League Bowling

League Bowling[lower-alpha 1] is an arcade game released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo console and arcade systems.[1][2] The game was unique in that it was the first arcade to put emphasis on bowling. The players controls characters with red and blue hair and can select balls from 8 to 15 pounds.

League Bowling
Developer(s)SNK
M2 (PlayStation Network)
Publisher(s)
Platform(s)
Release
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer (up to eight players via link-up)
Arcade systemNeo Geo MVS

Modes
Gameplay screenshot.

League Bowling has three types of modes, played up to 4 players.[3][4]

Regulation

Played just like a normal game of bowling, with 300 being a perfect score.

Flash

Values of 100 to 300 will flash on a randomizer during the time the bowler throws his shot. A strike adds the bonus flash value to the score accumulated at the end of the game. Below each strike value is a smaller point value, which is added to the score for a spare.

Unlike regular bowling, bonus shots in the tenth frame are not awarded; once a strike or spare is thrown, the game ends.

The maximum possible score is 3,000.

Strike 90

Played just like regulation except that a strike scores 90 points for the frame, and a spare scores 60 for the frame, with no carry-over bonus. 30 points are awarded in the case of a field goal (throwing the ball in between the 7 and 10 pins). Like the Flash mode, there are no bonus shots in the tenth frame.

The maximum possible score is 900.

In addition, it also has the option to link up to 4 Neo-Geo MVS machines to become the 8-player game. This is the only Neo-Geo game that features the 8-player support. The 8-player gameplay video are shown on YouTube with the link below.

Reception

In Japan, Game Machine listed League Bowling on their February 1, 1991 issue as being the eighth most-popular arcade game at the time.[11] Likewise, RePlay reported the game to be the twentieth most-popular arcade game at the time.[12] The title was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics, many of which criticized its awkward controls for being passable but praised its humorous artstyle as well as the characters and their reactions.[13][14][15][16][17]

AllGame's Kyle Knight praised the catoon-style presentation, simple gameplay and multiplayer but criticized the audio and lack of replay value.[5] Consoles Plus's J.B. Aerstut also commended the visual presentation, comparing it with the works of Tex Avery, audio and playability but felt mixed in regards to its longevity.[6] Hobby Consolas' Manuel del Campo gave positive remarks to the multiplayer, character animations, appropiate music, sound and playability but criticized one gameplay aspect.[7] Joystick's Jean-Marc Demoly and Player One's Cyril Drevet commented positively in regards to the animated audiovisual presentation, realism and longevity.[8][10] Joystick also regarded it as one of the best bowling simulators in the genre but was criticized for being repetitive and limited.[9]

Ports

Tom Fulp, the founder and CEO of Newgrounds, ported the game to Flash in 2002. The port features no ball selection, a regulation mode only, fewer animations, and the different player's sprites are the same.

Later on 2010, SNK Playmore releases the NEOGEO Station, which includes the emulation of the game and other Neo-Geo games for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP.

On July 12, 2011, Virtual Console version for the Wii was released in Japan.

Easter Egg

Nadia, from the anime Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, can be seen cheering in the background.

Amusements Arcade UK: Butlin's Minehead list

Notes
  1. Japanese: リーグ・ボウリング, Hepburn: Rīgu Bōringu

References
  1. "Oh! Neo Geo Vol. 17 - リーグボウリング". Beep! MegaDrive (in Japanese). No. 52. SoftBank Creative. January 1994. p. 142.
  2. "Neo•Geo CD: The Arcade In A Box - League Bowling". GamePro. No. Premiere Supplement. IDG. Spring 1996. p. 105.
  3. League Bowling user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)
  4. Kitty (January 16, 2021). "League Bowling". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  5. Knight, Kyle (1998). "League Bowling (Neo Geo Advanced Entertainment System) - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-14. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  6. Aerstut, J.B. (July 1991). "Neo Geo Review - League Bowling". Consoles + (in French). M.E.R.7. pp. 148–149. Archived from the original on 2018-10-19. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  7. del Campo, Manuel (September 1993). "Neo Geo - ¡A Jugar A Los Bolos! - League Bowling". Hobby Consolas (in Spanish). No. 24. Hobby Press. p. 92.
  8. Demoly, Jean-Marc (March 1991). "Tests - Neo Geo - League Bowling". Joystick (in French). No. 14. Anuman Interactive. p. 134.
  9. "Console News - Neo Geo: League Bowling". Joystick (in French). No. Hors-Serie 3. Sipre. July–August 1991. p. 59.
  10. Drevet, Cyril (May 1991). "Tests De Jeux - Neo Geo - League Bowling". Player One (in French). No. 9. Média Système Édition. p. 36.
  11. "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 396. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 February 1991. p. 21.
  12. "The Player's Choice - Top Games Now in Operation, Based on Earnings-Opinion Poll of Operators: Best Software". RePlay. Vol. 16 no. 11. RePlay Publishing, Inc. August 1991. p. 4.
  13. "Neo Geo For Real! - Previously Played... - CyberLip". GamePro. No. 30. IDG. January 1992. p. 103.
  14. Yanma; Itabashi (July 1992). "Super Soft 大特集 - 今、『NEO・GEO』がおもしろい！: リーグボウリング". Micom BASIC Magazine (in Japanese). No. 121. The Dempa Shimbunsha Corporation. p. 208.
  15. Noak, Philipp; Hellert, Stefan (August 1993). "Special - Neo Geo - League Bowling". Mega Fun (in German). No. 11. Computec. pp. 28–30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  16. "Reportaje - Clásicos en CD -- Titulos disponibles para el nuevo formato de SNK: League bowling". Hobby Hi-Tech (in Spanish). No. 1. Axel Springer SE. March 1995. p. 28.
  17. "NF編集部にまる - ネオジオゲームㇱインレビュー: リーグボウリング". Neo Geo Freak (in Japanese). No. 25. Geibunsha. June 1997. pp. 124–128.
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