It's not as bad on Smaug, but unless code updates have changed it substantially in the last year....Into the Fire *specifically* is audio nightmare fuel. Maybe that's intended. It's really grating to me...all I hear is the same sizzle and scorch sounds over and over again. I will say that....I think it was Aurich....or someone asked me to play the game with headphones on, which I did subsequently do, and it does really change the feel of the game to be surrounded in that environment completely, it's a positive. But I don't know anyone that carries quality headphones to an arcade. I won't...not just for playing JJP games. In Hobbit's case for sure I can say that I'd rather not play it ever again without headphones if it's on location.

I hear ya there. If I played my Hobbit, or any movie based pin, without the audio as it was intended to be heard I wouldn't enjoy it. The music and audio effects in The Hobbit are really important to the gameplay experience, without them it takes away a lot from the game.

Regarding the wizard mode difficulties I've managed to only collect 1 SIM card on Dialed In in my first week of ownership. Long ways to go, lol.

Most SIM cards I've ever had was three. One is typical for me. The fact that you lose it if you drain is really really harsh, IMO. It's great for competitive play, but even for a competitive player like myself, I just feel like it makes the game not much fun. It totally destroys my sense of achievement of finishing a mode if I can't collect the actual reward, and the SIM scoop is far from a "gimme". I don't feel like the objectives in DI are ludicrous to get to the wizard mode (that I know of? lol)..I'm sure in a home environment I'd have that thing tuned to my satisfaction and over time get really good at hitting that and the big bang shot to avoid the magnet modes, but yeah. It's not completing 33 modes, regardless of how short they are. LOTR makes you shoot everything on the playfield multiple times, and it only needs 6 modes and 3 multiballs to accomplish that.

Think if they really want to require completion of all modes, the general idea from POTC should be backported to Hobbit where you get like half or 1/3rd of the modes at RANDOM every game. That would introduce some needed randomness along with still being too difficult for most players. I feel like if you can get the kill on Smaug, along with all three SJPs from the arkenstone modes...you've already earned your keep in my eyes, because that's just already way way way over average ball times for what's already a game that takes far too long to play. It's wierd that you can get to DTR in LOTR in under 10 minutes easily if you just *make the shots*, but Hobbit will always be a slog as it currently stands as you have to shoot 20 million orbits for map advancement, and every time you get stuck in a multiball, which happens WAY too frequently with the pop-up monsters, progress just feels like it dies. Maybe you can confirm for me (because I don't own a hobbit?), but do spinners still advance the map when in multiball/arkenstone?

You can have a great design on paper and still be a drag to play. Hobbit proves that in spades. Only lasted about 8 months here, and I tried really hard to like it because it's so beautiful.

Thats cool, its your opinion and I respect that. A lot of other owners including myself would say the opposite and enjoy the game.

I'll say this about WOZ, even though I find the munchkin, haunted and crystal ball modes on their own to be rather boring when you combine 2 or more of them with other modes they are a lot of fun. Gotta love all of the crazy stacking in WOZ and the game getting louder and louder as each mode is stacked! I still haven't melted the witch...lol. Its cool how Battle the Wicked Witch is a mid wizard mode similar to Destroy the Ring in LOTR. Keith mentioned on last weeks Head2Head Pinball Podcast that WOZ = LOTR 2.0, I can see that.

Yeah, we've supported every JJP release, but none of them have had the lasting appeal (and location earning record) of WoZ. For a stop and go game, it ticks all the boxes and it's done in a way that is almost always fun while you take the journey. Hobbit and Dialed In are gone, but WoZ remains and still earns really well. Interested to see how jjPirates does - we'll have that, too.

I think getting the SJP in Rescue is one of the hardest things in pinball, frankly. I'm not sure I've ever gotten it. Hell, I think I've ever STARTED Rescue MB maybe like four times...EVER! This is the best case out there to support any accusation that I might be a terrible player with a lot of luck.

I can clear TNPLH with my eyes closed practically, but for some reason that stupid thing just evades me!

Considering I've never even been remotely close to any of the TWD wizards or mini wizards, that's personally the hardest one for me. I f'ing hate that game. I dislike Hobbit, but at least I have fun when I do play it...alone. TWD? No.

Yeah...I mean....TWD is a great competitive game. The rules and stacking make a lot of sense, theme is good and whatnot.. it's just that pops exit on a game that's not PERFECTLY set up is just utter BS. Throw in the magnet right by the flippers on the Premiums/LE and wide-open outlanes of the location games... there's no way I'm ever going to rock LMS on location, and I have no desire to ever own it, unless someone gets me one for like...

2k. That's what TWD is worth to *me*.

Valinor achieved... on ball one!

Not mine. That's Phil G

I finally killed smaug two weeks ago on a friends pin. I have to admit the animation was very cool...still haven't gotten past barrel escape though...

Damn Phil....

*edit* HEY WAIT A SEC HERE...we're still counting extra balls as ball 1?!?! o_O

Watched the whole video of Phil's game last night. If you ever felt like you needed some instruction or understanding of nudging, I recommend watching it. There's a ton of close saves, and one particularly bad drain on the right side where it just wasn't saveable, but a heroic level attempt at getting that one back. I find it oddly comforting that he had so much trouble with that left loop shot on the fly...that's how I do with the right side on any given game, heh. Even then, he still managed to hit Barad Dur like 35+ times.

Agree i think ball 4 with the Ebs and it looked like replay was set to an EB as well if i'm not mistaken... Still very impressive.

Agreed. I was just really excited to see a true 1-ball Valinor, and that's totally something I could see Phil pulling off.

I'll bet that fewer people have made it to siege than LMS. Even though LMS is the technical wizard mode, siege is harder to get to IMO.