JJP POTC makes any verison of JP looks like a Zizzle.

Gotta disagree with you here. I own both and JP2 is incredibly fun.

I own both and honestly it would be hard to choose (assuming POTC were widely available). JP2 is much faster and more difficult (in a good way), but POTC is packed with features, missions, and depth.

I think I'd have to give it to POTC for longevity.

Any JJP game makes any Stern game looks like a Zizzle !

Wtf is a zizzle?

Wouldn't even have to think about this one, JP without a doubt!

I need more time on JPOTC, but JP2 is perfection from a rules perspective and the game's layout is just the right amount of challenge for the depth provided. It feels perfectly balanced and games are short/medium in length. Most of my games are 6-8 minutes in length and my better games are 15-20 minutes. I think you could accomplish pretty much everything in the game in under 30 minutes. This is crucial for me having young kids and not a lot of dedicated/uninterrupted time for pinball.

For me, I've owned and have loved several of Keefer's Stern titles (LOTR, TSPP, WPT, WOF), but I think some of his more recent JJP games like Hobbit and JPOTC are almost too deep and convoluted and ball and game times skew really long.-especially on Hobbit but I've had some marathon games on JPOTC as well. And once you stack more than 2 things together it starts seeming like overkill. I love the layout on JPOTC and the ship is probably the coolest feature on any game I've ever played, but the vast number of modes just kind of seems "samey" after a while and the game seems like it's about stacking as many of the multi-balls together. It probably would be a good game to own at home if I didn't have young kids and had more dedicated pinball time to delve into the rules and not have to worry about 30+ minute games and getting interrupted constantly.

It might be worth reaching out to Karl iepinball since I know that he owns both games to get his opinion.

I have POTC and JP pro and JP is almost too technical. It's a good shooter but doesn't make me happy while I play it. POTC is mind boggling goodness. You are in multiball 80% of the time, but that's what keeps it fun the whole time. You can keep starting and completing chapters while multiballs are running and you try to stack more (up to 6). But it feels more flat and doesn't have ramp goodness like JP or, to compare with another widebody, STTNG. Overall the sounds and light show on POTC are much better so it feels more fun.

NGG

You know where I stand get a JP2 and don’t look back!

Tough choice. When in doubt, get both!

Both are great, but JJP POTC is top 3 of all time for me. JP2 would win out against most other games for me, but not up against JJP POTC. That said, I would love to get a JP2 someday because it is a great game that I think would keep my interest in a home environment for quite sometime.

Did you have to make any software/hardware adjustments to shorten the ball times since I know that you're a good player? How long is an average game vs. a really good game?

I prefer JP Pirates is too long playing for me.

Both JP2 and POTC are wonderful and I have BOTH games in-house currently... But if I'm going to compare the two, I DO prefer one over the other:
- POTC is too expensive for what you get out of it right now.
- POTC gets boring too quickly. It's all about stacking modes/multiballs which some prefer but I have found I dislike.
- JP2 has a level of immersion across the playfield/modes/LCD that I've fallen in love with and want in all games going forward.
- JP2 IMO does NOT require the premium/LE. I've played both the LE and the PRO quite a bit and I prefer the PRO.

I suggest pocketing the extra $5,000.00 to $9,000.00 in cash and just grab a JP2 PRO.

I haven't played JP2 enough yet to provide a truly objective opinion.
'
However, I have asked Karl DeAngelo, who does own and has streamed both extensively, which he would keep if only one and he said Pirates by a close call.

So there you go ... FWIW.

No, I haven't changed anything. In fact, I believe that the difficulty settings aren't adjustable in the game as it sits currently even if someone wanted to.

The thing about JJP Pirates is that to have a great game, it has to be a longer game since there is so much to do, but with no ball save the game can be and is brutal at times. I can't imagine a casual player who has no idea what to do lasting more than a couple of minutes tops. For me, on a really good game, I normally get 3 EBs or more...but...I will have at least one ball, sometimes two, where it is basically plunge and drain. That never fails. Normally those plunge and drains happen when I have a big skull hold carried over, that wizard mode lit and a 6x bonus that isn't currently held, so they are all lost. A really good game for me is 5 million + and that takes usually takes 25 minutes or more, average game for me maybe 10 minutes. I've had a LOTR though and ball times aren't that long in comparison. Those 25+ minute games never get boring for me though, because there is so much on the line with every ball and you want to make sure you take advantage of it. Got to play that last movie mode to get that wizard mode lit, got to get a skull hold to carry that movie value over, got to get the bonus held, need to make sure you have a bunch of souls and don't lose them in Liar's Dice...and make sure you have your playfield multiplier built up to 6x potential and actually get 6x started when you start all the fun. It's still quite the adrenaline rush for me. JJP POTC really starts getting difficult as you complete movies and wizard modes since you have to really start shooting specific things. When you are focusing on specific shots and not just taking what the game gives since all the wizard modes are single ball and timed, it can be very unforgiving.

I owned pirates for a year. Played JP2 less than 10 times.

JP2 gets my vote.

JP2 was already a great shooter, now with the additional movie video/audio thrown in - it is over the top sweeeet!!

Thanks for the detailed write up. Those ball times actually seem more reasonable than what I figured. I loved owning games like TSPP, WPT and LOTR in the past but eventually grew tired of the long ball times and struggled to find the motivation to play them as opposed to shorter ball time games. Unfortunately JPOTC was one of the few games that wasn't bought for route around me so I've still got less than 40 games on it and never got a true feel for the rules beyond just trying to stack stuff together.

Less than 10 times? Wow, an expert opinion!

The wrinkle that JJP POTC throws in to a longer playing game discussion is that you had 22 characters to pick from which each help or hinder you in some way. That helps keep it fresh because depending on the character, your scores and progress can vary wildly even with a similarly played game.

No. Just sick of pirates.

And You can tell if you like a layout after 5 games. It’s the software I may not be able to get a well rounded feeling for. But theme and fun factor you can learn very quickly. I had 4 games of DP and loved it, bought it and love it still. I had 2 games of Munsters and did not like it because of the lower playfield. A game can be as deep as the dark places in the sea, but if you don’t like playing it and it doesn’t grab your attention than its not worth owning.

I went in to it expecting not to like JP. Got a buzz and can see from the number of modes there is heaps there.

Pirates wowed me cos it overwhelmed me. The layout is fun and varied. Pirates has lots of modes but they’re all the same. Shoot flashing shots, no story. The wizard modes are all boring one ball, shoot flashing shots. Pirates has a good layout, ship is great but hardly used and gold plundering is fantastic. But that’s it, just lots of multiballs with boring episodes and boring wizards.

So yes I might get sick JP2 after half a year, but I can tell you JJPOTC has nothing to offer in terms of depth. If the software was completely rewritten for the episodes and the wizards than my opinion may be different. But after 1 year of waiting for an update, never happened, my interest waned and wife hated it.

I’m glad people love it, and my opinion is just my opinion. This is the first time I have ever said anything bad about it.

Owned AFM for 3-4 years. Loved it at first plunge and love it still.

Different strokes. Eskaybee asked for opinions, so I gave him mine

JP, and it's not close. POTC is WAY overrated.

Own JPLE, one of the best pins ever, finally got to play some POTC and no thanks, no interest.

Have a JP2 Pre and JJP POTC LE and really like them both but for different reasons. Shots on both are varied and layouts are a blast. POTC is a multiball bonanza which might be good or bad depending on what you are looking for, I love it. JP2 has the "quest" progression on the playfield a la Roadshow and I like that I don't need to look up at the screen to see my path to the visitors center. Great use of third flipper on both.

Both are staying for a while, I think POTC will be here longer mainly because of rarity (not sure I could ever afford it again if I sold it). POTC might be my favorite game but JP2 is right there with it.

I was super excited about POTC but the more I played it the less fun it got. I love my JP LE but honestly theme is absolutely huge for me in my games, so the fact mine has the movie sound and video clips probably makes it rate even higher in my book.

POTC by a country mile....

Oh come on.gif

With JP, you gotta get the premium. The pro is still a great game, but the way the t-Rex interacts with the ball is so cool. Then you have the raptor pen, and the target shot with the up post is so satisfying to him. It then acts like a newton ball during raptor MB to keep 2x going. If it’s worth the extra cost, is up to the individual, but in my mind it’s what makes the game that much more fun. If you can only get the pro, you’ll still get a great game, but for me it’s premium all the way for an incredible experience.

Pirates is so expensive right now, that it’s past the point of being worth it, in my mind. I don’t own it, so it’s hard to compare, but I have played both. JP is one of the best games ever in my humble point of view.

I would agree that if factoring in market pricing than I would say JP2....hard to justify POTC being $6K better than a JP2 LE

Eskaybee Open invite to come by and play my JP2 prem. I'll just reset the high scores if you crush it lol

That is spectacularly stupid.

I bought them both NIB, still have Jurassic, only regret on selling POTC is I didn’t hold out for the big money they are going for now.

Same here ,bought both new but I also sold my JPLE to fund something else and do regret that, , the PotcCE not so much . The endles multibal stacking got old ... JP might have less hardware , but as so often, less is more

He's a JJP fanboy. Take what he says with a grain of salt. JP is the winner here, EASILY

I owned both POTC LE and JP LE, and I would pick JP. I would second the opinion to get a JP pro and save the money though.

Him and Romulous are beyond fanboys at this point. There isn't a word for them, wait.

download (resized).jpg

So now you are stooping to derogatory name calling? Grow up dude. I'll say positive things about JJP and give Stern crap but will never resort to your level of attacking others.

Also, the last game that I bought was a Stern...

I own both, and the JP2 is newer in my collection, but I'm finding myself playing JP2 over and over, and hardly playing the POTC these days. Main difference is the combos on JP2 are so satisfying and there's a relative lack of combos on Pirates. Pull off a 5 combo on JP2 where you're picking off 4-5 rescues in a row and it's just amazing. I still haven't beaten all 3 control room modes, or all 4 trex modes, or reached visitors center (although getting close now, had 19 rescues today!), but I'm rapidly improving on it so it's more addictive at the moment.

Also, watching Karl throw up a 31 million shot on pirates almost ruins pirates for me ;p

I love my JJPirates but I do wish the goals were more varied/interesting to a casual player. Basically a casual like me is locked into the skull modes which are all same-samey. Or the multi-balls. None of the unique/really fun stuff is accessible. Ah well, play better right?

Shame that the most fun modes are for high skill players, rather than coding to make fun for all and high scoring for high skill. Would love to battle the kraken one day, but not in the cards I fear.

I've played JP and would say pirates has more potential based on the playfield, the software just needs to catch up. There's no replacement for displacement and JP just isn't as interesting to me from a playfield standpoint. But the rules/goals make it fun. To be clear there's nothing wrong with JJPirates software at all, it's a very complete game, but as a casual, all the goodies are locked behind very high skill walls.

lol

He does make it look easy doesn't he?!

I hate that guy.

Not a fan of any JJP pins - they all seem to play too slow, plus POTC is wide-body with is a double whammy. The rules are too difficult, the stupid upper playfield is ridiculous as well... hands down JP without a doubt wins this one in my opinion. Even if pirates was available at the original price I would not be getting one.

Sniffing glue again this morning are we?

While I still think JJP POTC has far more in it then JP I sold mine earlier this year as I wasn't a fan of the way modes play. It's still an incredible pin, one of the best, but the way the game played wore off on me after a year. I understand that the games ruleset had to be designed a certain way due to the limited assets that the team had to work with.

The ruleset concept itself is great and is fairly easy to follow. However, the lack of licensed assets (beyond video clips that don't feature actor audio / video) severely hurt the game in my opinion. There's 125 chapter modes but all of them play the same, hit the lit characters shots on the playfield. With no actor audio, no actor video, and no clips from the corresponding scene being played as shots are made the chapter modes feel dull. The same goes for the multiballs, no licensed assets and just hitting jackpot shot after jackpot shot versus progressing through an event in the themes story.

Pirates does have 5 mini wizard modes that do have a feel of classic Keith Johnson mode progression which is great but they are locked behind what feels like a major grind and once you get to them there's again no licensed assets. I still think the 5 mini wizard modes are the best part of the game as there's finally a sense of mode progression (plus unique animations) with multiple stages that other modes lack. The pick a character feature is cool but I notice myself and others only focusing on a small handful of them. While I had the game I would always pick Tia Dalma as she's the only character that lets you choose what chapter you want to play which made getting to the games most interesting parts, it's mini wizard modes, easier.

Finally, you only ever hear one voice in Pirates. Kevin McNally did a great job with callouts but it wears on you only ever hearing one voice from a film franchise that spanned 5 films. JJP spoiled me with The Hobbit and the level of theme integration with that game. I'll take TH over POTC anyday due to that pin having dozens of objective based modes, layered multiball modes (with stages), and it having full licensed assets.

Seriously? Have you actually put any time or effort into playing a properly set up Pirates?

This is a much better assessment than saying JP2 sucks by comparison. I also have owned JJPOTC, an LE and a CE, with a thousand plays total. The modes become a chore for sure. But I still rank it as one of the better games ever made. I also choose Tia Dalma 90% of the time to get to wizard modes more easily, which I agree are the best part of the game. It is still not as good as JP2 to me, which in my collection sits right next to it. It was hard to get a sense of how good JP2 is on location. Friends told me it is great at home, so I got one. Sure enough, it is my favorite Stern to date. I'd be surprised if you didn't like JP2 Pre or LE a lot better if you put it in your collection. The later runs are without playfield issues that have plagued so many games these days. The flow is incredible, not a bad shot in the entire game, all really satisfying. Also, with the audio and video changes from timlah79 and @delt31, there is the ability to bring more of the original source material into the game, moving away from a generic dinosaur park themed game. I haven't done that yet, because in my home I've actually enjoyed the callouts and music more. These are just my opinions. You have to admire the passion of JJP owners, but I wonder how many of these opinions come from actually putting time into the two games.