It's always kind of silly doing these types of comparisons.

Do you want a fast pro game with easier to understand rulesets, refined action, and a theme that is more likely to resonate with you? Go for a Stern.

You want a large, heavy, complicated, deep, toy and-gimmick-laden experience that might wow somebody who hasn't played a pinball machine in 20 years or ever? Right this way, I've got a pirates for you.

I think a lot of home game room folks - especially those who are maybe looking to impress/capture friends/family/kids (ie: people who don't really like pinball) will gravitate towards something like Pirates. If you value gameplay and tournament-style rules and goals, you are probably better off with a Stern.

More of a middle ground are JJP games like Wonka and Dialed In.

From the OP's opener and following posts, seems like Pirates is the only answer. He doesn't sound like the type who will be impressed by a deadpool on a spring, but a huge LCD, rocking boat, and a button you pound 900 times a game might be just what the Dr. ordered. WHenever someone starts out by noting the "low quality" of Sterns you know they want to spend more money and get more "stuff" with a JJP.

It takes forever
too many potential ball traps and things that can break
thousands of "action button" hits may damage star player's hands damaging tournament's reputation
terrible streaming game for audience thanks to convoluted overbaked ruleset and difficulty in following ball/action
constant rocking of boat playfield may cause motion sickness for players and viewers

besides that it's perfect for tournaments.

When choosing games these days it's more important than ever that suitability for streaming is considered. I wouldn't consider POTC a good game for that purpose at all. Besides the issues described how am I as a commentator supposed to boom a game where there's always 15 things running at once and a good game with 4 players takes an hour?

Excellent point.

I wouldn’t want lotr or simpsons in a tournament I was running either. Both play too long and would make for terrible streaming.

I’m starting to wonder if anybody here has even the slightest ability to read and understand English. The word “rubbish” was nowhere in my post.

This makes absolutely zero sense. It’s exactly this kind of reasoning, thought, and care that makes tournaments “watchable.”

You guys are bitching at me for the Wrong reasons. When did I say pirates isn’t a good game for you guys to buy? I actually RECCOMENDED that the op buy one over a stern premium.

Isn’t that what you want to hear? It’s certainly what the guy who started this thread wanted to hear.