America’s True Pasttime – Bowling games!

Bowling Atari

Matt and I started our real-life bowling league last week, so I figured I’d celebrate by talking about some bowling video games through the years. For the record, I’m a much better real-life bowler than video game bowler. As usual, I’m only focusing on games that I’ve actually played.

My first video game bowling experience was called “Bowling” on the Atari 2600. That’s the image above. It was pretty simple. Line up your bowler and throw the ball. It made some interesting sound effects and the ball moved about as fast as a 5 year-old can throw it, but it was bowling. I don’t think this game was able to keep my attention for too long.

Bowling Zombie

Next up we have Zombie Bowl-a-Rama for the PC. This was a fun game where you could inflict all sorts of carnage on zombies walking your way in an alley. The “bowling” aspect of it can be applied loosely as you’re really just throwing stuff at zombies. It might look a bit bowling-y, but it seems to lose something in all of the fire. Still, it was a fun game to play once.

Bowling Rocket Bowl

Next is Rocket Bowl on the XBox 360. I really enjoyed this game and still play it from time to time. As you can see in the image above, it’s not your typical bowling game. The lanes are warped, there are water hazards, hills and collectibles to get as you play. You don’t even have to hit the pins on the set you’re aiming at, either. The “rocket” comes from the fact that your ball can be motivated in a rocket way in different directions. Fun!

Bowling Wii

This wouldn’t be an article about bowling games if we didn’t include Wii Bowling. I did have a Wii for a while and I did enjoy this game. The motion controls were new and innovative and just worked well with bowling. True story. A friend and I created a local Wii bowling tournament for senior living facilities and everyone had a blast. Here’s a video of our event. Yeah, I still have the shirt:

My final bowling game of the day is Kinect Bowling for the XBox 360/One. I am terrible at this game. I can never seem to aim in the correct spot. It’s still fun and uses motion controls, but damn I suck.

Bowling Kinect

Are there any bowling games that I’ve missed that you have enjoyed?

0 Comments Leave a comment

Chey’s Top 25 – #18 – The Sims

Genre: Simulation
Platform: PC

I had been a fan of SimCity since middle school, when we played SimCity original as a way to teach us the basics of city planning. More SimCity versions came out, but you can imagine my excitement when a new level of granularity arrived, allowing you to actually control the people of your city. This was Will Wright’s grand vision, and it was The Sims.

The original Sims still remains my favorite. It seemed to me that you had the most items to play and create with and customizing your own wasn’t too difficult. The concept of the Sims is this – you create people/families and control every single aspect of their lives. You design their house, you buy them new objects, you decorate, you decide if they procreate, you choose when/if they use the bathroom or shower, you get them a job and help them excel at it. You also control their social interactions. If you are like me, you care for your Sims and try to make them as happy as possible. Then again, there were always the players that chose this route…

So, so cruel.

I always recreated the place I happened to be living at the time and my family/friends. It was a lot of fun, but the game got challenging as you progressed as your game always tended to focus on making and maintaining friends. I find this hard in real life, so it’s no surprise that I found it difficult and stressful in a game. And then there were the seemingly endless expansions that were just money sinks:

Next expansion: The Sims, Just Give Us Your Money Already

I played Sims 2 and 3, and each added their own unique twists. It was pretty impressive how much of a likeness I could get to my husband. I haven’t played Sims 4 yet. But, as I said, the original was good enough to make my top 25 and I would suggest playing it if you haven’t.

0 Comments Leave a comment

Oldies but Goodies – Jetpack

Genre: Arcade
Platform: PC

Oh my gosh I loved this game. It was freeware, so I grabbed it up early. This is another DOS-game, so I guess I’m really showing my age in this blog. No matter. All of you youngin’s today missed out on a great generation of games! You can get it here: http://www.dosgamesarchive.com/download/jetpack/. To play the old DOS games now, though, you will likely need the program DOSBox. You can get that here: https://www.dosbox.com/. It’s a little bit complicated, but the site has some good resources to help.

Anyway, back to Jetpack. This game had a ton of levels, and you could create your own or get them from other players. Your goal was to get all of the orbs from platforms throughout the level and go through the door. As the name suggests, you got a jet pack to help. However, your fuel is limited. More fuel packs may pop up on the screen as well as money. There are also bad guys that are trying to keep you from the goal.

This was a challenging, but fun, game. My 6th-grade self enjoyed it a lot on our Windows 3.1 computer. I never beat the game, but that wasn’t my goal. I was just having fun.

0 Comments Leave a comment

Chey’s Top 25 – #19 – Word Whomp

Genre: Word
Platform: PC

Let’s discuss “casual” gaming for a bit. It’s a term that has always held negative connotations in the gaming community. These are quick, easy games that are usually played in a browser or on a mobile device. People who play these games are often thought of as non-gamers. Screw that. I’m a gamer and I love casual games. These games are great for the times when you just want something light which doesn’t involve a lot of thought.

The web site www.pogo.com has tons of these games, and this is my favorite of them. I talked about using replayability and time spent playing as a criteria for my list, and this game definitely fits that. I’m actually including three games in this post – Word Whomp, Word Whomp Whackdown and Word Whomp Underground. My mom started my love of word games pretty much from the time I could talk and I’ve never looked back. We always make time for a game of Scrabble every time I go back home. She also enjoys these games a lot, so it’s a rare gaming moment that we can share.

The games themselves are quite simple. Word Whomp is a standard anagrams game. Find all of the words hidden in the letters listed and you win. Whackdown arranges them differently and is a bit tougher. It has a bonus round. Underground is original Word Whomp with a slight story behind it. Once you start playing, I dare you to stop! The “one more game…” monster will definitely get you with these.

1 Comment Leave a comment

Chey’s Top 25 – #20 – Peggle

Genre: Puzzle/Arcade
Platform: Pretty much all; I have it for PC, Nintendo DS, XBox 360 and XBone (Peggle 2). It’s on iOS (Apple phones) and Android as well.

Peggle was another one of those games that I instantly said “YES MORE PLEASE” and played for hours until I realized that a lack of sleep will, in fact, make you insane. This is a highly addictive game. It’s also a fairly simple one. Simply clear all of the orange pegs from the board by bouncing a metal ball off of them. It’s not too difficult, but it is if you take into account some of the additional challenges for each level.

There are different “masters” to unlock as you play. Each has a special ability to help you complete the levels in new and fun ways. For example, there’s one that gives you a multiball and another that gives you pinball-like flippers at the bottom. Each character has their own personality and the game can be funny at times.

There is no learning curve at all with this game, either. You will instantly know how to play it, so there’s no excuse for not picking it up (I’m looking at you, Mom!). There was an expansion for Peggle – Peggle Nights – which is more of the same, but there is a slightly different twist on the story. Totally worth it.

One of the things that I like most about this game is how it makes a big deal if you succeed. You’ll be treated to fireworks on the screen, loud “Hallelujah” music and flashy text. You’re awesome, and it lets you know it! The other sounds effects are playful and fun as well.

There’s also Peggle 2, which I’m going to bundle right in here as well. It has different masters, except two. My favorite is the homage to The Big Lebowski. The game play is the same basic concept. Aim ball, shoot at pegs, get high score.

Everyone should play this game. It’s fun, funny and will keep you entertained for hours!

0 Comments Leave a comment

Oldies but Goodies – Lemmings

Lemmings

It’s time for an oldie but goodie! It’s Lemmings! This game was introduced back in the DOS days (1991, very early PC). It has had so many different versions on just about every console. I have it for my Playstation Portable (PSP), but the version I remember best is that old DOS version. You can still download it here: http://www.abandonia.com/en/games/37/Lemmings.html.

Lemmings are a real animal and the story is that they will run off a cliff in mass numbers if they feel threatened enough. This has since been proven to not be true, but it makes for a fun concept for a video game. Your job is to save as many of the little critters as you can by guiding them to a safe door, where Twizzlers or whatever lemmings like to eat, are waiting. However, each level is a bit of a maze. The lemmings can only fall so far before they die. You can assign lemmings a specific role, such as blocker or digger, which will aid in your task. Blockers will prevent a lemming from going a certain direction (and are really cute!) and the diggers will dig. There are others as well.

The early levels are easy, but it does get challenging later on. The graphics still hold up today and there is a soundtrack which gets repetitive. This game didn’t make my top 25, but it sure was fun, anyway.

0 Comments Leave a comment

Chey’s Top 25 – #24 – Rocket League

Genre – Sports
Platform – PC (Steam), XBone

Rocket League was one of those games that I started playing and immediately said “YES MORE PLEASE!”. I was pretty good from the start and it made me feel awesome. It’s one of the newer games to make my list, but according to Steam, I’ve played this game for 101 hours. I’ve probably put in another 20 or so on the XBone.

This game has you driving an RC car and playing soccer. They’ve got a basketball mode, too, but I haven’t played it. It’s a simple concept, but it’s hard enough that you feel truly accomplished when you score a goal or make an epic save. You can play single-player against bots, but the real fun is playing against real people online. I am really not a fan of multiplayer games, but this is the exception. The competition online can be fierce and again, it adds to that awesome feeling.

As you play, you unlock new cars and other ways to customize your vehicle. My preferred vehicle is the Merchant, which is a van. The idea of a van driving around an arena is funny to me. You can also add little hats and antennas to your car. You can play 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4. I’ve tried all of these, but I’ve found 3v3 to be my favorite.

The graphics are great, but if you play online, sometimes lag will creep in and “rubber band” you around the arena. This can make it tough to play. A strong internet connection is suggested. The sound really adds to the experience with fog horns and fans and different sounds for the different boosts. I strongly recommend you check this one out! If you have a PS4, I believe it is free for you.

0 Comments Leave a comment

Chey’s Top 25 Games – #25 -Pinball FX 2

Genre – Arcade/Pinball
Platform – XBox 360, XBone and PC (Steam)

I have been playing pinball games since I got my first Windows 3.1 Tandy computer (thanks Mom and Dad!). I started with DOS-based Epic pinball, moved to Sierra’s 3D Ultra pinball, Kirby pinball on the Gameboy, then a gap until Pinball FX on the XBox original and finally Pinball FX 2 on both the 360 and XBone.

This game carries forth the fine traditions of the pinball games before it. It is a collection of downloadable tables (for a fee, of course). The graphics are great. The tables are very busy, but it (usually) doesn’t get in your way of tracking the ball. The sound effects are also good and unique from table to table. I would recommend playing with a spotter, though, because you will be so transfixed on the ball that you’ll have no idea what is going on around the table. The physics are also very good and do change from table to table. Some tables are really fast, others are ramp-heavy and yet others have an older-school feel. On some tables you’ll score 50 million without much trouble, and others, 2 million is a feat.

What really makes this game stand out, though, is the sheer number of tables. I have probably downloaded about 40. If you like Marvel, you’ll like this game. There are games of many different characters – Deadpool, X-Men, Avengers, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Dr. Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc. There are about 15 Star Wars tables. I also like the South Park and Animation (Archer, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy and American Dad) tables. There are also a lot of Zen originals that are fun.