| Product: |
Brunswick Pro Bowling (Wii) |
| Date: |
22/06/08 (70 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: You can go bowling
Disadvantages: Terrible controls Won't last very long at all
When the Wii was first released, it came bundled with Wii Sports. Many people didn't expect much from this freebie, but it surprised many with the addictiveness it possessed. Some of its game modes such as boxing remain the best examples of their genre on the Wii to this day. Enter Brunswick Pro Bowling. To become more entertaining than Wii Sports bowling, taking into account the fact that Brunswick Pro Bowling is just about bowling alone, was always going to be a challenge. The question is, have Crave managed it?
Graphics
As soon as you start to play Brunswick Pro Bowling you will realise how bland and boring the graphics are. Obviously a bowling game doesn't need state of the art graphics, but the graphics here, including character animations, are truly awful. If you manage to survive until you get a spare or a strike, you may be expecting a big colourful animation to confirm this. Think again. Instead, the most boring banner imaginable will pop up, and that is it. Considering that is pretty much all there is to experience in a bowling game, Brunswick Pro Bowling isn't off to a good start. However, this isn't the biggest problem the game has to offer.
Gameplay/Lifespan
With Wii sports you can use your Mii, in order to represent yourself in multiplayer games and the like. Brunswick Pro Bowling does feature a character creation mode, but it is very basic to say the least. It is a real struggle to find a satisfying look-a-like. Then there is the very nature of the game itself to consider. You can go bowling in it, and that is it. Even when you are involved in some bowling "action", the gameplay is still painfully slow. It is safe to say then, even if the gameplay was immersive, which it isn't, the game wouldn't hold your attention for a particularly long time anyway.
Controls
You might think the game is doing as bad as it possibly can so far, but this is the section were it really gets frustrating. The nunchuk isn't used for this game; it is just the remote, which as simple as it may sound is horrifically complicated. To take your shot, you need to hold B and twist the remote left and right to move left and right before moving your aim with the D-pad. Afterwards, when you come to bowl you have to hold the remote upright, press B to set yourself up and swing back and forth to bowl. Sounding complicated? It's because it's very complicated. Another problem is, even if you pull back and hold still, your bowler will take the shot anyway. However, once you finally manage to take your shot yourself, the ball seems to endlessly swerve and you will need to counter this depending on which hand you are bowling with. Even if you think you are going to hit the pin you want, the ball will sometimes swerve at the last minute making it extremely frustrating to hit that last pin.
Multiplayer
There is a multiplayer mode which supports up to 4 players. However, it just means 4 times the frustration, and you and your friends will quickly get bored and want to play something else.
Wi-Fi?
The game does not have a Wi-Fi mode, but in all honesty, it wouldn't make much difference at all as the gameplay is so needlessly complicated and frustrating.
Cost
This was originally released at the cost of £30. However, if you have a Wii, you will have Wii Sports making this game utterly pointless. I wouldn't advise buying this at all. However if you did want to for some unknown reason, then it can be picked up for about £15 - £20.
Conclusion
A very poor game in all areas which isn't helped by the fact the very good Wii Sports will be owned by all Wii owners. Completely avoid this.
Overall Score 2/10
Summary: This game is terrible and rendered completely pointless by Wii Sports. Avoid.
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