I agree with a lot of this, but I don't think getting Th was a"knee jerk" reaction.

Let's be fair:
After the phenomenal job PJ did with LOTR, expectations were sky-high for TH trilogy.
And, factor in that LOTR pinball was one of Sterns VERY best....

So, when JJP made this decision, its hard to think it wasn't pure genius.

I think few expected TH to suck as much as they did and for PJ to turn sell-out with this beloved content.
Add JJPs inability to release the game anywhere NEAR the theatrical release and you add more problems... what little hype there was for their franchise is certainly one gone by now.

And,
Beautiful artwork (video and sound) still doesnt outweigh the VERY mediocre gameplay...not in a pinball machine.

Lastly,
Stern finally wakes up and OVERDELIVERS on the GB machine.

So, it really was a perfect storm against JJP:
1. TH Movies sucked
2. JJP failed to deliver onetime (again).
3. TH game seems rushed (?!!??) incomplete code and dull gameplay
4. Stern releases a winner, not just visually but also in gameplay.

Stay tuned for someone to jump in and say "its not the game" and that ALL FOUR machines (at this VERY high profile pin event) were setup incorrectly... *facepalm*

It certainly seems like the VAST majority of people bullish on this game are the ones that paid for it 3 years ago (and have been defending that position for some time)....

Even the positive reviews point to what they "hope the game will become with software"

The number of people WITHOUT a pre-order (and with no emotion baggage ether way) excited about this game seems VERY slim. Now I think more will warn to it as they tweak the software and fix some of the early issues...

Some of it might be TH-overexposure since nearly every minute artwork change has been dissected for YEARS in the forum, but still... not great news for JJP trying to sell a LOT more of this title (like they did with WoZ).

If Stern build on the success of GB with another strong title this year, JJP is going to be hurting to sell significantly more than those pre-ordered...

And god help JJP if they are still screwing around with incomplete code and Stern finally announces a SW pin with LCD.... and gets it right.

Ok, I agree with that... but if HP is JJP #4.... when would that put production? 2017 earliest, right? Maybe later.... much later.