Midnight Bowling
Encyclopedia
Midnight Bowling is a bowling
video game by Gameloft
originally released for mobile phone
s. A version with enhanced graphics was also released for WiiWare
, and under the name Midnight Bowling 3D for phones. It is part of Gameloft's Midnight series, which includes Midnight Pool
, Midnight Casino and Midnight Hold'em Poker, and the game was also included in the Midnight Play! Pack compilation for the Nintendo DS
. In November 2008, it was made available for the iOS via Apple's App Store.
A sequel, Midnight Bowling 2, was also later released for phones.
-themed bowling tournament. In addition, along with quick play single and multiplayer modes the WiiWare version also features a Party Mode, in which players race across a game board by completing challenges such as trying to bowl their ball through a loop or past obstacles.
to bowl, miming the action to bowl in similar manner to Wii Sports Bowling
gave Midnight Bowling for WiiWare a 4.9/10, highly praising the presentation and Party Mode, but felt Gameloft "dropped the ball" with the controls, citing an "awful swing mechanic" that leaves it "almost impossible to roll the ball consistently and successfully". WiiWare World gave it a 2/10, citing the same control issues as IGN and stating it "throws everything Wii Sports did so well control-wise out of the window, replacing it with its own very weird control scheme" that may leave the player "wondering if this is some sort of cartoonish bowling inspired game that is not really bowling".
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
video game by Gameloft
Gameloft
Gameloft SA is a major French computer and video game developer and publisher headquartered in Paris, France. The company also has subsidiaries in 31 countries around the world....
originally released for mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
s. A version with enhanced graphics was also released for WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
, and under the name Midnight Bowling 3D for phones. It is part of Gameloft's Midnight series, which includes Midnight Pool
Midnight Pool
Midnight Pool is a sports simulation video game by Gameloft. The pool simulator was originally released for mobile phones. Versions with enhanced graphics were later released for Windows, WiiWare, and iOS and under the name Midnight Pool 3D for phones and the N-Gage platform...
, Midnight Casino and Midnight Hold'em Poker, and the game was also included in the Midnight Play! Pack compilation for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. In November 2008, it was made available for the iOS via Apple's App Store.
A sequel, Midnight Bowling 2, was also later released for phones.
Gameplay
The game features a story mode which revolves around the player competing in a hipsterHipster (contemporary subculture)
Hipsters are a subculture of young, recently settled urban middle class adults and older teenagers with musical interests mainly in alternative rock that appeared in the 1990s...
-themed bowling tournament. In addition, along with quick play single and multiplayer modes the WiiWare version also features a Party Mode, in which players race across a game board by completing challenges such as trying to bowl their ball through a loop or past obstacles.
Control
On the Wii, players use the motion controls of the Wii RemoteWii Remote
The , also known as the Wiimote, is the primary controller for Nintendo's Wii console. A main feature of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via gesture recognition and pointing through the use of accelerometer and...
to bowl, miming the action to bowl in similar manner to Wii Sports Bowling
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave Midnight Bowling for WiiWare a 4.9/10, highly praising the presentation and Party Mode, but felt Gameloft "dropped the ball" with the controls, citing an "awful swing mechanic" that leaves it "almost impossible to roll the ball consistently and successfully". WiiWare World gave it a 2/10, citing the same control issues as IGN and stating it "throws everything Wii Sports did so well control-wise out of the window, replacing it with its own very weird control scheme" that may leave the player "wondering if this is some sort of cartoonish bowling inspired game that is not really bowling".