It’s a completely different game.

As for Star Wars? The best version of a SW machine was made about 29 years ago by DE and Sega made the second best. After the movie clip nostalgia wears off you just have a terrible, uninspired layout and a clunky-ass game. I’ve played it a bunch and it’s just meh.

JP is fun. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it but it’s enjoyable and the layout is really unique. Theme integration is almost nonexistent. It’s basically a generic Dino game with a completely different story.
The layout of JP is really cool and both very similar to Stern’s Iron Maiden but also completely different. It’s very fun.

I was playing my Seawitch a few days ago and the layout of the loops and shots on JP really reminded me of it. It’s like a mini Seawitch on the right and the an entirely different beast added on the upper left.

So yeah I’d say JP is a good choice, and GB Premium is also a great game WITH the final code.
Star Wars is meh, if you want SW theme buy the 90’s machines.

You may be right - but it is really hard to recommend GB over JP. (really really hard)

It never had shit code. It STILL has a poor layout. Man this might be my least favorite stern to simply shoot.

Dwight and Ritchie are my favorite stern team. They go together like lamb and tuna fish. Haha

I love GB and couldn't disagree more.

Different strokes for different folks. Just because it isn't your cup of tea doesn't mean it isnt a good game.

Yup, goes the other way too.

I owned SW pro for a lot longer than I though I would. Because it’s a very good game. If you love SW, the theme integration with the LCD is outstanding. I think the premium would be best for the extra features. The pro is barren playfield wise. But the rules are great, the shots are great, it’s fast and challenging. And it’s STAR WARS!

The other games are good too. Pick what your gut tells you to so. Sell when your done, and buy one of the others! That’s how he hobby works!

Nope, sorry - it has been scientifically proven that GB is a sucky game.

Out of the three, go with Jurassic Park premium.

If I owned GB, I would pay someone to take it off my hands. Ugh. Biggest swing and miss for me in the 8-9 years I've been doing this now (buying and collecting....not playing).

JP absolutely.

I find the questions on best games x,y,z fun to read. You get the varying takes on each of the games listed usually by the die hard fans and the haters. Someone loves a game while someone hates the very same game. Good thing there are so many to pick from. I laugh at the top 100 shout outs seeing the newest game always fly to the top only to fall in the list after some time because they just aren't as good as the 1st reaction just because it's new. For example just look at the games only made prior to 2000 you see in the list these are really the top games that after 20+ years they still hold a high ranking. Not to say some of the newer games can't get there but only time will tell. My suggestion is play all 3 games a dozen times plus and at different locations. Some games are just setup wrong and they suck because of if.

The good news is which ever one you buy and possibly end up hating will not be hard to sell again just don't overpay. No fun in losing money on a game you don't enjoy.

Never said it was a bad game. Said the layout was bad. GB is a good game thanks to Dwight.

Jurassic Park Premium for sure, the flow and satisfaction when you nail the combos is INSANE!

JP Premium goes on my short list after this is all over.
Quite a game - and Stern seems to be adding well coded added features, so far.

Great game...tons to do, and tough enough.

Difference being I never said the other games weren't good.

The slime in here has been exposed to lots of negative energy.

IMAG9635 (resized).jpg

JP Premium. Hands down the best in your list.

I honestly don’t get this one. So the physical layout is bad but the coding makes up for it? I don’t see how coding could fix a bad game. But I understand how BAD coding can break a good game!

For the record I didn’t recommend GB over JP. JP is super new and it was fun when I played it! They’re both great Sterns. I would like to see JP age a little more so the hype dies down and we get some real feedback.

You understood me correctly.

I actually really liked GB when it first came out. Probably would of bought one if I had the money. However, the more I played it the more it wore thin. Gameplay felt more like fighting the game over cheap drains and bad geometry than having fun. Every game I played seem to have a different problem and scoring was unbalanced. Even owners admit you have to "dial" it in to get it right. Not Stern's worst but far from their best.