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Striking!

Namco's Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama Puts New Spin On Video Game Play

One of the most eye-catching games to roll out in recent memory is Namco's Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama whose game design and svelte contours re-envision one of the all-time favorite sports: bowling. Part video game, part jukebox, part bowling alley, Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama is also a synthesis 0 of Andrew Pines and Cosmodog's input and talent.

From any vantage point, the unique figure cut by Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama catches the eye of players or passersby, instantly conveying the game's objective. The cabinet is, technically speaking, less of a cabinet than a podium that mimics the look and feel of a bowling lane, as well as a scoring table, in a sleek, retro fashion. Furthering the score table mimicry is a cup holder and pop-up ash tray. These details connote a vintage element of the fifties in its shape, conflated with the aesthetic sensibility of The Jetsons.

In the larger scheme, these rudiments of design help reinvent the physical presence of the standard video game Ñ a change Namco hopes will open up new venues.

"This cabinet is designed to change the perception of the coin-op game in a location," said Frank Cosentino, Namco VP of sales and marketing. "I believe that this cabinet will open up new location possibilities for operators by appealing to locations that are tired of the '80s-style box. At the absolute minimum, this will give the operator better real estate within his existing locations."

The traditional feel of playing a video game is changed as well. A player stands above the open-air screen, whose dimensions are smaller than average but whose detail and graphics are crisp and vibrant, allowing for a more spacious field of movement and a greater view of the location, which a standard cabinet does not allow with its cave-like top. This pared-down configuration allows more people to watch and up to four players to take turns competing, both facilitating a more social experience. It also positions players to be more interactive with their surrounding environment.

"Instead of being trapped in the back by the kitchen and the restrooms," said Frank, "locations will want this front and center where all the customers can see and play it. The game has outstanding graphics and gameplay. The cabinet draws them in and then the software takes over. This is the most fun you can have bowling without lacing up your bowling shoes."

The cabinet features a nicely weighted 3" trackball and four buttons: start/reset, instant replay, score sheet and a jukebox button. The start/select button allows players to make their selection and resets the ball on the approach, and they can view a slow motion replay of their last shot to help fine tune their shots or relive their strikes at the touch of a button. The score sheet button brings up the score, while the jukebox button's purpose is obvious, causing the current track to can- cel and a new tune to start. Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama's juke is loaded with tunes, many from the fifties, and it randomly se- lects a record and begins playing when the game starts.

Its bowling physics are very close to bowling in the real world, so professional and league bowlers and sticklers for accuracy will not be disappointed. The pin action, for example, uses a highly-detailed physics model, so when a ball grazes past a pin, the pin wobbles and rotates.

To throw a straight ball, a player simply lines up the shot by rolling the track ball left or right on the approach, then rolling forward to release the ball. The lane is also oiled with a typical pattern on the section near the approach and with less oil near the pins, which allows for hooking. To throw a hook, the player lines up the shot on the approach, pulls back to start the ball spinning, and a ring of stars appears to indicate the ball's spin and angle (this feature simulates the rotation put on a ball in real-life bowling to create a hook). Rolling the trackball left or right sets the angle of the spin; more spin is achieved by pulling back further. When the ball is released, it will slide and go straight on the oily part of the lane; on reaching the drier part, it will catch and curve in the direction of the spin. Therefore, finesse is far more important than power in this game.

However, Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama is not your mother's bowling game. Players may select from a collection of four bowling games: Regulation, Trick Shot, Blackjack Bowling or Ten Pin Poker, all of which allow up to four players to try their best to tackle pins.

Specifically, the regulation 10-pin bowling is identical to standard bowling without, as Namco likes to remind players, the stinky shoes. Similar to playing Horse on a regular lane, Trick Shot Bowling allows players to test their skill or compete with others by choosing from a series of difficult spare conversions and trick shots. Also, in yet another inspired twist, Ten Pin Poker is played like regulation bowling, but with every strike or spare the player receives a card; the player with the best poker hand at the end of the game wins. Likewise, in Blackjack Bowling the player's pin count becomes his Blackjack card. Players get three full racks of ten pins, challenging them to knock down a total of 21 without busting.

Rockin' Bowl-O-Rama's many imaginative features turned plenty of heads at this year's fall AMOA and IAAPA tradeshows. Since these two enthusiastic expo debuts, the game is moving into a variety of traditional and non-traditional locations and is poised to become an exemplar of video game and sports integration.

For more information, contact your local distributor or the Namco sales office at 877 Supreme Drive, Bensenville, IL 60106; phone 630/238-2248; fax 630/238-9333; website www.namcoarcade.com.

December 2005 * RePlay Magazine