I am lucky enough to own an Alien SV and work at an arcade with a Godzilla pro so I haven't experienced the extra mechs that the premium has to offer. Yes it took some work to dial in the Alien and I also don't like the fact that the outlanes aren't visible. That being said I'd make the same purchase all over again. For me Alien is the complete pinball package. As a widebody collector it checks off all of the boxes for me. I wanted a more adult theme and this baby is it! I've been pining for this title since the Heighway days because of the dark and scary ominous gameplay which fully immerses you into the action. Since I've had it for a month or 2 before I played Godzilla I understand the rules like LOTR where I'm continuing to work on achievements.
Godzilla was fun from the 1st plunge though since I had no idea what I was doing. Keith killed it again with an awesome layout. The main difference for me is the campy feel with the callouts. It brings me back to Sat. matinee movie memories when I was a kid. Where the Alien is dark this game is colorful!! This title is more approachable for the whole family and not as intense as Alien. After the 1st game I was calculating what I need to sell...