I've played both and will preface it that I will never own either, but Beatles was surprisingly fun. Love that Super Jackpot shot on the left above the inlane. TNA is probably the most repetitive game I've ever played. I wouldn't say I disliked TNA though. I'd say I couldn't stand it.

I like them both.

You appear to have missed my point?

The fact that TNA is in a dead heat with Beatles, is a HUGE win for team spooky and Scott!
The fact that we are all here having this conversation is something that <2years ago, nobody would have fathomed!

I must be having a brain fart then but enlighten me what modern games have been made that are single level, real music for sound with callouts, lcd display or even a dmd etc....

For some reason nothing is coming to mind but TNA and Beatles. Jetsons has a ramp so that is out.

Not really, there are only so many people that will be interested in either game and TNA is the pinside darling while everyone goes out of their way to spit on The Beatles and stern at every chance. If anything it's more of a win for The Beatles that so many people think it's a better game when it's been out less time then TNA and received nothing but hatred at release.

Both are super fun and I really like them both. I honestly don't think very many people would prefer TNA in the long run unless they just hate The Beatles. It plays better imo and has more to do. In the end it's great that we have 2 modernized classic style pins to argue over.

I got your point and it sparked my question, only reason TNA is the game being compared to the Beatles is because there really is no other competitive game to draw a comparison with. Modern built single level machine. I mean really, what other recent games can you draw comparison with? Spooky did good with TNA and I do wish more games of this type are built going forward and man do I love my Beatles machine. What a fun game!

Beatles is a lot of fun and a beautiful pin. TNA is really cool for many reasons and the music is just so badass, but I know which I'd rather have...

Yeah, I really hope we see more single level type designs in the future.
TNA and Beatles are obvious comparisons to make in the modern era.
I want more of this.

3x more?

TNA if you like super challenging, awesome soundtrack, adrenaline pumping games.

Beatles if you have a mangina.

Because theres nothing tougher or cooler then pinball guys

Although I voted for Beatles - I don't see the market as TNA vs. Beatles. I'm actually really glad to see both games produced in the modern era. It's very inspiring that Scott did the design, code, and music for TNA essentially in his spare time and it got made into popular and commercially viable game. I'm also glad to see Stern bring back a layout from the Classic Stern era with modern modes, LCD, lighting and sound. They both bring back some of the fun and simplicity of the early solid state games and provide a counter point to the call for increasingly complicated rules and mechs. The fact that this poll is so close means that there is room for both in the market place and I hope we see more games of this style going forward. I'd love to see more of the early solid state layouts get new life and more home-brew games become able to available to collectors.

Classic

Lighten up Frances's. It's a f'ing joke.

Whoa Nellie, Can Crusher, Primus
The post I originally answered to did not require “real music, sound with callouts, lcd display or even a dmd.”
Whoa Nellie does have a dmd...

You could say "David Vs. Goliath" except in this case by trotting out The Beatles, Stern (Goliath) had no arms or legs.

so was mine.

old gregg (resized).jpg

I'm not going to vote but if I'm playing by myself I'd choose The Beatles, if I'm playing with friends I'd take TNA in Co-Op or even better two-versus-two co-op mode.

I think they may have slipped my mind because they all blow, Primus being so/so.

Hit the local brewery last night. Some new solid beers on tap. Probably sampled too many last night. Still feeling hazy this morning.

I just saw that for the first time the other day. hahaha.

-Old Greg

^^^all three suck, that is for sure.^^^

I can relate.

No one likes a cash grab.

Well if you think that’s impressive, you should check out what Dutch pinball, Heighway, and Jpop managed to do without even building pinball machines!

Nobody could have fathomed!!!

Way more impressive than anything Stern has ever pulled off.

I have both games and enjoy each of them.

oh man now I want both of them.

Playing Beatles makes me feel bad going home to my old rickety Seawitch. Playing Beatles is like playing a brand new Seawitch but in turbo mode... quite a treat.

Layout: Beatles (I'm a drop target guy), and frankly not a fan of the TNA layout at all.
Colors/theme/sounds: TNA (TNA is a real looker, and has great sounds, and Beatles is teal... yikes!)

I always vote layout... easy vote for me.

-mof

TNA.

I have a TNA and love it, but it can definitely be on the relentless side. It's a great game for working on flipper and recovery skills as the ball is not away from the flippers for very long. On the plus side I'll never beat it. On the negative side, I'll never come close to beating it. It's a great compliment to my BM66. Still, if I ever go down to 1 pin it would be the pin to go as it can be a little rage inducing at times if I'm not in the right frame of mind. Regardless, I have a close to 1000 plays on mine so I've definitely got a lot of fun out of it (played it for over an hour just last night).

All the love for The Beatles makes me want to have one (just too much $ for moi) as I do like the theme. It's nice to hear that it turned out to be a real fun game. Maybe some day . . .

109 v 97, looks like you sir have picked a good vs.!

-mof

I have owned a TNA for a little over a week now and I absolutely love it. Would I recommend it as the only machine in a collection? Probably not. It works best in a home collection as a skill polisher/workout game as it is (in my opinion) the fastest game ever made. Focusing on hitting the drop target jackpots (to the point of adding a ball) and reactor jackpot during multiball is guaranteed to make you a better player. Obviously the light show and music are original and stupendous. It is also obviously a great tournament game and co-op mode makes it fun for newbs and kids.

I have played Beatles a few times and thought it was fun, it was at a loud venue so I could not really appreciate the music or callouts (and it is not the era of Beatles tunes I would have chosen). People preferring Beatles to TNA due to more modes and better code makes sense, I just prefer TNA because it is lightning fast and super challenging DESPITE the lack of modes.

I've played both. I thought the Beetles was surprisingly fun. But, doesn't hold a candle to TNA.

TNA FTW.

I vote for TNA, but Beatles is not bad. It makes me wonder if TNA inspired Stern to make The Beatles a one level affair rather than a typical Stern modern pin. I am not sure if the pins were on parallel developments or if TNA pre-dated Beatles by a good margin.

I know TNA has been out for ~2 years and the development before that so it might have been 3+ years people have known about TNA. Not sure how much if any Stern would know or care about TNA prior to or during the development of The Beatles.

To me The Beatles is fun but in a more laid back way and TNA is more intense and vicious game (which I prefer) I am surprised to see that these pins are close together on the votes because to me thinking more people on Pinside own TNA and would likely vote that way.

Pins like WNBJM and PBRC are one level pins but more or less a modern EM while TNA is more of a modern pin with multi ball, color changing lights, LCD and most modern sound of any pin.

If the price was the same and reasonable for both I'd have to go Beatle's over boring/repeatitive TNA. No contest.

Stern would be smart to make Beatle's into a Seawitch 2.0 using similar graphics from the original and spice up the sound package. Price it like a PRO model and they'd fly out the door faster than they could make them.

Both machines are great. Need more time on Beatles.

This is almost like asking which is the better pin, Hardbody or Hollywood Heat.

TNA is just pure magic, unique, addicting, endlessly fun, creative and engaging. The Buttholes is reskinned cash-grab lunchbox trash.

I feel like there are some games like these that people are told are "bad" so they don't give them a fair shot. I actually really like them both.

Can't defend the rest, but at least they reskinned a good game.

Wasn’t the rumor that Stern wanted Danesi on board to make TNA with them but he opted for Spooky? I think that led to Maiden... and maybe Beatles.

Those two games are styled/designed using a playfield that is more EM-ish. TNA is much more early solid state influenced.

There is a pretty big difference in inspiration

People who say TNA is the gameplay/rules is repetitive are not wrong it's not some long complex code game. But that does not mean it's a bad (IMO). I think it's a ton of fun and very well done rules top notch polish and attention to details.

My biggest complaint is the PF art which is good in some but kind of crude in the main. I don't think that TNA PF art is up to the level of The Beatles but TNA PF art seems to be a throwback style and it does the job but it's not as nice as the best works out there in pinball, The Beatles art looks better but I prefer TNA gameplay by a lot.

Beatles-Gold-Playfield (resized).jpgtna-pinball-playfield (resized).jpg

Played Beatles for the first time tonight at Gatlinburg Pinball Museum and had fun. I liked the layout and had fun hitting the drops and loops. That said - the place was too loud and volume too low to enjoy music or call outs and I think those really add to gameplay. Same goes for TNA... really need to be able to hear it.

9A924457-2492-4F3F-A12F-AA32D328AC60 (resized).jpeg

These are two really good games. Nearly a hundred posts in this thread underscore that conclusion.

Full disclosure: I have a The Beatles in my line-up and love it. If not for TNA's anime art package (which seems antithetical to the adrenaline-infused nuclear meltdown theme, in my opinion, and which underwhelms my pinball art sensibility), I would have a TNA as well.

The problem I'm now having, as a consequence of this thread's poll, is that every time I play The Beatles, in the Ticket to Ride mode, all I hear is:

"I think I'm gonna be sad; I think it's TNA. . ."

Holy cow you get a ton of downvotes for what? For pointing out facts? Beatles might be the best artwork package, best themed pinball game Stern has ever done and its based on the #1 musical band in history. We compare that to a game that looks funky sitting next to other games in your collection with the worst artwork anyone has ever seen, not one, zero, zilch toys and nothing put into the theming of the game. It’s a total nuclear anailation but how is that expressed in the theming of the game? Good question huh?

I think some people need to stop being babies and respect others point of view. Why do you buy a pinball game? Some of you buy them because you’re pinball players, and as I pointed out I know that pinball players LOVE TNA. I’m not questing is the game a great tournament game I already said it was... but Beatles is very similar to TNA in respects to the game itself. The difference is Beatles looks amazing and TNA does not.

So if you’re judging just on which game is better from a pinball play perspective they’re about the same.

I think everyone with a brain would agree Beatles looks 100 times better and its based on a popular group. Long term which game will be more sought out ...duh Beatles.

Some people buy pinball for the art of it, the same way you might buy an Andy Warhol painting. All pinball games are fun, but some are timeless because of the theme or the theming.

I think in the end when it’s all said and done Beatles takes some abuse now, but in the end it will go down as a classic pinball.

When the games themselves are virtually the same, how could you choose TNA over Beatles when Beatles has one of the best theming jobs Stern ever did?

That is from my perspective and long term I think it proves out correct.

Very easy and u nailed it. TNA is the better game for me. Joy, fun and happiness? keep that crap outta pinballl please.

Yeah i don’t know why people get so offended when someone disagrees with their opinion. But i also don’t get why people insist their opinion is the right one and everyone else’s is wrong and they are idiots for not seeing it their way. You like the beatles? Buy the beatles. You don’t? Then don’t buy it. Doesn’t grt any simpler. I’ll buy what i like and when it comes to my personal collection it is my opinion that counts the most!!