Whenever I look at Hobbit, I'm struck with just how awesome the game looks. It is gorgeous and it exudes quality in person. I have complex opinions regarding this pin. On one hand, I think it looks great / sounds great and it was quite fun to play. On the other hand, I'm not really into Tolkien stuff, I'm not a LOTR or Hobbit fan. I guess maybe a symptom of my rampant ADD, I've never been able to sit through the books or the movies enough to really care what's going on.
In fairness, my complex opinions towards this pin might be colored by a largely disappointing pre-order experience with a particular JJP Distributor.
In the end, I think The Hobbit, is much like LOTR, at least to me. Whenever I'd play LOTR in a setting full of noise and distraction, I really didn't get the love that people have for the game. As I got to play a few good examples of the pin and go through the modes, learn the shots LOTR opened up for me. "AHA! I get it now, this is a really fun pin."
Same goes for Hobbit. I don't think a show is the best environment to really experience what Hobbit has going for it. You really need to hear it, see it and feel the shots as you go through mode progression to fully appreciate the game. Hobbit is a great second game from JJP. WOZ was a hard act to follow. Is The Hobbit better than WOZ? As a matter of opinion, I don't think it is. But WOZ might also be among the best games ever made..