''Midnight Bowling'' is a

bowling Bowling is a Throwing sports#Target sports, target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a bowling ball, ball toward Bowling pin, pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). Most references to ''bowling'' are ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

Gameloft Gameloft SE is a French video game company based in Paris, founded in December 1999 by Ubisoft co-founder Michel Guillemot. The company operates 18 development studios worldwide, and publishes games for mobile devices, video game consoles, and ...

originally released for

mobile phone A mobile phone or cell phone is a portable telephone that allows users to make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while moving within a designated telephone service area, unlike fixed-location phones ( landline phones). This rad ...

s. A version with enhanced graphics was also released for

WiiWare WiiWare was a digital media entertainment service operated by Nintendo that allowed the download of games and applications developed for the Wii video game console. These games and applications could only be purchased and downloaded from the W ...

, 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 The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...

. In November 2008, it was made available for the

iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...

via Apple's

App Store An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not i ...

. 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 hipster-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 Remote The Wii Remote, colloquially known as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with an ...

to bowl, miming the action to bowl in similar manner to '' Wii Sports Bowling''.

Reception

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' 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"EU WiiWare Update: Midnight Bowling and Potpourrii
/ref> that may leave the player "wondering if this is some sort of cartoonish bowling inspired game that is not really bowling".WiiWare World Midnight Bowling Review
/ref>

References

External links

WiiWare World's ''Midnight Bowling'' info page
2005 video games Bowling video games Gameloft games IOS games Multiplayer and single-player video games Video games developed in France Wii games WiiWare games {{bowling-videogame-stub