Own both, I’m choosing hobbit, but these games couldn’t be more different in just about every way.

Metallica games tend to be very short and it’s tough to progress, not as brutal as iron man, but tough. Great rule set and decent flow.

Hobbit to me is one of the most immersive games ever built, fantastic theme integration. Long ball times, much like lotr, but the rewards are awesome, killing Smaug is quite a rush. If I were you, I’d start by selecting the theme that most appeals to you.

Not sure about that, hobbits are pushing well north of $8k, some going for $10k. A year or so ago you couldn’t sell hobbits for $7k.

Well, I’m going to have to disagree here. Wasted the license? It’s probably the best theme integration ever done. Playfield is not empty, it’s just open, there are multiple drop target banks and targets behind those, two main ramps plus a diverter that drops down, captive ball, mystery target, sneak in magnet, three drops, pops, orbits, beast pop ups, a mini lcd, two spinners, moving and talking dragon, kickback, etc. that’s pretty packed, not many games have more than the hobbit does. The game is not floaty or slow if set it up right, I’m at 7.3 pitch and it’s very fast. Whenever I play it, it always draws me in, unlike any other game. Throw in an external sub and it really comes to life. Ball times can be long, but that doesn’t matter to me, I just need to set aside time to play it.