Silverball guide · Ghostbusters · written on a Pro
Six times everything
Ghostbusters will take your ball faster than almost anything else on the floor. The answer is not shooting more accurately, it is multiplying before you collect.
UK Machine Record
Ghostbusters
Stern · 2016 · at 12 UK venues.
12
UK venues
12
machines mapped
#13
most-located of 246
2016
released
Dot matrix4 playersSolid state
DesignJohn Trudeau
ArtJeremy Packer, Steven Martin, Dave Link
SoftwareDwight Sullivan, Corey Stup, Mike Kyzivat, Tanio Klyce, Lonnie D. Ropp
Editions in the UKPremiumPro
About
Ghostbusters is one of Stern's more controversial modern machines, but it has become a fixture of UK collections and tournaments nonetheless. Designed by John Trudeau, it turns the film's ghosts, traps and proton packs into a fairly unforgiving game that rewards players who understand the shots rather than simply reacting to the display.
The game's central layout is relatively open, but the important shots are often dangerous ones. That gives Ghostbusters a distinctive character: it can look slower than it actually is.
The UK has a healthy supply of Ghostbusters machines in private collections and club environments, so it is still a game worth learning rather than merely recognising. Don't let the comedy fool you; Ghostbusters can be vicious.
Written by Silverball
Collector · casual
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The playfield
What you’re looking at · 3
- Stay Puft
The marshmallow man standing over the top right corner of the playfield.
- G-H-O-S-T
Five letters down the middle of the playfield, under the ramps.
- The ladder between the flippers
Five numbered circles stacked above the drain, each printing what it gives you: 20 lights Drive Spirit Alive, 40 Negative Reinforcement, 60 Loopin Supers, 80 PKE Frenzy, 100 Mass Hysteria Multiball.
Written by Silverball
The playfield
Strategy tips · 11
Strategy tips written by players on PinTips , not by Silverball. Best-voted first.
Top tipSkill shot 9 votes
Select the left rollover (P). Seems to be the easiest to consistently hit, and gives you +3x bonus each time, which can result in big points
General7 tips
- General
Collecting gears using the left ramp, over and over, starts a hurry-up on the proton pack targets (left) which can lead to big points.
- General
In comp. mode, Neg- Re-inforce. will give you a correct guess for every 10 ghosts you have earned. Your very next pick will always be wrong!
- General
"We came, we saw" mini wizard is started by finishing a tree of modes. Left scoop=2 modes, while left ramp=3 modes and right loop=4 modes.
- General
Use the short ballsaver from the right kickout to bounce pass to the right flipper for a safe shot at the captive balls.
- General
With ball save short plunge to trap on right flipper. Shoot captive balls, 2 hits will qualify locks, then shoot for your skill shot.
- General
Agree on left rollover. Put the blue arrow on the left scoop. If you miss the lane, miss it long and try for the left scoop to start a mode.
- General
If you have super loopins lit, before hitting the ramp, get the ball into the pops. You can get an extra 10 seconds added, then hit the ramp
Skill shot3 tips
- Skill shot
If you already have a mode started go for the "K" rollover to light multipliers. This teamed with Stay Puft can lead to HUGE points.
- Skill shot
Ball save may not activate on a soft plunge if no switches hit. You can drain, giving you another chance at the skillshot. Or extra BS time.
- Skill shot
If a mode is already running when you plunge, select the lower right scoop shot to get an easier 2x multiplier lit.
Tips belong to the players who wrote them. Read them all, vote, or add your own on PinTips, a Match Play project.
A closer look
Close-ups of the Ghostbusters playfield, with our note on what each one is showing you.
Slimer, hanging over the G-H-O-S-T letter inserts.
The 100, 80 and 60 inserts stepping down beside the ghost artwork.
The purple city model, with the clear ramp running past it.
The clear ramp coming down the right of the playfield.
Photographs via the Internet Pinball Database. The captions are ours.
The original flyer
How Ghostbusters was sold to operators — Stern, 2016. The back is the feature list the manufacturer led with, which is a fair record of what the machine was meant to be famous for.
Flyer scan via the Internet Pinball Database. The artwork is Stern’s.
Nobody we follow has reviewed this one
Same short list of channels as the tutorials. A machine with no review here has not been passed over — it simply hasn’t been covered by anyone we list.
Where a machine sits is Pinball Map’s work, not ours, find Ghostbusters near you on their map. Ratings, tips and tournament results here are ours.