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?

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Chey’s Top 25 – #17 – Puzzle Quest

Genre: Match-3, RPG
Platform: All, I think. I have it for Nintendo DS and XBox 360.

Having long been a fan of match-3 type of games, you can imagine my delight at finding a game that combined that simple game play with RPG elements. I believe this was one of the first games I downloaded from the XBox Live arcade, many years ago. I have played the poo out of this game. I have played it all the way through at least 10 times, which is no small feat because there’s a lot of grinding involved in it. I personally think the DS version of the game is best due to the use of the stylus.

This game has you create a character from a few different classes and start on your merry way. It has some “save the princess” story, but there are definitely twists on it. For example, you have the option to help the princess escape her situation of forced marriage and be a badass with you on the road. Of course I did this. Screw the man!

As you play, you level up and get to assign points for different attributes which increase the game play. As you encounter certain enemies, you can “capture” them by completing an often-challenging mini game. Once you do that, you learn the spells it knows, allowing you greater ability to customize your character. You can also lay siege to cities, build a citadel with various beneficial buildings, train mounts and research spells.

The “Quest” part of this game is no laughing matter. There are a TON of quests to do, and it may take you hours of grinding to become powerful enough to complete some of them. That was fine with me, however, because this is a super fun game. There have been a few other versions of it. I never gave Puzzle Quest 2 a fair shake and I’ll go back to it someday. I didn’t like Puzzle Quest Galactrix, which is hexagonal and set in space. There’s also a Marvel version which is quite good, too. But I would first check out the original and its expansion, which is always included with the original game. Have fun!

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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!

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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.

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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.