Since getting our Wii, I’ve been putting in a few hours a day on Wii Sports playing the various full on games and training exercises. Out of all of them, I find the Bowling to be the game I enjoy playing the most single player. It loads up very quickly to begin with, allowing you to press A to skip over most minor intros and chimes with the remote speaker when it’s your turn to bowl. Once you virtually step up to the lane, you grasp the Wii remote (the nunchuck is not used in this game) adjust your stance and aim. Using a combination of the A button and the digital control pad, you can shimmy your Mii character left and right and aim his/her direction to allow for any spin you may put on the ball. In case you weren’t aware, all of the Wii Sports games are played with the Mii’s you and your friends have created. When playing single player, any Mii’s you have made your favorite will also be in the bowling alley sitting behind you cheering you on as you bowl. Once you have your aim and alignment properly accounted for, you can prepare to bowl the ball towards the pins using the Wii remote. Sending the ball along it’s way is carried out much like in real life:

1: You raise the ball (controller) to your chin.
2: You press and hold the B trigger button on the remote.
3: You swing your arm backwards alongside your body in a sweeping motion continuing to hold B.
4: You bring your arm forward again, releasing B when you feel you are ready to release the ball.

I found this process very easy to get used to, intuitive, and immersive in the sense that it involved more than simply pressing buttons to send the ball down the lane. It’s actually so dead on, that I found I was having the same problems in this version of bowling that I do in real life bowling. I have a killer spin to the left that must be accounted for by moving my Mii to the right and aiming to the right as well just a tad before taking my shot. The controls are dependable as well meaning that you can count on them to feel reliable to the point that as you get used to the game, you can and will get better. It’s not at all like a random action that is played out once the Wii senses you’ve gone through the motions. It takes speed, spin, and other factors into account so get into the game and give it all you’ve got! The bowling is very accurate and the scoring is as well, keeping the standard bowling rules in play. Once you go through all ten frames, you will be presented with the score totals and other information regarding your Miis.

Wii Sports Bowling keeps track of your scores for each Mii you play as well as a running total of points that can be used to judge your overall skill. These points are an accumulative score based on what you scored in game, but not the actual score you got in game just compiled over time. It’s more of a judgment based on your current amount of points and how well you played the game at hand. Once you reach 1000 overall points, you reach Pro status which means you score an average of around 170 or higher in each game and in turn you get rewarded with a new, cooler bowling ball to play with. Your Pro score is in constant check however so you will find the score fluctuating depending on how well (or not) you play. It *is* possible to fall below the 1000 point limit and lose that ball and your Pro status.

Overall, Wii Sports: Bowling is a very fun game solo or with up to three other friends. The graphics get the job done and have a definite style to them that while simplistic, does not detract from the game in any way. In this game, the gameplay very much overshadows the graphics, which is just how we like them here. I would highly recommend this game and introduce it to anyone from age 4 to 100 seeing they are physically able to swing the remote in a bowling fashion. Most folks that have given the game a go have fell in love and this includes personal friends and family of mine. Whether you are into bowling as a sport or hold any interest at all in the Wii Sports collection, definately give this version packed with the Wii a go.

Stay tuned for my impressions on the other sports and eventually the training modes for the WIi Sports game!

See Also: My Thoughts on Wii Sports: Tennis