Early in the 2000s when I was still in junior high, my dad and I found a LOTR at a nearby bowling alley, and at the time it was the only pin in about a forty-mile radius. We played the snot out of it. While I'd maybe 10% of the time get the 7-million-point replay, he was racking up 150M/200M/230M-point games. Needless to say, I spent a lot of time watching.
All that watching translated to a lot of learning what stuff did what, and learning about all kinds of concepts like modes, multiballs, stacking, and even really basic things like skill shots, lane bonuses, locks, and planning out your shots---things that were all still very foreign to me (and things I still couldn't typically physically achieve). Being more knowledgeable than you are capable in games like LOTR is an absolute CURSE. You know what you have to do, you only need three more shots to do it and then you'll have the perfect mode set up with the perfect multiball aaaaaaand DRAIN. Playing this in a competition must be a nightmare.
But, LOTR became my de facto standard for all things pinball--comparing most games to LOTR isn't even apples to oranges, it's worse. This really stands in a league of its own in many regards. I have so much to say about this from a nostalgia and sentimental point of view, but I don't think that's all that necessary in this context. So let's condense this:
PROS:
-Wonderful flow when you're in the zone.
-Shooter's paradise. Shots all feel unique in their respective modes
-Great music, callouts, sound effects, and aesthetic. LOTR shines in every way.
-For me, the perfect balance of points vs. effort (all the extra zeroes you find in AFM and Johnny Mnemonic really put me off)
-A halfway decent game will result in me playing it again. Every time.
CONS:
-It's on average a very hard game. You're not always going to have a mildly decent game, let alone a great one. Knowing the rules front to back, nearly down to each shot's individual point value, makes having a poor game an absolute rage-fest.
-Slight tweaks from machine to machine make too large of a difference for me to want to play every LOTR I find on location (in contrast with something like a Godzilla or Earthshaker or Addams Family, for which I'll pay the $5 ATM fee just to get cash for quarters)
-Lighting is meh. A lot of LOTRs on location tend to be really dark.
-Layout is a quintessential Gomez layout, though this is hands down his best table in my opinion. I am disappointed how often he used this exact placement of orbits, loops, ramps, and pop bumpers in so many other games. I can't even play Dark Knight for that reason.
-It is WAY too pricy these days. It's great, but $10k can buy you a LOT of fun from a lot of other manufacturers.
-Palantir standup target is a deathtrap outside of multiball
-No drop targets, and just a couple standups. It's pure ramps and loops. Not a bad thing, but more one-dimensional than some players would want.
OVERALL:
-It's hard to beat. The rules are deep, the presentation is rich and full of life, the shots are satisfying, and the adaptation into a pin is one of the most faithful and engaging you can get...ESPECIALLY when you consider some of the other stuff that was coming out at that time.
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