Thinking of joining this club but did not have an opportunity to see this in person.

Is there a video review of the game somewhere? Something recent perhaps?

I would like to know how it feels and if it has too much of a wide body feel to it? Indiana Jones comes to mind when it feels like the ball has a lot of room to swing side to side and makes the game feel floaty?

Has anybody received a recently produced unit? Have the kinks of earlier models been resolved or is it still a WIP sort of product?

I will try to read the thread in its entirety but figured would drop a line here first

I streamed it a week ago or so. To me it’s much faster than IJ. I really like the rules and the ways you can maximize scoring with strategy.

I finally broke a billion on it this week but I know I left a lot of points on the table with some poor play in wizard modes.

I own IJ and Alien (had standard but waiting on LV) and it is much faster than IJ. Not floaty at all - feels like a standard in a widebody - similar to POTC JJP.

LV ordered!
Stoked!

I thought they were sold out?

Probably not even halfway sold out of the 1000 LVs. I put my deposit down with cointaker in December. Was hoping to see it in the first half of this year but that's not likely at this point.

Think our local allotment was sold out - that might have been based off the number to fill a container??

Originally PB announced they were going to make no more than 500 LV's (when they first launched the Alien remake) but then when they released the LV details (~10 months later) they'd up'd it to 1000.

No point leaving money on the table I guess. When these things hit everyone is going to want one, glad I fluked one.

I had an LV on order, cancelled it, then reordered it like 1 month later. Melissa said no line jumping but I was still able to get my deposit down

I agree was going to say closer to a standard feel in a wide body body- and yes the way POTC feels manageable. I assumed POTC managed this feel by having the middle open and sides contained (I rarely shoot right side ramp and the far left shot is just for Dead Men)…yet Alien feels way more open and yet retains the speed and feel of standard. The other nice thing vs IJ is you have open real estate in front of you. I like at least some long shots- like Elwin always has. Or think Hobbit which has plenty of long shots. I disliked Mando because felt like whole playfield was crunch down in front of me. Alien has great variety of shots. Muthur (JP control room), left ramp (GnR left ramp but actually hit-able with right flipper), satisfying scoop and Zeno shot (both very long), even the targets are satisfying to aim for during some of modes (long and medium shots), then right invert ramp like mando, the orbits which feel like Hobbit to me including back door to scoop or via post into pops, throw in two uniquely placed upper flippers, and the side vent Path which feels like a tail whip (GZ) into an IJ right flipper one way gate. Really fun game. Oh and integration is top 5 ever imho. Hobbit is probably number one integration wise for me and this is right there although would like to allow bit more variation in how you progress through game (it’s nice to have alien vs aliens, but think SW or GoT- select a character with diff abilities to tackle the game diff ways would have been cool). I’ve had some pinheads over recently who were highly skeptical of Alien (thought they’d hate it) and were completely flipped- they def want to own.

So yeh for someone who enjoys pins and isn’t anti wide body, seems like a no brainer. I dont have it yet but I’d recommend the apron mod with beacons. I think the look plus the light show will put this over the edge. I also love the alternate back glass with the Xeno coming at you 3D esque out of the back box!

I have heard from a lot of pinheads that this pin is next level so very much looking forward to it.
Did not have a chance to see it in person but didn't want to wait until I did to get it.

Cool stuff!

Thanks for this, like you, I dont seem to like games that are crowded in the center like IJ, mando, Dp, etc

Agree with everything you said.
Thanks for feedback!

So my game just lost all coils on the right side of the game. All fuses are good and the green lights are lit on the playfield module. Can't see anything disconnected. Anyone have this issue? I submitted a ticket but have not received a response yet.

Put my deposit down today for an LV and Melissa from Cointaker said 6-8 months lead time (30-60 days for the Standard). Sound accurate?

I have a voucher and am waiting for an invoice so I can pay for a game (again).

30-60 days for the standard? LOL I was asked to and paid in full in September and I still haven’t gotten a shipping notification. I called last week finally and was told “two weeks”, which I was also told in December so IDK man. It is what it is, but be ready to wait a lot longer than what’s quoted.

NO

I had both slings go out at same time.
Ended up being broken wires on the coil lugs. Hard to notice unless looking for it. Seems to be a common problem. Soldered back on and all good.

I think we will be taken care of as the LVs make it to Texas.

I’m hopeful we are past the initial super long delays the early adopters experienced.

The LV(s) at Texas are part of a small shipment that was air-freighted instead of “shipped” on a boat in order to make TPF. The larger shipment is probably on the water now though.

Peel back the shrink wrap on the connections at the coils and look at the solder job.. you may need to resolder these. Mine were flaky.. i hit em with the iron and a blob of solder. good to go.

I had the same issue with several of my coils and fixed them... But he's talking about losing all coils on the right side... That sounds like some other issue. He says fuses are good, but it really sounds like a bad fuse. There are 3 fuses in the controller box under the playfield... That was my initial thought. Other than that, I'm thinking a loose power cable on the right coil loom on the controller box. PB should be able to work it out.

I would pull the fuses and test them with a mm.
But the questions I have is, if it was a fuse? What caused the fuse to blow?

I am excited to get this game. Should I expect lots of tuning before it is playable?

I think the quality isn't there yet. I've had more issues than I'd like.
1. The game needed rebuilt fresh out of the box it wouldn't boot up.
2. First day on location the hyper sleep lock started jamming up.
3 Second day on location game locks up and won't boot and turns out the fuse was loose in the holder.
4 after game wouldn't boot now no coils on the right side of the game work but the fuses are good. I haven't had time to completely dig into it.

At this point I consider the machine a piece of shit if it can't last on location for a single day.

These aren't little nagging issues either. They break the machine and it's down completely. Prob fine for home use but I'd exercise caution for operators.

If it keeps up like this a lightly used Alien will soon be in the marketplace.

Dont give up yet, it sounds like these are simple issues. Expected to have adjustments in a game with these amount of gadgets?

I think once you dial it in once it will be good to go!

That is exactly why I dropped out of the remake - Love the game, but I don't need one I have to babysit all the time - especially at today's prices. This version seems to be better, but still not to the point where I want to deal with it. Had the original and went through all the crap with that one.

While I know he's not alone, it's not exactly representative. The ones with issues are the loudest. But, I guess the less people who buy it the more it will be worth later.

I've *knock on wood* not had much of anything I've had to do other than it was a early version that needed new targets. I've had more work on other games than this game.

I am gonna give it a whirl.
Seems like the most exciting game out there at the moment and the theme is killer.

This was just enough for me to buy this game.
A pin company willing to pay for this quality will spend enough to make things right in the long term.
I have faith.

Deez should have every right to route this game. He's doing nothing wrong and I'm sure it's frustrating.

Me? I would neve route it. In a home use environment where you can properly treat the machine is where this game belongs. Not to say it shouldn't be built to withstand routing/abuse - I totally get it but imo, this game is not made for that type of play. It's made to be played by folks that will no doubt treat it well and can immediately address anything wonky that pops up, which every game does.

Long story short, as a buyer, we should be able to route every game we buy. Alien just doesn't fit in that category and should be HUO.

I would like Stern to make an Alien pinball.
This PB version look like a nightmare of all sort of problems.

I bought a Star Wars Premium 4 years ago and it is still perfect. I can't see lot of people complaining about deep problems like that.

Yeah, but that game is trash compared to this game.

I've only owned 2 nib games. Stern Spike 2 and this one.

I had twice as many tuning issues and teething problems with the Stern.

They both play well now though.

.

I'm grateful that Stern didn't make this machine. If Stern made it, it would be just as generic and uninteresting as all the other stuff they've come out with lately.

Stern makes games with almost nothing on them. Of course nothing will fail.
When they do put gimmicks in, problems start, I have own a few nib sterns this year, more than 5. All had issues. Stranger things Premium needed half the upper pf disassembled and a ramp reinstalled - needing holes filled and redrilled -
So your mileage might vary.

I dont own an Alien, so I am not defending a game maker I have zero experience with.

What I am saying is, my shitty experience with Sterns did not stop me from buying more and I am not afraid of fixing a game either.

The way I see it: If you expect these things to work out of the box then you are in the wrong hobby or need deep pockets for a tech.

Sure it is annoying to fix a game but dialing in a game is still part of the hobby.

A lot of people also play poorly dialed in games just because they work. Not having issues is not necessarily an indication that the game plays well or how it should.

That's what I think as well. I realize there are lots of Stern fans out there, and they have made attempts at improving things, but it's not like they don't have their own share of horror stories.

No this game is not 'technically' perfect, but they've been great at customer service and helping get them fixed for those that do have issues. Routing is indeed...questionable, but it's a complex game. The HWY version also was problematic on route (at least the few I saw). I'm sure they are going to have more issues out of the gate than a larger estabished company like Stern, but that's partly expected.

Why is everyone saying they're complicated? The xeno mech is a rod with a magnet and a jaw. The only other toy is the hyper sleep lock that rotates. Not sure what you mean by a complicated game. Stern has just as much if not more. This game shouldn't break like this. There is a reliability issue. You can bury your head in the sand or acknowledge an expensive game shouldn't break like this. Light tweaks out of the box yes but not multiple game breaking items within a few days on location.

I agree No. I’ve been waiting over a year and still no machine!! A horror show. I doubt I’ll ever get the machine.

On location going on week 3. Ours has luckily been reliable so far.

Maybe I just got lucky, but the issues I’ve had have all been relatively minor; some standup targets were loose, a few coil strengths needed to be adjusted in the settings, and the air lock scoop needed the plunger sanded down(it had a nipple on it that caused the ball to come out of the scoop in random directions.) The scoop plunger was the only “real issue” it had, and that was a simple fix.

I think mine might be a lemon.

I read people with machine not booting at all and i think that's very frustrating. Also machine that reset during multiball, that's also very frustrating. I doubt that this machine can be use in a competition. I will not list all problems because i read this thread from day one and there's a lot of them, lot more and more frustrating that i saw in stern's machine thread.

I was thinking about buying this machine but it's too much a lottery of frustration in my opinion.

Have you lifted the hood on a PB version and examined the components or looked over a cabinet for build quality yet? What makes "this game" not route worthy, are you speaking on the theme as a whole or comparing the two different builds? It's a shame how many yes-men cheerleaders are in here ignoring blatant quality issues on this remake. At this rate i'd take my chances on a heighway version and trust the community support system over this bucket of scrap parts!- Debbie

I just got an invoice notification that the balance is due on my LV and it is ready to be shipped to my house.

When did you order?

I got my notice like that in October. It got delivered in March. Be cautious.

I owned both the original version and this new version. Routed both. Heighway lasted one day before it had issues so in my experience this one is better than the original. But again I’m sure based on posts plenty of people are having problems.

Got my invoice for an SV in September.

Texas (March 25 - 27) is the start of an infestation.

And then there's those people who don't own one, never planned to, and really only troll with every post. Go buy a HWY. No one is stopping you. I own one, and mine is just fine. I'll cheerlead it all day long. At this point you are just whining to whine.