"Wrong manufacturer". I agree and disagree at the same time. I have played both Alien and Queen more than a few times, LOVE the alien movies, like Queen. Still they are not my favorite games by a long shot even though they are solid games. Maybe a little too solid and "soul less". No clunks or rattles, super quiet and smooth, almost gives me a feeling I am playing a Virtual pin. Never seen any quality issues with either game. So with solid games and themes that I love / like, why am I not feeling it?
Fact of the matter is that no recent music pin does it for me (Queen, GnR, Foo Fighters, Rush, Led Zeppelin) even though I Love / Like all those bands. I think it is hard to create a "story" and a rule set centered around a band simply because all of us have our own personal set of emotions and experiences to these bands "I love this song because it reminds me of...." or "This song makes me sad because it was played on the radio...." and so on, and you also tend to listen to the music many times over years / decades further deepening that emotional bond to the music. A music pin is usually shipped with a handfull to a dozen songs. It becomes like playing the same record over and over again on a bad sound system in a noisy environment full of distractions. Personally I prefer to listen to my favorite bands on my HiFi system. Movie / super hero themes are easier. With few exceptions I tend to watch a movie once or a few times and then move on and not think much more of it. Much easier to build a story around without creating conflicting feelings for me as a player. Also much easier to expand on the excisiting story line, where as with a music pin, you have to create some sort of story / conflict (aliens in Foo Fighters for instance).
When it comes to Alien, I think for me this simply boils down to rule set and theme integration and all manufacturers fail at this regularly. The theme it self has the potential to be great in a pinball game.
PB doing another music pin as their "third" game is a risky move no doubt especially with a band such as ABBA. ABBA was great back in the day, but when did you last hear ABBA play on someones favorite play list at a dinner party, or say "ABBA" when asked what their favorite music is. To me it seems like the fans have moved on! I don't think it will sell well based on theme, it will have to be a great playing / shooting game. JJP seems to have pulled one out of the hat with Elton John, but the initial reaction at the announcement was "huh?". Let's hope PB can do the same!
I do want PB to succeed. It would be very cool with a another manufacturer firmly on the market especially in my own back yard.