Customer Reviews

Brunswick Pro Bowling

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(23)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

I waited and waited for this game to be released. At first, it seemed much better than Wii Sports Bowling, but the fun soon wore off.

Multiplayer mode sometimes works, and sometimes does not. Half the time it makes you use the same remote for 2 players. I've found that cancelling out of the game and starting over will allow 2 remotes to be used with 2 players. I think it may have something to do with your choice of players.

I've been playing career mode for about 6 months now, and I am STILL using the house ball. I cannot gain enough money to buy a new ball ([...]).

However, 3 things annoy me the most. About every five seconds, there is a voice in the background. it sounds like an Indian male shouting "Yamani". This is really annoying, over and over and over and over. I have read a ton of reviews and this fact is never mentioned.

Another really annoying thing is the physics and sounds are not at all realistic. When you get a strike - it ALWAYS makes the same exact strike sound, regardless of how you get the strike. You can get 8 pins, and by some miracle the next 2 pins fall - you still hear the same strike sound - yet no sound when the last 2 pins fall. When you hit 2 pins, always the same sound, regardless of how close or far apart the pins are. When you hit a single pin, always the same sound - you get the picture.

Splits are impossible to pick up. You can throw the ball dead in the pocket and not get a strike (I know beforehand by the sound of the pins). But pins bash into each other, yet do not fall. It's like this game is programmed once the ball is rolled - it seems pre-determined how many pins you will get, as opposed to the real physics of bowling.

The third annoying thing is ball control - there is practically none. i can hold my arm perfectly straight throughout the delivery of the ball, yet it will hook left. I deliberately try to hook the ball left, and it hooks right. i don't get it. The screenshots show meters on the screen for accuracy and strrength - where are they?

I still plal, because of all the time I have invested in this game, I am determined to get out of "amateur' status - even though in league Night, I win almost every single game, and by a lot. I generally bowl 180 or better every game in league night - I just cannot win a tournament - then have to start over with 27 league games again.

Baaahhh!

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.

this game was a huge disappointment..
i love the wii sports bowling and so do all my family / friends...
i was so excited to get this game that i had preordered it and played it the moment it arrived... for about 10 minutes...
the graphics are so-so... the characters are creepy looking
the controls are akward... wii sports bowling controls are by far superior as they are simpler and more natural...
i could have gotten past all of this.. but... the gameplay.. ugh...
the actual gameplay was so painfully slow - HUGE HUGE delays between your movement and the onscreen bowler... not to mention the pace of the game...
the movements are not fluid and does not seem to be as accurate in timing or sensitivity as the wii sports version...
we played for about 5 frames before we were so irritated that we just packed up the game and took it to trade in...
if you still want to try it, go for it.. but i would recommend trying it as a rental first... i was never even able to make it through 1 entire game without losing patience... it was a huge borefest...