Theme integration, great ruleset, and sustainable multiballs are what make this open-layout, wide-body so addictive. Fairly open, symmetrical layout is very approachable for beginners -- and the depth of the ruleset/modes help prevent this machine from feeling too repetitive.

I've owned 5 pins, including another JJP. Might be recentcy bias, but I enjoy Hobbit the most! Once the game gets going it is one of the most immersive pinball experiences you can find anywhere! Tons of modes and things to shoot for as well.

The Hobbit almost max out all the boxes in my review.
General presentation and sound really deserve to be played in a home environment.
Rules and features are outstanding. Theme is my personal favorite so far from JJP.
The weight of the machine alone shows how much bang you get for your buck.

This game is simply stunning. The most immersive game ever played. Intense, immersive this game makes you feel like you are in the movie, the quality is unbelievable, the screen and clips stunning, the call outs never ending. An absolute home run and in a class of its own, this is modern pinball.

I was skeptical as the layout isn't what I usually go for, and the upper flipper has no unique purpose. The theme integration and rules bring this one home. It's also neat to see a modern pin packed to the gills with coils and gadgets.

Another underrated game and my favourite in my collection. With 31 modes that are highly varied the game always seems to offer a new way to play. One downside for me is how the ball path can be affected on the playfield as it rolls over the switches and pop up targets. That can be annoying.
The most amazing themed game in existence, it took me a long time to find one for my collection.

Bargain of the century.

After owning IT 3 years you do see IT is flawed. To long ball time.

But beautyfull

Amazing game. Very immersive, excellent theme integration. When set up properly plays smooth as butter and tons of things to accomplish in a home environment. Nothing negative for me to say about this machine. Love it!

Like many others have said, this game has taken its time to grow on people but with the code updates this game is now one of the best pinball machines available today. It offers a visual and emotive immersive experience which in a class of its own, the theme and the way it's fused into the code and modes is nothing but a master class on how it should be done. This game leaves me feeling breathless and worn out from the epic modes and battles. So much fun and a huge family hit too!

Have owned a Hobbit for a year now. I'm still learning new things about it. Easy for casual players to get a multiball going, but very deep rules to keep more experienced players entertained. Plus the theme integration is second to none!

Amazing machine that really makes you feel like part of the adventure I’m glad i bought one the code is one of the best this is going to take a long time to complete & workout but that in itself adds to playability, run it at 7% incline the game does become quick. With other pins this goes well in home environment definitely recommend for newbie or experienced player especially if you are a hobbit fan.

One of the best pins in my home collection. Absolutely awesome. Everybody likes it. Just a great game

Deepest rule set game I’ve played. Common complaints of slower play and lots of MB’s, are true... set at 6.5 pitch, the game is not as fast as a Stern SW, and depending on how you play there are a lot of MB opportunities. However, with great music and sound and yelling ‘jackpot’ every few seconds the MB play is fun and enervating. But maybe it’s not for everyone. Also, the modes can be long, so game times can be long too, and probably not the easiest machine to pick up in a barcade. I do wonder if I would have ever given this enough time outside of my home.

I did just kill Smaug and the game experience is great, so thematics, sound, playfield and rules make this a fantastic game to learn and play. The complexity, speed, visual integration and depth make a very immersive pinball experience, while still being pinball.

Amazing machine that makes you feel part of the game, I don’t know why this machine cops some negative responses because of ball times it is totally amazing and it’s a shooters pinball not a bash em pin! It has to be one of the best movie pins ever released.

The code is next level!!!

With the code update, this has become one of the most immersive, fun pins I've ever played. Seriously underrated IMO, easily top 20 if not higher. Friends and family are drawn in by the amazing theme integration, movie clips, sounds, beautiful playfield, and deep rules. My kids also like it which is a big plus. My machine is set steep (7 deg), flippers at 24, and doesn't feel floaty to me. Pop up creatures, killing smaug, super smooth ramps, pop ups, wizard modes, spinners, and the skills shots are all really fun. Even though the rules are deep, it doesn't take long to figure them out and I find it straightforward to follow progress on the screen. Yes ball times can be longer but it feels appropriate given the "adventure" approach of the game. Overall this is an amazing pin. A keeper for me.

I love my Hobbit. For me one of the best theme integrations ever and I have to say I love the unversium that J.R.R Tolkien has created.

The Hobbit is all about missions.There are a ton. Every mission is incredibly well done and the individual shots make sense for every mission. Among the countless missions there are two multiballs. Smaug and Beast Multiball. Both are really great. (killing Smaug is just brilliant)

And then of course there are the Arkenstone modes. These are also fantastic!

The Pinball is really very nice, the colors, the video clips, the voices, the music everything fits together wonderfully.

Yes it is true that without the Beast the playfield is a bit empty in the middle and another ramp would have been good for the Pinball... but the gameplay is really sensational even with the wide open center.

The playing time is a bit long which doesn't bother me personally but I can understand if there are other people that are bothered by that.

The Hobbit for me is and remains a great pinball.

Highly underrated game in my opinion. Typical situation of early code really hurting opinions on the overall game play. The latest code updates have turned this game around greatly.

at first glance it may seem slow and boring but this is a game to be discovered slowly, start slowly but with the multiballs it becomes incredibly frenetic and fun, ah an almost physical approach, perhaps for the size of the pinball machine (widebody and very heavy), to arrive already the first wizard is like climbing a mountain, the theme is fantastic and the integration with the videos is truly exceptional, the best view so far on jjp, even better than the wonka

Simply Amazing!!!
This pin doesn’t get the recognition it deserves and it really baffles me when I look at some of the other titles currently in the top 20.
People who dump on this machine usually have the same old arguments, slow & floaty, rules too deep and difficult to understand, empty Playfield, superfluous 3rd flipper BLAH BLAH BLAH!
Most of them I would guess have played it on location a few times and walked away feeling completely underwhelmed, and you know what, I completely get that.
This is a home pin pure and simple, end of discussion.

It needs to be set up right (6-6.5 degree tilt, 24-25 flipper strength) then guess what? No more slow and floaty.

Put some time on it in the home environment, learn the shots, modes, rules and guess what? No more complicated.

As for it being empty, It might appear that way, but guess what? So does MM, AFM or more recently EHOH.
Take MM for example, two pop up trolls and an exploding castle up at the back, this has 4 pop up beasties and a smack talking dragon up at the back, very similar but with the addition of two VUK’s like LOTR a magnet that captures your ball drops it into a subway which feeds into the VUK’s, captive ball, 3rd flipper (to hit drops, VUK kick up hole, captive ball, even ramp shots when you hit it right) don’t know how it can be called pointless?

The light show is second to none, colour changing lights make it look like Smaug has breathed fire onto the Playfield and set it alight.

The sound package is the best I’ve ever heard, Gollum callouts alone are inspired, right outlane drain “that’s not fair” Start button “Does it like to play games? Does it?” Not to mention Smaug himself

All of this take’s the theme integration to a whole other level which I think is the best of any current pinball to date, hands down i don’t think it will ever be beaten or even equalled.

Obviously pinball is subjective and this is just my opinion, there will always be those that just cannot get on with this machine just like I can’t with STNG, different stokes I guess.

Jersy Jack pinballs second game , code update & enhancements have made this game better over time

This game is absolutely amazing. Played it on route for about 1yr. Fell in love with it. Bought it. The Home experience is 2nd to none. The music, the call-outs, the light show, the animations. JJP does it right. No question about that. I am a rules player / Mode player. If you like those two things, then this is a game for you.

If you like a "quick" bash game; this one is maybe not for you.... but - that said - there is a TON OF STUFF TO BASH (I don't know why players say that there's not).

No game is as deep as this game - if there is one, I am not aware of it. 31 playable modes, 3 mini-wizard modes, Smaug multiball where you are trying to kill the dragon (with victory laps).

Does this game have long ball time? It can, for sure. It has 3 lanes on either flipper --> One out-lane, and two feeder-lanes. That alone keeps you alive longer.

Music? Score from the movie... if you don't like the score from the movie, then you won't like the music...
Call-Outs? Lines from the movie - fantastic... (and some fabricated ones... but still A+).
Artwork? Its great.
Toys? People forget about the 4-pop-up beasts that come out of the playfield. Plus a talking Smaug Dragon. There are PLENTY o things to bash & interact with. Plus the pop-ups "get in your way" during certain modes - and really makes the game challenging.

It doesn't have a "BIG ELABORATE SHOT" like say... the Deadpool Katana shot, or the Maiden Pharaoh shot. But the Orbitals are a smooth as can be (With Spinners), and the left and right ramps are gratifying...

This is one intense game... Its an adventure... not a "Lets blow up the spaceship (AFM) 10 times..." As the adventure goes on, and the game intensifies, it can wear you out... It can make you sweat, and make you have goosebumps...


__________________
The rules are not actually THAT complicated - but people get it in their heads that it is sooooo hard to understand.
Because the rules are more complex than, say AFM - some people just dismiss this game completely.
To me - this is a perfect game for the home environment (Sound / video / callouts / immersive game).

There are 5 goals you are trying to complete at all times. Spinners / Smaug Multiball / Complete a Mode / Beast Frenzy / Collect all of the dwarves...
Modes are probably the hardest - And not all of the modes are available to you - so you have to qualify them with certain shots. Also - there are secret ball locks that you can get a mode-multiball going.... which is critical for CERTAIN modes. Certain modes - you just don't have enough time to hit all of the shots with one ball. So, you lock 1 or 2 balls - in the mode lock (orbital shots) - then you say - "oh yeah - this mode is hard - lots to hit... I'll skip Smaug ball lock (ring button) and start this mode!"

You probably know all of this already.


If you can't get these things going - this game is going to feel hollow / stupid / waste of time... You have to get it to open up... It's not like old-school B/W games. You start a mode in a B/W game - you get credit for it. In Hobbit - You have to BEAT it.


Then - if you can actually accomplish all of this - you can go into the mini-wizard modes (Into the Fire / Barrel Escape / Battle of 5 Armies)
They ARE INTENSE.
And if you get to actually beat one of them - it is AMAZING... like - Heart racing.
And when you kill smaug - OMG - its great!
This is the only game that I have ever played that makes me sweat and gets the hair on the back of my neck standing up. I also hoot-and-holler when I play it and I get some good stuff going. No other game makes me do that.


So - I like mode games. I guess that is the rub - This theme is integrated very well (my opinion). The Hobbit is an adventure story and this pin plays like an adventure. I love bashing the beasts / fighting smaug / snapping the spinners / getting to the wizard modes.


A friend of mine has an AFM. He and I have decided that AFM and Hobbit are truly the most polar opposite games you can possibly purchase. So, I think if you don't like it - that's 100% fine. I - for one - would not like to have a Dialed in. Hobbit is all about opening it up. If you haven't - Then you aren't getting the experince it can offer.

If you have played it 100 times and absolutely whooped it... and still don't like it - maybe it's just not your thing - and that's cool too

This is the best game Jersey has made. It just took away a little of the masterpiece that is WOZ. Anyone, who bitches about anything other than the “layout issue” with this game is whacked in the head.

This game is so undervalued. It really is a great game.

Every single time I play this game it is a mother effing adventure. If I had to own only one machine forever, this is now it. Unbelievable multi tasking is required for this game, and it feels like you're an an actual adventure. So incredible and super under rated. I get it. When you look at it and know nothing about it, it looks like a big empty boring playfield with a top flipper that goes to nowhere. Guys.... play it. The beasts that pop are are vital to the game. The modes are all programmed incredibly well, and there is depth for days. Best assets in all of pinball and super hard yet satisfying to shoot. The way they programmed the game to use every switch, every drop target, every rollover is incredible. Every time I play this game, and usually I get destroyed playing it, i keep thinking it is the best game i have ever played.... and I've played a ton.

Edit: lowering the score a bit. Each game takes a while for you to have a good game on.

I do find one fatal flaw in this game: that is the dependence of hitting the inlane roll overs to light and activate the beasts to pop up. You have two inlanes per flipper, but only one is fed from the ramps. So this means you either have to be lucky to get the outside lanes to have a ball roll over, or lane pass to them. Lane passing isn't a skill many players have, nor find particularly exciting. And once you do get the roll over to hit, you have only seconds to make a fairly hard beast mech shot or you have to do it all over again twice to get the shot to reappear. Very important parts of the game rely on incredibly unfun game mechanics.