Ten Pin Alley

by ASC Games

Product Features

• 1-6 Players
• Multi Tap Adaptable

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002STT9
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 4.8 x 0.4 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: July 6, 1999
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,302 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

Bowling video games have always had a fundamental flaw: The hardware wasn't powerful enough to handle the near-infinite number of ways pins can break. The huge number of possibilities was therefore simplified to a few dozen potential results. The result was that most average players could learn to bowl a 300 game after a few lines. But that all changed when Tin Pin Alley struck the Playstation.

Ten Pin Alley is anything BUT simplified - the programmers relied on technical assistance from a major university to come up with physics algorithms. And it shows. The pins in this game break with uncanny realism - it couldn't look any better if they'd motion-captured strikes and spares. The power meter is also very well-designed, and requires a surprising amount of timing to get it right. In this regard, Ten Pin Alley the look and feel of a top-of-the-line golf game. Bowling 300 in Ten Pen Alley is as difficult as in real life, which is to say, all but impossible. Strangely enough, this feature is one of the game's most appealing aspects: It requires players to make tiny technique adjustments and constantly work to find the perfect delivery.

Ten Pin Alley's brilliant gameplay is balanced with humorous graphics that capture the lighter side of the sport. The texture mapped, polygon rendered characters (which range from Fred Flintstone clones to adorable kids) react to success and failure in cartoon-like fashion: Strikes are punctuated with celebratory air-punching, while gutter balls cause the characters to groan, scream, and cry like babies.

Ten Pin Alley's one weakness isn't even present in the game; rather it's the too-thin instruction manual. The manual assumes the player has an intermediate knowledge of bowling, which might not always be the case. For example, why would a player want to choose a heavier ball, or one made of urethane instead of resin? The manual doesn't say. Perhaps an in-game tutorial would have been a wise addition.

Plain and simple: Ten Pin Alley is loaded with addictive action that's equally fun played alone or with friends. This game isn't as fun as real bowling - it's more fun than real bowling. The editors at VideoGameSpot cringe when reviewers use hyperbole, but this time it's warranted: Ten Pin Alley is unquestionably the best bowling game yet created. --Peter Criscuola
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish this game was on PS2, December 16, 2006

By 

SpiritChild "spiritchild" (Amherst, MA United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ten Pin Alley (Video Game)

When I sold my PS1, ten pin alley was one of the few games I saved. My only regret is that you can't save your games (PS1 games)on the PS2 memory card.

This was a really great game. As other have mentioned, it was very realistic (even the sound effects were realistic). The characters were kinda funny, and there was an option to change the color of their skin, hair, clothes. The tournaments were alot of fun too. They even have the wierd retro bowling option for those who like glow in the dark, friday night bowling. This isn't just one of the best bowling games ever, it's also one of the best PS1 games. It's also a great game to play with friends

It's a shame that ASC went out of buisness in 2000. I wish somebody would buy the license to this game and publish a sequel on the PS2 and X-box

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best REAL bowling game, EVER, February 2, 2005

By 

Andy Griffith "Bloodrayne" (Wisconsin, USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ten Pin Alley (Video Game)

As an avid 215-average league bowler of 18 years (and I'm only 23) I find that discovering a bowling video game that converts true-to-life pin physics and ball control to the TV to be rather difficult....until this masterpiece came out.

The control is top-notch, and probably the best possible way to accurately translate the skill required to bowl well.

This isn't arcade bowling, folks....with maybe 10 different pin reactions after the ball hits the pins....this game has MILLIONS of possible pinfall outcomes. I literally have not seen the same pin reaction twice, and I've had and play this game still ever since its release over 7 years ago.

I love this game so much, and it is SO REALISTIC that I actually can portray MYSELF and EVERYTHING about myself in real life, and put it in the game. I use a 16 lb. urethane ball. Done. I can stand in the same spot I usually do on a real lane, aim and put the same spin and power I do in real life on my character in the game and get damn near the same outcome. Hell, I am even averaging about 215-220 in the game via tracking my career stats. I've never gotten a 300 in real life (I've gotten 299 five times) and I can't even achieve a 300 in this game, no matter how perfect I think I'm throwing the ball....
Trust me, you'll be filled with tension too if you manage to get 11 strikes in a row in the game and then massively choke due to palm sweat and the jitters as you go for that magical 12th straight strike....

Sure, the first time I played this game, I bowled a 2. TWO points. THAT'S IT. I was about ready to throw the game in the toilet and flush it. But....I resisted, and over time....got the hang of the timing (which is CRUCIAL) and I got the hang of it....and slowly my game got better....and better....until the point where I could breeze through tournaments and rack up the dough. I must say though, bowling in the pro tournaments sure is a task to behold....friggin' Chucky (or the characters that look like him) have bowled multiple 300's against me....and I've lost bowling 269's, 279's, and once even bowling a 290. They RARELY mess up, and by mess up I mean actually missing a spare....they hardly EVER have any opens during the game, unless you're lucky enough to come into a tournament round playing one of the little kids....lol....it sure is a challenge.

One other thing....I refuse to play 9-pin tap tourneys....those are way too easy....and if you get a perfect game of 9-counts and strikes, it counts as a 300 in your stats....which I can't have cuz it's not the real thing. And to me, it's not an accomplishment unless its the real thing.

When I'm not bowling on a real alley, and I need a bowling fix, I play this game....10 out of 10. It's the best realistic bowling game ever....

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Tough Game To Control, February 20, 2000

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ten Pin Alley (Video Game)

While the graphics on this game are first-rate, and the physics of the ball and pins are accurate, there is one glaring omission from the game -- you don't know where the ball is going! The game doesn't show you the effects on your resulting show when you change your mark at the arrows and/or moving your feet on the approach. The result is that too often, what you think is a good strike shot the game thinks is a brilliant cross-lane gutter ball. Give the game a foul and move on to better bowling games that have come out since Ten Pin Alley.