There are budget titles out there that give gamers at least a
thrill or two before gamers realize that there’s nothing else about it worth
playing over and over again. Then there are budget games that – while it would
have been appealing to see a game based on a favorite hobby – just don’t make a
real-life past-time an enjoyable video game experience. This, unfortunately, is
the case with Strike Force Bowling on the GameCube.
Strike Force Bowling
looks like a bowling game should
and fans of the glossy lane will love the chance to bowl in unique locations.
Yet looks aren’t everything when the game just doesn’t feel like a
bowling game. This, naturally, is what keeps this game from being nicely
challenging or fun despite its interesting choice of locales, bowling balls and
two decent game modes. The feature, though, that separates Strike Force
Bowling are the locales that range from a space station, Egyptian pyramids,
a ghost town in the Old West, a pirate ship and even a tropical island. Each
locale even brings its own personality to the game. For example, playing in the
tropical island you’ll be knocking down island-made pins using a coconut bowling
ball. Cute, huh?
The game is composed of five main modes plus a Practice mode that
allows you to set up the pins the way you want. Tournament mode pits you against
thirty-two bowlers in an elimination-styled tournament while Challenge mode
increases the difficulty by constantly providing new and elaborate pin
arrangements. Then there’s Skin mode, a game mode that has you competing in a
strike competition. Golf has you playing an eighteen hole course-styled game
while Open Play just allows you to play on your own or with a group of friends.
Your opponents are composed of a Japanese schoolgirl, a skeleton
with eyes, an alien and three uninteresting male and female characters. Each
bowl the same way, react the same way and neither character adds anything to the
game. The result is a bowling game with no personality or anything that will set
each match apart from the other. You start by selecting a ball (either
regulation-styled balls or a location-themed ball will do since they all roll
the same way) and moving the Aim Pointer down the lane at the pins you would
like to strike down. When you’re happy with your aim a meter will appear (kind
of like the pitching meter in MVP Baseball) with Power and Accuracy green
zones you have to hit with the A button. Time it just right and you’ll roll your
ball successfully and hit the pins with great accuracy. That is pretty much all
you do in this game.
Using the same aim, spin and throw formula the game becomes way
too repetitive. There’s no doubt in my mind that gamers will quickly want to
turn the game off after a few pins. Sure your opponents will provide you with
challenging matches but oftentimes you’ll feel the frustration of watching these
pros make more strikes than gutter balls.
As for the game’s visuals, Strike Force Bowling promises
high-polygon characters and specific character reactions. What we get instead
are characters that look more comfortable on a PSOne and repetitive player
reactions that don’t differ from one character to the next. The characters just
don’t move naturally and often times you’ll see limbs twist in the most
unnatural positions before releasing the ball. As for the reactions, each
character responds the same way to gutter balls or missing that one last pin.
Sure the locales add more personality to the mix and sure they look okay, but
this isn’t enough to save the game from looking bad.
If that weren’t enough, the game’s sound isn’t any good either.
You won’t hear your characters nor will they make a sound when they get a strike
so all you’ll hear is your ball rolling down the surface of the alley before it
strikes the pins loudly. As for the game’s music, it’s not good at all . . .
unless you like a small variety of sleepy tunes.
Unfortunately, even at its budget price, Strike Force Bowling
just doesn’t cut it when it comes to fun bowling action. In fact, it misses
the mark when it comes to knocking the pins. While it tried to be different it
just doesn’t have the goods to keep virtual bowlers wanting to play this one
again and again. Sorry, Crave Entertainment, but this one just isn’t any good.
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Gameplay: 4.0
Sure you have
direct control over direction and a choice of bowling balls, but power and
accuracy is a frustrating guessing game that becomes way too repetitive way too
quickly. There aren’t many game types either, although Golf Mode at least offers
something a bit more challenging.
Graphics: 4.5
Lacking
natural movements, reactions or high polygons, the characters in Strike Force
Bowling aren’t exactly horrible but they’re not easy on the eyes either.
That’s too bad since the locations are actually decent enough.
Sound: 3.0
When the tinny
music playing in the space station makes you yawn or the other tunes in the game
remind you of a long elevator ride you know the soundtrack is in trouble.
There’s no voice work either so all you’ll really hear is the bowling ball
striking pins.
Difficulty: Medium
You can expect
a somewhat decent challenge farther up the tournament ladder, but sometimes your
computer-controlled opponent has the unfair advantage in terms of making
spectacular strikes.
Concept: 4.0
How an alien
learned how to bowl like a pro is beyond me, but you’ll be up against a number
of zany characters. Other than that there’s nothing that makes Strike Force
Bowling stand out. And while Skins and Golf are pretty interesting and
occasionally fun modes, you won’t be coming back for more.
Multiplayer: 4.5
Playing the
game with up to four friends remedies many of the opponent AI problems and
that’s a really good thing. Yet it’s still repetitive and won’t provide enough
bowling action to keep you and your friends glued to your GameCube.
Overall: 4.0
There’s no
other way of putting this except … Strike Force Bowling fails to bring
fun to the virtual lanes and thus should be avoided by those looking for an
enjoyable bowling game. There are some fun moments in this game but they are
fleeting moments that are quickly overshadowed by the game’s repetitiveness.
