I have both and like them both. TOM is smoother, but Star trek is an awesome game too. That's a hard call!

Sttng is boring, go for the TOM

The TOM owner would have to pay me to part with STTNG....but that's just me.

TOM is fun...for a little while. To me it does not have the longevity of STTNG. I think STTNG wins in every aspect but the theme of TOM doesn't really resonate with me either.

One game has Picard.

One game DOES NOT have Picard.

That should answer your question.

I think both are great. If i had a choice id go with tom. Sttng aren't terriblely expensive and easier to find than tom. Both will go into my collection one day

TOM.

(Never seen an episode of Star Trek)

The only way I'd part with STTNG is for a nicer STTNG. I love TOM and it has some great shots but the callouts get old and it sure isn't deep like STTNG.

STTNG has the magic.

STTNG is just a great deep game to me.
I love it!

I currently have both in my collection and STTNG gets way more action. I would definitely part with ToM before ST. Please note the following though: I am a ST fan and ToM is still a great game!

I have them both. If you are a ST fan, then STTNG is the game for you. If you're not a ST fan, ToM should be your pick. ST fandom adds an enormous amount to the enjoyment of STTNG.

STTNG is one of Steve Ritchie's finest, perhaps the best shooting wide-body on the planet (Full Throttle shoots pretty damn well also). Also, one of the best theme integration packages ever done for pinball (IJ says Hello).

ToM is a beautiful, smooth/fast playing game with some cool tricks. The very repetitive voice callouts on it killed it for me, couldn't stand them after the first few hours, wish you could shut them off. I hate games that constantly tell you what to do - "Shoot the trunk!", how about STFU!

They are both really great games, however, so I'd say go for it unless STTNG is your complete jam and you'd miss it a lot. Life is short, lots of pins to experience. Worst case you sell the ToM later and pick up another STTNG.

(Definately play a ToM a bit first though, if you haven't already).

Have to agree with the majority here... sttng has slightly more longevity IMO , but they also seem fairly easy to find. If you're bored of st, go for it. Harder to find TOM than sttng these days. But know that you will miss sttng and may not recoup your $1000

I've had both and have only one still. ToM.

Demolition man is a much smoother shooting and faster game wide body than STTNG. TOM is the correct answer to this poll. STTNG is too floaty and stop and go...and the cannons were cool the first time on T2....adding a second one did nothing but clutter up the whole game.

STTNG and it's not even close.

i truly don't understand the "floaty" comments. STTNG is set to the same angle as every other B/W game, and you are free to set it up as steep as you want. trust me, nobody has EVER accused mine of being slow!

it's also not a stop-and-go game at all if you can hit the ramps or spinner. i think a lot of the people who think it plays clunky are simply people who can't make their shots, and wind up ricocheting into the neutral zone a lot, or can only make the start mission hole. all three ramps feed the flippers, and the spinner is a clean orbit. what is stop and go about that? it literally only stops when you hit one of the mission start holes or light lock.

the rules on STTNG are brilliant for the time. there's really at least three viable strategies for high scores -- borg multiball, final frontier, or mega-stacking the super spinner. all their own risks and rewards and quirks, and all are competitive with each other.

it also has the best theme integration of any pinball machine. it's got the full cast (plus Q) doing custom callouts specific to the game, with a decent amount of humor and a couple of easter eggs mixed in. (play poker against riker! hit both flippers to have Picard cut off Data's condescending speech, and earn a 10 million point secret bonus!)

TOM's rules are badly lacking in balance and depth. The playfield is okay, but it doesn't have any mode that can remotely compete with Borg Multiball or Final Frontier, and nothing as challenging as reaching Warp 9.9 (hands up -- who has actually ever done it?).

I certainly wouldn't pay an extra thousand dollars to trade a STTNG for it.

I've found STTNG fans are real sensitive about it. It's an opinion poll. Djkimbo just has a different one than yours. STTNG goes for 4000 to 5000 all day long. Most ToMs are prob going for around 6500. His numbers are not that far off. Your opinion seems to be that STTNG is the best pinball machine ever made. ToM sucks. I like both. ToM to me is a keeper where STTNG just wasn't. To the OP you will prob really like both games. STTNG are up for sale all the time, they made like 14000 of them. There is several ToMs for sale right now but they are all asking north of 7000.

Why am I the sensitive one? I'm expressing my opinion same as you.

I own both . In bought ST:TNG first in 1996 never sold it. I bought TOM in 1997 sold it . Then realized my mistake and bought it back in 2003 for twice the price . I will never sell either TOM or ST:TNG . I did not realize this thread was 4 months old. @ Djshakes most likely already made his choice . But If you have owned ST:TNG played the hell out of it and want advice . Make the trade and pay the $1,000. Buy back ST:TNG at later date .Williams made 11,728 ST:TNG. TOM and ST:TNG are oranges and apples . But one should own both at lease once . You owned ST:TNG now experience the wonderful TOM . TOM have a mediocre multi-ball compared to Borg Multi-ball or Final Frontier . But TOM make up for that in its fast game play and combo system. The music is great and the female voice overs . The Modes ( Illusions)are good. TOM has class and little nuances that make it special like ; the right orbit " Vanish " trick I only know where the damn ball " Vanishes to because I did a tear down of my TOM. Nuance of the " Hocus Pocus " magnetic eddie switch ball save .TOM has one of the most (polarizing ramps) of any pinball I have ever owned or played it never gets old . Never. The (Right Ramp) . It is the center piece of the " Spirit Ring " shot. Once qualified by shooting the Right ramp You may collect the "Spirit Ring " Vertical magnetic diverter back to the Left flipper Three times for increasing points and it kicks ass for cool effect and shot gratification. Repeat "Shot gratification" . The Right Ramp also has one of the best modes ( Illusions) named the "Metamorphosis". Each shot transforms you into a different animal , Bird , Tiger , Cow as in (secret) in the form of Metamorphosis to reference an other pinball machine . It is so cool. Yes TOM is great these are some compelling reasons why. I could also give compelling feature for ST:TNG but you own that pinball so you already know how amazing it is.

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I've had both too. STTNG is one of the best games ever made. If you can put up with the nonsense of the optos and the game's bugs it destroys TOM.

It is too close to call . There are both excellent In my opinion .
Internet Pinball Database
— Top 10 Player Rated SS Games —

#1 Twilight Zone (Bally,1993)
#2 Theatre of Magic (Bally,1995)
#3 Star Trek: The Next Generation (Williams,1993)
#4 Scared Stiff (Bally,1996)
#5 Medieval Madness (Williams,1997)
#6 Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure (Williams,1993)
#7 White Water (Williams,1993)
#8 The Addams Family (Bally,1992)
#9 Tales of the Arabian Nights (Williams,1996)
#10 Monster Bash (Williams,1998)