High Velocity Bowling with the SIXAXIS

In Gamers Day, Sony unveiled the trailer to a new PlayStation Network title they’ve developed, High Velocity Bowling (here via GameTrailers). If you were thinking “Bowling… SIXAXIS… motion-sensing” upon hearing this, yes, you just collected the spare for this frame. (Please hold all temptation of comparisons between this game… and another game. At least until later.)

According to IGN, motion-control will be fully implemented in the game, such that they say that the SIXAXIS “can get you through ten frames of glory without touching any button other than X”… oh, fraksticks, there goes the promise of no comparisons until later. But it seems that the motion-sensing usage here, while similar to that other game, still comes off completely different.

First off, there is a swing meter implemented in this game that tracks your swinging and thus the accuracy of your shot. In fact, HVB also implements pressure sensitivity as well as motion-sensing, using the shoulder buttons to add varying amounts of spin to your hook post-release (with another meter to show you just how much). Yes, it kind of contradicts IGN’s earlier assertion (their oversight, maybe?), but that’s if you want to hook the ball.

Second, there’s a bit of role-playing involved here, as there are ten bowling characters in-game that differ in various bowling stats, and have their strengths and weaknesses. Many of them have to be unlocked in trick shot competitions, tournaments, and head-to-head challenges.

Third, it’s ten bucks to download. Beyond that, we don’t know if this has anything to do with PlayStation Home’s bowling alley. And we’d rather hold off predictions of SIXAXISes busting up plasma TVs.

In Gamers Day, Sony unveiled the trailer to a new PlayStation Network title they’ve developed, High Velocity Bowling (here via GameTrailers). If you were thinking “Bowling… SIXAXIS… motion-sensing” upon hearing this, yes, you just collected the spare for this frame. (Please hold all temptation of comparisons between this game… and another game. At least until later.)

According to IGN, motion-control will be fully implemented in the game, such that they say that the SIXAXIS “can get you through ten frames of glory without touching any button other than X”… oh, fraksticks, there goes the promise of no comparisons until later. But it seems that the motion-sensing usage here, while similar to that other game, still comes off completely different.

First off, there is a swing meter implemented in this game that tracks your swinging and thus the accuracy of your shot. In fact, HVB also implements pressure sensitivity as well as motion-sensing, using the shoulder buttons to add varying amounts of spin to your hook post-release (with another meter to show you just how much). Yes, it kind of contradicts IGN’s earlier assertion (their oversight, maybe?), but that’s if you want to hook the ball.

Second, there’s a bit of role-playing involved here, as there are ten bowling characters in-game that differ in various bowling stats, and have their strengths and weaknesses. Many of them have to be unlocked in trick shot competitions, tournaments, and head-to-head challenges.

Third, it’s ten bucks to download. Beyond that, we don’t know if this has anything to do with PlayStation Home’s bowling alley. And we’d rather hold off predictions of SIXAXISes busting up plasma TVs.