Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis? (Sorry...I just had to!)

Of course, theme-wise, you've chosen three medieval/middle earth type themes. You might want to branch out a bit there, unless you're somebody who spends a lot of time at the local RenFair. I would hold off on Hobbit until it's out and gets some feedback. The first two are awesome machines. I'd try to play any of the top twenty machines that interest you theme-wise and see what you like. Of course, there are plenty in the top 100 that are underrated and don't cost a lot.

In the end, if money weren't an option, though, I'd get MM and send it to Chris at High End Pins to do a restoration. Yours will be an original and probably in nicer condition than a NIB.

I can't comment on the pricing or versions and such. But I get the feeling that these are not games you are familiar with, to check out youtube videos of the gameplay and see if you find them interesting in action. Maybe even get Pinball Arcade and play video versions of them to see if you like the gameplay. With money not being an issue, I think it will really come down to which of these you really find the most enjoyable to play.

If money were no issue, I would just do MMR. MM is tried and tested, guaranteed that everybody will like it whether they are pinball fans or not. Also has complete code, and it will have modern parts that the original doesn't have, which make it easier to support in the future. LOTR some people aren't into the movies and whatnot, but it's on my wishlist I would love it. Just saying I see more reviews of people who "just didn't like it that much." Yeah they are few and far between but I really don't see that for MM.

Hobbit is untested and you'd have to go through the development process along with JJP for a year or so. I think it'll be great but again, MMR has more mass appeal if you have friends over that aren't into the hobbit.

Invisiglass is a must if you have the money.

Just my thoughts on the ones you list:

1. Medieval Madness- You can play this virtually on Pinball Arcade to get an idea for it. I've played a real one once, played the MMr at IAAPA, and played virtually quite a bit. A fun game, but I'm not paying the prices they are asking for it. And MMr preorders are still waiting, and waiting.

2. LOTR is one that my husband would love to have. I could care less about the movies, but the game itself gets great reviews. Be prepared for very long ball times, so if you don't have a lot of time to play this may not be the best pick. If we had the money and room, we'd have one, but it wouldn't be my choice for a single pin house just because of long playtime and deep rules.

3. Hobbit- I played one at the IAAPA expo in Florida in November. It was boring as hell, but then again the code wasn't finished. Having waited 3 years on another pre-order, I refuse to preorder and wait for anything, so honestly I wouldn't consider this one myself until it was out, reviews were made, and it proved to be reliable and fun.

Play them before you buy one. You will hear every opinion under the sun on these. The only opinion that matters is yours. Why are you prepared to spend so much money on your first pin? You might play a much cheaper title that floats your boat way more than any of these.

Blondetall makes a good point. You can play a lot of machines on Pinball Arcade and get an idea of how they play and what you might/ might not like about them.

I would also check out the PinMap and see what is around you that you can go play on location. There's no guarantee that the machines are in top notch condition, but it'll allow you to experience a variety a machines. That's what I've been doing for the past couple of months, and I have to say that I've been surprised by machines that I did not expect to like. ACDC is a good example: it was kind of neutral in my book; not a theme/band I disliked, but not something I was attracted to, but I have to say that it was a blast for me.

As far as you list goes, I'd go with LOTR - but it's the only one on the list that I've actually played. It's gotten a lot of positive feedback on Pinside (though it has it share of negative votes also), and I like the depth of rules/modes that I've been reading about.

Also, I'm sure you've seen it a lot if you've cruised around Pinside, but: Play before you Buy

Good luck to you sir!

Yeah, I would strongly encourage you to play a lot of other titles before making a decision on a purchase.

LOTR has a deep ruleset, but I think this is a double edged sword especially in a 1-machine situation. MM is a classic, but they are ridiculously expensive, not that deep, and I find it gets old pretty fast. Hobbit - who knows. Looks like a snooze from the gameplay videos I've seen.

Where do you live? People can likely point you in the direction of a place to play a lot of machines, and really get a feel for what you might enjoy. Unless of course you live in Chattanooga. I hear there's nothing there besides Blondtall's collection!

image-254.jpg

If money is not a consideration, then I recommend traveling to a pinball show in 2015.

You will get an opportunity to play all three titles and come up with your own ranking.

Based on my experience & preferences, you have them ranked in the correct order.

1. MM
2. LOTR
3. Hobbit

My 0.02

Marcus

Can you try to explain to us what it is you like about TAF? For example, if the humor is what draws you, LOTR might not be the best bet for you. Others have already mentioned deep ruleset and long ball times. Is this something you would like, or are you looking for a quick, light-hearted game?

HEP MM! Nothing better. Disclaimer: money not an issue, not a recommended first purchase.

Its really hard to tell someone buy this title and not that one.
I'm in the same boat right now with ST, Mustang and TWD. In the long run, I love all 3 so its going to come down to price.
I'm a sucker for the latest and greatest. I'm not going to knock all those great games out there (TAF for example) but for me, I am one who always buys the latest gadget.
Hobbit is going to be the newest kid on the block and its a wide body, plus Invisiglass is pretty sweet.
That would be my money. Or wait a little longer and see what JJ's next title is after Hobbit.
Now, having said that, am I telling you get The Hobbit, no. Again, only you can make that choice.
I guess if I were in your shoes, it would come down to price.

To the OP:

Honestly, your best bet is to slow down, find a location near you that has some pinball, and go play.

See what appeals to, then buy.

You are correct, sir. And he won't find those 3 pins at my house.

Honestly, the cheaper ones are the ones that people that come to my house like the best, and I definitely agree with the others that you need to check out a range instead of going for the top-rated. Frankestein gets the most play at my house, and they average less than $2K. LAH has tons of modes, magnets, a huge toy, a shaker motor, and is a ton of fun for around $1600. No Good Gofers is a bit more expensive at around $3K these days, but is a Lawlor and I enjoy it as much/more than my mom's Addams Family. You could get all three of those for less than the cost of the top rated pins listed, and in my book 3 fun machines beat out one high-rated machine.

I don't know, I think there are good arguments for all of those choices. None of them are duds.

I know the Hobbit code isn't finished, but I'm sure it's going to be a beautiful and exciting game when finished. I don't think anyone is doing anything as visually impressive as what JJP is currently doing.

LOTR is a great game for a home environment. Not as visually stunning as the Hobbit, but more complete code and deep, deep gameplay.

Medieval Madness is of course a legendary stone cold classic with code that is complete. Keep in mind that once MMRs start rolling off of Stern's line, they will be able to crank out a ton in a short period of time. I honestly don't think buyers have much longer to wait. Plus it comes with a warranty - something you won't get on a used game, and believe me, these things DO break down!

An original MM would also be a great pin to own. It's unlikely you could easily find one quite as nice as a brand new straight from the factory MMR, but parts are readily available and all the common problems are well known and documented.

Either way, good luck! These are all fantastic games.

You are in luck, one of your favorite pinballs is just up for sale :

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/fs-medieval-madness-7

And money is not an option, this is a very nice example!!!

And putting it on number one of your list, is a wise choice

My advice is to quickly buy some cheap games to take a spot in the game room. That way, the spot is claimed for a pinball machine.

Then you can take your time replacing the cheap games with your dream games.

Marcus

as far as price:

MM / MMR : ~$8000 (could be quite a bit more or less depending on condition and mods, if original)
The Hobbit LE: $8500
LOTR: not really sure .. $5000 - $6500? don't really know, sorry

as far as other recommendations go, I would if I were you try to find someplace with a lot of pins and play them! Also, if you have an iPad, get the game The Pinball Arcade. They have about 50 real-life pinball machines emulated in their software. It's a good way to "try out" a wide variety of machines.

figure out what you like and what you don't. there's a ton of variety, and what you prefer might not necessarily be the same as the consensus picks at the top of the Pinside Top 100.

I would seriously wait until there have been some games delivered before purchasing.

I bet if you made a thread here titled "WTB MMRLE" you would get responses.

Here is some advice. If you are married, you really need to think this through. First, no matter what you told yourself or wife, if any, you will not stop at only one pin.

So start off buying a real expensive machine. Now you have set the benchmark price. So in the future when you do decide to buy that second or third pin, the price will be a major issue. Following me???

So... If married buy Hobbit or MMr, better yet BBB.
If not married... Buy all three!

MM is a much better game for a pinball noob than LOTR. It's easy for anyone to understand what to do.

I found LOTR really underwhelming until I was a better pinball player and understood all the rules. If you don't know what you're doing, it's really unsatisfying IMHO.

Sounds like you (and the people enjoying your game room) would get more enjoyment out of MM.

My advice - don't listen to anyone's advice on what games you should own (including my own advice... PINBOT!.. ahem! excuse me).

Instead, just play them... Play the heck out of as many as you can play/find, then find and buy what you like best (even if it happens to be Bugs Bunny). Be patient and don't jump on the first one you see for sale. Follow Vid's guide on here as to how to avoid scams and try and find someone that is familiar with buying games to go with you to get it.

I also wouldn't recommend buying a game that you haven't ever played in person. Virtual Pinball/Pinball arcade is a totally different animal than the real thing.

Do you want a game that draws others in? MM, $7,000 - $11,000
Do you want a game that you will like the longer you have it? LOTR, $4,000 - $7,000
Do you want a game that is an unknown quantity for some reason? The Hobbit

http://www.arcade-museum.com/game_detail.php?game_id=8784
I have the cocktail in my gameroom, love it.

You won't know what you like and don't like about a machine until you have lived with a machine for long enough to understand the rules and such. Given that, I would just go with whatever is currently available for purchase and appeals to you the most. Your first machine doesn't have to be your favourite. Also, you probably won't have much mechanical knowledge about how to fix things going wrong on your machine right away, so just make sure nothing needs fixing immediately.

I haven't played Hobbit so can't comment, but it's really hard to go wrong with either LOTR or MM. I agree that MM is much more accessible in terms of what to do and shoot for (I know because I'm a pretty casual player), but seems to appeal to the hard core players also. I do like LoTR of course. The ball times are usually longer and the rules are as deep as they get. If the price difference didn't phase me I would probably go with a MM, but IMO it's not $6000 better of a game compared to LoTR (give or take a couple thousand). They scratch different itches in terms of gameplay and theme. Of course, if you can swing it, get both!

The idea of a brand new MMr is very appealing and costs less than a really nice original MM, but there are unknowns as others have suggested (long term value, reliability, collectibility). The fact that Stern is actually building them is a plus.

Starting with one or two games for a while is good advice, because your pin tastes will change a lot... Easy to go overboard quickly.

Haha. Definitely agree . You never know what will strike your fancy. Advice is fun to gather, but it's your money and your house. Lots of awesome games outside the "A-List"...

I think the deep rule set make it even more suitable for a one machine collection. If I had one machine I would not want Iron Man or Tron . . . I would want TSPP, XMen, or LOTR, where every game was a deep quest instead of a fast play beat down.

MM nuff said

I understand why some of you are giving the advice of "go see what you like best and get your favourite!" but as an inexperienced pinballer I think he's asking us for advice on what machine will be good to own over the long term, which he can't really know as a noob. He has unlimited budget to spend and is looking for a kick ass machine, you can't go wrong with big ol' #1. Everybody who comes to his house will appreciate MM. If he goes to an arcade and enjoys playing frankenstein for 20 minutes that doesn't mean much.

To the OP: I got a small collection of games that have variety of game style. You might want to consider what games will complement each other great.

A trio of MMr, Shadow and Tales from the Crypt for example (for a lower average cost trio)

Or if you want to go balls to the wall, MMr Metallica and Tron or Star Trek.

But I can't say it enough... if you want the best single pin, get MMr. The visitors to your game room will love it. And getting the most modern machines will make it the easiest for you to learn maintenance.

My point is that we don't know what will be a good long term pin for him either, because we're not him. Enjoyment of a game is subjective. I personally love my three pins, but I've seen hate for all three. I can understand why people appreciate certain games that I am not a big fan of, due to one reason or another, but how can you know what themes and music and artwork someone else will like? He might as well tell us nothing about pinball and more about his other interests haha.

So, Willis, from you pin choice you don't seem to have any interest in music pins. Is that fair? Does the game music and sound effects matter to you?
What about superhero themes?
You've got both kooky themes (MM) and serious (LOTR), so do you not have a preference?
You've got LOTR on there, would you consider any other movie-based themes?
Does artwork matter to you?
The list goes on, and if you want us to truly recommend a game that will last for you, those things are important.

Further on to that, what gameplay aspects do you like and dislike about the games you have played? For example, do you like fast games with orbit shots (that's where the ball swings around and comes shooting back to you)? Interactive toys? Wireform returns that bring the ball back to flippers? Multiple flippers? Upper playfields with more flippers?

Gameplay, theme, music, cost, toys, availability of mods, etc. these are all things that matter.

If you just want us to stick to the 3 you listed, go with LOTR. It's the cheapest, easy to trade or sell if you don't end up liking it long term, has mods available, gameplay is reasonably varied, reasonably deep ruleset and, most importantly, it's fun. It's the type of game that will help you grow as a player.

Medieval Madness is a great game. I'd have a restored original. I don't think a perfect high-end restoration is necessary.

Of the three, I would seek out LOTR. I would wait and see on Hobbit and MMR. Both are unknown quantities in terms of long-term serviceability.

I would not wait for a vault edition LOTR. It may be a fantasy. LOTR is on Stern's two-generations-ago hardware platform. If it happens, a vault edition will not be cheaper than a good-condition LOTR anyway.

Artwork matters somewhat, more if you're married. See Spring Break.

There are so many good pinball machines! Find ones you like to play and buy one of those. Attack from Mars, Pinbot, Simpsons Pinball Party, Twilight Zone, Doctor Who, Fish Tales, Spiderman, Funhouse, all fun. So is Rollergames, even if it is the most painfully 1989 game ever made.

Would you rather have one $10K machine that was in decent shape, or four $2500 machines in similar condition, but less cache? I favor quantity over quality, I suppose. If I'm trying to impress collectors, they want to hear about my Twilight Zone. My coworkers just can't believe I have any in my house, much less more than one.

I have played more than a few games of Stern's Indiana Jones, 24, CSI, Avatar, and Nascar. I found fun in all of them, and you could probably get two or three of them for what you'd pay for MM. Then, when one breaks (and ALL PINBALL MACHINES BREAK) you will have a spare.

My opinion Lord of the rings is the best game ever!!!!
If you can find go with that an save some money an put it towards your next deck!!
There's so many machines out there to try, I would definatly be playing a few before you make your choice, the titles you have on your wishlist are all A listers, haven't seen the Hobbit so not sure,
so if your into those sort of titles have a look at Attack from Mars, Monster Bash and Twilight zone.
Also remember this is your first pin, so you might want to think of rules maybe something a little less deep and easier to understand where Scared Stiff mite be the go? Once again im only really naming the more pricey titles, but there are so many more that demand a lesser price tag which are awesome !!! So good luck on your search let us know how you go...

Buy a pin and enjoy it, if you get bored with it then sell it and buy another one.

LOTR is great as you can learn the basics pretty quickly and it has plenty of multiballs, but to master it takes a long time (see thread on reaching valinor after 10 years). It's not a theme that appeals to everyone though and it there's not much humor in it

MM is #1 pin for a reason, great flow, rules, lots of humor and a theme that appeals to most people.

If you like lord of the rings, that's a good pin to start with but if you are not a big fan MM might be a better choise

Play both though before deciding. MMr's are still available, and getting a NIB has it's benefits

I would almost always recommend buying from either a close friend, or a trusted pinsider. Outside of that, you can't go wrong with some of the well known companies like Game Exchange, TNT, and others.

eBay you will most likely overpay. Experienced pinheads may be able to find deals there, but I wouldn't recommend it for someone just entering the hobby.

game room / retail sellers are also usually priced pretty high, and the quality of their cleaning / repairs / restorations is not always top notch.

In my opinion, your best chance for a great transaction and a game you are happy with is to wait for a game to come up for sale on Pinside that is local to you. Then look up that user and if they're well-established here with forum posts, for sale threads, etc, then that is a pretty good indication that they are legit. (There arent many bad sellers here that have an established presence -- they tend to get called out, so you'll see that if you search on their username. All my transactions have been great) Next, negotiate a price via Pinside PMs, go see the game in person, and play it. If it seems to be as advertised, pull the trigger.

Especially as a first time buyer, you really should see and play the game in person before you buy it, so you know exactly what you're getting. If you go the eBay or online seller route, you are likely to be disappointed due to misleading photos of the game and unmentioned problems.

The downside is you might have to wait longer for the game you're targeting, but it's better than being bummed out by a game that isn't in the condition you expected, or getting ripped off, in my opinion. Good luck and welcome to pinside!

My advice is spend as much money as is humanly possible on your first machine.

Go for an original, restored MM.

Ask around on here, put a wanted ad up on Pinside. Also, post some wanted ads on Craigslist. If you go the Craigslist route, you definitely need to bring a knowledgeable pinhead with you when you go to see it/pick it up to avoid getting burned. I'd stay away from eBay and the retail stores due to mark-up. The #1 rule though is DO NOT buy a game without seeing it in person first. That means no shipping.

Heavily rumored that Stern will be releasing a LOTR vault edition later this year, most likely to coincide (and take advantage of) the Hobbit release. If you're leaning toward LOTR, I'd be patient and wait until the summer to see how things shake out.

I live in Durham, own LOTR, and have orders for both MMr and TH. You are welcome to come in the near future and play LOTR and several other pins, or else wait a while and you can play everything on your list. Just PM me if you want to set up a visit.

This is what I'm talking about! Great people on here that are super friendly and willing to help people new to the hobby.

I, like many others, would recommend LOTR too...

But I would not recommend to buy that pin before playing it or, to the very least, check some videos...starting with the PAPA tutorial regarding the journey to Valinor (nearly an hour long!)

(you can "ignore the strategic comments at first and simply enjoy the player's skill!)

If you can't wait to destroy the ring after watching this one, LOTR is for you!