# I Played Elton John Pinball

**Source:** Cary Hardy  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2024-05-01  
**Duration:** 5m 29s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Pyl1w5iDts

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## Analysis

Cary Hardy reviews Jersey Jack Pinball's Elton John game, praising it as JJP's best shooter with excellent layout design, flipper feel, and animations, but criticizing the $12,000 Premium and $15,000 CE pricing as unjustifiable and the primary barrier to purchase. He credits Steve Ritchie's involvement with improving flipper strength and suggests $9,000 would be a more reasonable price point.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Elton John is Jersey Jack's best shooter yet — _Hardy states this directly and claims majority community agreement; personal observation from gameplay_
- [MEDIUM] Steve Ritchie improved flipper strength on Elton John compared to previous JJP games — _Hardy reports feeling noticeably stronger flippers and credits Ritchie's involvement; claims other players can feel the difference_
- [HIGH] Elton John Premium Edition costs $12,000 — _Directly stated multiple times as pricing criticism_
- [HIGH] Elton John CE costs $15,000 — _Directly stated as pricing criticism_
- [MEDIUM] JJP's last two or three releases before Elton John were not successful/winners — _Hardy opinion stated at end: 'most of your games especially the last two or three that you brought out have just not been winners in my opinion'_
- [MEDIUM] Game layout incorporates references to Steve Ritchie's previous designs (Getaway, Star Trek) — _Hardy identifies design elements during gameplay review_

### Notable Quotes

> "Jersey Jack, you did good. on almost everything"
> — **Cary Hardy**, opening
> _Sets overall positive tone for the review despite pricing criticism_

> "this was their best shooter yet"
> — **Cary Hardy**, early
> _Core thesis of the review; reiterates throughout as main positive claim_

> "Do I think that Elton John, just the Platinum Edition, is worth $12,000? Hell no. This is ridiculous."
> — **Cary Hardy**, pricing section
> _Strong expression of primary criticism; key moment of tension between game quality and price_

> "if that game was $9,000, oh, man. Y'all could be having so much money, it's crazy."
> — **Cary Hardy**, pricing section
> _Suggests alternative pricing that would drive purchase; implies lost sales opportunity_

> "I just don't agree with it. It's subjective on what things are worth. But, man... $12,000. What?"
> — **Cary Hardy**, pricing section
> _Acknowledges subjectivity but expresses incredulity at price point_

> "Your flippers are no longer sluggish or whatever, so if Steve Ritchie had something to do with that, I'm glad he's definitely on board."
> — **Cary Hardy**, flipper discussion
> _Attributes tangible mechanical improvement to Ritchie's involvement_

> "i don't know if you will ever get me to buy your game at $12,000"
> — **Cary Hardy**, closing
> _Declares pricing as dealbreaker despite game quality_

> "i think you finally have one you finally have a winner you just don't have an attractive price tag"
> — **Cary Hardy**, closing
> _Concise summary of review tension: excellent game, bad pricing strategy_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jersey Jack Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Elton John pinball; subject of review; recent games criticized but Elton John praised |
| Elton John | game | Jersey Jack Pinball game being reviewed; described as JJP's best shooter with excellent layout and flipper feel; $12,000 Premium/$15,000 CE pricing criticized |
| Steve Ritchie | person | Designer of Elton John; credited with improving flipper strength and incorporating layout elements from previous classic designs |
| Cary Hardy | person | Reviewer; provides detailed gameplay impressions and pricing critique |
| Jaws | game | Referenced as prior Stern game reviewed by Hardy just before this Elton John video |
| Guns N' Roses | game | JJP game referenced as having more advanced on-screen animations (live performance video) compared to Elton John's still frame approach |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Referenced as example of game whose secondary market price increased over time; used as precedent for potential Elton John appreciation |
| The Matrix | game | Rumored future JJP game; Hardy mentions as potential game that could convince him to pay $12k+ if designed well |
| Getaway | game | Steve Ritchie classic referenced as design element incorporated into Elton John layout |
| Star Trek | game | Steve Ritchie classic referenced as design element incorporated into Elton John layout |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Game Design & Layout Quality, Pricing & Market Value, Jersey Jack Pinball Product Quality Trajectory
- **Secondary:** Flipper Feel & Mechanical Improvements, On-Screen Animations & Display Features, Steve Ritchie's Design Influence, Secondary Market Value Retention

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.55) — Strong positive sentiment about game mechanics, design, and layout (8/10 game quality) heavily undermined by strong negative sentiment about pricing strategy (2/10 value), resulting in mixed overall impression. Hardy explicitly states game is a 'winner' mechanically but pricing is a dealbreaker.

### Signals

- **[sentiment_shift]** Shift from initial negative perception of Elton John theme to broad community appreciation after gameplay; majority now views as JJP's best shooter (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'i had probably more negative thoughts about the game on its initial release... as more and more people got a chance to play it... I believe that the majority of people would agree that Elton John pinball is Jersey Jack best game yet'
- **[market_signal]** Secondary market pricing precedent (Pirates of the Caribbean) suggests Elton John may retain or appreciate in value despite high launch MSRP (confidence: low) — Hardy speculation: 'Maybe... it be like Pirates and the price will only go up. That more than likely what going to freaking happen'
- **[community_signal]** Steve Ritchie's positive impact on JJP game design quality evident through flipper improvements and layout design integration (confidence: medium) — Hardy credits Ritchie with flipper strength improvements and identifies Ritchie's classic design patterns in Elton John layout
- **[market_signal]** Premium Edition at $12,000 perceived as unjustifiable for game quality; Hardy estimates $9,000 would be optimal price point for market penetration (confidence: high) — Repeated criticism: 'Do I think that Elton John, just the Platinum Edition, is worth $12,000? Hell no' and 'if that game was $9,000, oh, man. Y'all could be having so much money'
- **[product_strategy]** Flipper strength improvement attributed to Steve Ritchie's involvement on Elton John; noted as tangible mechanical upgrade over previous JJP games (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'Your flippers are no longer sluggish or whatever, so if Steve Ritchie had something to do with that, I'm glad he's definitely on board. I can feel it.'
- **[product_concern]** JJP's previous 2-3 releases were not winners; Elton John represents quality turnaround but pricing undermines commercial viability (confidence: medium) — Hardy: 'most of your games especially the last two or three that you brought out have just not been winners in my opinion'

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## Transcript

I just finished doing the Jaws video and I told myself I wasn't going to do any recording, but I'm like, you know what, I'm on a roll, let's just pump this stuff out, this should be even shorter than that video. So, Jersey Jack, you did good. on almost everything okay look i think initially i was like i don't care about elton john um i had probably more negative thoughts about the game on its initial release i got a chance to play it once at Expo because the lines were horribly long and they only brought three or two two or three games up there which was not enough and the one game I played I enjoyed I it was enough for me to recognize that this was their best shooter yet and I stood by that and as more and more people got a chance to play it and as time has gone on I want to say that everyone agrees with that statement not that I'm the only one to state that obviously I'm just saying that I believe that the majority of people would agree that Elton John pinball is Jersey Jack best game yet or best shooter at least okay let go for that because i know that elton john as a theme doesn speak to everybody honestly doesn't speak to me either but yet while i'm playing it i'm singing along to every damn song so obviously i do like elton john to an extent i do enjoy listening to the music while I'm playing the game. It does go well with it. I enjoy the layout. Steve Ritchie put a lot of his previous layouts mixed in. I got a little bit of Getaway. I got a little bit of Star Trek. And I'm sure a number of other games I could list off that I see within the layout. But every shot felt good. Especially what everybody's referring to as the warp ramp shot. I love making that. It's very pleasing to do. When it comes to the aesthetics of the game, it's obviously it's a jersey jack game they're gonna be beautiful and uh when it comes to the on-screen displays the animations uh once again top notch i just really wish that they would have gone a little bit further on the screen like they did with guns and roses like elton john live actually in concerts or whatever playing along with that instead of just still frame images of him and zooming in and out and stuff like that that a little bit meh but again i looking more down at the play field than I am at what on the screen But honestly I think the only thing that would keep me from getting an Elton John is the price Do I think that Elton John, just the Platinum Edition, is worth $12,000? Hell no. This is ridiculous. $12,000? Are you kidding me? And then $15,000 for the CE? No. I just don't agree with it. It's subjective on what things are worth. But, man, if that game was $9,000, oh, man. Y'all could be having so much money, it's crazy. But you went for the $12,000 mark. And I'm just like, no. I wouldn't pay that. I know there's people out there that would. And I think a lot of people that have played the game have appreciated it. But it's down to the price tag that they're asking for. $12,000. What? I mean, who knows? Down the road, maybe the prices will come down on them. The secondhand market or something like that. And maybe in the future, it'll be a game that'll be more obtainable. Or it be like Pirates and the price will only go up That more than likely what going to freaking happen So Jersey Jack continue doing what you doing when it comes to the flipper strength You can say you didn't do anything. You did. I can feel it. Anybody else that's played Elton John can feel it. Your flippers are no longer sluggish or whatever, so if Steve Ritchie had something to do with that, I'm glad he's definitely on board. I'm hoping that in the future you guys can bring out a game that checks all the boxes when it comes to nailing that theme, nailing the layout and how fun it is, and for the love of God, make a more attractive price. Because that, I don't know if you will ever get me to buy your game at $12,000. unless the rumors are true if you have the matrix license and you do it justice and it shoots great then maybe i'll think about it but who knows i'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it right now i just want to say uh i'll compliment you jersey jack because i think that definitely most of your games especially the last two or three that you brought out have just not been winners in my opinion and i think you finally have one you finally have a winner you just don't have an attractive price tag

_(Acquisition: youtube_groq_whisper, Enrichment: v3)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 16809717-2f2d-4ff5-a476-b12fdcf13cd2*