 This is NOT Wii Sports Bowling |
| Review Date: March 30, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Sick Daddy, Oregon USA |
Brunswick bowling
The Interface for Brunswick Pro Bowling is a bit different than Wii Sports Bowling. At first, you will be thrown off by the slow backswing of your bowler, but if you disregard it, and throw the ball like you normally would, things will be just fine. After all, bowling is about making the same throw every time, and adjusting where you stand, not adjusting your throw, per se.
You will become accustomed to the difference in style (compared to Wii Sports bowling) after a few games. Be patient and you will find this game can be just as addicting. One of the main differences in style is the addition of oil conditions on the lane. You will definitely notice that the ball reacts differently in the areas that are well oiled. You can also have two balls at your disposal, like in real bowling, where you would like a strike ball and a spare ball.
The career mode is set up of several `League Nights' in which you bowl 3 games against an opponent. Win 2 or more, and you will build up stats, but no money. In fact it costs money to participate in league nights. Eventually, you will get to a tournament, in which you can win some big cash. These comprise of 5-6 games, if you plan to win. There are also major championships. The career mode seems pretty well laid out in scheduling matters. I wish it was a little easier to make money along the way.
Yes, it is very slow to make money and there isn't a ton of stuff to buy. By the time you make enough money to buy anything, you'll question whether you'll want to change your entire style to adjust for the increased hook of the new ball. That's where practice mode comes into play. I bowled 6 sets of 3 games before I made it to a tournament in which I made any money.
Brunswick Pro Bowling keeps track of a good amount of stats, including your average, high score, # of strikes, spares, turkeys, etc.
One thing I didn't like about multiplayer, is that I couldn't find a way to use a separate controller for each player. Each player is forced to use the same controller, and that is just plain dumb. On a controller where it is advised to wear a wrist strap to protect your tv, I don't want to continuously trade off the controller every 30 seconds. What were they thinking?
Overall the presentation is a bit dry, and the music isn't great at all, but I've yet to play a bowling game with a rock n roll soundtrack anyway.
Those looking for a more in depth bowling game than Wii Sports will find it here, if you show a little patience to get past the presentation differences.
8 Fun
5 Graphics
8 Replay Value
8 Control Scheme
2 Multiplayer |
Very disappointing
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| Review Date: August 31, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Paulsonn, Ohio |
The negative reviews here are correct: this is a very disappointing game. I'm glad I only rented it so I'm only out eight bucks instead of forty.
The player has too little control over the game play: the ball seems to roll pretty much the same no matter what you do with the Wiimote. Also there is an annoying delay in the response time of the virtual bowler on the screen, which is not present in the Wii Sports version.
The bowling characters are very limited in variety and design, and you'll get tired of the responses to a spare (a spare tire rolls across the screen--ha ha very funny)or a strike (a bowling pin carries a sign like he's on strike--please).
Save your money and stick with Wii Sports or wait for a better bowling game. |
Could have been a lot better
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| Review Date: October 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Dawn M. Martin, Eastern Shore, MD USA |
I've been bowling for years and was yearning for something with a little more realism than the Wii Sports version of bowling (which I do enjoy playing).
My thoughts as I played this for the first time:
"Why are all of the characters for the quick play mode so fugly?"
"Why is there a several second delay between my movement and the character's?"
"Why isn't there a multiplayer career mode?"
"Does the house ball have to be so incredibly crappy?!?"
"Why is my custom made character still pretty darn fugly???"
To elaborate on my thoughts - the characters look like something designed by someone taking a correspondence course on how to create game skins. I'd much rather have something cute and cartoon-y than a freaky sickly slacker weirdo.
The alleys themselves are pretty nicely designed though. I did like the concept of being able to play in exotic alleys.
I would really have liked some "glow in the dark" bowling - equivalent to what some alleys offer late on Friday and Saturday nights. If I had my druthers, there would be some other fun gimmicks when you're not playing in career mode. Such as, what some alleys use to get you in there on slack nights - colored pins. If your 1 pin is red and you get a strike you win $100.
Or how about Rock n' bowl? Set up your own custom audio...something, anything to give this more of the Friday night Jersey Shore bowling that grew up with.
Back to the annoyances, one thing that seemed relatively benign at first, but turned into a major annoyance after an hour of playing this were the audio loops of the background ambient noise and the constant reiteration of a man's voice saying something like, "Come sit on my knee," about every 15 seconds. I muted it after a while, although it did seem suitable for the creepy looking characters we selected.
So after a few quick plays for warm-up, my boyfriend and I set up a couple of new ugly characters for "career mode". My EXPECTATION was that we could form some kind of multi-player league (which I hope will eventually materialize when a better bowling game for the Wii comes out). Better yet, I would love a multi-player league where you could play online against others!!! But alas, it wasn't meant to be with Brunswick Bowling. Robert had to sit in the recliner while I fumbled my way through league night scoring a whopping top score of 64 with the illustrious House Ball I was furnished with.
Now, I've bowled with some house balls in my time (including one that had a Tootsie Roll stuck in the thumb hole), but never one that zigzagged down the lane like the Brunswick Bowling House Ball. Even when I used the area that should have had the least oil, it was still all over the place like a possessed wombat.
My biggest beef is the huge delay between my movement of the Wiimote and the character's response. If you've ever done any internet gaming where you have significant lag, that's what it felt like to me. It was unnatural, distracting and frustrating, but hopefully, whoever develops the next bowling game for the Wii, will not rush it to market like this one and maybe we won't have to deal with such nuisances.
My final verdict on this is that it is best suited for solo play and most likely geared toward those who didn't enjoy the Wii Sports version of bowling. Since my bowling buddy and I couldn't even bowl together other than in the quickly boring quick play mode, this title is relegated to the bottom of my game pile - right there with Far Cry and Rapala Fishing Tournament.
Sorry Brunswick, I expected something better. |
Definitely makes you work
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| Review Date: October 10, 2007 |
| Reviewer: girl_frog75, DeRidder, LA USA |
| I bought this for my husband...he loves to bowl. The Wii Sports bowling was a bit too easy and he need a bit more challenge. This game will handicap you until you earn enough points for additional skills through the league play. Do not expect to conquer this game right off...you will work for your advancements. |
3.5 stars...Mesh Wii Sports Bowling with this and it would be better!
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| Review Date: September 2, 2007 |
| Reviewer: ZETAZEN, Maryland |
If only I could mesh Wii Sports Bowling with this version, I'd be happy. Wii Sports bowling is weak on graphics while the Brunswick bowling is great on graphics. I felt like I was in a real bowling alley, throwing my hook ball down the lane. I'm an avid bowler, so it was nice to have a realistic look and feel to the bowling experience.
But once you've learned how to use the Wii remote with the Wii Sports Bowling, you can become very confused on how to use the remote with Brunswick Bowling. This was the most difficult task. I must have stood in front of the television trying to figure out how to use the remote with this game for at least 10 minutes. I had to call my 10 year old daughter downstairs to see if she could get it. It was difficult for her too. The only person in the house that could grasp the concept of how to use the remote was my five year old daughter. At first I thought it was because she is shorter than everyone in the house. So I actually got down on my knees to her height and it still wouldn't work! LOL She had to teach me how to manipulate the darn thing to work. Besides this one little nuisance; and once I got the hang of how to use the remote, I had a good time playing it.
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Not in keeping with Wii play
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| Review Date: October 1, 2007 |
| Reviewer: G. L. Miller, Lawrenceville, GA United States |
This is evidenly a quick and dirty do-over of a PC game...It does not have the continuity of a good Wii game as characters do not act in concert with the users use of the Wii sending unit...Action does not take place until user has completed movements, therefore, there is no way to get a good feel of the game...This is poor programming at it's worst...
Who do they think they're fooling...I guess they thought we wouldn't notice...I wanted to give it no stars, but, that is not allowed. |
The Bowling Game Wii've Been Waiting For!!!
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| Review Date: August 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: A. Stagg, Virginia, USA |
When we bought our Wii last December, we immediately became addicted to the bowling game in Wii Sports. The Wii Sports version is simple, and fun for both adults and small kids, but we wanted something more accurate and challenging. We soon heard that Brunswick Bowling would be released sometime in 2007 and it topped our list of titles we wanted for the console.
Brunswick Pro Bowling is a really solid addition to our game collection. The physics are great and game play is pretty realistic. Being able to change lanes, equipment, and other aspects of the game significantly adds to the bowling experience. It's quite nice to be able to put spin on the bowling ball and see the ball spinning. The best feature of the game is the tournament mode that allows you to build a character, enter competition, earn money and buy additional equipment. A simpler version of the Tiger Woods type of tournament mode. The game was certainly worth purchasing.
On the downside, the graphics are not as crisp as they could be on the Wii platform. Even though the Wii does not have the best graphics capability on the market, the graphics are not as polished as they could be. Using Tiger Woods as a comparison, the graphics are not as good. I am also disappointed by the splash screens for player feedback given after a spare or a strike. Surprisingly, this feature is not significantly better than Wii Sports. The bowling game is accurate, but it would have been nice if more humor were integrated into the game. It is priced approximately $10 less than typical Wii titles, but I would have happily paid the extra $10 for the extra gaming touches and polish.
One frustrating thing about the game is that you start league play hobbled with lousy equipment, poor stamina and poor ball control. If you are an expert "Wii Bowler" going into the game, you still need "experience" to game strength, stamina, accuracy and equipment. So, your accuracy and ball control is pretty lousy when you start league play.
The game controls are a little more complex than Wii Sports and take some practice, but are not overly complicated. Aiming the ball was easy, but learning to throw it took some trial and error before I got it right.
Overall, I give this four stars. It's flawed, but it's entertaining and worth the price. If you like to bowl using Wii Sports, you'll probably like Brunswick Pro Bowling. If only the Wii could waft appropriate bowling alley smells into your family room, the experience would be complete!
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It's not that bad, people were hasty to berate it.
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| Review Date: June 11, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Frederick J. Haab, |
Like a lot of really low reviews, when I got the game I was pretty annoyed at the game play, expecting something like the gameplay of Wii bowling but with more options and maybe a bit more realistic looking.
The only big drawbacks I can think of, really, are that the graphics of the characters are not that good, but otherwise is just the alley, the balls, and the pins; the characters are stiff and very un-life like. On Wii bowling, the characters are all cartoony, but move very fluidly. I also like the sound effects on the Wii... get a 8 or 9 pins and the crowd cheers; get a strike and they howl. Get a gutter ball and they boo.
But the biggest drawback is simply that the onscreen character doesn't follow your movements. You have to hold the Wii remote up in front of you, hit the button, and then just bowl, ignoring what your character does.
I think the big complaints people have is that they are accustomed to Wii bowling. The throwing mechanics are different... you have to go back and throw forward with a STRAIGHT arm, giving the twist starting at the bottom and during a full follow-through, with your arm pivoting at the socket from back to front with little movement to the side... a side movement is going to throw the ball off to that side, unlike the Wii.
It did take me at least 7 or 8 games to get the hang of it, but when I did, it started playing very naturally. I still had to keep playing to get in a rhythm, but really it became a lot more enjoyable.
The one huge drawback is when the "b" button gets stuck when throwing. I think another reviewer has mentioned it... you line up your shot, you take your time, you're all mentally set... and then it just doesn't go. It breaks your rhythm, and it can be really annoying.
Overall, though, for the twenty bucks I paid for this, I'm pretty happy with it, as a bowling game. I didn't like the character animation, but that doesn't affect the game play. I didn't like the lack of ambient sounds, but that didn't affect game play either. If they fixed those things, and the occasional stuck trigger, this'd be a five, easy. |
Spare!!
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| Review Date: October 13, 2007 |
| Reviewer: Michael Kerner, Brooklyn, New York U.S.A. |
One of the biggest surprises about the Nintendo Wii is that a lot of people really have enjoyed the game because of the party-style games. Games like Wii Sports, which came with the system, and Mario Party 8 have really made it more exciting getting gamers into the motions of using the Wii at fun & gameplay. That also could be said for traditional sports games like baseball, and bowling. Although they've dominated thanks to Wii Sports, many other companies have tried to make sports games that would seem to carry over as well. Now, Crave Entertainment has decided to make the gameplay of bowling fun for Wii owners to enjoy, but does it leave the thrill of the gameplay alive?
Brunswick Pro Bowling for the Nintendo Wii, brings the action and gameplay of bowling with the the feeling of striking. The gameplay is simple bowling as you go though championship and traditional modes through 10 different alleys. The gameplay remains simple, as you used the controller to bowl like you did in Wii Sports, but the fun and gameplay doesn't appeal to new gamers. The graphics also feel a little choppy, and doesn't reel in the excitement well. Although some of the character motions from when you get a strike, to an actual turkey gobbling up works well, if you've scored 3 strikes in a row. The music feels casual, as well as the sound of the actual pins, but the fun could've been shined up a little more.
All in all, if you're a die hard bowling fanatic, Brunswick Pro Bowling would sound like a must buy. But sadly, it feels more like it is a constant game sparing in the stores, because the fun doesn't thrive like Wii Sports made bowling shine. This game feels more like it is a rental that fits like the bowling shoes that shined on the lanes.
Graphics: C
Sound: C+
Control: B-
Fun & Enjoyment: C 1/2- for solo players: C for multiplayer
Overall: C 1/2- |
An Amazing disappointment
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| Review Date: December 27, 2007 |
| Reviewer: J. Bailey, Philadelphia, PA |
| I was so excited to take bowling to the next level over the Wii sports bowling. It took my entire family an hour to figure out how to even roll the ball and when we did we found it boring!! What a waste of $40. The Wii sports version is awesome and I thought this game would add a little more adult feel to bowling. Stay away from this one. |
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