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Exactly What I Expected

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: July 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Brunswick Pro Bowling is for those gamers who want a more realistic bowling experience other than playing the regular bowling your Wii comes with. It provides the ability to customize the bowling right down to the equipment. This game is a must for anyone who loves this sport or who wants to be a little more serious with their Wii gaming.

It's not that bad, people were hasty to berate it.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: June 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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.

STILL TRYING

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User

GAME IS A LOT HARDER THEN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE WITH A REG. PERSON BOWLING YOU GET OUT OF STEP WITH THE OBJECT AND IT CAN THROW YOU OFF OTHERS DIDN'T LIKE IT AS MUCH AS THE BOWLING GAME THAT CAME WITH THE WII

Wish I had read the Amazon reviews before I purchased.

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: June 04, 2008
Author: Amazon User

It could be fun if you could just get the bowler to bowl! It is soooo tricky to get the bowler to finally release the ball. I tried everything I could think of and it still is hit and miss to get him a movin'. Very frustrating and now on the bottom of my pile o' games.

Good game for experienced bowlers

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

If you are an experienced bowler, this is the game for you. Oil patterns change, you get fatigued. different balls react differently. If you are new to bowling or younger fan, not game for you.

This is NOT Wii Sports Bowling

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 14 / 14
Date: March 30, 2008
Author: Amazon User

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

Glad I only rented this

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 19, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was excited to use this game when we had some friends over. I rented in a few days before the date to get used to it and try to figure everything out so I could explain how to play it. I took it back the same day. With inexperienced wii players coming over I didn't think this was the game for them or even us. I agree with another review that it didn't matter how you rolled the ball it just went it's own way. Mine always curved to the left. I would definitely not buy this game.

More of a challenge than Wii Sports

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 06, 2008
Author: Amazon User

When I first played Brunswick I was disappointed with it- I thought it was far too difficult and all of the items in the pro-shop were too expensive to buy (making it feel like I'd never be able to improve). But I stuck with it in career mode and realized that the game tests you and makes you adjust how you're throwing to get the strikes. I'm still in the process of improving my character, but over time if you stick with it the game will gradually improve your strength, accuracy, hook and stamina. You must go into playing this game with a lot of patience and a willingness to build a character.

My only complaints about the game is that it will not let two career characters challenge one another- if you want to play friends/family, you must use one of the generic characters it has set up already. Also, sometimes the way they have the controls set up makes it hard to adjust the throw to just where you want it to be. Finally- the same noises continuously looping in the background are annoying- it's almost as if they recorded a 10 second sound bite from a bowling alley and just have it on loop.

Bottom line- this is a great game for anyone who has the time/patience to develop a character. If not, stick with Wii Sports bowling.

Brunswick Pro Bowling Wii review

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: March 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

No native widescreen support, no native 480p (progressive scan) support, no wifi play support. The music was all "urban" (not family friendly at all), the avatars all looked like cavemen/women & the actual gameplay itself wasnt all that great either. I had high hopes that Crave would just build off wii sports bowling, however that did not happen. I wonder if sales of this title will be enough to justify them releasing a 2nd bowling game with all the above issues addressed properly?

one of the worst games ive ever played

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 02, 2008
Author: Amazon User

i heard of this game and looked at reviews and the commercial. i rented it and tried playing it. the graphics are horrible and the animations are a little annoying. the characters are very limited. if you twist your wrist at al it does not mae a difference, than if you just bowled straight. the only factors that matter are where you aim it and the oil on the lane. the controls are also very difficult. this is an awful game. DO NOT BUY!

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