Since you have a WCS which is not massively deep in terms of rules I'd go with TSPP. Personally I'd take a TSPP over Shadow any day

Shadow is easy choice for me...I find Simpsons completely annoying. Best to add a poll to this thread.

Shadow, all day

Depends on what you like. If you like stop and go and crowded playfields you might like TSPP better. If you like fast with very little stop and go TS is a great choice. I personally think TS is light years better then TSPP as far as gameplay and it has lots of rewarding shots. Nothing on TSPP feels as good as getting 8-10 ramp combos going for a super vengeance jackpot or hitting 3 of the inner loops in a row to light extra ball. Plus TS has one of if not the best upper playfields in pinball. Throw in that it's cheaper and it's not even a contest for my tastes.

I have both, but I will soon be selling my TSPP. It's a great game, but I find myself gravitating towards faster games with shorter ball times. Shadow is awesome, and there is no other game quite like it.

Tspp. 4200 shipped is outrageous.

$4,200 is way high for a Shadow, imo.

LIONMAN > SHADOW > SIMPSONS

it depends on if you prefer ultra-cool fast-flowing games with totally kickass audio tracks or annoying childish stop and go bullshit

TFTC has some good things going for it, but can be very annoying also. It's nowhere near the game Shadow is though.

depends on what type of shipping/costs. i have paid nearly 500 from CA to NY with STI. That puts this shadow at 3700. I would recommend being patient and picking up something local. you can get a really nice shadow from a collector for 3200-3500. really nice....

My first pin was TFTC, got bored very quickly. Both TS and TSPP are light years ahead of TFTC. I love my TS and can't seem to get enough of it. I have had some time (60 plus games) on a local TSPP and really can't get into it. Ruleset is amazing and crazy deep, but personally the layout kills it for me. No flow and crowded.

$4200 for TS is robbery, don't buy it for that price. You should be able to find one around the 3k mark for a nice one.

The best advice I ever got was to play them before you buy. See if any local Pinsiders have them and would be willing to let you come play.

GLWTS!

I have both, so I am biased to both

I like both games... but they are very different....

For whatever reason, I play TSPP more....

Shadow is really cool .... love the sound package on that machine and it is fast and tough....

Really important for you to play them first. They feel very different.

How they stack up....

Sound package :Shadow, love the sound package. TSPP sounds compressed, the flippers and cabinet are loud (sounds silly, but a big difference then williams)... call outs are good, just wish their were more of them.

Art - TSPP (just brighter overall and if you like the show, really good art package)

Depth - TSPP - I will never come close to finishing it.

Upper playfield - I like TSPP more... Shadow is more creative and unlike anything else out there, but I just like the TSPP one more

Speed and flow - Shadow... TSPP has a lot of stop and go.

Newbie friendliness - Neither.... all my non pinball people like open playfields like AFM.

Price - Shadow should be cheaper.... not sure why, it is a great game.

Fun Factor - only you can decide!

rcbrown got this exactly correct. The Shadow wins by a mile, not even close.

Very different games. I like all the stuff on TSPP and deep code. But Shadow is just overall great. Shadow for sure.

Owned both. Sold both. Just purchased another TSPP.

Tspp is 10 times the game shadow is.

I love both games. I've had a problem finding a Shadow that was in great condition though.

Got a HUO TSPP and love the game. Lots of shots and is really packed with toys. Definitely pinball chess despite the cartoonish look.

TS is a great game but the scoring is wickedly unbalanced. If you look at the Bowen tutorial, you might as well shoot combos all day long. Modes and the Battlefield don't do squat. You can get 50MM for a loop, when a jackpot is worth 20MM.

Hello, My friend has a really nice one for sale here in michigan. I think he's asking $3,500 but don't quote me exactly. If interested shoot me a PM and i'll send you his info. Hope that helps.

TSPP by a few hairs.

Shadow is better. Feels better - plays better. TSPP doesn't draw me in like shadow did. I'm hoping one day I like it more.

Shadow is much better imo . Its a shame games like shadow , congo and other so so themes weren't better themed bc the layout and toys are much better imo than many so called A list pins. If shadow and Congo were say batman and King Kong they wld be top games bc they are awesome players with unique rules and awesome toys

right on D!

"amy good girl" playing catch? Bad >>>>>King Kong Swatting bi-planes out of the sky. Good.

It appears you (the OP) decided that The Shadow is the choice over The Simpson's Pinball Party.

Before you make the purchase, do yourself a big favor and really get some time on both machines. Ataritoday made some excellent comments and suggestion on his experiences between both games, and I totally agree. You're the one that needs to make the final decision, based on your preferences, not by any of our comments, which have been essentially split.

Both are very good games that will always have a following and be in demand. Currently, the market price for a TS is overpriced compared to what it was selling for a year ago, which was around $2500 for an above average condition example (and 2-3 years ago for just over $2000). It's also not in short supply, per se, as 4,225 units were manufactured, who knows how many still exists.

TSPP is currently around $4500 for an above average condition game, possibly even a HUO example. The price has not shifted upwards much in the past 2-3 years, as there were close to 6,000 units manufactured.

This is what's great about the pinball hobby, you will eventually own both down the road, one now and the other one a year or more later. My answer to your question is clear from my preference, I would choose TSPP over TS.

i have been in this hobby 2 years and havent seen any shadows less than 3k that werent totally roached (like mine was). shadow=3500 tspp=4500 is about right

I'll take the one with pop bumpers.

If you can loop combo consistently to start taking advantage of the scoring increase....you deserve it.

We have a winner!

They're both stellar games, but both completely different. It's a shame most people experience beat up and dark TSPP's on route - cuz you truly can't appreciate the game that way. It's a great game for home use, because you'll discover new and interesting things for years due to the depth.

Shadow's rules are a bit more straight forward, but the layout is incredible and totally unique compared to other games of its era. The controllable ramp divertors are super cool and fun, the magnet trick is sweet, and the Battlefield is probably the best upper playfield ever. It's a game that just "feels great" to play.

You can't go wrong with either...I say grab the best priced/most conveniently located one that pops up & enjoy it. If you get tired of it, sell it or trade it for the other.

I appreciate Bowen's tutorials but I just enjoy the journey of playing through the games modes / story and trying to reach it's wizard mode. Same goes for all mode based games. Just going after points gets old after a while and you end up missing out on the real fun these games offer.

Personally I'm often more impressed to see or hear how far someone got through a games modes versus their high score.

Shadow for me, I really miss it and would love to get my hands on another....one of these days.

TSPP gets my vote.

http://www.ipdb.org/rulesheets/4674/tspp-rulesheet.txt

Kids at home? TSPP.
Fun? TSPP.
A Challenge? the Shadow
An involved game to beat? Shadow

Simpsons feels great even if you dont get far...always fun.
Shadow slaps you, challenges you, taunts you.

Have Both...keeping Both....

Op sld put a poll up but from looks of it shadow wld take it

Both are good games. I really like the diverters on TS and the challenging gameplay. I kinda dig the b movie themes in pinball, too. I also like the different ways to play the game. You can shoot for combos, ramps, or play out regular modes. Like to own a TSPP someday but for now I rather have TS.

Bowen makes that look easy, it's not.

TS has many ways to attack the game. Going for points.....Battlefield? vengeance? Shadow multi-ball? Combos?

How about completing modes? Khan multiball? How about stacking khan with the Farley mode? Only way to defeat him, if you can.

After all that, Final Battle to hit every shot on the table??? This game is insane!

You won't complete everything on this table anytime soon after you get it. Add the Aurich package and you will find yourself a keeper....not for the faint of heart

Shadow is a true player's machine. With the diverters on both ramps the player can choose which flipper the ball ends up on with every shot as long as you can hit the ramps. It is a masterpiece. Brian Eddy knew how to design games and he proved it with MM and AFM but I think the shadow is his best game hands down, again this is from a players perspective. Theme is obviously better on MM and AFM.

Simpsons is good. I liked the Simpsons tv show a lot back in the day. I love Keith's super deep rules but the game just doesn't quite click with me, maybe I'm weird I prefer WPT. I would like to add one some day but the shadow is the better player. Kids will like the Simpsons better based on call outs and animations.

Tspp is cool, I've had mine for a few years, the games that deep it's like undoing layers of an onion, played shadow a few times , I liked it . But in all honesty I don't find either of them fun, by saying that I'm not saying there not good games they are an total players. But for me the fun factor isn't there, not sure if I would ever trade my Tspp because there are those times you really want the challenge an play chess like pinball with full strategy because it's a thinking mans game that in my opinion you need to own to understand an own it for a long time because your still going to learn things years later. Good luck with your choice, there both 2 of the best players around.

I agree with this, totally.

Either one.
Just get whichever one comes up for sale near your house first. That way you can check it out and not pay shipping.
Or wait for a huo tspp for sale here on pinside. There are lots of them so they come up for sale often.

Gotta go with Shadow here, I had TSPP twice, because I love the Simpsons show, but just never got into the game, and I really tried, the Shadow is just pure awesome, a players game, you score big on that, you really accomplished something, it is easy to understand, looks awesome, plays FAST.. not a game you are going to master in a few days, of course TSPP is not one you master in a few days either..

But again, I would go with Shadow, but not at 4K unless it is just flat out MINT.

SPP has a great play-field but I became bored with it after a few plays.

I've owned both. I liked The Shadow OK, but it's not anywhere near the same class as TSPP. TSPP is never leaving my collection until the kids sell it after I die.

And, I'm not really a stop/go player as I prefer flow in my games, but I feel that TSPP gets the pinball experience perfect. It's got 5 flippers, and each flipper has shots that only that flipper can make. It's nothing less than a genius playfield layout, and the rules are well thought out and perfectly executed. I never feel like I'm chopping wood when I play TSPP, because progress can be made so many different ways as everything is stacking and whatever flipper you find the ball on, there is a shot you need to move forward. People harp on the callouts and the music - but if you do, you're not a Simpsons fan as it captures the essence of the TV show expertly.

The Shadow seems to take itself too damned seriously (something I find common with B/W licensed themes from that era), and that upper playfield thing just isn't that fun once you've played it a few times. The modes are common for games of this era, and I don't feel like they offer much replayability once you've been through them a number of times, much like JM, DM and similar games.
It does have some cool flow, and choosing the return path of the ramps via the diverters is cool for comboing the ramps - but that is its only great feature. Everything else is pretty bland.

I'd like to present this as subjective opinion, but I can't. It's objective fact.