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Very disappointing

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 34 / 39
Date: August 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

The Bowling Game Wii've Been Waiting For!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 33 / 38
Date: August 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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!

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

We love it... like real bowling alley conditions.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 25 / 34
Date: August 25, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you really bowl or have ever been in leagues then this is the game for you. It mimics the oil conditions and the gradual change of the lanes. So no more throwing the bowling ball the exact way and getting a strike each and every time. We love it... we still love the one that comes with the Wii... but that is a kiddie version. This one is for when you grow up LOL. Again... a great game especially if you catch it on sale the way I did when it was pre-ordered. If you enjoy bowling then you will enjoy this game.

Not in keeping with Wii play

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: October 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

3.5 stars...Mesh Wii Sports Bowling with this and it would be better!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: September 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

Wii Sports version is more fun, and offers more throwing options

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 15 / 27
Date: August 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User

My family loves playing the bowling game on Wii Sports, which is why we thought this game would be a good investment for us. Wrong. The Wii Sports bowling game offers a way to put spin on the ball and you can also throw it at different speeds. This game only offers straight up throw the ball down the lane at the same speed every time. Boring! I'm very disappointed to say the least. Save your money and just play Wii Sports for bowling.

Could have been a lot better

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: October 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

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.

There is an obvious design flaw for the Wii version

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 07, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I am going to make this short and sweet. Do not buy this game because there is a very annoying design flaw that will prevent you from enjoying this game. It happens after you have lined up your shot and you are ready to begin your approach. You must click the B button to start the approach, but alas the game gets stuck and nothing happens!!! You can click and move your Wii-mote around all you want but nothing will happen for up to 2 minutes! Ridiculous. The characters are beyond dumb looking. The graphics of the lanes and the oil feature are OK. But the whole "approach" design flaw will annoy the heck out of you and you will never play it more than once. Fortunately, I bought mine used and returned it the next day. The Wii Sports Bowling game is far superior. I hope they come out with a new version of that with different lanes.

Disappointed

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: September 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I thought this game would be really exciting because I was hooked on Wii Sports Bowling which I know is a demo and not a full realistic game, but I thought Brunswick would at least have the same level of realism with regards to the sensation of throwing the ball and hitting pins. It is so unsatisfying hitting even a strike in this game because you don't feel or hear the pins breaking sound as real as in Wii Sports Bowling. And the characters all are really weird looking no matter how you try to customize. In a nutshell, I think I'm going to be reselling this at some point and just playing by Wii Sports Bowling.

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