JJP: support is one phone call away and some of their support staff actually browse this very forum and help (sometimes behind the scenes) those in need.
Need I say more?

2 totally different pins. Which theme do you love more?? They’re both amazing machines. JJP has great build quality and support. I recently played Alien and loved it. I would go out and put some serious time into each before you make any decision!! They are both great pins, have fun!!

That’s a hard question but I just Love JJP and the Hobbit. Way more established company.

Not sure if they can issue a temporary pinside ban for asking this question?

JJP is a real company with years of proven results under their belt. Games are beautiful well built well coded.

Oh yea. My answer is JJP over Heighway.

Alien is a great game. If you get one. And Until something breaks. Then you have an $8,000 Alien poster attached to a room obstruction. Also, Hobbit is really fun and is positively the most beautiful looking pin (watch the light show!)

The Alien layout beats the pants off hobbit. Going by gameplay it's no contest.

I played a hobbit and didn't mind it. The wife absolutely fell in love with it and wants a hobbit now. But I'm trying to get her exposed to other JJPs before we finalize our decision. (WOZ or DI would be my first choices)

I wouldn't even consider an Alien considering the company's background. Read some threads about people who can't even get a refund....

Also read some threads about Hobbit. Better to get Woz or DI.

Alien is better than Hobbit, but it's a legitimate concern about the uncertainty of Heighway.

I've owned both. Alien code and game play is on a whole other level. Game is really good. They've worked out most of the kinks. Mine plays great. Yes you take a risk with questionable support but the support on the Alien thread on Pinside has been amazing. For me, Alien all day.

Pretty machines arent what stays in my lineup unfortunately.

I have and I'm slowly trying to nudge the wife in the direction of DI/WOZ.

I really don't like the "whack-a-mole" aspect of Hobbit. But that's just me...

Not even close especially if you like the alien theme. Aliens sound, layout, feel - it's the total package. Hobbit for me was an absolute snoozer and I love jjp.

People that think an alien will be just a 8k poster are grossly misinformed. I speak from experience as I own one and play it everyday and it's awesome. Other owners can confirm as well. If you plan on buying a game and not have anything break or not work properly you might be in the wrong hobby. I think the more accurate statement is the support is overseas which causes logistics challenges but they have been responsive and combined with the great support thread on here you have the resources necessary.

I don't like hobbit but I would not even get close to alien until highway gets everything straight so I say go with hobbit.

Heighway Pinball is not a stable entity at this time. I would caution against buying a new game from them. If you are dead set, visit the Alien thread and seek out the thoughts of current Alien owners.

Hobbit, although not my personal taste, is a stable game that has had its issues worked out. Plenty of Hobbits are available on the used market.

Best of luck!

The best thing that ever happened to Heighway is that Cointaker now sells there products. At least now you can order a game and feel safe that your money will not go "missing". I like Alien.. My friend has one and we have been playing it for months. If/When Heighway becomes a better manufacture and has QC taken care of. I will start buying there products. Only because of Coin Taker!

I asked my distro about how they handle new games from unproven manufacturers, he said they have the game on location for 45-60 days and ensure that they have a back stock of parts for a past-performance certain number of games. Is Heighway able to fulfill this yet? That would go a long way towards feeling better about going in on Alien

Do people who have an Alien have a working Xeno Head at this point? I'm sorry to have to ask, but I haven't really been following the Alien pinball saga real closely. To my knowledge, that Xeno Head mech hadn't been perfected yet, and I wondered if it ever would be.

These are not the pins you're looking for (Jedi hand wave).

Alien is just out. Availability and parts availability are too unstable right now. In a very small collection (2), having a game down waiting weeks or longer for a part is bad news. It doesn't fit no matter how much you like the theme.

Hobbit, well maybe. It's an ok game. It's definitely a looker, but a bit bare. It requires imagination to really appreciate because it's a bit of a grind. So many parts of it feel the same.

Normally I hate when people say "neither" in threads like this, but I'd go in another direction. I'd grab a fun, easy to maintain, reliable game. Star Trek (which you have) is a great example of this. Fun reliable game. I'd pair it with another Stern, or a classic. Something that is easy to understand, and fun to do. Like Getaway from the 90s, or something older.

If that's the criteria, then it HAS to be Hobbit since you'll actually get support if needed. Alien will likely not work out of the box and you'll waste your playing time troubleshooting.

yes - xeno head works perfect for I believe the majority, including me.

Xeno head always worked on my friends.
Probably the best part of the game.
The theme is great. Game is good. Manufacture just needs to prove themselves. Everything else is fine.

Hmmmm... I know a guy with an Alien who doesn't have a head yet (as of this last weekend). Maybe they're in the process of sending them out.

anyone that doesn't have a head in their game likely was provided a preproduction and those were filled with issues. Not to say the production games are perfect, they are not, but from what I've seen, I wouldn't call them broken by any means and are just growing pains for a rather new companies big release.

The game itself is truly a AAA title - top notch ultra high quality media package (sound, voice, video, etc) along with an amazing theme but most importantly a game that actually feels like it's trying something new as opposed to being a thrown together reshash - I'm glad to support. Throw in the fact that the code is already so mature and continues to be updated (as in the past two weeks) - the game is a hands down winner.

That makes sense, as to my knowledge, this machine was very early in production. Thanks for the info.

Both games are great, decide for your self which you prefer. For me Alien wins for theme and layout and immersion.

First hand I can say Heighways support has been exellent after sept. (Before was shit due to the company turnover) of last year Ive recived an updated pc, fully working xeno head and more parts, now my games are solid and need nothing.

Production is slow, and it would take forever to get a game, but now that orders are through a distro there is no risk.

Build quality on both are fantastic, and guys saying you have to tweak alot of things on alien? I had tonnes of stuff not working or requiring adjustment on my JJPs as well.

Ditto. My original jaw servo did burn out (I believe it was slightly out of alignment) Helmut walked me through troubleshooting a day or two after Christmas, simple fix.

Alien...if it works. Unfortunately, mine has had several issues and getting HP to return an email is next to impossible. I have to disagree with some of the other posters on this thread. These guys (HP) really suck at customer support in my opinion. Until that improves I would tell you that you are rolling the dice with an Alien.

Oh, heighway communication in general is awful. Helmut working with me over the holiday is above and beyond, the programmers are also outstanding.

I'd pass on both.

Email/communication is exactly what I was mentioning earlier as it's not as quick as I want but I have received responses and had a skype call to address. FYI. I would not say it's ideal! There were talks of having a US based resource and that would be best!

I wouldn't go with a Heighway product at this time. I've thought about a Full Throttle or Alien, but just don't trust the company at this point. If they stay afloat, Alien will be available for years...so no rush. Hobbit is great fun in my opinion and my kids love the call outs, lights, and giant lcd. Yes, kids dig the big lcd despite what people say. At the end of the day, it goes to what you find fun. I played Hobbit at an expo about 10 times and was hooked and remain hooked. It is not "whack a mole". It takes a while to really understand the game because it is a bit complex and deep. But it is easy to have fun. The ramps are not hard to hit and starting Hobbit Multiball or Beast multiball is pretty straight forward and easy to do (my daughter started Smaug multiball on her first game). But there is also some serious depth to do and over 30 modes to explore. To be honest, my kids' favorite is America's most haunted because of the corny humor and simpler rule set. But yet it is still a pretty deep game. Whatever you choose, my advice would be to stick with JJP, Stern or Spooky at this point. These companies have shown they have staying power and good support and look to be around for the long haul. I hope Heighway can, but I wouldn't trust them at this point.

A no brainer! Hobbit, of course. Until Heighway gets its shit together, you are taking a big chance. (unless you love working on machines)

As a Hobbit owner I like what I'm seeing with Alien. However, the multiple Heighway support horror stories I've read on here has been enough to scare me away from ever buying one.

To spend $8k+ on a game from an unproven company with active support issues that are also on their own proprietary platform is a big NO!

Hopefully things get better for Heighway as the people that have directly worked on the game and it's software seem to really care about the product they helped create.

Looks great! How did you get it so fast? Did you
Buy new or from another pinsider?

If you're really into cabinets and overall look like a lot of people are, Alien looks pretty bad in person. Very plasticy, very very cheap looking.

Pinsider libtech has owned one for some time so he just sold the game to him. Libtech was very helpful to me when I got mine and I'm sure yours is dialed in well. I think he even powder coated the ramps black if I remember correctly.

As for the cab itself - if you actually see it in person, it's impressive. Never heard anyone complain about quality who's actually seen the thing in real life. It's built like a tank and really stands out especially with the art side lights. Just a very nice package.

Congrats on the new alien!

I thought the thin backbox looked lame. In person it's way better looking. I guess TheLaw disagrees

agreed - I was very negative on how it looked in pictures. Completely changed my mind when I see it in person at a bar. In fact that experience playing it in real life caused me to buy one new.

Back box does look a touch on the silly side. But it can be overlooked with some getting used too. The biggest no no for me on the build of aliens is the slotted sides. When the top glass is off the game you notice how weak and flimsy the sides are. If this was on location I fear someone would pull or push and there would be a giant chunk of wood ripped off the side of the game. Looks cool to have the plastic translucent side panels but it does make the entire side more vulnerable to damage.

That’s great! People talk a lot of shit about TH and it doesn’t have as many in-your-face mechs but it is a damn fine game. It’s hard though and the ball times can be LOOOOOOOONg!! The good thing is it’s still fun every time you start a new game

Excellent choice. Make sure to read about setting it up properly to make it play correctly. We still love our Hobbit. Enjoy.

I've actually heard it quite a bit. Again if you talk to people that aren't just super theme fans and get an honest outside opinion.
To me it does not look industrial at all, it's like a thick fisher price plastic. And the flimsy side inserts.
Like I said that's only if you really care aboot the cab... You don't play it and it would be betwixt 2 games so whatever.

I would bet the people who dislike the Hobbit know from experience playing and/or owning the game, whereas the people who dislike Alien have never seen or played one.

For me, there is no question that Alien is the better game, has a superior layout, has more interesting modes, and is more fun and challenging to play. I've been an owner of both. I'm not a fan of either theme (although I did see the first Alien movie only, and never saw Hobbit.)

Those who dislike Alien are totally correct and I agree that HP is still a crapshoot as far as being a legitimate company on par with JJP. Time will tell. JJP was full of broken promises when it embarked on the Woz journey. At this point, avoid Alien if you fear HP will fold. That makes sense.

But for anyone who has actually delved into Alien, it doesn't feel flimsy or cheap. It's a very heavy, sturdy game that has great software and rules which continue to be upgraded.

Classic Pinside owner post.

Yes of course because no one can possibly dislike a game you own/like right?

Umm so how is that "hating" exactly? It's actually a very fair criticism.

I don't think anyone said the itself game feels cheap or flimsy. The side panels, meant to be swapped out from game to game, are flimsy. The game cabinet, to many non owners, looks cheap.
Playing the game feels rock solid.

Yes you can dislike a game you own. That was my experience with Hobbit. I owned it and I hated it.

And I accept your criticism of using the word "haters." I didn't really mean it like it came across to you. I edited it to "those who dislike."