So after playing The Hobbit at several shows I was largely down on it. It played slow and it felt like all you do is bash the pop ups over an over. I realized the slow floaty play was due to setup but it still just didn't feel that fun. Since then I just mostly brushed it off and haven't thought about it again much. So now that a lot of people have had one in their home for a while how do you really feel about the game? Does it stand up well against other new games? Is it different enough to be a keeper in a home collection? Is the code fun?

With all of the price increases of future NIB games I'm circling back to this one to give it another look and just wanted to know peoples honest opinions that have had a lot of time on one. I tend to be more of a short ball time game person so that concerns me but I do enjoy a game of XMENLE or LOTR mixed in from time to time.

Played it at TPF 2 years in a row, at expo last year, and another show or 2. Been about a year though.

I'm sure it's coming, bring on the non owners opinions though as long as they have played it a lot and have an honest educated opinion.

Thanks for your honesty. If you don't mind me asking did you take a pretty good hit on the resale price or did it hold up pretty good? Not trying to be nosey but I could see myself getting it, loving it for a few months, then tiring of the same journey over and over. Pins that tell a great story are awesome but I find they get old much quicker.

Do you have another friend that is mad at stern for making a newer, better version of Batman

I don't mind losing a little, that's just part of it. I don't want to lose a lot on a game though if I can help it. I was mainly asking as the HUO market price is a great indicator of how well the game is being received. I saw a lot of people dump it quickly after they started shipping, but that seems to have dried up a lot.

I can see people getting a little upset at the different versions that come out later. To me they are all one in the same so it doesn't really matter. Can't play the trim color or the cabinet art.

Sounds like it's worth trying. I have a decent sized collection so I can have some games that I don't want to play very often. Just got a pretty good deal on the BA edition used at expo. Looking forward to getting it in a couple of weeks. It's been played enough to work out any bugs and is being gone back through by a really good pin tech so it's a win win. Worst case is I hate it and I lose $100 or so.

I'm not worried about making money and I don't look at them as investments. It's a hobby and they cost money. I'm not overly interested in losing a bunch of money though. I wouldn't think that anyone would want that.

Did you order directly through JJP or a distributor? If you ordered through JJP the problem becomes they have huge distributor orders in front of you and the distributors seem to always get priority. Anyone can buy one right now and get it immediately. It just comes at a higher price. Sounds like they are almost done though. If any BA edition ship before you get yours I would lose my mind though.

I think Jack said at expo there are only 300 more to go. So it sounds like you will get it in the next month or 2.

Made it home with a Hobbit today.

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Haven't had a chance to play mine much yet. But from just a few games you can tell that it needs more call outs. It can be pretty hard to figure out what to do at times. So far I like it a lot though. Hopefully the keep working on the code.

Isn't dialed in cheaper then a RRWOZ? 9k vs 9.5k

I think your criticism is fair. I have seen a couple on location broken but I've also come to expect most games on location do not work 100%. It's definitely an odd shot layout that I have not gotten fully used to yet. The modes are fun though so I think with more code work it can still turn into a really good game. I'm still enjoying it but not 100% sold on it yet.

There are a few really easy things. The Beast frenzy multiball constantly starts if you start Smaug multiball and it makes it almost impossible to defeat smaug. That is a huge glaring one in my opinion. Prevent beast frenzy from starting once smaug is started. The game needs a lot more call outs, I'm constantly trying to read the screen to figure out what to do as the game does not tell me. Those 2 things alone would make the game a ton better. I never said anything about adding more modes. The game is not even remotely close to as polished as WOZ is.