It looks good not great.. def not 15k great.

What happened to the ambiguous jokes and funny callouts? Missing the horror-fun. I don't see much of ss here, and the annoying deadheads are not funny as the ss dmd ones. Custom video, but not fun at all neither, she's in a soon-to-be shrederred to pieces sofa just rattling off her text.

Wooooooo nooooo, wtf guys, I was about to reserve the LE and then I saw the video, now I have big doubts.

Music is not what I expected from an Elvira pin, callouts are so so, I hate the innertubes, and the playfield art is good at the mid and at the bottom, but at the top they got lazy and just used Windows 3.1 paintbrush to draw it

Also hate the floating head, doesnt match with the overall design....

I don't know what to do now, its a new Elvira pin... but it is not calling me

The overall tone is wrong IMO, I love the Party Monster and SS callouts and music, but I can't find anything of it in the new Elvira pin

It's like the physics are completely off on the deadheads, and why are they front facing all the time?

Also, we need mode completion moments involving the house! Like when the castle explodes on Medieval Madness!

I was expecting awsome Scared Stiff 2. Istead there's black and white 60's movie clips, disco music, colorful life rings and a pensioneer on a casting couch. What the hell is going on here?

I am not worried about the deadheads, inner-tubes, or the callouts. Deadhead is almost certainly a placeholder, I would expect it to be floating in a corner of the display in the future based on feedback. Lyman always adds a TON of callouts as the code is revised. The amount of callouts in Batman final(?) code is insane. I am sure they are there and he just needs to implement them.

At this stage, it's fair to judge the art, layout and the toys. The game appears to shoot very well, and the house is well done with how they light it, the ball diverting different ways, and the lift ramp. Artwork looks great, with many tributes to the past 2 games.

My only complaint is the ramps are very generic and not Dennis Nordman style ramps. All of his ramp games have had unique ramps that curve across the playfield or just look super interesting. It wouldn't stop me from buying the game, just a minor letdown.

Overall, I think this looks great and can't wait to flip it.

Yup. Can't get any cheaper then 100% plastic ramps with cheesy built in flashers. For the price one would think Stern would at least have metal habitrails with proper Williams style dome flashers.

My first impressions

+ What stands out the most to me is the flow of the layout. It actually took me by surprise. Shots to the house were smooth upon exit, ramps look very fun, and opto spinner and orbits in general look like a blast to hit.

+ The mechanisms and toys did not disappoint. The house of horrors is bad ass enough, but then you have the trunk with a unique exit and the multiple state change dead head tomb. Again, they all look fun and not phoned-in. Oh oh oh the gargoyles hitting the glass! YES!!!

+ You can see where Lyman is going with code and the structure may be more cohesive when finished than BM66. The different films as mode played perfectly and I wanted to see the next film. Let’s hope the modes differentiate from one another to put the cherry on top. The Stiffometer 2.0 will have depth as well.

+ For early prototype beta code, the light show is already a spectacle, especially with the house (exterior lighting changes, window color differentiation, etc.)

+ Freaking Elvira introduces each mode, cmon. LCD layout is good and animations, for the most part, are looking nice, which is becoming a norm for Stern.

+ The Sound! All vocals perfectly capture the theme and already surpass many Stern titles. And I love the main score created for the background.

- The code is early. I’ll give Lyman credit though, it’s much further along than BM66 was at reveal.

- I agree with some of you that a few animations aren’t working. The pool floats aren’t the issue. In my opinion, they need to be refined a bit more to fit the style of the game. The dead head animations are actually really well done and offer new characters to the world. I just don’t need them floating around the main display. Having them travel along the perimeter of the display makes more sense and would be welcomed.

- Give me a bonus countdown. Of course this will be done, but tough to see it go straight to next player so quickly. I would also love seeing something a bit more visually appealing during the main multiball. Either different scenes or switching up the content randomly across this multiball.

- We can’t have enough Elvira and main announcer call-outs. It’s what keeps us smiling while playing Scared Stiff. Again, this will likely come with code development.

The long and short is that everything I seen that can’t change is terrific and things I’d like to seen change, can with code. For me, I always wanted to love BM66 but couldn’t get into the layout or mechs, and the code while deep, lacked dynamic mood and tone. It always felt nostalgic but in a way that I couldn’t relate, given my age. Elvira House Of Horrors is different and transcends age. This game looks campy, exciting, visually appealing, and fun! I’m already sad I didn’t get an LE, but the Premium will work very nicely, especially as code continues to develop.

It looks like a neat game and if there were no prior Elvira pins to compare it to, it would probably be a homerun. Unfortunately for this pin, there are two brilliantly drawn and designed Elvira pins already. This game definitely misses the mark by far when it comes to matching the style, vibe and overall coolness of the first two games.

The inner tubes dont integrate well at all to the theme and the dead heads have gone from some cool looking corpses/zombies to something that looks neither dead nor cool on the video. Their seemingly constant presence on the screen is an unwelcome distraction from some of the other things going on that actually look interesting. Theres other things I dont like, but those two really stand out to me.
Overall It's a nice effort, but it doesn't make me want it.

Yes. The SS flashers were super cool!

Screen Shot 2019-09-26 at 8.31.47 AM (resized).png

I bought Hobbit NIB. I dominated the pin and got to every mode and killed Smaug about every other game, on standard settings and 3 balls. I think I'm allowed my opinion that JJP couldn't overcome a bare playfield with few satisfying shots (unless you call pop up trolls and multiballs over and over fun and satisfying) I have enjoyed LOTS of deep pins I've owned in my collection over the years (TSPP and LOTR comes to mind first) that's not the issue with Hobbit IMO. I love this hobby, I love 95% of every pinball machine I've ever played. But like Avengers, Hobbit was such a huge disappointment for me.

Stern is out of their minds charging more for Elivra LE then what JJP charged for Pirates LE. Absolutely insane.

Will revisit possibly buying a premium in 2 years when the code is done.

Im paid in full on a premium and still feel this pin will be fun but at this price point the game really should have had full rgb GI so as much mood per movie could be attained. Also I think combining a pool party with a horror movie hostess is a total clash. Is she showing movies at a pool? I hate the floaties all over and the large boxy contraption in the center of the playfield. All the art should just have been the grounds leading up to the house of horrors or the rows of seating to a theater screen embedded in the pf ala heighway. But a fucking pool party centered around a house of horrors? Really left field, nonsensical and a big miss IMO. But it looks like it shoots great and will be overall a fun game to play.

Yes we know you hate the Hobbit, you've been saying that over and over again for 2 years in multiple threads lol You also sold the game well before it was even 50% coded. You didn't beat or get to every mode as the Arkenstone modes were not completed and There and Back Again wasn't in the game when you sold it. I've owned the game close to launch and it's completely different since then to now due to the incredible code work JJP put into the game last year. Code can heavily change a game.

Batman 66 is a rather bare open game, with far less in it then Hobbit, but the code makes it a lot of fun. Take Batman 66 at launch since now, same layout but two completely different games. I expect Elvira will change a lot over the next 2 years as well due to code changes. The game in last night's stream and one played once the code is complete and polished will be night and day.

The Dead Heads need to float around the edge of the screen. It looks awful over the video.

Not too much to say otherwise, looks like another Lyman game that's very early in development on release. Check back in a year?

I don't know much about Elvira, a little before my time... Did she used to float around on a pool toy or something? Serious question. Trying to figure out how a pool float intertwines with a campy horror theme.

Bingo. End of next year might be half a chance.

two notes:

1. Hopefully the modes don't always play in the same ladder order every game, that can get old.
2. Hopefully you can skip past whatever nonsense Elvira is blathering about from her couch.

1. Lyman said on the stream that the order was fixed for the broadcast but in the release code the modes would be selectable so it would not always been the same order.

2. It seemed like they could start the mode and the ball could be played before she was done talking. In any case this early code and this is something that could easily be fixed.

Both confirmed on the stream. Modes are not the same order in production, and you can skip.

I’m liking the look and flow of this game a lot! Like many of you, the floating deadheads is kind of annoying, but even if it stays that way, is not a deal breaker. I feel that there is going to be quite a bit of Elvira video and call outs in this game as the code progresses. I have just two small complaints. I wish the return ramps had a little bit of a wave/wiggle/hill to them. Nothing that crosses the playfield and I’m fine with the ramps being plastic. Also, the crate that locks 2 balls on the left ramp, it seems rather smallish. I wish there was a way it could have been more prominent like the crate in Scared Stiff. Maybe even hold 3 balls instead of just two. Anyway, great looking game, hopefully it will be on location sometime where I can play it because....I’m broke!

Awesome then as long as the clearcoat issue has been fixed this game looks pretty awesome by just about any measurement. Did they talk at all about that?

If you are blown away by someone spending 15k on a pinball machine that may depreciate 7 or 8 thousand in 10 years..You would be mortified to see how much money people lose when buying 80k cars driving them 4k miles and selling after owning them for only 6 months....

No, and wouldn't expect them to when revealing a game. There have been many reports of recently made JP Pro and JP LE games with changes to the playfield, so hopefully it is addressed going forward.

My point was of course there are some pins that you wouldn’t like, just no need to go so negative.

Why do these threads always turn into show and tell?

“Elvira? No thanks, I’ll stick with my well-modded Tron with a color dmd, Pink powdercoat, and signed instruction cards from the second unit director. It’s near mint with only a couple scratches underneath the game thanks to an overzealous, lightly modded Schnauzer with aftermarket grooming and a custom, schnauzer Refinery collar. He’s a good dog just gets excited. He’s near mint with papers - comes from a championship bloodline. Sometime he likes to sleep underneath another game that isn’t Elvira, my gorgeous fully restored HEP high speed 2 with pinsound board...”

Cool thanks for the info!

There are several pins that 'are a disappointment to me' too. But I don't go on and on about it like you do. It is amazing you keep doing this. It is really getting old (big time).

You do know there are some that really like the hobbit right? I do. And the longer I have it - and play other pins - the more I love it. JJP had complete access to the movie and sound assets of all 3 movies. Keith and Ted did an amazing job on the code - the modes and wizard modes are immersive, impressive in number, and imaginative in the way they are played.

Where things are going with licensing in pinball today I am not sure we will ever see a pin with as much assets and theme integration. Sure the layout could be better, but there is a ton of shots to shoot to progress in the game. And the style of the game requires longer ball times. The Hobbit is a fantastic pin to play.

You feel different and hate it - we all know it - you say it all the time. It may be true for YOU - but it is not true for ME.

And just because you owned it and say it sucks doesn't mean it does. Because I have owned it longer and say it does not. Who is right? both of us.

You can skip the video, Elvira will continue talking in the background as you play and complete her dialogue. This was shown on stream. I dig it, seemed to flow well and I liked that you didn't need a ton of UMPH to get the ball up any of the ramps. I believe Lyman also said on stream that it plays easy at the moment ... that could mean code changes to push the difficulty up.

You should see that guys posts after he first got it, called Hobbit the greatest game ever, bolted to the floor etc. Now he chooses to bash it every chance he gets, nonstop. I'm guessing mental problems...

Batman66 is the most played game in my collection. So i hear what you are saying, code makes a HUGE difference, but at least BM66 has some ramps, a few nice shots... I didn't find a single shot on Hobbit really satisfying to hit. Again agree with your point about code, but when you just have drop targets and pop ups, that at least IMO, isn't a lot of fun and doesn't get the heart racing when I make those shots. Again my humble opinion I'm allowed to have, despite the down votes from some of you dickholes

I don't get why he is like that...I guess he will just say it is my opinion and I have a right to say it wherever and whenever I want. But something is a bit off with him. Anyway, back to EHOH.

And i never would try and deny your right to love the game but I have the same right to hate it. Same with Avengers, but that doesn't bother you because you don't own the game right?

I'm sure once Lyman is done with the code everyone will be loving this game. I'm passing on it as the layout just seems to generic for the price and the code won't be done for another year or two probably.

Very mature

I learned my lesson 7-8 years ago with XMLE bought it for theme and artwork though the LE was a good deal with only several hundred and no premium would be made. After the fact was dissatisfied and have not bought anything without playing first. Sure that means that I missed out on the good LE pins like Metallica but I avoid anything that I would not like such as BM, Munsters, BK SoR and so on.

I’ll likely play Elvira and decide but from the stream I’ll probably get a DP or maybe next JJP or CGC game.

Avengers is near the top of the list for me on 'disappointments'. But I don't bring it up every thread - in fact I haven't brought it up at all until now - and won't again.

So you don't like Avengers either - so why single out Hobbit with your relentless bashing?

Early prototype beta code --> There should be no such thing never again as early beta code. If the game is released it should have solid code reaching 1.0. Period
Did you count the nr of lightshows? I did, and except for some house lighting and some flashers I didn't count one good plfd light animation. Even attract mode is basic one animation with some flashers copying the scared stiff effect and some plfd lamps.

The little introduction on every mode she does is too little for the game to hold interest. It's like 10 videoclips in total? The game should have had more, and if not, they should have covered that part with animated elvira faces + her speech --> if feel they totally missed the good concept of a fun elvira game.

You can say whatever you want and that good effort was done, but for this amount of money, they better have it done correct.

And I've posted on hundreds of threads without a mention of Hobbit, but feel free to continue your exaggerations

I think we would all be smart to have this outlook

Not every thread...

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/search?s=1&what=posts&q=Hobbit&topic-machine=&pinsider=CSCMTP&age_days=&subforum=0&sort_by=date&sort_order=DESC#results

IMO they modified the code to have linear modes for the stream because they didn't want to reveal too much of the game. By doing this, we only saw 3 modes, which made it feel repetitive and lacking in variety. But think about it... there are 26 Haunt Modes in the game - 9X what we were allowed to see!

- You get to pick which Haunt Mode you want to play throughout the game - it's NOT linear
- 26 Haunt Modes - each will have an Elvira intro, and callouts specific to that mode
- Lyman is the master at making modes that are interesting and fun (not all the same feel)
- 6 Multiballs + Wizard Modes!
- The Gar-Goil issue was 1 switch that needed adjusting - not a big deal
- DeadHeads - there are 12, but we only saw 3 - maybe they will adjust so they aren't so large (when not speaking)
- Pool Inner Tubes - based on feedback, they could adjust (smaller would be better)

I think the game looks awesome, but it's obviously on a tight time schedule. Lyman and Mike look like they're working around the clock! Pinsiders should stop thinking they've had 2 years of development. Stern likely shelved the project until things aligned for it to be scheduled.

So maybe 20 threads out of how many total? If you are as good at math as your are being an ass maybe you can post the %

No thanks. You can do the math if you like:

https://pinside.com/pinball/community/pinsiders/cscmtp/forum

https://pinside.com/pinball/community/pinsiders/goronic/forum

I think we are done here. Not the right place for this kind of back and forth. Feel free to PM if you like.

There are 26 House Haunt modes - so 26 clips minimum. There will definitely be more clips for Wizard Modes and ?

That's great. Has it been confirmed that there are 26 House Haunt modes?

No junk in this trunk!
Luv DN games, but just doesn't have SS feel about it.

I see no rush after watching this Video and cancelled my Le.
If things change, I'll grab a Premium when the price settles down Second hand.

Looks like it shoots smooth and easy, maybe a bit too easy for great players. No dangerous, tight or close shots that I can see. Accurate shooters will be on this thing all day, like BM66. I hope tourney directors are all stocked up on lightning flippers. And don't forget to pull those outlane posts.

Yes - 26 Haunts, and it looks like a wizard mode after 13, and another after 26