No, different may be, but not slower. If I had a negative comment to make on my Stargate, it would be about the ramps, which are hard to climb. Someone else called that game "clunky" because of these ramp. I do not share that view but understands the point.

Except if you are multiball-allergic, you should enjoy that game. I love the trade concept, which I found well balanced.

Get a T2 and pimp it out for 1/2 the price of a NIB Stern.

http://christopherhutchins.com/gallery/album269

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Did everyone else miss it when he threw Fish Tales into the mix?

I own T2 and have SG on my short list. There really is no debate here, if you have none of only a couple, SG is the deeper option, and even in a large collection, I could not imagine choosing T2 over SG, as SG offers so much.

T2 is a great machine, and one that I always enjoy playing (well, I enjoy all of mine thoroughly), but like most SR pins, it's made to be fast and fun, and not too deep. In home use times, SG would win I think for most.

When I get my SG, I'm going to use shorter stops to counter the high bat extension. That is one thing that seriously bothers me about system 3's, they were made to be easier for people in that sense. The marketing tactic that was a good idea at the time, but it screws with your play when you are used to the norm.

I'd pick the Stargate first, Fish Tales second and T2 third. I do like T2, but just playing in a bar for an evening I've had the feeling I'd done everything possible already. Somewhere else: same feeling: great game, but not for the long run.
Stargate is more about strategy: what will you do next, start 3x playfield value and try starting a multiball or battle, or finish all modes for the Wizard-mode or maybe al segments for the other wizard mode. I did play a Stargate that bored me though: it was too easy. I've my setting on harder than standard. No 50% chance of a kickback at the left outlane (always a drain, unless comming from the ramps or pop-bumpers). Standard multiball harder. Maybe some other settings on hard too.
Maybe it'd be the same with T2, but I think it has too little options to go for to become a keeper in a smaller collection.

Fish Tales I get to liking more the more I play it (dont own it, but play it fairly regularly).

Well... always a hard choice, but I'd go with Stargate. Most people I know either love it or just don't care for/hate it though. Some dislike the music, I like the synthesizer/midi sound.
And indeed: be sure to hold both flipper buttons for a moment before shooting the first ball.

If you have no experience on either game, I would guess you'd like T2 more at first, then hate it more later.

You might hate SG more at first, but then like it more later.

In a one game collection, I would go with SG. You're better off with depth in the long run, unless you swap games a lot.