(Topic ID: 325331)

Aliens LV ratings drop?

By Kabball

1 year ago


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  • 124 posts
  • 55 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 1 year ago by alveolus
  • Topic is favorited by 4 Pinsiders

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There are 124 posts in this topic. You are on page 3 of 3.
#101 1 year ago
Quoted from CrazyLevi:

It’s a shitty game built
By Italian amateurs which is nowhere near “top 10” and breaks like it’s its job.
So good luck!

Havn't played the new one but the OG was pretty garbagy.

#102 1 year ago
Quoted from Utesichiban:

Fair enough but just because you've had all those issues doesn't mean issues of the nature you cite are the norm and my game is in the minority.

It absolutely does. You just don't leave your game on long enough to see the lock ups. The code was/is bad and locks the game up. Just because it doesn't have an impact on you due to your use of the game doesn't mean the problem just doesn't exist. I"m not sure why you are fighting against holding the company accountable and being dismissive of all the owners that are having significant issues with the game.

I'm also not sure why you justify the shit quality of PB bros based off a comparison with JJP and Stern. They are separate companies and have nothing to do with Alien. Do you work for PB Bros?

#103 1 year ago
Quoted from ForceFlow:

Ok, not brand new, but still newish.

Here's a couple pics of me unboxing and setting up my Alien at the 2017 TPF. Yeah, it was one of the first Aliens, but I don't see how 5 years ago can be considered 'newish'.

Regarding the ratings, I thought the pin was one of the most immersive and had one of the best sound packages out there (David Theal). The rules were great (Ferret), the light show was impressive - and it had an Alien that ate the ball - C'mon!! #1? - no, probably not. But it certainly deserves to be in the top 50 IMHO.

I've since sold it, so I'm not just saying this to pump up value of a game I don't own anymore.

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#104 1 year ago
Quoted from Deez:

It absolutely does. You just don't leave your game on long enough to see the lock ups. The code was/is bad and locks the game up. Just because it doesn't have an impact on you due to your use of the game doesn't mean the problem just doesn't exist. I"m not sure why you are fighting against holding the company accountable and being dismissive of all the owners that are having significant issues with the game.
I'm also not sure why you justify the shit quality of PB bros based off a comparison with JJP and Stern. They are separate companies and have nothing to do with Alien. Do you work for PB Bros?

Actually it's a valid comparison. I know the issues you've had so yes your opinion is valid but soured. Now consider for a moment someone who bought a shiny new Stern or JJP that had those same neverending issues. Their opinion would be soured as well...and believe me, those people do exist.

You are being disengenous in your statement about 'dismissive of owners with issues'. PB have been nothing like that, when they think they know what the issue might be, they are very fast and responsive and there are many many user posts that back that up. I've had far fewer issues with Alien than I did with R&M and mine was one of the first off the line. I'm not saying there aren't issues. There ARE issues, but to pretend your experience is everyone's experience and that they aren't trying to fix things is just another round of exaggeration.

As for how those issues impact ranking of a game? I think it's an excuse. The first time I played Alien was the OG in a bar and it lasted for about 30 seconds before it died. Never did I think "i need to run and give this game a 1". You notice most of the negativity here is about the bugs, not the actual gameplay - aside from a few Stern worm drainers. Is the game for everyone? No, few games are. If you are fanatic of the theme, this game is going to meet those expectations, bugs and all. It has some of the best theme/atmosphere ever created. Anyone shitting on geometry though, that's a laugh. This game is butter. Play better? Maybe challenge yourselves on non Stern wide row layouts a bit more. Is it #1? Most likely not, but neither is Godzilla.

#105 1 year ago
Quoted from PeterG:

I only think it is strange the LV got the beating suddenly they all rated the LV and not the SV, which is now rated higher than the LV. That alone says these ratings are bogus. The LV attacked the number one spot for their beloved Godzilla. Elwin fanboys did what they had to do and buried the only contestor with low ratings. Basically ensuring this will never be an issue in the future. I am not saying Alien should be number one but honest ratings are preffered!
This already took to much time of me, I am now going to enjoy my machines and never look at this top 100 again since this clearly showed how wrong this system is. And maybe tells me a lot of a certain group of people on pinside.

I'm not going to argue that Alien isn't cool. My son and I had a blast playing it, but its not #1, and people who rated it 10 are as equally ridiculous as those killing it. We have never seen and probably won't ever see a perfect pinball game. Ratings are entertainment only... BUT there are some good reviews for all games that I find insightful as well as entertaining.

#106 1 year ago
Quoted from smokinhos:

I'm not going to argue that Alien isn't cool. My son and I had a blast playing it, but its not #1, and people who rated it 10 are as equally ridiculous as those killing it.

Maybe it's not #1 for you, but for someone some game is #1, if they care about such things. I admit, I don't, but others clearly do.

I dunno who you or I or anyone else is to decide for them. Could be Alien. Could be the game their parents owned when they were a kid and they don't care if you don't like Flash.

And if you say "don't rate things a 10!" then ... what? 9 is the new 10? What's the max allowed? If you say no rating should be above 9 then it's just the same as a 10.

I have a friend who refused to rate his Uber or whatever else a 5 star, because he felt nobody was worth 5 stars. I think that's just being an asshole to people who get dinged if they don't get that 5 star rating. I always rate 5 stars, or I don't rate at all if I can't bring myself to do it. I've never felt vindictive enough about an Instacart worker to want their rating to suffer because I wanted 2 onions and they only got 1.

#107 1 year ago
Quoted from Deez:

It absolutely does. You just don't leave your game on long enough to see the lock ups. The code was/is bad and locks the game up. Just because it doesn't have an impact on you due to your use of the game doesn't mean the problem just doesn't exist. I"m not sure why you are fighting against holding the company accountable and being dismissive of all the owners that are having significant issues with the game.
I'm also not sure why you justify the shit quality of PB bros based off a comparison with JJP and Stern. They are separate companies and have nothing to do with Alien. Do you work for PB Bros?

Relax Francis. I happen to like the game. I guess you want me to apologize for expressing that here and/or say the game is a pos with nothing but bugs but that hasn't been my experience to this point.

Sorry you are having issues but talking to me as if I work for Pinball Bros because I enjoy the game and haven't had the same issues is disingenous and ridiculous. I've read some Pinsiders (including a few in this thread) excuse away bad playfields or QC issues from other manufacturers in forums here for years as being part of pinball and pinball manufacturing. I don't agree with that sentiment and agree manufacturers should stand by their products including defective ones. However, that doesn't make QC issues with Alien somehow an outlying occurrence. The issues just appear to be different.

Tell you what, I'll leave my game on a night or two and let you know if it locks up. My guess is that it won't but I'll let you know and report back. Either way, the good thing is if a software issue exists, it should be fixable.

#108 1 year ago
Quoted from Aurich:

And if you say "don't rate things a 10!" then ... what? 9 is the new 10? What's the max allowed? If you say no rating should be above 9 then it's just the same as a 10.

I agree with smokinhos here. I'd don't believe a perfect pin exists, and if it does, which would it be? Perfect means there is no way for it to improve in any category. Typically when it's something created by humans, it can be reworked and made better until the design team has exhausted a specific resource and needs to let it go. But I can just about guarantee that they wish they had more time/energy/cash to change something they are not still 100% satisfied with. As I know you are aware firsthand, if nothing else, the license will inhibit you from perfection.

Also, it's not rating a game you think deserves to be #1 a 10. You can clearly rate it anywhere 9.0-9.9, and it can be damn close to perfect.

-1
#109 1 year ago

Godzilla ain’t number 1. you can play it blindfolded and combo out on it. Alien you won’t hit one shot blind.

#110 1 year ago
Quoted from Zablon:

You are being disengenous in your statement about 'dismissive of owners with issues'. PB have been nothing like that, when they think they know what the issue might be, they are very fast and responsive and there are many many user posts that back that up.

I agree with you that PB Bros is responsive and got my game going except for the code which is the wildcard. I was criticizing the poster being dismissive of people having issues. I probably should've phrased that more accurately.

Quoted from Utesichiban:

Relax Francis. I happen to like the game. I guess you want me to apologize for expressing that here and/or say the game is a pos with nothing but bugs but that hasn't been my experience to this point.

I'm not saying the game is a POS. I like the game as well and think it plays fantastic. I'm simply making the point that I bought a machine to operate commercially and it's not suitable for that due to what has now come down to poor code. I believe they will fix it and have made strides on fixing it. V3.0 is significantly more stable than previous versions for sure. I'm glad the only real complaint I have is software related because that's definitely correctable.

Now back to my original point in this thread. A game that isn't suitable for commercial operation will have more limited exposure due to not being out in arcades for people to play. I think once they end up fixing the code issue with the lock ups then you will see people like me put the game out in public again which will lead to an increase in the positive ratings as more people get exposed to this amazing game.

#111 1 year ago

It is hard to rate any pin a perfect 10 - lets face it these reviews are always gonna be subjective to some degree, and it's almost impossible for a pin to do everything absolutely perfectly (shots, layout, code, art, sound) there are always improvements that can be made, no matter how small. This one is almost there for me personally, but there's just one or two minor things I think could have been done better. Same with Deadpool and Iron Maiden, to me they play perfectly - just so amazingly well designed, but again just one or two things in other areas fall short.

But some criticisms of this are just a bit strange. Bad lighting? On the LV? Even objectively I don't really get that, it's damn near perfectly lit for the theme. Also the shots, I mean, it's got an absolute tonne of shots - the orbits are smooth, the ramp shots aren't clunky, the scoops don't reject and the hypersleep lock is an amazingly satisfying shot. It shoots damn different to my Sterns I'll give you that but that doesn't make it worse.

I dunno, I just think some go into a pin with an intense pre-conceived dislike and nothing's gonna change it.

I do have to agree on one thing - the game definitely does lock up, rarely during play but if left in attract mode for an amount of time it will happen, which is basically broken for operators I guess. I really want them to fix that.

#112 1 year ago
Quoted from Deez:

I agree with you that PB Bros is responsive and got my game going except for the code which is the wildcard. I was criticizing the poster being dismissive of people having issues. I probably should've phrased that more accurately.

I'm not saying the game is a POS. I like the game as well and think it plays fantastic. I'm simply making the point that I bought a machine to operate commercially and it's not suitable for that due to what has now come down to poor code. I believe they will fix it and have made strides on fixing it. V3.0 is significantly more stable than previous versions for sure. I'm glad the only real complaint I have is software related because that's definitely correctable.
Now back to my original point in this thread. A game that isn't suitable for commercial operation will have more limited exposure due to not being out in arcades for people to play. I think once they end up fixing the code issue with the lock ups then you will see people like me put the game out in public again which will lead to an increase in the positive ratings as more people get exposed to this amazing game.

Agreed. I still am curious about the lockups since I haven't experienced it myself, though.

I'm going to keep mine on tonight and possibly this weekend to test. Hopefully it is just a correctable software issue but I am wondering about earlier make vs. recent make games and board or other hardware differences being part of the issue.

#113 1 year ago
Quoted from Utesichiban:

Agreed. I still am curious about the lockups since I haven't experienced it myself, though.
I'm going to keep mine on tonight and possibly this weekend to test. Hopefully it is just a correctable software issue but I am wondering about earlier make vs. recent make games and board or other hardware differences being part of the issue.

I convinced some of the issues are around software and various board versions. There's been quite a few board revisions, and I think the PC itself changed at some point as well.

#114 1 year ago

I think you are probably correct which is why I'm going to test mine. I think mine was built in July and guessing it has the boards they are still using for new builds.

#115 1 year ago

My game has all new boards, wiring harnesses, coils and driver board. I basically rebuilt the entire machine with the parts they provided. I'm rooting for them to get the lock ups fixed because I really want to get this game out to the masses. It's so fun.

#116 1 year ago

I always think it’s funny that everyone bags on the dudes that are so stoked about their new game that they enthusiastically rate the game perfect 10s across the board, while the real dorks are the guys that give it all 1s because their game got dethroned for 2 days haha. Wtf? Might be time to logout and play some pinball instead of worrying about the opinions of others. I know what the best games are in my mind, that’s all that matters.

#117 1 year ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Maybe it's not #1 for you, but for someone some game is #1, if they care about such things. I admit, I don't, but others clearly do.
I dunno who you or I or anyone else is to decide for them. Could be Alien. Could be the game their parents owned when they were a kid and they don't care if you don't like Flash.
And if you say "don't rate things a 10!" then ... what? 9 is the new 10? What's the max allowed? If you say no rating should be above 9 then it's just the same as a 10.

Maybe u misunderstood me. I agree that everyone has a favorite pin, I was just saying that although someone feels that Alien or Godzilla are both 10s.. well.. are they? Neither is perfect. Which proves that the ratings system is biased and BS. The only redeeming thing about it is that after enough ratings are giving, a pin will settle in about where it should be "according to the masses" on pinside.

#118 1 year ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Maybe it's not #1 for you, but for someone some game is #1, if they care about such things. I admit, I don't, but others clearly do.
I dunno who you or I or anyone else is to decide for them. Could be Alien. Could be the game their parents owned when they were a kid and they don't care if you don't like Flash.
And if you say "don't rate things a 10!" then ... what? 9 is the new 10? What's the max allowed? If you say no rating should be above 9 then it's just the same as a 10.
I have a friend who refused to rate his Uber or whatever else a 5 star, because he felt nobody was worth 5 stars. I think that's just being an asshole to people who get dinged if they don't get that 5 star rating. I always rate 5 stars, or I don't rate at all if I can't bring myself to do it. I've never felt vindictive enough about an Instacart worker to want their rating to suffer because I wanted 2 onions and they only got 1.

One can make many different arguments about ratings, grades, etc.

You may feel it is unfair to never rate someone as “5 stars”. However, if you will only rate someone as “5 stars” or not rate them at all, then you are contributing to the same skewing of the rankings.

For all those occupations where, if you’re not ranked 5/5 or 10/10, it’s somehow considered a blemish, that’s ridiculous.

To be truly elite in any field, your performance should stand out. The default should not be just be to hand out unearned accolades.

This same phenomenon is seen with grade inflation. The average grade should be a C. To get an A, you should earn it. Not anymore.

The lauding of mediocrity as though it were excellence will only lead to worsening outcomes in all fields.

#119 1 year ago
Quoted from Mattyk:

I’d like to see all 10 ratings and any ratings that are 6 and lower scrubbed. Any rating under a 6 is bogus no matter what the pin. I’d even suggest that anyone that continuously (3 instances) rates games a 10 or lower than 6 should be banned from rating since their intent is to manipulate the system rather than provide an honest review. This change alone would add credibility to the top 100. The powers that be just need to put in a little bit of effort

I disagree. It would make the whole rating system 1-10 pointless.
I´d rather see munsters pro rated 3 and jurassic park(stern) rated a 7.

Do people who rate games a 10, honestly think the game/theme/art/code etc is perfect and can never been made any better what so ever?

#120 1 year ago
Quoted from ThePinballCo-op:

I would like to see a top 100 consisting of ratings from only those who actually own or have owned the game. I wonder how that would shape the ratings.
I bet there's a way to do that. I'd love to see it.

I would rather see rating ONLY by thoose who has owned the game, but doesn´t anymore. Or atleast has owned it for a long time.

Owners esp new ones tend to overestimate/exaggerate on their new toy.

#121 1 year ago
Quoted from Aurich:

Maybe it's not #1 for you, but for someone some game is #1, if they care about such things. I admit, I don't, but others clearly do.
I dunno who you or I or anyone else is to decide for them. Could be Alien. Could be the game their parents owned when they were a kid and they don't care if you don't like Flash.
And if you say "don't rate things a 10!" then ... what? 9 is the new 10? What's the max allowed? If you say no rating should be above 9 then it's just the same as a 10.
I have a friend who refused to rate his Uber or whatever else a 5 star, because he felt nobody was worth 5 stars. I think that's just being an asshole to people who get dinged if they don't get that 5 star rating. I always rate 5 stars, or I don't rate at all if I can't bring myself to do it. I've never felt vindictive enough about an Instacart worker to want their rating to suffer because I wanted 2 onions and they only got 1.

Thought about this for a while and have to agree.

Most of the ‘10’ ratings come with a one line comment like “best game ever!” or “played it at expo and it was really fun!”. Like many of you I really enjoy my daily ritual with Pinside and often write (fairly long) comments and ratings. So I get annoyed at one-liners, which I quickly label as lazy and pointless. I personally discount 10 ratings as well as anything under 7, but that does not mean someone should not give these ratings. I tend to rate high and I am long winded, which some find annoying.

Are my longer comments and non 10 ratings any more valuable or important than someone else’s? …No…

Do I read the ratings? Yes, but not so much any more, because they hardly change. So occasionally a new game explodes to the top- that generates a feeding frenzy which is fun. Yeah the trolls will come out, but that is ok- everyone gets their say and one vote.

Overall the ratings are entertaining and can be useful. I always read the comment sections (which is why I don’t like the one liners) and forums when looking to purchase a game or getting some confirmation for my bias buying after a purchase.

For me personally the top 100 are all good games that I enjoy. Aliens IMO definitely belongs in this group in spite of reliability problems (I have been lucky with mine in the home environment).

One game that has been trolled by the ratings (and pinball media) is Ultraman. This never reached #1 and never will. I stayed away from this game because of all of the negative comments regarding the game and Spooky. So I had a chance to play one and I was reluctant to even push the start button. So I played it and found it frustrating (difficult), non intuitive, and goofy. The in-lanes are fed by subways which drove me nuts! I saw two upper playfields which seemed gimmicky and the animations seemed so ridiculous compared to my GZ. So my preconceived bias was confirmed.

Then my adult son, who is a very good pinball player (he has wide variety collection of BW’s, JJP’s and he has played my stable of new Sterns), told me he was very pleasantly surprised by UM. WTF?

So I gave UM another go and ended up purchasing one. After spending time on it my opinion has totally changed. It is very different, challenging, and a lot of fun. Upper playfields are challenging and fun. The crossover shot from the top playfield is one of my favorite pinball shots. I have 25 other games and am playing this one a lot.

Today UM is ranked #136. Many of you may feel that is too high. The ratings are all over the place with many stars and flags. The comments are interesting and a fun read, which tend to tell the bigger picture. Spooky has sold (?almost all) a bunch of UM and Halloween games. I say take advantage of the poor rating and negativity and pick one up for $6k-best deal out there. Like my Alien, this game has been somewhat solid for me. I have had way more problems with my AIQ premium (finally working as designed and a great game).

Aliens? Not a steal on the market but prices are not sky rocketing. Build and reliability? At first glance seems good, but there are definitely some different and unusual hardware choices. Software? Yeah, initially glitchy and getting better. Upgrades are FAST. Fun game? Yes!

If you have gotten this far, congrats. Ratings for me are entertainment and I enjoy both positive and negative comments. The scale from 1 to 10 is arbitrary, but so is any other scale.

As far as enjoyment/purchase I try to explore games on my own trying to disregard outside opinions which can be a challenge.

Cheers!

#122 1 year ago
Quoted from alveolus:

Any op brave enough to put Alien on location deserves a medal or Sainthood.

In a very ironic turn of events, our local pinball arcade owner has made the dubious decision to purchase an Alien for our location, and I(along with others) will be tasked with keeping it running! So maybe I will get nominated for sainthood at some point .

Anyway, amongst my trepidation/dread is a lot of excitement as I love the theme and have been wanting to put a bunch of time on this machine. I assure you that after I put a ton of plays on Alien and know it inside and out I will be posting an objective review, albeit partially from an operators perspective.

#123 1 year ago
Quoted from alveolus:

In a very ironic turn of events, our local pinball arcade owner has made the dubious decision to purchase an Alien for our location, and I(along with others) will be tasked with keeping it running! So maybe I will get nominated for sainthood at some point .
Anyway, amongst my trepidation/dread is a lot of excitement as I love the theme and have been wanting to put a bunch of time on this machine. I assure you that after I put a ton of plays on Alien and know it inside and out I will be posting an objective review, albeit partially from an operators perspective.

NiB or used? It's possible a used one has it's kinks worked out. Also very possible a NiB won't have any issues. Good luck!

#124 1 year ago
Quoted from Zablon:

NiB or used? It's possible a used one has it's kinks worked out. Also very possible a NiB won't have any issues. Good luck!

NIB. I still need to do a thorough assessment but it seems to play fine other than they shipped it without a tilt assembly.

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