The game has been out since 2013 and to this day I haven't heard of anyone reaching Somewhere Over the Rainbow on default 3 ball settings.

I just got Dialed In and would rank that highly too as you need to collect 8 SIM cards representing the 8 letters in "Dialed In". To do so you need to complete disaster modes and / or multiballs on the playfield light the SIM card shot (one of the most difficult shots in pinball), and then make that shot before you drain. If the SIM card shot is lit after completing a mode you need to make the shot before you drain as otherwise you lose the chance to collect it and must complete another task, light the SIM card shot, etc.

I haven't heard of anyone reaching Showdown on default 3 ball settings yet.

I listened to the latest Head2Head podcast earlier today with Keith Johnson. Sounds like The Hobbit will be one of the most difficult wizard modes to reach in pinball once the next code update is released. The super wizard mode is called "There and Back Again" and requires all 31 book modes to be completed!

I have to disagree and if someone has managed to play the Hobbit for an hour and half and not reached the 3rd wizard mode then they don't understand the rules. You have your games with 6 modes, a couple multiballs and 1 wizard mode and then some that are far deeper like the Hobbit where there's 31 modes, a main multiball (plus others), and 3 Arkenstone wizard modes that have multiple stages. If you get to all 3 Arkenstone modes in The Hobbit its going to be a long game, if you beat all of them (haven't heard of that yet on default settings) its going to be even longer. That's just the way things are with games that have a lot of modes and I think that's awesome as deep and unique code helps justify today's prices. Same goes for Stern Star Trek having 6 modes with 3 levels, so 18 modes. That game is better for having 3 different levels to its modes then just 6 modes and calling it a day in my opinion.

The Hobbit is a journey based game, all 31 modes are unique, Smaug MB and the 3 wizard modes have multiple stages and with the final update it will have a super wizard mode that will be extremely hard to get to (as it should be) for that game of a lifetime.

In terms of mode variety I haven't played another game that works the playfield as well, in as many unique ways, as the book modes in The Hobbit. The modes also have their own custom music and are timed to unique scenes from the movie. Same goes for all of the Akrenstone modes and Smaug MB. I see we both own WOZ and personally I would say those modes (Crystal Ball, Haunted and Munchkin Modes) feel far more similar versus the book modes in The Hobbit.

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.

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.