Jersey Jack

The Hobbit

Pinside Rating

This game received 559 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 8.337 _/10

8.337

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #48 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 7.732

Artwork: 8.926

Sounds/Music: 8.634

Other Aspects: 8.133

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 5 of us have rated this game.

8.569

Your Rating?

You need to be logged in before you can rate pinball machines. No account yet? Registering only takes a sec!

Found 317 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 317 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
Currently showing results page 2 of 13.

List options

Ratings sort order

Type of ratings to show in list

Owner status of review

Exclude flagged ratings

Keyword or username search

9.400/10

2 years ago

VCK

vikeking27

Pinside+ Frequent

3y 49,050 344 23

I've had The Hobbit for a while now and played enough games to have a relatively informed opinion on it - let me start by stating that I'm not a huge LotR fan. I read the books back in high school, watched the movies (LotR and The Hobbit) and enjoyed them, but I didn't get this game because of the theme - I got it because I heard it was a great game - and that is the truth. Stern's Lord of the Rings is another amazing game, one of my all-time favorites, and The Hobbit is at least as good as that one.

Looking at the playfield initially, it looks pretty simplistic, but there's actually a whole lot going on - the dynamic drop target banks, subway, pop-up mechs, and outlane kick-out to the upper right flipper add a lot of variety to every game and mode. The artwork on the playfield is fantastic, the cabinet is really impressive too (Smaug edition here). The music, speech/call-outs, and video clips are all very well integrated with the overall game and each individual mode.

The rules seem crazy at first, but it's actually pretty simple. Each mode has some specific requirements that are spelled out on the mini-display, and the overall progression is to collect a few 'jewels' and start a mini-wizard mode, rinse and repeat. There are ways to stack modes and multi-balls and super features to get a high score - but the game is really about progression. The ball times can be long, games can be on the longer side - it's been said before, but this game is really about the 'journey' more than the destination (killer scores).

So, never having played this before acquiring it, I am very happy it's in my collection. I recommend the game to anyone that wants an impressive, high quality, fun game - outside of the fact that it weighs a ton and is a huge pain to move.

vikeking27 edited previous rating on April 08, 2024.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.660/10

2 years ago

JTB

Makdaddee

Pinside member

Orlando, FL

3y 39,750 12 7 12

I was not a huge fan of this theme, but the pin actually drew me in and I actually watched the trilogy because if the pin. Game features of the talking dragon and beast pop ups are awesome. The music and sound quality is top notch in my opinion. The call outs are good and varied. Lighting is great and they simulate fire burning with the LED lighting that works well. The game play combined with the music makes this one of the most relaxing yet exciting pins out there. It is one of the least frustrating pins in terms of drainers. You can keep a round going for 30-40 minutes with it still keeping your interest with so many modes and multiballs…really awesome design overall!

Makdaddee edited previous rating on February 21, 2022.
Makdaddee currently owns this game.

9.740/10

2 years ago

JEF

bossk4hire

Pinside+ Frequent

7y 70,800 704 33

My goodness! The sound and theme integration on this game is like being in a fancy movie theater! I happen to enjoy the hobbit movies which add to the enjoyment of the game. The wide body really fits with the theme. Love the pop up heads which adds to the playfield and makes shots a good bit harder. Only had the game for a week but I'm loving so far as are my kids and wife. Still don't get the top 3rd flipper as it doesn't seem to have "a special shot" from it but it comes in handy. I have the regular LE and like the side art the best on this one (different on every side). The call outs are great. The addition of scorbit is great. I only have 2 games (wonka SE) and is great in a small collection as there is so much to do (30+ modes). It's definitely not a tournament game which is why I think I love it so much.
Finally figuring out the ring button and all the ways it is used!

bossk4hire edited previous rating on March 08, 2022.

9.860/10

2 years ago

CSF

JurassicPark

Pinside member

Springfield, VT

2y 27,300 33 3 46

This is a masterpiece. A lot of people do not like aspects of this game and I feel that is because it is so wide open and different than a connvetional pinball. Great theming and the best sound in Pinball history. This rotates as my favorite Pin of all-time with Godzilla and Medieval Madness! Hard rule set should not shy you away from enjoying this great title.

JurassicPark currently owns this game.

8.557/10

2 years ago

???

blacklightprod

Pinside member

St Charles, MO

2y 35,400 108 30 35

Amazing art cgi Fx and cool toys. The playfield layout could be better but one of the best collector games

blacklightprod currently owns this game.

9.720/10

2 years ago

???

Noma2017

Pinside+ Frequent

6y 50,300 447 14 5

Hugely underrated game. Never seen such incredible theme integration outside of The Big Lebowski. I also don’t think you can find a license with such deep assets. I find it to be a much more approachable WOZ for the casual player. My kids love it!

9.612/10

2 years ago

MMA

Spacemanratso09

Pinside member

Oakville, MO

6y 84,050 1,271 11 25

What else can be said
This is great game and beautiful piece of art

The mechanics involved are crazy,the sound and movie clips used are amazing

So many 10s when you rate this beast

Edit- after owning for awhile I’ve realized if you actually learn to complete the modes the game really opens up for you

I don’t know if you would ever not find things to try a do on it

It’s a trippy game for sure takes time to really appreciate it

Not perfect and I took away on gameplay for having to adjust one of the pop up bash toys

This is a great game

Spacemanratso09 edited previous rating on February 03, 2022.
Spacemanratso09 has owned this game in the past.

10.000/10

2 years ago

???

IH_Fan

Pinside apprentice

London, ON

3y 12,500 8 11

I just bought the gold edition after assessing it against a LOTR and a couple others that I had researched and were for sale. What an incredible game. I had spent much time on a WOZ and really liked it. However the Hobbit won out on game play. I need to be clear that I'm not a big fan of the theme/movie, so my ratings put that aside as I focus on the play. It's my only wide body in my collection and I'm glad I was able to find this game. The rules are deep and play is fun. I would recommend trying this one out and WOZ to have a fairer comparison for this style and type of machine. You can't go wrong with WOZ, but for my personal likes, the Hobbit won out.

IH_Fan edited previous rating on October 08, 2021.
IH_Fan currently owns this game.

9.620/10

2 years ago

FLO

Flo_Soprano

Inactive member

Lyon

2y 8,000 11

For me, th Best pinball ever made.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.260/10

2 years ago

BZK

Blackzarak

Pinside+ Frequent

Lakewood, CA

5y 90,800 392 22

Fun game, Definitely recommend, Great journey game will keep you entertained for hours. Great mechs altos to do, the thumbs up...

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.100/10

2 years ago

EDE

Ericpinballfan

Mod Magic!

8y 166K 10,434 7 1

You will never see another pin with better integrated theme and animations. Also one of the best speech call outs of any pinball.

5 Pinsiders starred this!

8.960/10

2 years ago

SJS

redhawk1689

Inactive member

Salina, KS

4y 36,650 12 2 37

I found this machine at a relatively new arcade that I was visiting and I was blown away! I found the "Multi-Ball" function relatively easy to get and then it really got going! Those pop ups are pure genius! This machine would easily be a keeper if I had the money! On the last day of my vacation, I was able to play the game without the distraction of all of the other sounds of the arcade and I had a chance to REALLY hear the sounds from this game! Exquisite!! If this is an example of JJP's offerings, I have GOT to try some others!!

7.536/10

2 years ago

AJC

DeprivedFallacy

Pinside member

3y 20,150 23 7 14

Played it at a friend's place fun game but still think Lotr is bit better not by much tho

3 Pinsiders flagged this.

9.520/10

2 years ago

???

Pin2jam

Pinside member

Sydney

12y 24,500 6 18

The game speed is fantastic in this. For a wide body the ball has time to move around but feels the right amount of time to hit shots, rather than feeling slow.

Light show for Smaug is fantastic and the 4 hidden playfield pop up toys to hit are brilliant and give you the original variety needed in pinball.

Pin2jam currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.360/10

3 years ago

JOB

jobowens

Pinside+ Frequent

Orlando, FL

4y 47,400 13 9 17 1

First JJP, the Hobbit is so immersive and fun. The music and artwork is really amazing. Just adds to the overall experience. I am a fan of the Hobbit so i knew i would like it, but the rules are deep, so many things going on to shoot at, the multiballs are crazy when you stack them (which I like). Games can be long, but thats the enjoyment of this pin. So much fun.

jobowens has owned this game in the past.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.136/10

3 years ago

RBM

RobbyIRL5

Pinside+ Frequent

4y 73,300 974 18 31 2

I bought my Hobbit Smaug Edition without ever seeing or playing one. I had all the JJP’s except for Hobbit and WOZ and my close friend has WOZ. Love the Hobbit IP and so figured if I didn’t like it I’d just sell it. I got it a few days ago and have been waiting to get some games in to review, which I have. My first impressions (which I knew from pictures), the artwork on this game is ridiculously impressive, I love the Dragon. The LEDs and lighting are so tremendous too. I knew going in that I’m not a fan of the flipper post or roll-overs and I’ve played a bunch of WOZ which is great but not my favorite shooter (a lot of uncontrollable shots and inconsistent rolling with the roll-overs). I also had read less than great reviews (beautiful game but not enough shots, too floaty, etc), but people who own it seem to love it.

Color me surprised. This game is sweet. The theme integration is better than I’ve ever seen. And the multiball play is amazing. No idea how this is not rated better. Maybe the only downside is long ball play but it sort of reminds me of POTC in terms of ball speed, and feel. Good flow (better than WOZ imho), and fun.

RobbyIRL5 edited previous rating on August 11, 2021.
RobbyIRL5 has owned this game in the past.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.680/10

3 years ago

???

greeneye

Pinside member

Neabsco, VA

5y 55,550 324 3 7

Amazing game. Best JJP game I've played so far.
Its a keeper.

greeneye currently owns this game.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.760/10

3 years ago

JRC

Nintendoguy

Pinside member

North Canton, OH

3y 29,550 5 5 9

This is on my "Want to Own" list!

2 Pinsiders starred this!

8.561/10

3 years ago

CJK

PinballHaven

Pinball Haven

3y 74,400 847 23

I own it, will probably keep until the kids get bored. The video integration and theme is awesome, the call outs do get tiring after you’ve played it a bunch. The battles are tough and the multi balls rowdy though, which I like.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

9.900/10

3 years ago

AAA

treyspaghetti

Pinside member

4y 27,400 56 16

I have been playing this game for over a month at home now before rating this. This game is deeeeep, I still have a ways to go to get to any of the wizard modes. The music and lighting are fantastic, as the play gets more intense as does the music and callouts along with the shaker. The playfield initially looks sparse but the 4 popups on the playfield are a great addition and add some fun and challenge. I do wish there was another toy on the game, but it's great nonetheless. It's a very smooth shooter like most JJP games. I think this game would be much better received in a home environment, where the players can really get in to the game vs on site at a bar. It took me a few minutes of youtube to get a good understanding of how to progress, but after that I'm sold. This game is awesome and the theme integration is top notch.

treyspaghetti edited previous rating on April 16, 2021.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.520/10

3 years ago

TRN

NielsR

Pinside+ Frequent

3y 32,400 32 34

AWESOME!!! The artwork and the music on this pinball machine is spot on (for me)! The long shots and the pop up monsters are perfect and not to easy. The gameplay gets very intense when you start a mode like barrel ride, into the fire or battle of the five armies. also defeating Smaug is very cool! This machine looks a bit empty but when you play the game you get really drawn into the machine. very very cool! I do love the movies so my opinion isn't neutral but man! Since I own the Smaug edition of this pinball machine and played it alot it think I will keep this machine in my collection forever. Very cool pinball machine with a very good and deep ruleset!

NielsR edited previous rating on September 28, 2023.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.580/10

3 years ago

CRS

Lightningrod

Pinside member

Visalia, CA

6y 36,250 7 21

Joe Balcer and Ted Estes make a great team with designing this pin as with WOZ. Many of their designs are incorporated and becoming Jersey Jack superstars. It’s challenging and rewarding and really, really fun! JRR Tolkien themes will stand the test of time. The sound and music are fantastic, the callouts are amazing. Has a similarly MM feel to it in many ways. Like trolls, you have similar pop up shots. This one stands out like WOZ as movie scene cuts and original content are generated throughout and must have. The game is deep and not something your going to beat and get bored with. There are several awesome must have incredible mods out there to bling this game. This is one that must remain in your collection.

Lightningrod edited previous rating on February 20, 2022.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

9.380/10

3 years ago

DJS

zaphX

Pinside+ Frequent

Frisco, TX

6y 108K 6,269 3 13 2

I really wasn't sure about Hobbit.

I am not a fan of the theme at all, and I wasn't sure if the game would resonate. I happened on a pretty good deal though, and I have yet to be disappointed by a JJP so I went for it. I'm very glad I did.

People say Hobbit has long ball times and I agree, it does. This is ok with me; it's a nice contrast with the rest of my collection.

The rules are well structured and there are so many story modes (across varying levels of difficulty) that there is always a new challenge.

I'm really happy with the game and glad we bought it.

This is after a couple months ownership and a couple thousand plays.

zaphX has owned this game in the past.

8.839/10

3 years ago

???

alexander5815

Pinside member

Wien

3y 37,750 31 56

not a pinball machine in the classic sense. shots are often not very smooth because of those many little obstacles on playfield.
but it's really an anventure. you must spend a little time with this game. with time it is getting better and better. don't be afraid of the bumpy shots; they are part of the game. not for tournament, for entertainment only. last code updates make the game much more clearer (not so many multiballs). sounds and music are great! all in all a good game!

alexander5815 edited previous rating on November 17, 2021.
alexander5815 currently owns this game.

9.460/10

3 years ago

PBD

Dr-pin

Pinside member

Trollhättan

5y 50,800 1,651 7

Opinions allways vary, but this is my favorite game. The immersion and wizard modes are just insanely fun.

Two more things had made it perfect.

A descending ramp from smaug over the dwarf target bank, when you have windlance, so that it then lowers and enable you to hit smaug. AS it is now, it´s seems half done and doesn´t really work dramatically in the game.

A couple of more wizardmodes like barrelrun, into the fire and battle of the five armies.
Three seems short and i´ve had lots of game, when you do them all over.

Previous Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12... 13

There are 317 ratings (that include a comment) on this game. Currently showing results page 2 of 13.

You too can add your own comment by rating this game! Click here to rate this game!

Over the years

Visualizing this game's rating and rank over the years

Hey there! Welcome to Pinside!

Donate to Pinside

Great to see you're enjoying Pinside! Did you know Pinside is able to run without any 3rd-party banners or ads, thanks to the support from our visitors? Please consider a donation to Pinside and get anext to your username to show for it! Or better yet, subscribe to Pinside+!