I own one. I'm sure others will chime in and say it's horrible, but most of my guests love it. It would be a tough call if it was your only pin, but would fit in nicely in a row of other pins.

Owned one when it first was released.. my first NIB.. actually, this would be a perfect game for you BR.. its real fun for about 2-3 weeks, then the rules and call outs get tiresome but that is about the time you will be selling anyway so you should get the most bang for your buck!..

i know akumazeto wanted one.

I own this game. It is not my favorite game in my collection, but when people come over they always love it. It fits good in a large collection, but in a small collection it just takes up a good slot. Rules are not complete in my opinion.

There needs to be a new category in pinball: Good, Bad, and 'When People Come Over They Love It'..

Let's see, what other games fall into that category?

Popeye, IJ4, SWE1

IJ4 isn't a bad game at all. I love Ark Multiball!!

Still sell over 3k at auction. Not much love but my op friend said its still earning strong on location. It has outlasted POTC E! and TSPP on location.

I like this machine. The big negative from my end is that the theme isn't integrated as well as the Williams version. But it is still a fun one for me.

Seems like this game can be a liitle repetitive after watching that video.

My buddies and I played this one on location at a bar. We thought it was fun, but it was one of two pins on location in a 5 mile radius. We enjoyed having a beer (or 7) and playing some IJ4. Loser of the last game had to buy the first pitcher of beer once we got to the gentlemen's club later that night!! So, this game will always have a special place in my heart!!

That is so true and very well said.

'93 IJ set the standard for theme integration, so it would be hard to top or equal.

I owned it for less than 2 months, I really wanted to like it as I am a huge Indiana Jones fan but it is so repetitive and seems incomplete. The Ark Multiball is the only thing good about the game.
It's sad that such a great license was wasted....just my thoughts.

Kevin

The game suffers from two major problems. Most importantly, the scoring is extremely lopsided. The only legit strategy for the game is to go for bonus multipliers, which are unlimited. End of ball bonus is everything. They can reach huge amounts. Way more than you get by actually playing. When bonus is the only way to score big, that's a problem. The second big problem is that it's a plowfest. In order to reach the wiz mode, you have to hit each of the major shots like 28 times each. It will take at least a 45 minute game to get a sniff of the wiz mode and you may die of boredom along the way.

Complicating the lopsided scoring problem is the fact that the captive ball area isn't easy to clean. Once that area gets dirty, scoring drops off noticeably. I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for one and I would flip it asap if I did. If you're a very casual player, you may like the game. But if you're any kind of player, you'll get bored quickly.

Lastly, the sound effect that plays when the ball is released from the ramp to the left flipper is absolutely the lamest sound effect ever used in a pin. It sounds like it was stolen directly from a cartoon. I cringe every time I hear it.

Pros:

- Ark is probably the coolest Multiball start ever. The timing of the "opening the ark" scene from Raiders on the DMD and the sound before dumping the balls onto the playfield is incredibly well thought out.

-Theme is Indiana Jones.

Cons:

-I wouldn't even know where to start. Easier to just say "Everything else".

It's hands down the most boring game Stern ever made. There are almost no inserts and pretty much nothing to do. Yeah, bash the ark 20 times and watch the cool multiball intro. How many times can you do that before it gets old? The other rules are "shoot this 30 time and watch a movie clip". Yay? The swordsman swing-out is dumb. The fake-Sean Connery voice sucks. Any Stern game is better than this one....I'd rather play 24, and I hate 24.
Stern NBA is better.
Austin Powers is better.
CSI is better.
WOF is better.
If you must have an Indiana Jones themed game....there's another one...and it's better.

I was playing it w/ my girlfriend at the bowling alley...and she appreciates an easier game...and even she wanted to walk away on Ball 2 ...she was so bored lol

Family guy sucks worse than IJ4 0_o (Pokes GREG)

Look mark I think you owe it to yourself to pick it up. Your like me and burn threw games fast. It's not as bad as people make it out to be. If it was, they would be for sale all the time. The fact is they still command 4k for a huo machine. You wont loose money on it. Pick it up play it enjoy it for a few weeks and move on. I have a WMS IJ here and i hate it. I also have a IJ4 on its way.

For the record as well CSI is not a bad game. Its very System 11ish Especially now that the price is middle 2's

Don't know about that, but I know IJ4 is definitely on the bottom of the list of top Stern pins.

Hey Mark,

I had it for about a year before I was able to trade it for a NIB Spiderman (thank God). The shots are not really all that bad, it just gets very repetitive. It would have been nice to have to vary them to get from movie to movie and task to task. The ark multiball is well thought out and integrated but that is about it. The final movie is not tied in really at all. I was hoping for more code updates as that could have really helped out the game and got the last movie more involved. Sadly they never came. Since you move pins out a lot it is a good fit for you, it still commands a good buck, you won't loose much if any on it. Good luck!

Jim

CSI & Avatar are better than IJ4. Just a disaster.

It may not seem like it, but the seller and last second buyer did you a favor.

Maybe but BR could have "enjoyed" and played it til the Winston Salem auction or Kingsport auction where they have been selling highover 3600 hundred. That makes for a nice return. I hope otherwise you had a nice 4th of July.

Buddy

IJ4 is a weird game to me. I have said this ever since it came out, but it's true -- I would never want one for my gameroom unless it somehow gets a LOT more room. Having said that, when it is at an arcade, I have a weird fascination with it. Last summer, the local good mini golf course that has multiple pins had one, and it also had a SM and Shrek. I would usually put one game on each of those, and eight on IJ4 when I would stop by.

The game is extremely repetitive in shots, but there is something about seeing just how far you can progress in each game that keeps me coming back. It isn't the best game by a long shot, but it has something going for it.

And if I had the chance to own one or another, I'd own IJ4 every day over the original IJ. I really dislike that game.

Ugggg! That sucks BR!

I'm not really a fan of the pin but for 2.5k, I probably would've pulled the trigger on it to fund other pinball purchases....

*Hopefully* it wasn't a buddy that bought it out from you!

It's called karma my man.

Got a chance to play IJ4 a little while back. Comparing IJ4 and WMS IJ is apples to oranges. It's obvious which one comes from the Golden Age of Pinball, and which one relied a little too much on theme and not actual gameplay. I'm sure deadlines were tight and it was released as a crappy theme rehash that satisfies only amateur players.

Of course - to each his own.

That sucks. I thought about getting it when it first popped up, but after looking at videos on Youtube I decided not to. It looks kind of meh. I'll stick with the Williams IJ. One of the best IMO.

You saved yourself gas money. Dont look back.

Right - that was the start "lets make games easier and less intimidating for people who don't understand pinball". Fortunately, the following "simple series" games like IM, Avatar, Tron were easy to understand AND a lot of fun (IMO).

The worst modern pin

It is the worst modern pin by a long shot. Horrible...unbalanced scoring, incomplete rules, 0 depth. The only thing keeping it at the price it is at is theme. The reason guests like it is the theme and the pin has nothing to it, so non-pin people love it for a couple of games to shoot the ark.

" If you're a very casual player, you may like the game. But if you're any kind of player, you'll get bored quickly"

Couldn't have said this any better myself...

I saw you playing it in 09 at the circus dude..... dont lie i saw it......

I've played it on route and I will play it on route...don't get me wrong. I'll play anything pinball cause I love pinball and I love Indiana Jones. I went to Treasure Island Casino and they had one as their only pin. Played it all night for $1.00 thanks to the awesome unbalanced scoring. When I played it at the 09 Circus it was the Goose Egg game where you could only play with one hand...so that added to the enjoyment and challenge factor a little.

Overall though, the game is an embarrassment to anything but the most casual pinball player and a total waste of a awesome theme.

I know you hate it John...but for some reason i have a soft spot for it. I dunno why its a plow fest but i get a kick out of it...casual player i am not. I think this WMS IJ i have here next to me is a big turd.

We all have guilty pleasures. I like SF2.

That gives me a thought. I wonder which would win in a Pinside "which is better" thread. IJ4 vs. SF2...or IJ4 vs. Shaq...I know I likely won't be voting for IJ4.

It's totally cool to give it a shot for a couple of weeks. I know you like to burn through games and this one will be no exception I'm sure. Just sad to think of "what could have been" with this title...

It needs a code redo for sure. The layout is not bad. The rules need to be better. Proc to the rescue. But its what happens when a LedZepplin pin gets canned and they say make a game in 3 months John.

People always need to remember Crystal Skull was ALL LUCAS FILM'S Fault i mean the movie and the mode lol. They Screwed Stern out of the footage TWICE!

No, that didn't start until almost two years later with BBH.

Too much time and effort was spent on art and sounds. Stern was bragging about those things when the game came out. They did do well on those two parts, but the gameplay got shortchanged. A software update could help (max 10X bonus), but the layout is probably a big obstacle. A whole team of programmers couldn't save the game.

On the plus side, an IJ4 looks fantastic next to a POTC. The colors compliment each other very nicely. If you are considering buying one, you better have a Pirate's to put it next to.

I have played IJ4 and it's ok. Nothing special. I own a IJ (Williams) and would never trade it. So much better. You will find something else BR. That's what makes it fun! Finding them, cleaning and fixing them up, playing them for a couple of weeks and moving on. Also making a few bucks doesn't hurt either.

Br if you ever need help picking up a pin give me a call

so who got it?