Both are great games. I prefer TWD currently.

Between TWD and LOTR, I would decide based on this: do you want really long games?

The biggest reason LOTR does not get played at my house is the games are long. There are many more instances where a shorter game works better. I practically consider LOTR a 1 player machine, because playing with friends can feel like a marathon game. This greatly depends on your skill level. If you aren't a pro/semi-pro or will mostly be playing alone, maybe you would prefer LOTR. On the other hand, TWD can be very tough - so if you're not very good you might get frustrated with it.

TWD is a great game, but it was bashed hard on release by a lot of pinsiders that were clueless to what the game had to offer. TWD is a game that you HAVE to learn and get into (more than other games) before you can appreciate it. IMO it's one of the best games Stern has ever done, and many people are just recently giving the game a second chance and discovering the same. TWD is doing the opposite of your historic example, it was rated low initially due to a lot of early haters and has moved up. Although, I don't care what the ratings say, as I know how great/fun the game is -> which is all that matters. TWD is like Twilight Zone, as TZ was not very popular in arcades because it was too complicated - but now is considered by many to be one of the best.