i'd check out the Alien thread. that game is not quite fully baked and will likely need a lot of work; that thread scared me off of putting down a deposit for one.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-brothers-alien-remake-owners-club

overseas builder, metric parts, weird proprietary boards that won't be available if the company goes out of business etc etc

also godzilla is the shit. good luck getting either game in the next year

I'd get Alien, but you need to know how to work on stuff. If you don't just go with godzilla, as it is a way more reliable game.

alien is definitely the more unique game and imho the better theme but i've never stepped up to one to play that was working properly

overall alien is the better game .. cant go wrong either way.

If you want to crap in your pants when the lights are off get alien.

Alien all day, every day, all year round.

After going through the pain in the ass of installing the alien head mech on the original Alien that we got at the VFW Pinball Museum (it shipped without the alien head installed), I never really felt like playing the game much. I suppose my relationship with Alien was soured. Therefore, I'd choose Godzilla, especially since I like Elwin's designs.

I would also assume that on Pinside, with Godzilla ranked #1, and Alien ranked #22, Godzilla will win out here by something indicative of those numbers.

I won’t add a biased opinion but I gotta say, I really want to play Godzilla, haven’t had a chance yet. If those are the two choices feels like Alien is competing with good company.

Enjoy whatever you end up with!

I have not played Alien yet, but I do have a TZ and GZ..gun to my head, I would probably probably get rid of my Twilight Zone, but I have also had it 20 years really hard choice

Own Alien and Zilla due in this month. Alien is leaving shortly. I love the theme/atmosphere but it has too many drawbacks to be a keeper for me. Code seems deep at first, but within a few games, you'll see just about everything it has to offer aside from some of the more difficult to get multiballs. I don't like how the feed to the upper flipper is luck dropping out of the pops. REALLY don't like how the outlanes are hidden by the return ramps. Callouts are to limited...flipper feel...questionable quality...I just don't have fun playing it. Wish I did because I love the theme but it got stale real fast. Best thing about Alien is the customer support. It far exceeded service from any other company.

I haven't been reading or keeping up with that thread. With new LV owners are there still a lot of issues? I'm kinda in the same boat, looking at GNR LE, Alien LV or Godzilla Premium. I'm assuming to get on the LV list for Alien at this point would be a long wait, probably longer than Godzilla?

Alien is pretty sweet if you're not into playing pinball machines. It looks and sounds great.
Playing and rules it's Godzilla easy.

I've owned both. Godzilla's theme did not work for me at all. Hands down my vote goes to Alien!

My dad told me to not buy any model of car the first year it comes out. It takes a few models before all the bugs are worked out.

By all accounts, there are a few 'it's our first pinball' problems at Pinball Brothers.

In addition, there is a long history of pinball companies that don't survive. The machines made by those companies are orphans, and frequently you have a hard time getting parts for them.

Compare that to Godzilla, made by an established company that has been in continuous operation (under various names) longer than anyone else in the business. Godzilla is designed by one of the best pinball designers in history. It's number one in the top 100 chart right now.

We'll see in twenty years if this is the case, but it is arguable that Godzilla will be regarded as one of the top five or ten pinballs ever made.

The best pinballs ever made (Example: Attack From Mars, Medieval Madness, Monster Bash, Twilight Zone, Lord of The Rings), all have a fair market value doubling or better their 'new in the box' price. If you want to have a pinball that is going to be worth some money in the future, I'd bet on Godzilla.

Godzilla is the safer choice.

On the other hand, Wizard of Oz was a first pinball ever made by a new company, and it's definitely in my 'top fifty pinballs of all time' list. Jersey Jack looks to be a pinball company that will stay in business.

So a new pinball company CAN be good to work with. I would argue that you are taking more risk with Alien.

Ultimately, I think that a few years after you buy it, you will be able to sell it no matter what happens for more than you bought it for, so I suspect you don't actually have any financial risk.

I'm firmly of the opinion that the cheapest you are going to see pinballs in the future is when you buy them when they are fresh out of the box. It may take a few years to see the appreciation in price, but ultimately you almost can't go wrong... buy it, play it for a few years, sell it for more than you bought it for.

I've played both a handful of times at shows. It seemed like there was much more to do on godzilla; it had a more interesting layout, and more interactive elements on the playfield.

Both games are cool, but if it was an either or choice, I'd immediately go for zilla.

Sadly, I have to agree with this 100%. I put in 10-15 games on Alien at the last show, and I wanted to like it SO badly. That 10K was just burning a hole in my pocket. After those 15 games, my pocket magically healed itself. Really a bummer, that would have been a slam dunk theme to add to the collection. I've gone in on AP games, Spooky, and Multimorphic, so I'm not afraid of taking a leap of faith on a newer company.

Godzilla is as close to a perfect game as you can get. Pro or Prem. It's "one more game", fun for crap players, fun for experienced players. And the shots are not 'gimmes' so you can have an outstanding, deep game, and then turn around and shoot 3 turds and still have a great time.

If you like the same ol same ol. Godzilla. If you want something unique. Alien. Troublesome? Luck of the draw really. Some get luckier than others. Maybe get GZ now, and wait out Alien for a bit and pick up one used if nothing else. I'm a fan of both themes, and GZ is fun, but...it still suffers from...'it's another Stern' syndrome.

Then you just have to accept that every single Stern will give you that feeling and move on.
I mean GZ just another cookie cutter Stern...same shit....um OK.

What is this "it's another Stern" syndrome? That they play the same? I don't understand. I've only owned 4 Sterns: LOTR, EHOH, IMDN, and now GZ. None of those felt even remotely similar. What am I missing?

Sterns since 2003ish have a feel that well...just doesn't click with me very often. That being said AC/DC is one of my favorite machines, and I really dig JP....but none others have made me want to throw serious cash on them. I try them and keep hoping. I guess I'll continue to 'not be into playing pinball machines' with my games?

That being said, the best recommendation you can get is to play them each for yourself unless you don't have an issue buying and selling quickly. Which many here don't(have an issue with).

Gotcha.
Good thing aboot KME is his games seem very diff'rent than the "usual Stern" stuff i would actually agree on; Borgs usual layouts etc.

No, you have 8 great playing machines I kid.

If you don't want to wait too long or overpay get a Godzilla Pro. I honestly prefer how it plays over the Premium and they are much easier to find.

Hmmm...just another Stern. I played the newer Sterns at Zapcon and was unexpectedly impressed by them all (well, except for Led Z). Very good to great playing pins, most heavily played games at the show by far. Can't stand the new scan-whatever-it-is in the apron, but other than that I was a fan. I'm thinking Godzilla Premium is top three-to-five all time--it is that good. Maybe Stern really does know something about pinball...

"just another stern" sounds very much like someone that hasn't played godzilla. the flow on that game is undeniably better than on alien no matter how much you adore either license

and you can even see most of the playfield most of the time

Another vote for Godzilla Premium. I find that game so satisfying to play

I think they might echo Iron Maiden and Deadpool a bit (I can't really comment on avengers yet), but GZ premium is certainly much different than most other modern stern games. There are certainly a lot more interactive mechs on the playfield than there have been in the last few years. It felt like a packed playfield to me, while most other prior layouts felt a bit empty and static.

For some strange reason when I play Alien it doesn’t feel like a wide body. I’ve owned Tz for almost 25 years. It feels like a wide body. Anyway I had a deposit on alien last year. I pulled it when early machines seemed to be having lots of issues. I also have a GZ prem. on order. Both are dream themes for me.
I would like to put another deposit down on Alien but went with CC +topper deposit this weekend after playing both back to back a few times.
Alien plays slower than GZ. It’s flippers are a little different feeling too.
In a small collection I’d go with GZ. I think it may be the best Stern machine ever.

If you're a player, Godzilla by a mile. If you're just a collector, buy whichever movie you like more, which one has more "assets," which one is heavier (build quality!), or whatever.

It’s the first pro I’ve played that didn’t seem lacking compared to the premium. Best pro ever?

Alien has one of the best sound packages of all time

Godzilla STOMPS Alien into the ground.

Sorry, not sorry. I know both camps are going to protect their now $10K assets. Godzilla is SO fun and the flow and shots are simply combo poetry in motion.

Alien: clunk clunk clunk, baby elephant noise-Alien screech, clunk, clunk..................clunk.

And I WANTED Alien very badly. I was back in that game dropping $6400 for the SE (remember when it cost THAT little?)

Alien has a leg-up on video integration and call outs. Alien has an atmosphere so thick you'd think you were on a rocket to the moon.

Keith just keeps making fantastically new layouts, and Godzilla may be his best "flow layout" yet.

Play better. There is a ton of flow in Alien. There is practically 2 shots in the entire game that are not flow. You can combo to your hearts content if you don't want to play any modes. And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Alien is better or GZ is bad. But there are distinctive differences in the type of game they are (widebody / versus standard) that I can see would not be for everyone. Alien because the center is open and a widebody tends to be a bit floaty. GZ is innately faster. I have not played the GZ premium, so I can't say how much stop and go there is there.

I'm convinced at this point that when people say clunk, what they really mean is "narrow shots they can't hit easily" and also goes back to my initial comment that triggered people.

I don't think Stern "phones in" games. Even the most cookie-cutter, yet-another pinball (from anyone) is a lot of work to competently make. And all of Stern's games are competent. I don't mean that as a back handed compliment either, the most 'standard' Stern release now makes a lot of their older titles from a more sparse era look pretty weak. Their baseline for look and design is higher now. Prices are higher too of course.

I think the "it's another Stern" feeling comes from a company that releases games on a schedule, not because they're necessarily born out of real inspiration and new thinking. They're not all special. There's some idea recycling. Hard to make new things all the time in this hobby though.

The exception, for me at least, has been hiring Keith. He's got the sauce.

I'll be real, I get a small royalty if you buy an Alien. It's not a lot of money, and it's definitely not enough to "buy" a shill post from me. If say 1000 of you would like to go buy one that would be cool though!

If I'm speaking honestly I'd say support any small company when you can. Alien or a Spooky game or whatever else. But I'm personally interested in everything Keith does.

I mean this with a sense of respect and veneration for the recently lost: He is the Lyman of pf layouts. JP and GZ have been simply amazing and fun, and all 4 of his releases (IMDN, AIQ, JP, and GZ) have ALL been stand outs with no real feel of "copy/paste" jobs (GotG being a mash up of Metallica and Iron Man for example....).

I think that's a fair assessment. Some are hit some are miss in total package. At first I was thinking that saying someone being a collector vs player is a knock, but in reality, I AM a collector & a player, which plays into my selection. I view pinball as art not just a game and I buy to hold and enjoy. Not to beat and move it along. I by no means would tell anyone to pick one over the other, always play them and decide. My opinion was simply, Alien is something different from everything else coming out right now.

To follow up on my above comment, I think it's honestly often silly to think of games as being from companies, it's the people that (mostly) matters.

If you want to talk say, customer service, or long term reliability, etc, then yes the company matters. And Pinball Bros etc need to earn trust. But let's look at your list:

LOTR - This is a Keefer special. Perhaps his masterpiece? More cohesive in theme and approach than TSPP, but more approachable (imo) than his JJP work. The art is photoshopped, and not printed that well. It's not really a looker. The Path of the Dead is pretty But the code elevates it into something different from everything else in that era.

EHOH I haven't played this one sadly. Used to have both Scared Stiff and Party Monsters, I'm a fan. But it wasn't a typical Stern release, so not surprising that it wouldn't necessarily feel like one. Was a "getting the gang back together" project.

IMDN / GZ Keith Elwin, enough said. This isn't a knock on other people at Stern, at all, but Keith is a world class players who's clearly been stacking ideas in his head for a long time now, whether consciously or unconsciously. It's reflected in his layouts, but also the way the flow of the games intersect with the code. There's just this complete package feel to what he does, and look how he's always bringing in new physical interactions.

Not to make this about me, but since the initial question was aimed at me....Of those, LOTR is my favorite although I haven't played EHOH. The most disappointing was IMDN. I can't stand it and I love the theme and I've tried over and over to like it (same crap with Addams Family...beloved, but I can't stand it).

Having owned a Godzilla Premium and Heighway Alien then sold both. The only one I miss is Alien. I will be ordering a Alien soon.

The then Godzilla did nothing for me. I rarely turned it on after a couple of months. I will admit when I did it was fun and great. Also everyone and their dog has one so it's not like I can't get more time on it if I wanted.

Now Alien was a very immersive game for me. It had me coming back for more and more. League and tournaments people would crowd around Alien probably because it was rare and half those players own Godzilla.

I will note I am a big Stern Fan Boi. I also love Spooky.

This can go round and round. All I can suggest to you or anyone is put some extensive time on each.

I've heard a lot that Alien isn't super deep which maybe it's not to some but for me Godzilla was ramp ramp scoop ramp ramp scoop repeat a lot. But in the end that's a majority of pins.

So it's going to come down to which is a better theme to you, which one excites you more, which one feels the best to you.

Most pins are great. Most pins get stagnent and left unplayed over time. This is when you sell and replace. There are far to many pins out there to experience and if you cant own them all then switch them out so you owned them all, once. So your what next? I would go with GZ only bc like other said "half baked". And I think they are being super nice saying that but I do wish them well and nothing but success.

I almost said something about Lyman too, and then I got sad, and just didn't write it. I miss him.

And this is why you can only take other people's opinions on what you'll like so far. I played IMDN when it was still Archer and thought it was a brilliant layout, most of it stayed intact for the Stern version. But tastes are gonna vary.

I've recently bought both a Godzilla Pro and Alien SV. I have played Godzilla Premium a bunch and happy with the Pro. I'm really happy with both games.

Personally I give the nod to Alien between the two. Godzilla is outstanding, but Alien is on another level. The shots, layout and rules are outstanding. Lots to keep you busy and engaged.

Hitting the hyper sleep ramp from the upper right flipper or the right ramp from the upper left flipper are incredibly satisfying shots. I'd argue they are the most satisfying shots in pinball.

The layout is incredibly well thought out. The upper flippers have multiple significant shots which is very different than most upper flippers where you only have one or two things to aim for. On Alien, for example, the upper left flipper has 6 shots available: xenomorph, pop bumers, right ramp, lane to right of ramp, APC lane, and APC targets.

The sound effects on Alien are outstanding. Sentry Guns is a blast. The stock speakers actually shake the game. No need for a sub with this one.

Plus it's a wide body! It plays fast and hard.

Don't know if I would sell TZ to get it. I love TZ, but between Alien and Zilla I'd vote Alien.

Just when this thread had me convinced I shouldn't go for an Alien you drop this review. I've played Zilla a lot on location and I know I'm supposed to want it more because of the more flowy layout... But I really am more drawn to Alien, but it always felt more clunky though with less flow.

these are the issues owners have with the game from only the last 5 pages of a 150 page thread:

my plastic already cracked

I even changed out to a new magnet mech and no change. The magnet does work, it just only holds the ball for a split second, no matter what setting.

It sounds horrible every time, to the point that I absolute hate lifting the PF because I don't know if something is going to get messed up with that mech one of these times.

Xeno seems to be struggling. I noticed it seems to test on boot up 'ok' but maybe it just got lucky. During play, it is failing to 'drive', or come out of its shell...

I have a ticket open with PB support, but thought I'd note here for anyone interested. Seems the Xeno head is getting stuck during test roughly 50% of the time...seems it starts to 'pull back' and gets stuck.

So I'm running into a few issues with my Alien if anyone can point out any solutions but basically my mother scoop coil keeps on firing when I start up the game.i lifted up the playfield to try and do some diagnostic and when I put it back down I started to have light board issues with the top of the playofeld staying on and the bottom not lighting up. Went through to see if I could find anything that was disconnected but as of today havnt found anything to note.

Question, is the shaker on at power up getting fixed soon? Kind of a bad power on effect!!

Also, it seems lv games ship with a load of cables for target lamps unplugged? Because they are not yet coded in. Strange decision, why not just leave them plugged in ready for awakening in code later. I want to plug them in but now I’m wondering if there’s a reason they aren’t?? Are other lv games like this to??

Finally got around to installing 2.6. I was very hesitant as 2.4 was working well for me (SV delivered mid march) I have to say I regret not making this update sooner. There were no issues with the update, even though I left my coil changes prior update, and then decided to factory reset after the update was completed. I needed to make very few adjustments to the coils compared to my 2.4 setup, and any issues with flipper knock down is definitely gone, without having to crank flipper coils +35% (which was definitely too heavy for this game.. -_-) Overall, amazing game! I have just over 630 plays on since march and have to say its working very well overall. Stronnnngly considering flipping my SV and buying and LV before theyre all gone! ...

I’m getting about 9 out of 10 airlock ejects going straight down the middle. Is this a common problem and is it easily fixed?

The dreaded I/O board missing came back. Not sure what could be the cause but it’s incredibly frustrating when this happens because it could be basically anything.

nybody know what the actual electronics receiver part is for the little Opto board in use on these games? I've got a few issues with my game out of the box, can't really play it currently because the right ramp /reverse ramp opto is non working.

Arrghh! I really hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. The game feels like it has real potential but it feels like one thing after another at the moment. I understand some minor adjustments may be needed when you get it but this feels like it’s a bit more than that. I’ve already had to adjust 3 stand ups that were stuck closed, the scoop sdtm issue, the connectors with pins pulled out for the coils and a bent trough eject bracket that stopped the balls from rolling down the trough.
Now I’ve noticed the main monitor has an area to the right and top that is always out or mis coloured. After going through my photos it happened to be there from the first start up. I just hadn’t noticed it until now.
Also it’s started losing all of the background sound and it’s only playing the sound effects when a shot is hit. This background sound comes back for the next ball but will remain out for the entire ball in play.
This added to the air Lock Screen out and the game locking up mid ball and I’m getting a little concerned.

Edit: Now I’m really pissed. I don’t think I’ve even played 10 games and now it doesn’t even boot up. I turn it on and get the pinball brothers on the screen and the side rails light up but that’s it. Nothing else. I’m sorry for the people that love the game but I’ve got a piece of shit.

1. Power On - Screen doesn't display, have to reboot, sometimes 2-3 times, mostly 1 time

2. Xeno Mech - SW Error 1 - Tried adjusting screws and shifting nylon block. Re-secured the switch mounts. Adjusted the switch after several temps, made no difference:

(Replacement mech being shipped free of charge, arrives next Thursday)

3. Bottom Right Flipper - stuck up (Right Spring broke, stretched remaining spring part and hasn't failed yet but bought new springs)

4. Bottom Left Flipper (stuck up). Spring came loose. Bought spare springs - Sega/Stern Flipper Extension Spring 265-5035-00. haven't installed.

5. Drop ball into launch - Stuck on launch wire - fix - bent/stretched wire

6. Launch failing - Shape of coil mount slightly crooked. Caused launch to get stuck. Fix: partial rebuild / align / rescrew coil and mount. Used "Loctite Blue" on screws (screws did not hold otherwise).

7. Cabinet front door - hard to shut - Not sure what's causing this - have to give it a good slam to get in position to lock - sometimes lock get stuck. Noticed a fallen off / loose screw on the inside- remounted - still hard to shut (not fixed)

8. Egg/Pop Bumbers did not function when the ball hit them - Adjusted leaf switches to make the 'closer' used a pair of pliers - but bought a leaf adjustment tool for future. Because they are considered 'low quality', heard these can be changed out with Stern part (need to confirm)

9. APC/Drop Targets - seem to be very sensitive - and sometimes "C" and "P" drop down at vibration or flipper click - or barely touch. Was advised to attempt alignment of the drop target piece. Not seeing how the alignment is off, haven't attempted removing the part entirely from the playfield to inspect further.

I think that's it - only ones that are really bothering me at 1,7 and 9. Everything else has been solved or has an easy work around.

The tight wiring harness appears to be a recurring complaint. Has anyone spoke with PB yet about the importance of having some slack with the wiring? It's pretty important.

I did the rebuild as described on the PB site. When I did the power up after a minute, the game booted and I’d only assume able to play a game on 2.2. The airlock screen was still out and main screen had the thing still up on the right. I’m wondering if that is the airlock screen coming up in that corner.

I powered off the machine for 20 mins or so to do the 2.6 but the game got stuck at the screen in my picture here. Anyone else encountered this?

I'm going to open a ticket, but thought I'd post here here too. We have some LEDs out on the SV we got today, maybe more. Checked the wires we could see and they seem to be connected properly.

That we can see that don't work:
-Both stand ups on either side of the right ramp
-Stand up to the left of the scoop
-Dome lamp to the right of the Alien
-The entire front egg

...do you want to deal with that on your ten thousand dollar toy?

Ouch! Didn't realize how bad it was.