I feel like ST lacks variety. You can play out the modes differently but it all amounts to the same of long timers and tons of shots. Even multiball modes are the same - shoot all shots. There is some fun in doing Vengeance modes and working on scoring strategies. Just hitting warp ramps is a lot of fun. Overall it's a fun shooter but really could use some other objectives outside of the normal modes. Starting modes is also a big pita with the tight shots.
SW feels like it has more going on. It is a little confusing with all the different colors of inserts and all the different modes. I have played it a lot but still not sure what is going on most of the game. It's still a pretty fun game, though. I love the shot multiplier. It's always available and fun to try and use it the entire game. Modes seem to be diverse, hurry ups, and lots of mb action. Game can be brutal if not setup level. One on location I play a lot has some bad ball hop and drains a lot. Still a really fun game, though. Theme integration, art, and world under glass could be better but gameplay is always king.