Alien Pinball: A Buyer's Experience

Cary Hardy·video·11m 32s·analyzed·Aug 27, 2021

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.021

TL;DR

Collector reviews Pinball Brothers' Alien: loves it despite software issues, praises support.

Summary

Richard Whiskey, a pinball collector, provides a detailed buyer's experience review of the Pinball Brothers' Alien pinball machine. He discusses why he purchased it (movie integration and sound design by David Thiel), what's missing compared to the original Highway version (LCD screen, lit cabinet art), mechanical and software issues (xenomorph magnet inconsistency, speaker problems), and overall satisfaction with the purchase and customer support from Pinball Brothers.

Key Claims

Alien Pinball features both Alien and Aliens movies with selectable modes at game start
high confidence · Richard describes game having movie-specific modes with actual cut scenes from both films
Xenomorph magnet catch mechanic has durability/consistency issues; worse over time with harder shots
high confidence · Richard reports magnet catches ~3/4 of time initially, degrading; believes software fix needed rather than mechanical
Pinball Brothers' Alien lacks LCD playfield screen present in original Highway version
high confidence · Richard confirms screen removal; considers it redundant as it repeated backglass info
Kato (Pinball Brothers support) responded to speaker issue within 24 hours and sent replacement amplifier via DHL within 5-6 days
high confidence · Direct customer support experience documented; Kato described as responsive throughout multiple issues
Flipper bushings on received unit were rough and required sanding; issue documented by another owner (Hurry Up Pinball video)
high confidence · Richard sanded bushings himself; mentions other owner created instructional video on same issue
Game playfield lighting is darker than desired; includes light blocks for mood but insufficient for general illumination
high confidence · Richard suggests spotlights or pin stadiums to improve lighting while maintaining dark mood
Coin Takers is primary distributor in America; Texas has alternate distributor
medium confidence · Richard mentions distribution availability for potential buyers; specific distributor names provided
Sound quality/design (by David Thiel) was primary draw for Richard's purchase
high confidence · Richard emphasizes movie integration and sound as primary reasons for purchase decision

Notable Quotes

“I love the game because of the integration with the movies and all the movie clips that integrate with the modes and the sound, which was done by one of the greats, David Thiel, it just blew me away when I saw it at Texas Pinball Festival.”
Richard Whiskey@ 1:54 — Establishes primary value proposition and sound designer credit
“One of the biggest complaints is that it doesn't have the LCD screen on the play field. To me, it was a redundant thing because all it does is just repeat what was on the big screen on the back glass.”
Richard Whiskey@ 2:12 — Addresses major feature difference from Highway version; provides counterargument to common complaint
“At first, it felt like it was three-quarters of the time it was grabbing, but it's been getting worse and I don't know what that could be... I think a software fix may be the answer. And I know that Kato is all over it.”
Richard Whiskey@ 4:08 — Documents xenomorph mechanic degradation and confirms Pinball Brothers awareness/active work on issue
“Within 24 hours, I got an answer... from this guy from Kato. And he was very friendly... So he's been with me very responsive the whole way with every even small issues.”
Richard Whiskey@ 6:36 — Praise for Pinball Brothers customer support responsiveness
“This is the most anticipated purchase I've ever made and the most glad I've been once I received it. I love it.”
Richard Whiskey@ 5:08 — Strong endorsement of purchase decision despite known issues
“I think it's as good as a Jersey Jack pin. And a lot of people are going to shudder when they hear that.”

Entities

Richard WhiskeypersonKatopersonDavid Thielperson Pinball BrotherscompanyHighway PinballcompanyAlien PinballgameTexas Pinball FestivaleventCoin TakerscompanyCary Hardy

Signals

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sentiment_shift: Alien Pinball generates strong collector interest despite known issues; buyer satisfaction high despite mechanical and software concerns
high · Richard describes as 'most anticipated purchase ever' and 'most glad' upon receipt; not playing other games since arrival 2 weeks prior
?
community_signal: Pinball community member (Hurry Up Pinball) created instructional content documenting flipper bushing solution for known issue
medium · Richard mentions another owner created video showing bushing sanding solution; indicates community engagement with troubleshooting
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design_philosophy: Alien Pinball intentionally designed with dark, moody lighting to match scary sci-fi theme; light blocks provide mood enhancement rather than general illumination
high · Richard explicitly discusses design intent for darkness; describes light blocks as mood-focused rather than functional; suggests spotlights as improvement without removing dark atmosphere
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product_strategy: Pinball Brothers actively developing software updates to address xenomorph magnet reliability issues post-release
high · Kato confirmed working on xenomorph fix; Richard reports awareness of update in development; notes uncertainty about fix effectiveness
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product_concern: Left speaker shipped with muffled audio; replacement amplifier required DHL shipment without installation instructions
high · Richard's first issue; required CPU box opening to install replacement amplifier; suggests future distributor-handled installations for production models

Topics

Alien Pinball machine features and designprimaryComparison to original Highway Pinball versionprimaryXenomorph magnet mechanic issues and software fixesprimaryPinball Brothers customer support qualityprimaryGame packaging, shipping, and setupsecondaryPlayfield lighting and atmospheresecondaryDistribution and availabilitysecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Strong overall approval despite documented mechanical/software issues; buyer expresses no regrets and high satisfaction. Praise for movie integration, sound design, and customer support outweighs concerns about xenomorph reliability, dark lighting, and minor mechanical issues. Acknowledges issues are being addressed by developer.

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.035

3, 2, 1 Stop your grinning and drop your linen We're on express elevator to hell Going down Maybe I've been keeping up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal. Get away from her, you bitch! That's it, man. Game over, man. Game over. My name is Richard Whiskey. I don't know what to label myself. I collect pinball machines. Why Alien Pinball? Many years ago at the Texas Pinball Festival, I saw the Highway game, I was hooked, but not hooked enough. They folded before I even had a chance, so it was one of those titles that slipped away. And when I heard Pinball Brothers was doing it, why not? And so I jumped in. I love the game because of the integration with the movies and all the movie clips that integrate with the modes and the sound, which was done by one of the greats, David Thiel, it just blew me away when I saw it at Texas Pinball Festival. I had to have it. What is the game missing in comparison to the Highway version? One of the biggest complaints is that it doesn't have the LCD screen on the play field. To me, it was a redundant thing because all it does is just repeat what was on the big screen on the back glass. You know, there was one mode that maybe it was helpful during ambush mode, but I don't have a problem looking up. I mean, we've been doing that with DMD pinball machines ever since they came out. But one of the things that are not included on the Pinball Brothers that I wish that were is the cabinet. The lit up cabinet art was really cool. Everything else is not needed as far as I'm concerned. The bigger screen and the monitor is not needed This is plenty big It bigger than any Stern Not as big as a Jersey Jack which to me is kind of big It too big Everything that is great about this game is here on this version. How was the packaging and the shipping condition of the box? I've bought a few new-in-the-box games in my time, and this one was packed well. It just had big sheets of styrofoam that cocooned the pinball machine. Actually, the box had some damage on the outside of it, but it didn't penetrate the styrofoam. So the styrofoam did protect the pinball machine. So it was packed fine. It was packed as good as any new in-the-box game. Was setup any different in comparison to any other game? The setup was pretty much the same. You know, you cut the side of the box open, put the top legs on, the front legs on, and fold it down. It was pretty much very similar to any other pinball machine. Have you had any issues with the stand-up or drop-down targets? I haven't. I haven't had any issues with them registering the hits. But I have had issues. They get bent a little bit sideways, so every once in a while, you take the glass off, open it up, and push them to where they align. How often does the xenomorph catch the ball? Not very often. I'll be honest with you. At first, it felt like it was three-quarters of the time it was grabbing, but it's been getting worse and I don't know what that could be. There's lots of theories roaming around, strength of the magnet that's supposed to grab the ball. There's not enough time. The ball hits the Zeno target and then it rebounds off of that so fast that I don't think the software is catching it. And I think a software fix may be the answer. And I know that Kato is all over it and lots of people are giving input to him. And there's an update to address that. But whether or not it's going to be fixed, I don't know. If you hit a nice soft shot up in there to the target, the magnet catches it and everything, it's good. But if you hit anything more than soft, it's not going to catch it. Do you love or do you regret this purchase? Oh, I love it. No doubt about it. This is the most anticipated purchase I've ever made and the most glad I've been once I received it. I love it. I mean, every new game, every game, eventually you get tired of it. I have not touched my Guns N' Roses since I got this two weeks ago. What is the quality of the materials? Quality, I think it's as good as a Jersey Jack pin. And a lot of people are going to shudder when they hear that. Oh, my God, no way. You know, the inside of the cabinet is nice and smooth. So if you want to add stickers, you know side blades or whatever, it's ready for that It very solid cabinet you know all the Mac seem to be working fine via the xenomorph It not working right but I don think it a mechanical issue I think it a software issue Software that the weakness We've got some things that they need to work on, but this game was totally redesigned software-wise from the original. So to come this far is amazing to me, and it plays really well. I'm having a blast playing it. Can you give me some stories of any issues that you've had with the game, and what is the customer support like? My first issue was the left speaker was really muffled and didn't sound right. So I got on there and I went to their website, Pinball Brothers' website, created a ticket. Within 24 hours, I got an answer. It was less than 24 hours from this guy from Cato. And I had heard about him. And he was very friendly and he actually knew some people that I know and said to say hi. So he's been with me very responsive the whole way with every even small issues that I've had that you do normally get with any pinball machine. So actually really good. What about getting replacement parts? Me personally, the issue that I had with the speaker being out, Kato just immediately said, yeah, I'll send you a new amplifier. And he sent it. Within five, six days, he DHL'd it to me. Now, it didn't come with instructions, so I would bet that in the future when they get into production games, that you're going to need to talk to your distributor. And they'll send somebody out to install something like an amplifier. Because basically I had to open up the CPU box and install this amplifier. And if you're not familiar with that stuff, it might be kind of difficult. With me, I can take anything apart, put it back together. Whether it gets put back together right is another story. but I can do that. What is the lighting like? The game seems kind of dark. Okay so it is dark but it's it's not as dark as the original. They've added these light blocks that I don't know if you can see in the camera. You probably can't see them but there's these there's like a six or seven of them. These blocks of plastic that glow. Now they don't really do anything for general illumination on the play field but they do help with the with the mood of the game and and this this is a scary game scary sci-fi game and that's one of the things I love about it is it needs to be somewhat dark but this game is still too dark and I would add I would suggest adding spotlights if that's possible you do have lit up posts and you do have those lit up plastic things I don't even know the plastic blocks we got to come up with a name with those things because I don't think anybody knows the mood is really cool but it it not if you like your games lit up well I would suggest doing spotlights or maybe pin stadiums but you don want to blast it with light because this this game needs to be dark somewhat is the xenomorph sound like annoying or loud it's loud yeah it's it's loud but it only happens you know during gameplay you can't hear it when you turn the game on it needs to calibrate so you hear this grinding sound you're like oh no You can add silicone lube to it and it helps somewhat, but it's just going to be loud. That's just the way it is. How did the flippers feel in comparison to other manufacturers? I would say they're pretty similar to the old Bally Williams, pretty much. They're fine. They're great. There is an issue with the flipper bushings. When I got the game, I had a sticky flipper. One of the other guys that owns the game had already came up with a video, Hurry Up Pinball. Basically, just the bushing on the flipper mech needed to be sanded down. It was rough, so easily fixed. Now I did the same thing. The flipper's been strong ever since. I actually increased the tension on the spring to help the rebound, but flippers feel really good. What is something that really stands out to you on this game? One of the things I like most about this game is that the modes, you know, you have an option. It's got both movies in it. You have Alien and Aliens. You can choose the modes right at the beginning of the game. So Alien movie has its modes. Aliens has its modes. The modes go with the movies, which is really cool because you get cut scenes, actual cut scenes from the movies, which you don't always get. This game has cut scenes. The sound effects are from the movie. It draws you in. It's scary. The lighting is dark. It's moody, scary. The modes are different enough that you don't feel like you're playing the same game every time That's what I like about it whether or not. This is a keeper forever. I don't know I feel like it might be but you know, you know how it is when you get a new game You love it. So any advice to our viewers out there if you're at all interested in this game I would get on pre-order list coin takers the only distributor in America right now unless you're in Texas. There's another one Thank you. you