>>12117759
I personally love it, and in all honesty despite it's lukewarm reception, it's honestly one of my top 5 games, maybe top 3 even. The layout is relatively basic with just 2 ramps, 2 holes, and one orbit with a bumper bank, a boatload of standup+drop targets, and pop-up mechs(like the trolls in medieval madness), but the game's code makes a LOT of creative decisions with what it has. The rules are pretty easy to understand and are always visible on the display, and it isn't too difficult or time-consuming to reach one of the 3 main wizard modes. It's also a multiball-heavy game but IMO not too overwhelming or chaotic if set properly. I don't particularly like the Hobbit movies, but the theme integration in the pin is one of the best that I've ever experienced. All of the book modes(the standard missions), smaug multiball, and the wizard modes are tailored to the scenes they depict with the shots, targets, and pop-ups mirroring the premise of each scene. Lastly, my personal favorite feature is how involved smaug multiball and the wizard modes are. They have multiple stages that advance their respective scenes and eventually culminate into a climactic finish with a victory lap session if all scenes are completed.
