I'm just going to call a spade a spade. you may not like the theme, you may be pissed they didn't have a the three disk spinner, but this is probably the best, most complex, most detailed, and deepest programmed game in the history of pinball. We can argue that it should have been a different theme, and i'm upset it doesn't show clips from the movie with Jack Sparrow for example. But what they're missing from seeing real movie clips is made up with graphics. If Jersey Jack is to thrive they'll need to make more games, probably cheaper games at that. My suggestion would be to release more games like Stern but come out with something like this baby right here every two years. Pirates is a masterpiece and I think its fair to say this is the best overall pinball game every designed. It really is just that good.

Pro’s:

JJP always has the best toys. This game is no exception.

Ruleset will keep you intrigued almost indefinitely. Character choices, and plundering are a couple of my favorites. I read someone complaining about it being too multiball heavy. Really?????????? The ability to stack a large number of multiballs makes game play exciting. Next, I’m sure we will hear complaints about it having five wizard modes.

Beautiful playfield and light show. The animations are beautiful. Not sure having actors in them would make them better. No actors gives it more of an original theme kind of appeal.

Good Flow, with a very creative layout.

Cons:

The spinning disc is noisy.

Quality control seems lacking, with problems strait out of the box. Complicated toys and mechanisms are attributed to this, but would we want to give this up for generic, and repetitive Stern type tables? JJP explores “out side of the box”, which I guess we have to “endure” for the exotic. Still, I have experienced simple adjustment type issues on my Ruby Red, and POTC which should have been caught on factory quality control. On a positive note, JJP has been very responsive with helping me fix issues. Most important is how it will hold up over time. I like to believe it will.

Conclusion: I believe this game is amazing and more than worth the QC and noisy disc issues.

Side rant:
The haters/trolls on this game amaze me. I watched rating and comments on this game closely before purchase. Change the ratings filter to “all ratings” and see ratings of 2 to 5, with no comment. The bottom of the fourth page of Top 100 SS ratings start at 5.093. I flagged one which identified POTC as a previously owned machine. This is obviously one of the haters who cancelled his preorder due to the change in the disc and trunk. People complain about those who rate a machine 10.0. Mathematically, a rating of 2.53 skews a table’s rating more than nine 10.0 ratings. IMHO, I believe Pinside should disqualify any rating less than 5.0

Probably my favorite JJP to date and I've had them all, Dialed In is a close second. Unique layout and a mini playfield that is actually fun to play which is rare. Rules are ridiculously deep and hope for continued additions to code to make good even better. Definitely disappointed the rights to video clips of the characters was not obtained, may seem minor but looking at generic clips for each mode start is way worse than seeing some of the better film clips.

From theme to integration, screen animations, artwork sounds, the gameplay is fresh and amazing. So many shots to shoot for, variation is fresh, and the playfield layout make this game a lasting enjoyment to play.

Eric Meunier’s first design out of the gate is a homerun slam dunk. It’s got some amazing shots that are very unique, very cool and very satisfying.

More so is the great design and engineering into the workability and ease of repairs if needed on this game the upper playfield comes off with one bolt and the rocking motor and linkage comes off in a matter of seconds with workability and ease of repairs if needed.

Artwork is crisp and on point there’s not much negative to say about David Thiel’s sound package on this game as I think he is one of the best guys in the business creating some of the best sound packages in the business.

Getting customs speech by Kevin McNally Gibbs character was an excellent choice is the directional go to guy narrator of the game. I would however like to have at least one or two more additional characters as some fanfare just to mix it up a little bit hopefully that will come additionally later. Understandably the license did not have the use of facial video and only clips of the movie without character face shots.

Early prototype machines had a opening chest lid. However I think going by the static open lid is much better because the player has the satisfaction of seeing the progression and how many balls are locked in the chest I prefer this much better. Also the center disc was a tri-spinner disc with leds. Again I don’t see this as a huge deal and I think this single spinning disk actually works better in operation and getting the map animation up on the screen is a little bit more fluid and nicer.

Code wise this game is superior, it’s got a good balance for the novice player as well as the more experienced player. An average person can walk up to this have fun know what to shoot for in a relatively quick experience and it has very nice depth for the long term player in the home. There is a lot to do in this game and will keep you coming back for more.

Lighting and effects are fantastic and you can see with every JJP release they are learning and evolving. The GI is well used and no negatives here.

Personally I think this is JJP’s best game of the 4 titles produced thus far.

The staying power will last for many years to come on this game it’s pretty much perfection and I think the best game of all 2018 releases.

Great game, tons of thing to shoot, lots of toys and incredibly deep code, loving it!

Jacks best game yet.
After having some time on it I really want one.

This game is the closest to perfection I have ever played. I was on the fence with a lot of talk of it being over complicated, it’s not. It’s a pinball that truly feels like it has taken elements from the past, added cutting edge technology and have a game that is unmistakably the best game out now. Nothing should be rated a 10, original movie score, the 3 spinning disc would have been perfect but if JJP continues to make games at this level , I’ll buy each one. Compared to my Deadpool LE I bought last month, which I enjoy immensely, this game seems like a value when you look at the depth , quality and features included in it.
The multiplayer feature surprised me and might be may favorite feature. Plundering 1 x 10 k points from my wife’s score was great until she took 6 x 10 k from me. It adds so much more to the multi player ,instead of waiting for the other players turn to be over , your engaged and it’s much higher stakes. I couldn’t recommend more and I had serious concerns when playing in a bar but this machine shines in a home environment!

It's been years since I've written a review on here, but this game is so damn good, I figured I'd throw in my two cents: I love it, this is my all time favorite game. This is truly a work of art, showcasing the best of modern day pinball.

I've been aggressively playing, collecting, and competing since 2011. I've played hundreds of different machines. I have 13 in my collection and could own any game I want at this point. And I have to say, this is by far the best. Shots are fun and interesting. Rules blow away anything else out there (20+ characters!). Lighting and sound are epic. Animations on the LCD are top of the line. And the toys! I mean, a moving ship/upper playfield?! How f*cking cool!

This game is worth every penny.

Forget about all these new Stern JJ got the right product out and its a really fun game with multi levels and flippers, that is the PINBALL of 2018 !!!!

Great game. Not a huge fan of the theme and not sure how long it will be relevant, but still a ton of fun to play (and that's the main reason we play, right?)

Another home run by JJP. Keep 'em coming!

There seems to be some hate for this game; likely related to the changes made on the chest and spinner or possibly the dearth of scenes and music from the movies. That is all silly because the game is still amazing. It has quickly become #2 or #1 amongst almost all players at my house (people love Medieval Madness and WOZ). Everything is almost perfect on this game and most importantly, it is a lot of fun!

I know it looks like I just went in and just set a perfect score for all categories, but really it is that good. This machine is a wide body that does not feel like a wide body. Gameplay is very unique in that each character (22 scores and changes the rules different). When I say rules changing, that is really in regards to some characters making things easier like multi ball or less chapter awards. Plundering is definitely the perfect score for fun. My kids and I love playing this is in our home tournaments and I really doubt this machine will ever leave the collection.

Game Design:
Layout: The layout is one of the major assets of this game. It’s nice to have another game with a third flipper on the left. The upper play field is a unique design that adds to the game play.
Rules: The rules are super deep, but not intuitive. The rule diagram JJP released helped a ton, but you shouldn’t need a schematic to explain them.
Toys: Even though they had to cut back the spinning disk and the trunk, this game still has more toys and innovation than a typical Stern.
Game Play: It plays super smooth and the shots are fun.

Artwork:
Playfield: The Playfield is alright. It seems like they made the most of the latitude they had with the license.
Backglass: Like most JJP games, it’s not a focus.
Cabinet: The cabinet is good, but nothing special
Animations: The animations are really pretty. There’s no movie clips with the actors, but the animations are gorgeous and add to the game.

Sounds and Music
Sounds and Speech: The callouts are great, but could do a better job identifying what to shoot.
Music: The music is solid and helps set the tone.
Quality: Sound quality is great.
Variation: There’s definitely enough variation.

Other Aspects:
Game Lighting: The lights are really pretty, but with a non-intuitive rule set, they could do a better job identifying where to shoot. It kind of suffers from the challenges of TSPP. The prominent lights aren’t usually the ones you should shoot.
Lastabilty: It’s a deep game that once you understand it gets fun. There’s lots of interesting ways to play by yourself or with a group.
Theming: The theming does a lot with the restrictive license. It also does a lot to pull the theme directly into game play and that should be lauded.
Fun: This is a fun game. I wish I had more time on it. I still think Dialed In is the best and most fun JJP game.

Pirates LE will rip your heart out and steal your dog.

Pirates of the Caribbean (JJP) is the 4th game from Jersey Jack and their most ambitious to date.

The Pros:
The layout, artwork and sounds are brilliant. A great design from a new pinball designer is something to be celebrated. The animations are the best I have ever seen in a pinball game. The characters are well balanced from the get go and I'm sure that this game will only get better as software is updated. For a widebody game, this game does not feel wide. It feels like it shoots very well. Some of the game's shots are incredibly well put together and the flow of this table is incredible. There is a lot to do in this game. You may need a vacation away from everything else to really get this game down.

The Cons:
The risks taken with this design will have to stand the test of time. The tri-spinner and the chest have already been "reduced" in their complexity (and rightfully so). The rules are so deep and complex, that the only way to really get to know this game is to own one. Most pinheads do not have tens of thousands of dollars sitting around. Dialed In got the gameplay balance right. Would someone please reel Keith Johnson in (I admit it, I'm STILL trying to figure out how to play WoZ)? Thank you.

The Takeaway:
I got the chance to play the proto and the chest and the tri-spinner are not working as they should. While some may complain, I believe the JJP team made the correct decision to go with reliability as compared to flash. Will this game get better, yep. My sincere hope is that the balance of the game's rules and the reliability of it's mechanisms will become refined as well.

Update:
After a bit more mileage on this design I have a few things that I have noticed about this game. First off is that the shots take a bit of getting used to. This is a widebody design and that means that even though it may not look like it (it really seems narrower to me), the shot selection is wider on this layout than on most. This is especially true for the left orbit\return lane and the shot through the pops. The second thing is that this game has a lot of stackability. A lot of stackability. Between modes, wizard modes, playfield multipliers and this can all be done in multiple ways. I have been able to get 4 out of 5 wizard modes going at once. Hooooooweeee! Gotta get all 5 now. With all this in mind this means that there is a lot to do to set up your big whammy scores. This takes time, effort, planning and solid play. Scores altered accordingly. Keith Johnson is the thinking man's pinball programmer par excellence!

I played this game on the day it arrived at Level 257. I was a bit disappointed as the machine felt very clunky. This could have all been down to setup, but I played one set of games and then returned to Playing Batman 66. I think perhaps a better setup would have made all the difference, but my experience was quite contrary to the other JJP that they had on the floor. My better half played it after me and echoed many of the same things I said. I will defintely give it another shot once the unit has had time to break in and be dialed in. This is a MUST PLAY before throwing out your money. Hopefully this was just a bad setup and the game gets better. I REALLY wanted to like this game...