Galactic Bowling (aka Alien Monster Bowling League on the Wii) was one of two games that first introduced me to Steam. I bought it and a tower defense game called Defence Grid: The Awakening via IGN's Direct to Drive late in 2008. However, at the time I didn't know what Steamwork games actually meant and I was too lazy to bother checking; so, I purchased the games regardless, not realising I'd need to install Steam to play the games.
I ended up complaining to IGN, who kindly offered me a refund; however, I was so keen on playing both games that I installed Steam in the new year, several weeks after initially buying the games; (under protest as I didn't like being tied to a client at the time). Shortly after, I discovered what was then just weekly Steam sales, which hooked me right from the outset. Within a few weeks I'd bought my first bundle of Steam games at a fantastic discount (all six games costing me less than just one of the games; whats more I'd had five of them on my radar for some months).
Anyway, back to the actual game. I recently had a hankering to replay some of my old bowling games, not having played Galactic Bowling in at least a decade; so, reinstalled a few of those I could find (e.g. [url=https://www.bigfishgames.com/games/2582/elf-bowling-hawaiian-vacation/?pc&lang=en][b]Elf Bowling: Hawaiian Vacation[/b][/url], [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/32160/Zombie_BowloRama/][b]Zombie Bowl-O-Rama[/b][/url] and [url=https://www.myabandonware.com/game/elf-bowling-7-1-7-the-last-insult-l6x][b]Elf Bowling: The Last Insult[/b][/url] (free now).
When I saw that this game had mostly negative reviews I was quite surprised as I had found the game very playable. It did have some differences to other bowling games I was familiar with, mainly in the way you threw your ball i.e. the mechanic was different to most other bowling games I'd played. On returning to the game recently, I initially had problems figuring out how to direct the ball until I remembered it was all mouse controlled, i.e. move the mouse axis forwards and/or backwards to change the angle of attack and move left or right to move the point of entry of the ball onto the alley boards. To actually bowl, once you've set up the path, you then depress the LMB watching the strength indicator. To throw the ball you then press the RMB while the strength indicator is around it's maximum. You can increase the strength of the throw by quickly double or triple clicking the LMB then immediately pressing the RMB to throw. Initially I found it a little awkward, but soon got the hang of it. Once I'd remembered how to actually bowl again, the game was much easier and enjoyable to play.
I think what a lot of negative reviews focus on is that firstly you always compete against an AI opponent (or if playing multiplayer against a human player; though I've not played the online component in well over a decade so can't verify whether this is still available, though it appears you can set up a server so if you know of someone else who has the game, it may be possible still to play against a human player), also, the graphics came under fire as they are a little dated, however, considering the game was released back in 2008, that's hardly surprising and really does not detract from the game play.
Some of the alleys you compete on are not linear and some even split off into two or three routes and can be quite convoluted, which makes the game that much more difficult to score strikes regularly. However, this also adds a new dimension to bowling games and I personally love the additions.
The game has a tongue in cheek feel to it with some humorous one liners as well as the ability to select from several different characters to play. On top of this you can unlock new levels, more characters to play against and special balls with varying attributes. Also, occasionally, you get a limited amount of time to craftily knock any remaining pins off the alley using a whammie. You can also spin the ball allowing it to curve, by twisting your mouse during the throw. Sometimes you may find power ups or obstacles on the alleys to either help or hinder your shot.
It's definitely not a standard bowling game, with (IMO) an edge over basic arcade bowling games. The only other arcade like bowling games that I've played that are comparable in player enjoyment and wackiness due to having lots of additional modes and other surprises are the Elf and Zombie Rama bowling games, that also include special abilities that add some spice to the game.
There is another bowling game I've just rediscovered that was released in 2004 by BDGames called [url=https://www.gamehouse.com/games/gutterball-2][b]Gutterball 2[/b][/url], in fact it was one of first bowling games I ever purchased when it was released that amazingly still has daily, high scores table for both personal, and world wide players for each of the five modes included with the game. Of the modes of play, the basic retro mode still has almost 40 daily players, despite being almost twenty years old.
