Bowling for Screams is a game based on Steve Jobs' other company's (Pixar) big movie: Monsters, Inc. A game for all ages, brings bowling to a new world.
Installation:
The installation was quite easy. There are two installers, depending if you want to install it on a classic MacOS (8.6, 9.1, etc.), or MacOS X. After picking an installer, you will be directed to choose an install location, and the installer will do the rest.
Usage:
Ever go bowling where your ball can explode, there are traps in the alley, or a tentacle throws your ball? I know I have! Well, at least after playing this cool little game from Pixar. One of the zaniest bowling games out there, which supports Steve Jobs on two levels.
For being such an inexpensive game, it sure has some good graphics and sounds. There are some cut scenes, which are the quality of the movie, the alley graphics are high quality, and the voices are straight from the movie. The entire game is immersed perfectly into an environment of monsters.
Along with the good looking graphics, and realistic sounds, comes the gameplay. This bowling alley has been infected by monsters, which means power-ups and obstacles galore. The power-ups consist of an elastic ball, an exploding ball, and a splitting ball. To active them, you must hit the correct key at a certain time, or they will be wasted. One thing which could have been better here was a larger variety of power-ups, but nothing's perfect.
As for obstacles, there are a ton of those. Starting out with simple ramps, slippery floors, and bumpers, to different kinds of ramps, stronger bumpers, and more as your levels progress. This makes it quite different from other bowling games, and a challenge for everyone.
You may have noticed in that last paragraph, that I mentioned levels in a bowling game. That's right, there are levels of difficulty. To reach the next level, you have a goal for points scored in that game. If you can achieve this goal, you move on to the next level, where the obstacles get harder to maneuver around, and points are harder to come by.
That brings up another subject. We all know how crazy bowling scores are figured out, well this game does more than just score your pins. Normal scoring rules apply for the level advancement, but your overall score is dependent on how many power-ups you gather, as well as a secret bonus pin. Your combined score from those, as well as all the game scores, makes up the score that goes into your the high score list. Confused yet?
If you are a little confused (I would be too), just nod your head and move on to the next section. This game provides a way to play one or two players, on the same computer. Now, while this is cool, as you can play against a family member or friend, it would be even cooler if you could play over a LAN, the internet, or have more than two players at a time. Still, two players is better than one.
Finally, we get to the heart of this game. Bowling for Screams combines with two other Monsters, Inc. games to make up the Wreck Room Arcade. The two other games are Monster Tag, and Eight Ball Chaos. If you purchase all three games, and install them, they will unlock a secret game, making four games in one. This may be just marketing material, but it is cool nonetheless.
Problems:
Problems:
The Only problem I had was on my iBook (500 MHz, 256MB RAM, OS X 10.1.2), whenever a sound is played that hadn't been played for a while, there is a lag in the graphics. This many times interupts my game, and causes unintentional gutter balls. My machine more than meets the minimum requirements, and this doesn't happen on the 466 MHz G4.
Conclusion:
This is a great game for those who want to play with their children. However, it's not just for kids, as it's challenging, and a lot of fun. Plus, you can't beat the price.
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Pros: | Cons: |
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Nonviolent way to have fun
Completely different way to bowl
Obstacles and power-ups on a bowling alley
Good for all ages
MacOS X native
2-player multiplayer
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Same power-ups all the time
Multiplayer limited to only two players on the same computer
High system requirements
No preferences
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Rating: 7 out of ten Mac Faces.
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