I am right with you on this. POTC is fun, but I don't think it has any staying power as a long term part of a collection. It is visually fun to look at, but it is very slow and repetitive to play. I firmly believe it is a $3,500 game, no more, no less. To me, it seems to suffer from IJ4 syndrome;way overpriced based solely on theme. Both are what I would consider casual player pins.

I totally agree with you. I think the theme does well with kids and adults, after all, it was one of the top grossing movies/franchises of all time. Also from an appearance perspective, it is a beautiful game with cool toys. Personally I wouldn't pay over $4000 for a mint one. I played the game a few times and it did nothing for me.

Theme, eye candy, cool toys.
I really wanted one...until I played it. Not that it is not fun and entertaining, it just didn't feel right. I couldn't get past the "voice actors". If I am going to pay upwards of 4k for a pin, it better at least be licensed in every way!! I know that is petty but.....

It's a good game to have, if you have several machines in your collection.

I don't care for the voice actors either. Would have been a lot better to have the real actors' voices.

There are a lot of targets to shoot for on the playfield, and the various multi-balls are fun.

I agree, it's a very pretty machine, just wish the rule-set were better/deeper.

It's got one of the best and most well engineered toys ever on the playfield, the ship. I think this is one of the reasons it goes for so much. That ship design rivals the castle design in MM, and we all know how MM turned out value wise.

It's also pretty nice looking, and everyone pretty much loves pirates, except for people who've had run ins with them. I agree that it is too bad about the absence of the real actors voices.

I've always been hoping the price would drop to what I considered a more reasonable level, as I'd like to own one someday, at least for a while.

I love pirates, especially ones with scars. Think the toys look cool and the pin looks great, but gameplay was slow and just not very fun. I have not played a lot through, and that was a routed version.

I don't really see any POTC selling at 5k.

HUO POTC have high value because the theme is great!

The game is way, WAY better than folks give it credit for. It's a stop and go game to be sure, but it's a lot of fun and ridiculously challenging. Good luck beating Four Winds! The treasure chest is fun, and the ship is awesome. The voice acting is meh save for the Captain Jack soundalike, who I thought was great; sounded just like Johnny Depp to the point that no one who ever played the game could tell the difference.

The biggest factor to me, though, is how non-pinheads gravitate towards it. I sold mine a while back and I STILL get static from friends and family for it leaving. Everyone loved playing it.

Could it have been a better game? Sure. If it had the music from the movie, that would have been much improved. But overall, it is a really good game.

I love my POTC. Admittedly it did take me a little while to really ‘get it.’ I always wanted to like it, but until I played a bunch, I didn't have the desire to own one. Now that I do, I think it's an absolutely great pin...especially in a slightly larger collection. It's a great change of pace for me. Not EVERY game has to have 'flow' or speed...Pirates is very unique in that regard. The ‘stop-and-go’ pace is a nice break from the monotony I sometimes tend to slip into. There are different ways to play POTC too, be it for score or by trying to get Four Winds - which is very challenging. I also think it has one of the coolest (super) skill shots in pinball. Hitting that shot is extremely satisfying on the rare occasions I am able to get it.

I agree with RDReynolds I think the Johnny Depp sound-alike does a phenomenal job and saves the voice acting for the machine. I too think that the music integration leaves something to be desired, but it's not awful...in fact I still catch myself whistling along to it on occasion.

Bottom line is, I think you should give it some more time. It's a fun game if you take the time to get to know it. It's also a great machine for those newer to pinball...it's fun to simply shoot at and sink the ship and get a quick multiball. For those that argue that this gets old or monotonous, I haven't experienced that. I feel that any machine or shot gets old over time.

Now as for how much it fetches. I personally tend think most machines are a bit over-priced. It's all in what you want and what you're willing to spend. I paid in the 5's for mine, but it was mint. I don't regret it one bit.

I may be the odd man out, but I think POTC is a great game. I really enjoy the whole package, art, sound, music, and toys. It can become a little one dimentional but this is good when you don't want to think so much about the game and just want to play. I agree that this game is best suited for a bigger collection. It does hold it's own and is usually one of the games my visitors play the most.

Its just subject matter. I played it one time and that was enough for me.

There have been quite a few of them for sale recently, probably to raise cash for some newer Stern offerings. I think this speaks to how it compares to other $5000 pins ~ owners are willing to cut it loose over others in their collection.

It is a beautiful game with some cool toys. That's about all it has going for it. But sometimes that is all it takes to for people to pay high prices.

Game theme
Great toys
Unique layout
And it is very fun however you have to get the gm going
Not just sink ship over and over. Play the gm! Stack balls
The pin will start singing.
Awesome gm.

Get off my game eric !! Haha

It earns on location too.

Does anyone have an idea how many Stern produced? Ive never really seen it mentioned.

Great game, great theme and just fun to play.
Shaker motor completes the package.

I see them on route still, it's a theme I see females play more than any other theme
and it's not a bad game overall.

I thought Keith mentioned a while ago that more then 8000 units where made.

Great game in every way. LEDs complete the game.

Thanks. If that's the case, it would put it up there with LOTR and TSPP as far as numbers go. I guess I didn't realize there were that many out there.

Even though I was offering ours for sale to get my MM I would be sad to see it go. My wife and daughter will often turn it on and play together on it where they will not turn on anything else we have. It's the one machine that every new player will go to first when they come over and discover our game room. But even though it has that rare appeal it also has depth for long time players.

Out of 2000 games we've seen four winds only 4 times, talk about a fun chase. The rules have no flaws, nothing is missing or broken in the software. Even without the outer loop that everyone seems to think should be included in every pinball machine, it has lots of satisfying shots. The modes all tell a great story and for any fan of the movie the voices are terrific.

Not a universal game, none are, but it will always have a huge fan base and that's why those machines that are in amazing condition are fetching over 5k.

Funny thing ,I played this game for the first time the other week and spent abit of time on it,it has cool toys,but i walked away thinking the same question.

The pin is decent but not all that great, about like the movies, The first one was good, The others that followed sucked. But hey that's my opinion.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the music. I really enjoy the music too. I think it's a great game and I'd love to have one.

It earns on location too.

I was listening to a past pinball podcast where Tim Arnold at PHOF was interviewed and it said at that time it was the biggest money maker to date. It had earned over $31K!

TimArnold.jpg

My wife is a big fan of the movies and wants it to be our next pin, lots of people like it for the license alone. Don't think I can justify the asking price for it to be my second pin.

Back when I was in Chicago, a POTC in a bowling alley was the closest routed pin to home, (about 2 blocks) so I played it all the time. I didn't love it at first, and sort of resented not having something better closer, but it really grew on me. Ticking goals off the compass to get closer and closer to Four Winds is really satisfying, and the one time I actually got there... hoo boy.

It's a nice game for the family, love the game play and rules. I have had one since it came out and is not going anywhere.

So I wonder how many people in this thread will post a WTB POTC in the near future

I have heard that the unit cost of POTC was the highest of any Stern machine at the time and I believe it.

I just sold my HUO example. First off, the voice call outs were very well done in my opinion, especially when compared to some of the new Sterns. I think Xmen and Avengers have some of the worst callouts in pinball history. Steve Richie's modified voice in AC/DC is not much better and I own it.

The ship in POTC mesmerizes guests and kids like no tomorrow. Just tell people to sink the ship and they get lost for hours in POTC. For players, its a good non-mode game where stacking multi-balls gives you a nice point payoff.

It definitely has one of the best art packages Stern has ever put together. The backglass and playfield are colored well and with selective LED's, the game can really be a looker.

It was a tough decision, but we sold ours to make room for a coming WOZ. I would definitely pick one up again, but I doubt I will find one as nice as the one I just sold.

just pick up a black rose for $1500, that'll pass the time 'til they become reasonable...

I remember when I first played this pin on location when it was brand new, I loved it, and I had really no idea what I was doing, but the shots and fun factor just felt spot on.

A really fun pin, fun modes, great theme and the ship is a total knock off of the castle in MM. I actually like the ship better! Davey Jones mode is fantastic as well, bobbing up and down in the plyfield, and that modes music is very well done. If you can get your ducks lined up and start stacking your multi-balls, you're in for a feast of points and a hefty bonus x.

If you can't find or afford a MM, POTC fits the itch perfectly. It's a very surprising release from Stern, (because of that ship) and easily their best interactive toy to date imho. Give it a few more years to mature with players and collectors, it will gain more appreciation with time.

Great theme, unique toys, Good family theme all can play... This is why it commands those prices.

+1, exactly how I feel. A very attainable wiz mode for multiple skill levels without being over the top complex. 4 winds is no slouch. Love pirates and it would have stayed if my other 4 I didn't like better. I wanted Metallica more. People might list it for 5K plus, but I would be shocked if they got it. Unless it is pimp'd out. Just sold mine for 4300 and it was better than most HUO games I have seen. It had 2100 games on it so I played the heck out of it. I know I will miss it.

It is the best selling modern Stern for a reason, regardless to the vocal bashers of this game.

I love mine. It got constant non-stop play at MGC in March. Haters can hate it but it gets more love than hate...

Jaz

Speaking of this title, I don't think I've EVER played one with a fully working ship...

It's one of the few games that every wife likes, so it is allowed in every basement gameroom.

Even if a wife does not like pinball, she will certainly admit to twiddling off to Johnny Depp in eyeliner more than a few times.

I enjoy this game from time to time when I play it at a local theater.
I have never owned but I can see it having staying power issues to me as well.
I do not understand why it is that high in price either.
Others must love it more than I do and willing to pay for nice ones.

Vid on to something there.

God that made me laugh thanks Vid.

Holy crap. It's great to know that it's not just me. My wife said that if one of our games was POTC, we could have two games. Well, I got the POTC, but then I couldn't afford another game. Ha!

I was listing our gorgeous POTC for sale in anticipation of MM arriving, thinking they may not play well together. But my wife has let me know that she will be very upset if I sell it... thanks to Vid now I know why :-S

It's such a quality machine.