(Topic ID: 336889)

Williams Congo or Stern Game of Thrones Pro?

By TheNecromancer

10 months ago


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#1 10 months ago

Not really sure where this question belongs but I'm interested in these two games and have never played either. I'm looking at GOT Pro or Congo. Both trade for similar money. Novice player, less than a year in the hobby. Wondering if some of you have owned/ played both and curious which you would prefer?

#2 10 months ago

Have played both and would take Congo all day. And I really like both games! Congo just has more interesting shots and better theme integration. I like GOT rules but feel it is definitely an example of Stern going cheap on playfield features.

#3 10 months ago

I own both and prefer Congo due to its fun features. Game of thrones is great as well, but doesn't have many mechanisms and is more for tournament play.

#4 10 months ago

A volcano that erupts with pinballs in multi ball, a talking nice gorilla that rewards you with diamonds, and a mean mini playfield gorilla that you get to defeat over and over - how can it not be Congo?
-gb

#5 10 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:

Not really sure where this question belongs but I'm interested in these two games and have never played either. I'm looking at GOT Pro or Congo. Both trade for similar money. Novice player, less than a year in the hobby. Wondering if some of you have owned/ played both and curious which you would prefer?

If it was GoT Prem, GoT all day long. But if it's GoT Pro, I say go to Congo.

#6 10 months ago

Congo is one of the best pins for novice players. Loads of fun. Very satisfying shots. A bit easy for advanced players.

#7 10 months ago
Quoted from IdahoRealtor:

Congo is one of the best pins for novice players. Loads of fun. Very satisfying shots. A bit easy for advanced players.

+1. Congo is very fun to shoot and lots of fun modes. Gameplay is kind of random and not much of an end goal to work towards. Think of it as a nice casual game to shoot around. Great game but not sure it's worth the current asking prices. GOT seems to be the complete opposite. Lots of strategy and more serious gameplay. Decent game but there is a bunch of other Stern games I would prefer.

#8 10 months ago

Shouldn't sway you if you're determined to be patient, but good to note that it will be easier to find a GoT than a Congo.

Congo is one of the lowest run members of the Pinside 100. From memory, No Good Golfers and Quicksilver have lower numbers but Congo is likely bottom 5 in terms of units in circulation.

You might be able to buy a GoT and enjoy it during the time you wait to find a Congo in the condition you're looking for.

Good luck with either!

#9 10 months ago

Thanks for all the great advice!

I've got to try to find one on location so I can give it a try. I know the movie got poor reviews but I actually liked it and therefore am drawn to the theme.

#10 10 months ago

As far as theme goes I would pick GOT but for pinball play it’s Congo. My wife always loved playing Congo at Pinball Shows and locations. We finally found a nice machine for sale a few hours away and she now insists it’s bolted to the floor. One of a very select few that she insisted she wanted and purchased on her own.

#11 10 months ago

I thought FOR SURE this would swing hard in GOT's favor with everyone who loves the depth of rules and variety that comes with picking your house. I was missing Congo recently. Reading all this only makes me more happy I just bought my old Congo back and and am spending some time and money fixing it up even more into a fine player.

When you're looking to have fun with a great layout and not get angry that you drained just as you were about to get to XYZ, Congo has been the best game I've owned so far for that feel-good play experience. Sounds like they were parted out back in the day and enough people like them now that they command more price than some ever thought this little game could!

#12 10 months ago

Easy choice, Congo all day long! GoT isn't even a good game imo.

#13 10 months ago

Look out for the Hippos!

#14 10 months ago

I consider GOT pro to be one of the best games of all time and Congo to be not bad, but far from great. It’s blowing my mind that this is so one sided towards a very average game. Different strokes I guess.

#15 10 months ago

Congo for me

#16 10 months ago
Quoted from jitneystand1:

I consider GOT pro to be one of the best games of all time and Congo to be not bad, but far from great. It’s blowing my mind that this is so one sided towards a very average game. Different strokes I guess.

Sounds like it may be an easier game for casual / new players, which friends and i are. GOT looks cool too!

#17 10 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:

Sounds like it may be an easier game for casual / new players, which friends and i are. GOT looks cool too!

Looks can be deceiving

#18 10 months ago

I’m also shocked that the feedback is heavy towards Congo, when I would’ve predicted it the other way around. For me, GOT all day.

I only have ~10-15 games on a Congo, so I’m probably missing something. GOTpro is one of the most played games in our collection.

#19 10 months ago

HIPPOS!!!!!!!!

Congo all day. I owned a GoT Pro, snd I'm telling you Congo. Way, way more fun.

#20 10 months ago

Own GOT LE and Congo.

Congo is more fun.

#21 10 months ago

GOT pro is barren but complex
Congo is nostalgic and cool, but out of the 30+ I’ve had, it’s the EASIEST by far

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#22 10 months ago

I think you have to look at it in context.
Congo is more fun than GOT.
If I’m on location I would rather play Congo.
If I had a medium or large collection I would rather have a Congo.
Right now it shows you have 1 pin, a Stern Pirates. Great game. But for only 2 pins I would pick GOT as a second one over Congo for the depth it offers both in more complex code but also the ability to play as different houses. This allows you to attack the game in different ways and keeps it fresh. Either way you’ll have a second pin and you’ll have double the fun you are having now! I remember when I got my second pin, I put them on opposite sides of the basement and would turn them both on and go back and forth between them every game, or sometimes my wife would play one while I played the other then we would switch back and forth. Only thing better than 2 pins is…well 3 pins… but you will get there eventually!

#24 10 months ago

After you've played a lot of pinball, you appreciate the charms of a well made, direct game like Congo.

Want a solid, fun game that plays as good as Data East Jurassic Park? Congo is the best Data East game Williams ever made!

But the rule sets of Game of Thrones are unlike any other game.

And I'd give the edge to Game of Thrones. I think that a decade from now we'll still be talking about it's unique take on what pinball can be.

#25 10 months ago
Quoted from PinRetail:

Congo is the best Data East game Williams ever made!

LOL

#27 10 months ago

Game of Thrones pro. I wanted to like Congo but I bounced off of it, nothing really hooked me and I found it more annoying than charming. There's a lot more GOT media coming down the pipeline so that theme is going to stay relevant and fun to return to.

#28 10 months ago

Congo for me
I’m happy there’s one I can play at a friends house if I have the itch but the multiplier factor doesn’t excite me as much as I thought it would

#29 10 months ago

Congo for me. I need this game back in my collection!

#30 10 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:

Thanks for all the great advice!
I've got to try to find one on location so I can give it a try. I know the movie got poor reviews but I actually liked it and therefore am drawn to the theme.

I picked up a used Congo 10 years ago and sent it off to Bryan Kelly for a full restoration. That is one of the smartest pinball moves that I have made as the game looks and plays perfectly.

Like you, I am one of the few people who actually liked the movie and I feel the same way about the pin. It is a challenge to find one in really nice condition, but once you do it is well worth it.

I have played GOT maybe 10-12 times and it is also a fun game, but for me the Congo theme hooked me ever since I saw the movie when it originally came out in 1995.

Gord

#31 10 months ago
Quoted from Ribs:

There's a lot more GOT media coming down the pipeline so that theme is going to stay relevant and fun to return to.

That's the beauty of the older pins. Theme relevance isn't an issue. They're just plain fun and always will be.

#32 10 months ago
Quoted from Guinnesstime:

GOT pro is barren but complex
Congo is nostalgic and cool, but out of the 30+ I’ve had, it’s the EASIEST by far

This^^^

GOT Pro is the way to go without the novelty upper. GOT Pro is one of the deepest coded modern Stern games and the different paths and strategies make it never get old. Do you like playing 'chess'- then GOT Pro is your game. Nailing tight shots with great flow is bliss as you advance your houses.

Congo is also awesome but not sure I would recommend for a small collection. I think it would get stale quickly by itself. The lower is a novelty but still fun and the layout is fun to shoot.

My vote is GOT Pro for a small collection for the depth factor

#33 10 months ago
Quoted from GRB1959:

I picked up a used Congo 10 years ago

Sounds like you have had a good amount of time with that minty Congo and it is time to pass it along to a good friend

#34 10 months ago

Spent $40 on an Uber to go to a pinball bar that advertised having Congo and they didn't even have the game. I need to start calling first. Putting to much faith in the Pinside map.

#35 10 months ago

Definitely a lot of outdated stuff there. I did the same for a Lebowski, drive 45min and they pulled it out two years ago. Call first indeed!

#36 10 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:

Spent $40 on an Uber to go to a pinball bar that advertised having Congo and they didn't even have the game. I need to start calling first. Putting to much faith in the Pinside map.

Use pinballmap.com, you can see the last time the location was updated.

#game-of-thrones code means you will be able to play the game so many different ways with different objectives for a long time. The drawback to GoT is the node 0 isn't available so in the unlikely event you need to replace the main PCB you can't currently get one.

Congo is a good game but it's going to get old fast. We had both at the Buffalo Billiards location where I ran a league. I'm not even a very good player and I saw everything there was to see in Congo after playing it maybe a hundred times.

#37 10 months ago
Quoted from YeOldPinPlayer:

Use pinballmap.com, you can see the last time the location was updated.
Game Of Thrones (Pro) code means you will be able to play the game so many different ways with different objectives for a long time. The drawback to GoT is the node 0 isn't available so in the unlikely event you need to replace the main PCB you can't currently get one.
Congo is a good game but it's going to get old fast. We had both at the Buffalo Billiards location where I ran a league. I'm not even a very good player and I saw everything there was to see in Congo after playing it maybe a hundred times.

I think I'd be ok with that as I'm really not very good and the games don't see much use, especially in summer months. Id say averaging less than once a week. In a years time I have certainly not finished Pirates and only have a high score of 77 million so I can say comfortably that I suck. lol And I believe people say POTC is an easy game as well. I currently have 3 games (I need to update my profile) POTC, Stern JP P and a High Speed. Congo (or GOT) would replace High Speed. Only have room for 3 unless we give up something else. Someday Congo would go in favor of LOTR.

#38 10 months ago

This thread really has me happy about lucking up on a great shooting players condition Congo earlier this year. After I shop it out it's gonna be even better. Cab will st be faded, but I play in the dark anyway

Personally though, I'm picking the B/W machine over the Stern machine 8 days of the week, regardless of almost any matchup.

#39 10 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:

Spent $40 on an Uber to go to a pinball bar that advertised having Congo and they didn't even have the game. I need to start calling first. Putting to much faith in the Pinside map.

We can’t fit all of our WPC’s on the floor at same time. They get rotated

2 weeks later
#40 9 months ago

Picked up a Congo this past Saturday. Haven't had a chance to get it set up but it's a really nice example. Excited to have it and appreciate everyone's feedback in this thread!

#41 9 months ago

Excellent choice. Congrats on finding a nice example that quick, I don’t see them for sale often. I hope it gives you the itch for wanting more B/W machines!

#42 9 months ago

Congo for sure

#43 9 months ago
Quoted from TheNecromancer:Picked up a Congo this past Saturday. Haven't had a chance to get it set up but it's a really nice example. Excited to have it and appreciate everyone's feedback in this thread!

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