Dennis you're the man, your pins are 25% of my (modest) collection and I couldn't be happier about that. To me you represent the funky and quirky side of pinball, where the ramps don't go in straight lines. Sorry you're here with bad news this time around. Hoping to hear good news about Woah Nellie next year.

As for the game ... I think Alien is a killer license. You could do much worse than having Dennis Nordman sketch out the way, though it's never encouraging when a designer doesn't see things through all the way, we've seen how that can work. Here's hoping for everyone that it works out this time.

Either way the end result is what counts. I honestly don't understand how anyone pre-ordered without even seeing the art and pictures of the game. Takes more than a drawing to make a pin, as we keep learning! Just a good reminder that we do ourselves the best favors by being a little more patient.

Personally I suggest everyone chill out, and just try a little patience. I don't mean to sound like a jerk, but it was kinda dumb to start pre-ordering before you even saw a pic of the game. Just relax, let Heighway do their thing, and when it's ready to show you can judge it based on the merits of what's real.

It's a great theme. But buy a poster if the game part doesn't matter (I have a limited edition Alien print hanging behind me as I type this). Let's see the pin, then have something to talk about, that's actually constructive.

Well Phil was more than just the marketing guy, which is why I had concerns. But beyond that the difference is that with TBL I played the actual game. (I still dropped my pre-order after sobering up and realizing I hate that model still.) It was real, and I touched it and flipped it.

Just like I wouldn't tell anyone they were foolish for pre-ordering Full Throttle after playing it at Expo, seeing the real game makes everything way different. I hope Alien is awesome. Do I think Dennis leaving is concerning? Absolutely. But we haven't even seen the game yet! Dennis is one of my favorite designers, but that doesn't mean the game would automatically be great if he stayed, I'd need to see it to judge it. By the same token it could still be great without him.

All I'm saying is why don't we wait and see what's revealed first? Because what is there to truly talk about in a constructive manner without seeing the pinball? And I mean more than art, though for me that's super key. I mean the game itself. A pinball is more than a drawing, as Dennis himself pointed out.

That's not even touching all the other stuff, theme integration, sounds, rules, etc etc.