Found 16 ratings (with comment) on this game

TNA is an immersive experience. The music, lights, and aesthetic are unique and fun. When you couple it with a newer stern or even a wide body, your pin collection really diversifies itself. Highly recommend.

One of the most refreshing games to come out in years. The layout is absolutely genius, from the scoop being accessible from 2 sides, the variety of different ways to destroy the reactor, to the ball lock mech working in multiple ways as well. The game ruleset is clear and concise but doesn’t get boring in part because it is very difficult. Short ball times make this game super addictive.

The music is incredible, the design and futuristic colors are a perfect compliment to the theme as well. The ball save digital clock is a nice touch also.

If you like speed this is a game to seek out as well. It is FAST.

Apart from some quality concerns, I do enjoy Total Nuclear Annihilation. It really is easy to get the premise down - but it gets more difficult as you go. I do appreciate the throw-back to the Williams games of the 1980s (which is still see as the era that saved pinball).

Of course the light show and the music are what makes the game. It's a very visually pleasing pinball machine.

I've had TNA for about 6 weeks now. I love it. It's so much fun. I don't see myself ever selling this one.

I am new to pinball, and this is only the second machine that I have owned, but I cannot get enough of it. It is lightning fast and very easy to make a mistake that leads to draining, but strategic use of multiball can help overcome the brutality. The music is amazing, and despite the very simple ruleset, this game keeps me coming back for more.

I have not been this addicted to a pin in a while. The music and light show is freaking amazing. Simple rule set that is easy to understand but that does not mean this pin is easy. Lightning fast which I LOVE. Just wish the flippers were a 1/4" closer together or that I was better

This game is just so good. It's good solo and even better playing with others. I will keep this game for a long time. I really don't have a negative on it. The playfield artwork is the only thing I think could be improved but it is still great. Gameplay is 100% perfect for what this machine was designed to do. Gameplay , lighting, shaker, music come together perfectly to take this game to another level.

TNA is really cool. I like how when the ball comes out of the pop bumpers, it always lands in the scoop. I also think it has a cool play field and I like trying to destroy the reactors. It is in my wishlist. I recommend playing where available.

I owned the original and made the mistake of selling it and regretted it ever since. I was lucky enough to get a low play CE on a trade and boy oh boy I am glad I did!

This game does indeed kick you in the teeth at times! But when you have that awesome game it makes it worth every minute of abuse that you suffered. Its a single level, straight forward game with a simple ruleset which makes it very approachable but is hard to master. The soundtrack may very well be the best ever put into a pinball machine, and the light show is amazing.

Man, I WANT to love this pin...I LOVE Rick and Morty and I do feel that pin is a Scott Danesi masterpiece. TNA is good, but it's just not a keeper for me. People say that TNA is old school pinball, single level, at its very finest. Maybe. But in my small collection, I have to be absolutely crazy about a pin for it to last, even for a while. I cycle them in and out fast. I give them a fair shake, and I do think you have to actually OWN a pin to really get to know a pin intimately, at least the way I want to know them. Maybe some folks can really play a pin on location and know the ins and outs, but I can't. I need to adjust the settings, put special rubbers, mod it out a little, really spend some quality time with the pin. I like ramps. I like modern toys. I like simple rulesets, but I just need a little more than what TNA offers. I love Scott Danesi audio packages. But even the audio package doesn't deliver until you've gotten through 3-4 reactors, and then it is stunning. This one is good, but it's not for me.

Total Nuclear Annihilation is a labor of love by a single man. Considering he does not work for a pinball production company (AND THIS GAME GOT MADE) this table gives me hope that maybe some day... I can dream, can't I?!? I have only played a single game on this table, so this review will be updated after further mileage has been accumulated.

The Pros:
This game sounds fantastic. The designer composed the music for this deck. He also laid out the design, programmed (not just wrote out on paper) the rules and convinced the crew at Spooky to make this happen. The artwork is appropriate and the whole package is a singular vision of pinball ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! The game is fast, lots of dangerous side to side action on the lower PF means that you'd better make your shots and make them count.

The Cons:
The inner PF dominates this game to the point of limiting what else can be done with this table. Playability on the upper pf hasn't grabbed me yet. You really only have 3 shots on the lower pf of this table. Spooky still seems to have issues with their production QC. I hope this game holds up better than RZ.

The Takeaway: A singular vision of pinball come to life. What do you know... dreams can become real! I can't wait to play this game again and really find out what it is all about.

Update:
I found a really sweet copy in a home collection and got to know it a little better. This game is FAST and DEADLY. The rules are very straightforward and well balanced. The ball saver countdown is placed perfectly. The 2x/3x multiplier with the balls on the PF duing multiball is way sweet (did I miss the PF multiplier notification on this table somewhere?) and destroying a reactor is incredibly satisfying. The ar tpackage is vibrant. Combined with the music, the sounds, the coordinated lights, the theatre on this game is top notch! Since the P/F is sliced in half all shots are very fast and very dangerous if missed. The only time to safely shoot for the cosmic gunfighter standups is in multiball. The spinner building the JP value is a great addition to the ruleset. So far, it is a matter of setting up the reactor to about to be destroyed before heading into multiball for the 3x scoring. Rinse and repeat. Is there more to this game? Probably. I have to destroy 9 reactors in a single game to find out. But for now this deck satisfies in a way that I remember Steve Ritchie's firepower. This is not a complex game to learn. It is a frikkin BEAST to conquer. The other big question... is it worth paying $6250.- for a game that plays like something out of 1980? That is up to the buyer. But for what this game is supposed to do, it does it very, very, very well. Fast and furious, I tip my hat to you Mr. Danesi and am grateful for the team at Spooky for helping in making Scott's dream a reality!

Update V.2:
The sounds are great. Especially with an upgraded sound system. This is the only thing that separates this game from a great game from the 80's. Other than that... I'm as happy to play a sweet copy of Barracora, Warlok, Nine Ball, Paragon, Fathom, Skateball, Joker Poker, Frontier, Taxi 8 Ball Deluxe, Black Hole... and a slew of other games from that vintage. Not to take anything away from TNA. But I'm not taking anything away from any great games from the past either. The balance between challenge, simplicity and that essential "gotta play one more game..." is there. Play on playas!

Update v.3:
This game is stressful to play. By design. The simplicity of the ruleset means that working for reactor 9 is a true challenge. Onve you get past reactor 4, the game's rules start to get incrementally more difficult and more challenging. But the thing to remember about this game is that unless the ball saver is counting down or you are in multiball, you are always in mortal danger of the ball leaving the pf. This game is all about risk/reward and making sure that you set up your multiball BEFORE you kill the reactor. This game is also good reason to make sure that your speakers can handle volume and BASS! Scott Danesi is a new talent in a throwback of pinball design theory (and music, and much more). Congrats to Scott and Team Spooky for creating this great title and making pinball happen!

Update v.4:
Sometimes you have to appreciate something for what it is. This game is a throwback to the challenging quarter eaters of the late 1970's to the mid 1980's. Updated rules, sounds and technology. This game achieves that design strategy incredibly well. The split of the playfield in the upper and lower (on the same piece of wood) hasn't been done this well since Grand Lizard. And GL had RAMPS! If you know what you want and this is it. Get it. There are few examples of pinball games that are this simple, balanced, challenging and in many ways... refined. I have gotten to know this game a bit more and am suitably impressed. That doesn't happen often. But this game does that and is on my want list.

Purposefully waited several months after delivery to let my initial excitement of ownership "settle" a bit and deliver a more objective review.
5 months in, and I still love the game. It's not everybody's cup of tea, and I respect that- it's difficult, the rules are a bit simple, and all in all it's a throwback to the Bally classics of the late 70s to mid-80s. The game is possibly the purest example of "easy to learn, tough to master."
The light show is lovely, the music slaps, and when you get into a "zone" and get those 4x jackpots flowing, it's such a rush. Still have yet to blow up reactor #5, but I'll get there and beyond... someday.

What a fun and fast game to play! Great for players of any skill level!

Fantastic game with BRILLIANT sound design. Unfortunately built by Spooky, with bottom tier QC. This masterpiece design deserves better!

I love he concept of remaking an 80s Bally-style game but I get so much more fun from playing just about any Williams or modern Stern machine. The main bally-centric issue I have are the flippers being a tad too far apart and his table faithfully reproduces that - sadly.

Also the upper half of the playfield is so underutilised - again in keeping with the 80s theme but seems a shame to waste good opportunities.

I will come back to play it again as I am keen to master the multiball lock process.. but that is the only part of this table I enjoy.

Ok, so I'm considering the music integration and light shows to be a toy as well. It has to because this machine redefines what Audio means when it comes to pinball. Coupled with the lock and the reactor design, this really packs in some great features into an old, timeless design. The art is pretty and I really appreciate the 80s synth wave color scheme. I can hear the colors, and after dialing in my plastic protector colors, I can taste them too.

The lone deficiency is that the scoop shot could be more forgiving, but this is truly the Dark Souls of pinball and I love it. It's so unassuming, you walk right up to it... no ramps, no elevation changes of any kind and the next thing you know, she's stolen your wallet. Every drain is your fault.

True to my word in the original reviews, I was there Day One for the re-release and I love this object.