is an arcade game released in 1990 by SNK for the Neo Geo console and arcade systems. The players controls characters with red and blue hair and can select balls from 8 to 15 pounds. It is the only bowling game released on the Neo Geo.

Modes

''League Bowling'' has three types of modes, played up to 4 players.''League Bowling'' user's manual (Neo Geo AES, US)

Regulation

Played just like a normal game of bowling, with 300 being a perfect score.

Flash

Values of 100 to 300 will flash on a randomizer during the time the bowler throws his shot. A strike adds the bonus flash value to the score accumulated at the end of the game. Below each strike value is a smaller point value, which is added to the score for a spare. Unlike regular bowling, bonus shots in the tenth frame are not awarded; once a strike or spare is thrown, the game ends. The maximum possible score is 3,000.

Strike 90

Played just like regulation except that a strike scores 90 points for the frame, and a spare scores 60 for the frame, with no carry-over bonus. 30 points are awarded in the case of a field goal (throwing the ball in between the 7 and 10 pins). Like the Flash mode, there are no bonus shots in the tenth frame. The maximum possible score is 900.

Multi Link Play

In addition, it also has the option to link up to 4 Neo-Geo MVS machines to become the 8-player game. This is the only Neo-Geo game that features the 8-player support. The 8-player gameplay video are shown on YouTube with the link below.

Reception

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''League Bowling'' on their February 1, 1991 issue as being the eighth most-popular arcade game at the time. Likewise, ''RePlay'' reported the game to be the twentieth most-popular arcade game at the time. The title was met with mixed to positive reviews from critics, many of which criticized its awkward controls for being passable but praised its humorous artstyle as well as the characters and their reactions. '' AllGame''s Kyle Knight praised the catoon-style presentation, simple gameplay and multiplayer but criticized the audio and lack of replay value. ''Consoles Plus''s J.B. Aerstut also commended the visual presentation, comparing it with the works of '' Tex Avery'', audio and playability but felt mixed in regards to its longevity. ''

Hobby Consolas ''HobbyConsolas'' is a Spanish video game magazine founded in 1991 by Hobby Press and published by Axel Springer SE. The first issue appeared in October 1990. The monthly magazine offers information about games for all consoles, and since 2012 ...

'' Manuel del Campo gave positive remarks to the multiplayer, character animations, appropriate music, sound and playability but criticized one gameplay aspect. ''

Joystick A joystick, sometimes called a flight stick, is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. A joystick, also known as the control column, is the principal cont ...

''s Jean-Marc Demoly and ''Player One''s Cyril Drevet commented positively in regards to the animated audiovisual presentation, realism and longevity. ''Joystick'' also regarded it as one of the best bowling simulators in the genre but was criticized for being repetitive and limited.

Ports

Tom Fulp, the founder and CEO of Newgrounds, ported the game to Flash in 2002. The port features no ball selection, a regulation mode only, fewer animations, and the different player's sprites are the same. Later on 2010, SNK Playmore releases the

NEOGEO Station NEOGEO Station was a brand by M2 for downloadable Neo Geo games that were previously available to be purchased from the PlayStation Store for Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation Portable (PSP) and PlayStation Vita (PSV) video game consoles ...

, which includes the emulation of the game and other Neo-Geo games for the PlayStation 3 and the PSP. On July 12, 2011, Virtual Console version for the

Wii The Wii ( ) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other Regional lockout, regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major ho ...

was released in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Easter Egg

Nadia, from the anime '' Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'', can be seen cheering in the background.

Amusements Arcade UK: Butlin's Minehead list

*'' Butlins'' (1994–2001) (Neo Geo MVS: Neo-Fruito-MVS – 5 Slot: Art of Fighting (1992), Samurai Shodown (1993), Mutation Nation (1992), ''League Bowling'' (1990) and Super Sidekicks (1992))

Notes

References

External links

''League Bowling''
at

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''League Bowling''
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Play League Bowling online at Newgrounds

League Bowling 8-Player Gameplay by Turfmasta on YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:League Bowling 1990 video games ACA Neo Geo games Arcade video games Bowling video games D4 Enterprise games Multiplayer and single-player video games Neo Geo games Neo Geo CD games Nintendo Switch games PlayStation Network games PlayStation 4 games SNK Playmore games SNK games Virtual Console games Video games developed in Japan Xbox One games Hamster Corporation games