Stern

Lord of the Rings

Pinside Rating

This game received 1191 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.706 _/10

8.706

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks 2nd in the game group "Lord of the Rings ". The group itself ranks #13 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 8.959

Artwork: 8.273

Sounds/Music: 8.467

Other Aspects: 8.82

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 9 of us have rated this game.

9.145

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This title is part of group: "Lord of the Rings "

Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Rings Limited Edition

Found 748 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 748 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 27 of 30.

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9.900/10

12 years ago

MRC

gatordad

Pinside member

New Lenox, IL

14y 61,400 823 10 15

This is my desert island pin.
Epic is the word that fully describes this machine.
Absolutely fantastic game.
You are drawn into the story, modes are awesome, multiballs are great fun.
The software is what makes this game shine. One of Sterns all time best efforts by far.
Top notch audio, animations, and music.
Software is deep and the battle is intense.
The only drawback I can think of is some long ball times are achievable on this game.

gatordad currently owns this game.

8.220/10

12 years ago

JJS

GoneFishinLvMsg

Pinside+ Frequent

Edenton, NC

13y 102K 2,987 8 50 1

Tons of toys and lots of things to do. The ruleset was a bit confusing and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out where the shots were. Not a "must have" game for me, but I wouldn't mind owning one some day.

8.940/10

12 years ago

WYO

Ballsofsteel

Inactive member

Riverton, WY

12y 73,550 2,923 7 81

great theme, great playfield layout. great depth. love destroy the ring. will never get to wizard mode...maybe?

Ballsofsteel edited previous rating on September 28, 2014.

9.560/10

12 years ago

WTR

greenstreet

Pinside member

Glencoe, IL

12y 43,050 89 8 17

I've owned LOTR for almost a year and still play it everyday that I have time to do so. The rule set is deep and thought provoking. There are so many ways to explore the rule set that every game seems new. My kids love it too which tells me novice players are not intimidated by the game play. The sound, lights, artwork and theme are all very well done.... I understand there is a love affair with Williams/Bally. Maybe it is because pinball enthusiast own a lot of Williams/Bally machines and they want to boost their value or maybe it is nostalgia, but this Stern blows them all away. It is perfection.

greenstreet edited previous rating on January 28, 2021.
greenstreet currently owns this game.

9.920/10

12 years ago

CSS

missoulaman

Inactive member

Hidden Valley Lake, CA

17y 26,150 16 7 7

Love LOTR. My first time playing it was at the back of a pizza joint and the playfield was nearly black it was so dirty, still I pumped in a ton of quarters. What's not to love? Unless you really don't like the whole LOTR theme, everything works and works well. My favorite Stern game. If you own one, or are playing one right now... color me jealous.

missoulaman has this game on the wishlist.

8.881/10

12 years ago

???

Chod

Inactive member

Vancouver, BC

12y 15,250 5 4 14

One of my favourite new Sterns. Second only to spiderman. This game belongs in the top 10, however, certainly in the bottom half. The game is seemingly infinitely complex, and yet still fun to play. It is easy to get lost in the rules. To really appreciate the game you need to get an understanding for the rules first. The artwork is good, although still something missing... certainly not the standard of the golden days of Bally/wiliams. Music and sound is good and entertaining. This game is a perfect pin to own. You won't get bored of it quickly and will come back to it often. Don't judge it by the first game... read the rules and get an understanding of what the modes are, and explore the features, dont just head for max points.

8.263/10

12 years ago

NML

NickBuffaloPinball

Buffalo Pinball

Buffalo, NY

13y 94,550 1,461 18 53

Great game that I didn't like at first. Can be confusing as to what to do/shoot for and could use more voice calls. However, once you get into it, you'll realize it's beauty.

NickBuffaloPinball edited previous rating on October 08, 2012.

4.344/10

12 years ago

CAM

cams43

Inactive member

Chapel Hill, NC

13y 20,000 1 4 10

Ugh, I have no idea why this rates so high and why it costs so much. You really have to be a nerd err, should I say "fan" of lord of the rings to understand what the heck is going on. I had no idea what anything meant so really all I could do was shoot for anything that was lit up. It may have a deep rule set for progression but I had no idea what to go for. The graphics and toys are cool, it may turn out to be a fun game but I would really need to want to get into LOTR movies or books and it just ain't happening.

cams43 has owned this game in the past.

2 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.640/10

13 years ago

MAK

teachp8

Inactive member

13y 57,800 146 2 97

This is one heck of a game! So much to do, so many modes, multiballs and great flow. Love the theme.

teachp8 edited previous rating on October 24, 2012.
teachp8 has owned this game in the past.

7.592/10

13 years ago

HAZ

hank527

Pinside+ Addict

13y 128K 5,422 248

Great challenging game. The center ramp is difficult to master. This is probably Sterns greatest game so far. Game is still fun after you get through Destroy the ring. Epic ball times

hank527 edited previous rating on September 15, 2022.

8.140/10

13 years ago

WPG

guymontag451

Wedgehead

Portland, OR

13y 92,800 1,006 25 170

An overall solid game. Matches its theme well, great sounds and surprisingly good art considering it's a stern. Shots are plenty and laid out well enough to be fun and a little challenging, but with every made shot coming directly back to the flippers, gameplay is a little too easy with exceptionally long ball times. Exceptionally deep rule set, always something else to accomplish. Great music and call outs. Fantastic dot animations. Not my favorite theme, but I know that it's super popular. Great pin, a classic.

guymontag451 edited previous rating on September 08, 2023.
guymontag451 has owned this game in the past.

10.000/10

13 years ago

JDS

judremy

Pinside member

Farmington Hills, MI

13y 67,800 2,213 5 8

Many multiball modes (one for each movie) along with six different ring modes and then the final "Destroy the Ring" mode gives this game plenty to do. I love the use of the music from the movies along with the voice clips and sound effects. I do want to say that being a fan of the movies might effect how much a person likes this game.

judremy edited previous rating on June 08, 2011.
judremy currently owns this game.

8.838/10

13 years ago

???

Windsorian

Inactive member

Stockholm

13y 5,250 2 6

Captures the theme perfectly! Best of Stern! Me thinks me wants one of these my precious!

9.120/10

13 years ago

ROB

RobT

Pinside member

13y 129K 21,266 3 40

A pin that just keeps you coming back for more. I love the layout of the playfield. The ring is very cool. Game play doesn't really get going until you get to multi-ball. Luckily there is plenty of multi-ball action to be had.

I will never get close to seeing all that this pin has to offer. Great theme, excellent call outs, great music, and I just love the overall feel of this pin. This one will stand the test of time.

RobT edited previous rating on June 26, 2013.
RobT has owned this game in the past.

7.117/10

13 years ago

SAM

smassa

Pinside member

San Diego, CA

13y 86,900 6,012 9 68

Bought the LE in Feb of 11' & tomorrow its headed to a new home. I can see why a lot of people like it but it did nothing for me. Artwork is very nice but it just doesnt play as well as SM.

smassa edited previous rating on February 19, 2015.

6.419/10

13 years ago

666

cevans82

Inactive member

Westminster, CO

15y 28,150 108 2 41

not real big fan of this one i have tried to like it alot of people do just dont care for it

cevans82 edited previous rating on May 13, 2011.

6.834/10

13 years ago

???

lademann4

Inactive member

Morrice, MI

13y 12,000 22

O.K. to play. Gets old after awhile, but worthy of playing.

8.844/10

13 years ago

ATR

rockstar

Inactive member

Glencoe, IL

13y 19,250 75 2 7

Very fun machine and very addictive. Nice ball flow. The playfield is clean and open, and the play is fast. Many shots are spaced closely together, so there is a great amount of skill needed to nail a specific shot. If you're off just a hair, you'll likely hit a different target. My friend bought this pin two months ago and can't stop playing it.

rockstar edited previous rating on May 02, 2011.

9.956/10

13 years ago

E F

n2kenai

Inactive member

13y 33,400 136 10 43

It take a lot to Destroy the Ring, but the journey is an incredible ride. This game has such a great layout that playing flows fast and easy. One small ding for the pixelation of the caninet art, but it looks great from a distance.

n2kenai has this game on the wishlist.

10.000/10

13 years ago

???

captainspartan

Inactive member

Unknown

14y 3,250 4 9

this has become my favorite machine. You have to be able to hit the shots it calls for to score big points. It is a blast to play.

captainspartan currently owns this game.

6.921/10

13 years ago

T

tripp

Pinside member

Illahee, WA

13y 75,050 430 9 34

I wasn't too keen on the theme, but I went ahead and bought the game based on the ratings. This game has high ratings for a reason- I've owned it now for a few months, and I'm addicted. Fantastic layout. Smooth play with tons of variety. Sounds and music are great. Don't forget to add the shaker motor!

tripp edited previous rating on August 17, 2022.
tripp has owned this game in the past.

9.460/10

13 years ago

JMG

Pintucky

Pinside member

Bowling Green, KY

13y 85,300 2,306 18

I bought this pin NIB, December of 2010. This is the Limited Edition with the very beautiful gold trim (legs, lock-down bar, side rails, hinges, and bolts). This is a well-built machine by Stern and with very attractive art work, translite and playfield. This is a "WOW!" pin as far as looks go!!!

As with a lot of owners, I experienced some problems very early on. A switch on a VUK did not work and the fuse blew on the Ring. After getting that to working, all of the lamps around the Ring would not work. I discovered a wire was not connected to the Driver Boad and corrected that problem. Then, the lamps would blow around the Ring. I discovered the factory had put the wrong lamps in it. Problem fixed after putting in the correct lamps.

A tip to owners: Flipper coils on this pin can get hot with continued play and lose some power and make that shot to the Ring just a little weak and not quite get to the target hole. I purchased two higer-powered coils and put them on myself and saw a TREMENDOUS amount of difference in play. The coils add about 8% more power to the flippers. Just enough increase in power to propel the ball where you want it to go, but not too much power to beat up the playfield.

This pin should be one of my favorites that I would never sell. It takes a lot of skill to reach "Destroy the Ring", "There and Back Again", and "Valinor". I have never reached that last rung yet! I understand it might take a very long time before I achieve that, and I believe that is one of the reason the pin lures me into it for repeat play.

For anyone limited to only obtaining ONE pin that is New In The Box, then I highly recommend this one. You can't go wrong. But, if for some reason you grow tired of it, it should have great resale value.

The quality of this pin is high, and it is perhaps one of the last of the top grade pins that Stern has manufactured since cost factors has apparently caused the company to trim back costs.

Pintucky has owned this game in the past.

10.000/10

13 years ago

???

DONKEYLIPS

Inactive member

Unknown

13y 2,500 7

Nice playfield, LOTR is a must have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

9.298/10

13 years ago

ART

ARTMAN

Pinside member

Medinah, IL

13y 68,150 630 17 52

A brilliantly packaged game. So many diverse mode flavors, unique shots, and deep play. Hopefully one day I can add one to the collection!

9.040/10

13 years ago

LAN

Bluefishy

Pinside member

Hornchurch

18y 58,150 20 5 69

very good sound and well themed. Not sure of build quality and play field lasting but has excellent game play. After acdc this has to be my next favourite Stern. However has long ball times it's a popular machine so when find one getting on it's usually a long wait. For that not sure about home use , have trouble on this one deciding to buy or not. Build quality and long games is making me not so far.

Bluefishy edited previous rating on January 22, 2014.

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There are 748 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 27 of 30.

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