I Played JAWS Pinball...

Cary Hardy·video·8m 44s·analyzed·May 1, 2024

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Cary Hardy: Jaws plays great but theme doesn't appeal; Pro model better value than Premium.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides a delayed first impressions review of Jaws pinball after playing it multiple times across Pro and Premium variants. While praising the gameplay, code depth, and audio design (crediting Jerry's sound work), he criticizes the theme as unscary and personally unengaging, and identifies the wave ramp as a frustratingly difficult shot that limits the Premium's upper playfield value. He recommends the Pro model as better value and positions Jaws above AIQ but uncertain versus Jurassic Park in Keith Elwin's design hierarchy.

Key Claims

Jaws has been out for approximately three months at time of recording
high confidence · Direct statement: 'Jaws has been out for three months, going on that pretty close'
Cary Hardy has 5 games on Premium and 6 games on Pro according to Insider Connected, with unreported additional plays
high confidence · Direct gameplay stats reported: 'I have five games on a premium, six games on a pro. My high score for a premium is 115 million. My high score for a pro is 270 million'
The wave ramp shot is difficult to execute and doesn't stay on upper playfield long enough to justify Premium's $2,000+ price premium
high confidence · 'if you do manage to make it up there you're not going to be up there very long anyway' and 'it's already difficult as it is to get up there in general'
Audio/sound design is critical to Jaws' theme immersion and brings the game to life
high confidence · 'what really brings this game to life is the audio package on it... without audio you not going to get the full experience with it'
Jaws is better than AIQ in Keith Elwin's design portfolio, uncertain versus Jurassic Park
high confidence · 'I know it's better than AIQ... I wonder if i like it better than jurassic park i don't think i've got enough time on it to really think that it's better than jurassic park'

Notable Quotes

“It's not that the game isn't for me. It's the theme.”
Cary Hardy@ 1:15 — Establishes his primary complaint and positions the review as gameplay-positive but theme-negative
“But it's not like it's unmakeable it's just that you you've got to hit it just right in order for you to get it up there so not only on the premium are you not up there very long to really get the full experience of the extra two grand plus for the machine but it's already difficult as it is to get up there in general”
Cary Hardy@ 5:06 — Core criticism of Premium variant's value proposition; the wave ramp barrier makes the additional cost hard to justify
“I think what really brings this game to life is the audio package on it... Jerry for his sound on this game... without audio you not going to get the full experience with it”
Cary Hardy@ 4:13 — Strong praise for sound designer Jerry's work; identifies audio as critical to game quality
“I had plenty of good time on the Pro. And I did play the premium as well... I think I would just settle for the pro personally”
Cary Hardy@ 7:41 — Explicit recommendation favoring Pro over Premium for value
“Why would I be scared of a shark? If I'm scared of a shark, just get out of the damn water.”
Cary Hardy@ 1:37 — Personal dismissal of Jaws' core threat premise; explains why theme doesn't resonate for him

Entities

Cary Hardyperson Keith Elwinperson Jerry Thompsonperson JawsgameStern PinballcompanyTexas Pinball FestivaleventAIQgame

Signals

?
community_signal: Audio design (Jerry's work) identified as critical differentiator for game immersion and theme effectiveness
high · 'what really brings this game to life is the audio package... it just really better that all i can say... without audio you not going to get the full experience with it'
?
design_philosophy: Keith Elwin design comparison suggests Jaws is stronger technically than AIQ but still uncertain versus Jurassic Park after limited play time
medium · 'I know it's better than AIQ... I wonder if i like it better than jurassic park i don't think i've got enough time on it to really think that it's better than jurassic park at this point in time'
$
market_signal: Premium variant pricing ($2,000+ premium over Pro) not justified by gameplay experience, especially given wave ramp difficulty limiting upper playfield access
high · 'I almost recommend people get the pro even though there's more in the premium... if you get a pro you're going to be just fine... I had just as much fun in the pro as the premium'
?
product_concern: Wave ramp shot identified as inconsistently makeable and frustration point; playfield flow issue on otherwise well-designed game
high · Cary describes struggling with wave ramp despite noting Keith Elwin himself found it iffy during playtesting; describes it as irritating and hard to hit cleanly

Topics

Pro vs Premium pricing and value propositionprimaryPlayfield shot difficulty and design (wave ramp)primaryTheme appeal and personal engagementprimaryAudio design and immersionprimaryKeith Elwin design comparative analysissecondaryStern's game release cadence and next titlesecondary

Sentiment

mixed(0.65)— Positive regarding gameplay mechanics, code depth, and audio design; negative regarding theme appeal and Premium value proposition. Cary is complimentary about execution while being honest about personal disconnect with IP. Recommends the game to fans of the theme but would not purchase himself.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.026

Look, this is more than likely going to be a pretty quick video. I want it to be quick because I do need to go to bed. But, look, Jaws has been out for three months, going on that pretty close. We are days away from Stern's next release for their next game. And at the time, I only got like one game or two on it at Texas Pinball Festival, which I don't feel was enough in order for me to give you feedback on how I feel about the game. I prefer to get as many games as I possibly can on it unless I just don't like it or something. And before I give you my opinions on how I feel about it, I especially like to be able to play a game where I can hear it, and you can't get that at expo or shows in general. Things are just too loud, so you can't get the full experience. And by all means, I feel that Jaws is a game that can submerse you into the theme if it's for you, though. But it's not for me. Now, just so we're clear, it's not that the game isn't for me. It's the theme. And that's my biggest and pretty much my only complaint. I do have one more other complaint, but that has always been my complaint since the game's initial release is that I just don't care about Jaws. They're like, oh, this is such a big scary thing, Carrie. You just don't know. You weren't there. You don't know what it was like to be scared of a shark, blah, blah, blah. Like, why would I be scared of a shark? If I'm scared of a shark, just get out of the damn water. That's the way I look at it. The shark's not going to get me. What I was scared of as a kid, Freddy Krueger, it, because these were all things that could get you whether or not you're in water or not. They could get you in your freaking sleep. that can get you while you're sitting on the toilet. Whatever. I digress. I'm just saying, Jaws wasn't a scary movie for me. It wasn't for me at the time. Still isn't a movie for me today. So, let's set the theme aside, which is the low level for me to poke at Okay Let talk about the most important thing and that is gameplay i was also scared of chucky so and dolls still do give me a little creepy factor but anyways so look gameplay i according to insider connected and i know i've got more games than what this is telling me because some of the locations that i did stop in california their games were not connected to the internet. But according to this, I have five games on a premium, six games on a pro. My high score for a premium is 115 million. My high score for a pro is 270 million. And I did get to rescue multiball. So, like I said, I do have more games than what Insider Connected is aware of. but playing both pro and premium i feel that both of the games shoot very well i have no issues with the shark not eating a ball i did see that i'm guessing stern has now even provided a ball that can go in the shark's mouth on the premium so at least whenever he does come out of the playfield there's a ball already there okay cool i mean but for me pro versus premium the shark coming up and out of the play field i didn't miss it when i played the pro i think the pro still felt very fun to shoot there's still plenty there especially when it comes to the code my word the that but like so i definitely know there's a lot there when it comes to code um i just recently watched some of the you know how to play jaws just to see how bad i was at it and there's definitely plenty there to chew on and to master. But I was really getting into the game on things to shoot for, and like I said, the audio that goes along with this game really puts you in the theme. So I really do kudos to Jerry for his sound on this game. I think that what really brings this game to life is the audio package on it the hearing that it it just really it better that all i can say guys it just without audio you not going to get the full experience with it i think every shot on this game like every elwynn game feels good except for one and it's the one shot that i remember pointing out was iffy when it came to even elwynn himself playing the game and it's the wave the wave ramp shot i found myself struggling to make that shot as well there was just so many times where i would launch it up in there and it would just just rattle around and then come back down it was very irritating and but it's not like it's unmakeable it's just that you you've got to hit it just right in order for you to get it up there so not only on the premium are you not up there very long to really get the full experience of the extra two grand plus for the machine but it's already difficult as it is to get up there in general so if you do manage to make it up there you're not going to be up there very long anyway so i almost recommend people get the pro even though there's more in the premium and it looks cooler and you got more going on i get it but i feel that if you get a pro you're going to be just fine to be able to experience a lot and still have fun with it i know i was having just as much fun in the pro as the premium so where do i put jaws across the board when it comes to all of elwyn's games i think theme wise it's still bottom of the rung i don't care about it but when it comes to how well it plays it's better than aiq man i almost i i'm i wonder if i like it better than jurassic park i don't think i've got enough time on it to really think that it's better than jurassic park at this point in time but i know it's better than aiq i i enjoy the game better than aiq so it's definitely not his worst game so there is that that needs to be said but i like i said the only thing i don really care about is the wave ramp shot that just man it just enough to piss you off kind of thing But when you make it it feels good but I miss it more than I make it kind of thing I used the flip lock system. I thought that was pretty cool. I like the moving fin with the chum in the water, how it can turn red over time and spread out. I think it's a really nice effect. pretty much every shot felt good except for the wave uh ramp form i'm i'm just don't want to forget anything guys on how i feel about this i it's one of those like do i want to own it no uh this day and age you've got to check all the boxes and it's it's just not a theme for me but everything else on this game i think is a winner so i believe if you are a jaws fan then this is a game that you You should probably look into and see if it's something that you would like to own. Even if you're not a Jaws fan. And if you can look past the theme, I think you will find this game to be pretty fun to play. I still don't feel like with 100% certainty that the premium is worth it. Like I said, I had plenty of good time on the Pro. And I did play the premium as well. And since I found that wave ramp shot to be pretty tricky to hit, to be able to even experience that upper play field, then I don't know. I think I would just settle for the pro personally. Unless I got really good at that wave ramp shot. Sorry I was late on talking about Jaws everyone, but I like to be as fair as I possibly can when giving my first impressions on how I feel about a game and it has been definitely a busy past few months. hopefully especially with the next release i'll be able to get to it sooner and give you guys my thoughts and opinions quicker than definitely jaws we're already towards the end of the life for this game next game is just around the corner guys but uh i definitely got more content on the way i don't think i'm going to do any more recording tonight but i need to talk about elton john