scooterb23
06-20-2004, 11:32 PM
Which is budget you ask? The game or the review...probably both ;)
I'm a bowling addict. I freely admit this fact. I bowl in real life, and I bowl in my video game life as well. And in the past few years, I have seen a lot of bad bowling games. Not since the original Ten Pin Alley on the original Playstation has there been a truly good bowling game.
I am happy to report that streak is over.
Strike Force Bowling for the PS2 and XBox (sorry Gamecube owners) is a good looking, good playing budget bowling game. And the crowd goes wild!
Graphically, this game isn't really going to push either systems limits. The character models are nice, the lanes (of which there are several types, including unlocakable variants) all look good, and there is a good amount of ambient action going on. Unlike the extremely poor AMF Bowling 2004 on the XBox...there are actually other bowlers in the bowling center level! There are some really nice graphical touches like different pin sets for each level. I love the whiskey bottles on the western level!!
Sound wise, nothing really special's going on. Each level has its own music...all of the music is decent enough, the swong in the western level is noticably catchy, it's good background music and doesn't get in the way. One interesting budget cutting move: all the "lane" sounds (pinfall, ball on lane etc.) is exactly the same on every level (which is odd when you are rolling a pumpkin over a wood lane...yes, you heard me, a pumpkin).
The surprising thing is how well this game plays. One thing I am an absolute stickler about is the physics of the bowling game. The ball has to roll right, hook right, and the pins have to fall right. I know when corners are cut in this area...few corners were cut in this game. A couple questionable hits, and one or two times, a pin that should have fallen over didn't, but those have been rare. And nothing that has diminished the quality of the game in any way. I really like how each lane has it's own ball type. You roll a cannonball (that won't hook if you try) on the pirate level, the Earth on the space level and so on. You are able to choose from any ball you like, however.
You can edit certain aspects of your bowler's performance such as how hard your bowler throws the ball, how accurate your bowler is, and how much hook you can put on the ball. And it actually works in the game! If you have low accuracy...your aiming arrow only goes halfway down the lane...if your accuracy is high...the arrow goes all the way to the pins, including the hook! Sadly, you are limited to the few body models they provide you in the game. There are unlockable characters...but their requirements are just a little on the hard side.
There are also plenty of game modes, skins game (where only strikes count), golf, tournament, challenge, open bowling and practice guarantee you won't get bored with the game anytime soon.
If I have one nitpick, it is that once you are lined up and hit the X button (I bought the PS2 version) the screen changes abruptly, and the power meter is already running. This is a little disconcerting at first, but once you prepare for it...it doesn't stay an issue for very long. So far, in about 5 hours of play, I have encountered very few issues.
The best part about this game is the price. I've seen the XBox version at Toys R Us for $20. The PS2 version was $15 there. I got my copy at a KB Toys for $9.99 brand spanking new.
I really enjoy this game, and would recommnd you check it out if you enjoy bowling video games half a smuch as I do.
Oh yeah, I'll say it now...I have a feeling this may end up being a fairly rare game when things are said and done with this generation of games :)
I'm a bowling addict. I freely admit this fact. I bowl in real life, and I bowl in my video game life as well. And in the past few years, I have seen a lot of bad bowling games. Not since the original Ten Pin Alley on the original Playstation has there been a truly good bowling game.
I am happy to report that streak is over.
Strike Force Bowling for the PS2 and XBox (sorry Gamecube owners) is a good looking, good playing budget bowling game. And the crowd goes wild!
Graphically, this game isn't really going to push either systems limits. The character models are nice, the lanes (of which there are several types, including unlocakable variants) all look good, and there is a good amount of ambient action going on. Unlike the extremely poor AMF Bowling 2004 on the XBox...there are actually other bowlers in the bowling center level! There are some really nice graphical touches like different pin sets for each level. I love the whiskey bottles on the western level!!
Sound wise, nothing really special's going on. Each level has its own music...all of the music is decent enough, the swong in the western level is noticably catchy, it's good background music and doesn't get in the way. One interesting budget cutting move: all the "lane" sounds (pinfall, ball on lane etc.) is exactly the same on every level (which is odd when you are rolling a pumpkin over a wood lane...yes, you heard me, a pumpkin).
The surprising thing is how well this game plays. One thing I am an absolute stickler about is the physics of the bowling game. The ball has to roll right, hook right, and the pins have to fall right. I know when corners are cut in this area...few corners were cut in this game. A couple questionable hits, and one or two times, a pin that should have fallen over didn't, but those have been rare. And nothing that has diminished the quality of the game in any way. I really like how each lane has it's own ball type. You roll a cannonball (that won't hook if you try) on the pirate level, the Earth on the space level and so on. You are able to choose from any ball you like, however.
You can edit certain aspects of your bowler's performance such as how hard your bowler throws the ball, how accurate your bowler is, and how much hook you can put on the ball. And it actually works in the game! If you have low accuracy...your aiming arrow only goes halfway down the lane...if your accuracy is high...the arrow goes all the way to the pins, including the hook! Sadly, you are limited to the few body models they provide you in the game. There are unlockable characters...but their requirements are just a little on the hard side.
There are also plenty of game modes, skins game (where only strikes count), golf, tournament, challenge, open bowling and practice guarantee you won't get bored with the game anytime soon.
If I have one nitpick, it is that once you are lined up and hit the X button (I bought the PS2 version) the screen changes abruptly, and the power meter is already running. This is a little disconcerting at first, but once you prepare for it...it doesn't stay an issue for very long. So far, in about 5 hours of play, I have encountered very few issues.
The best part about this game is the price. I've seen the XBox version at Toys R Us for $20. The PS2 version was $15 there. I got my copy at a KB Toys for $9.99 brand spanking new.
I really enjoy this game, and would recommnd you check it out if you enjoy bowling video games half a smuch as I do.
Oh yeah, I'll say it now...I have a feeling this may end up being a fairly rare game when things are said and done with this generation of games :)