EDIT - ended up with a long summary here. Apologize - getting this in before the crazy workday.....
So at this point, I own all the JJP games except Dialed In. I'm not someone that sits around with games just to have them so I've seen a lot. I'm really starting to appreciate all that you get from JJP vs. others. That being said, I still love that stern responsiveness/feel and therefore need to have them too. Not too many - a stern truly is a stern BUT they make one of my favorite games in JP. What a masterpiece. My others is TMNT but I'm a huge TMNT fan.
For the record, I will say that Dialed In is a great game. For what they are going for, if my wife wasn't already going to kill me with the 10 I have, it would be in my collection as well. I simply don't own it right now b/c of theme alone. I never liked the theme and in a competitive sport called how many pins can you own before your wife leaves you, here I am. The other big weakness in DI is that SIM card shot. It's broken. No skill, just luck and I don't want to hear it's about how it's setup. It's not. Owned many - they all are jank. If the shot wasn't so important, I wouldn't mind but it's a design flaw in a otherwise, amazing design.
Here's how I rank them right now.
Pirates #1: weakness is theme and modes that don't feel different enough. That's offset by literally the greatest widebody design, if not general design in pinball and toys like we've never seen since the 90s and will likely not see again from JJP unless they change their business model. I would even say the toys beat the 90s games considering how many there are and how well they work. The use of them is perfect too as they all interact with the ball well and with the chest closing mod, it's pinball perfection in my mind. Truly a game of magic.
Overall, unbelievable flow for the size, toys that are amazing and it's all pulled together with solid code. So many ways to play it as well.
GnR#2: This is def based on my love for the band. This game imo, if you're not a fan of GnR, is incredibly overrated. Lights are amazing and theme integration is some of the best (which is why it ranks high) but otherwise, shots are good but not amazing, and code is whatever as I'm not a points guy. I can totally understand people passing on this game if you're not someone who likes to play for points, doesn't care for the band and doesn't like MBs. If you have this trifecta, I would pass. For me, MBs makes the songs last longer and my love for the band makes that work out well. I love the concert feel, so I value the strengths a lot. It also has some of the nicest art on the cab ever from JJP, if not the best.
Next 3......Wonka, WoZ and Hobbit.
Hard to determine the order here.
I absolutely love the theme of wonka. Could be my favorite of JJP so that plays a huge role in it's placement. The shot design is also amazing and I love the art. The sounds in the game are very weak and the music element could have been played up a bit BUT it does have a lot of cool music scenes (choc rive, omp MB, etc). It's not all sour grapes with sound and the code is better with the updated version. Ultimately, I think Wonka could end up being #3 after more time with it. The powder on the game is JJP's best ever. LE is gorgeous.
WoZ is such a classic that it has to stay in the collection. Game changer for sure, doesn't shoot the best but it's unique and still fun in it's own right. Assets are all there, great code, music is good. Gorgeous too. My ECLE with 2.0 boards is hard to find and will likely stay b/c of it. Pain in the ass to install those 2.0 boards unless you're super talented like our man Derrick!
Hobbit - such a wild card game. Plays like no other one I own. Guests bored out of their mind when they play it. Gorgeous but super open. Here's my view on it.....I love the music, call outs, assets, integration and how the modes differ from one another. Smaug kill is so damn good - how the machine basically stops. Magic moment for sure. It's the role playing pinball of the year and sometimes for that reason, I just don't feel like playing it and committing that much time. That's Hobbit's biggest weakness for me but man does it do so much well and feel very unique in a world of machines that often times feel similar if not the same. It's also one of the heaviest games I've moved. The bottom of the PF is loaded. Pirates is the heaviest btw. What a killer that game is to move! Also, I expect the price on Hobbit to continue rising significantly. It's already moving and the trend should continue as people wake up to what this game offers.