:''This game is not to be confused with the similarly titled Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley, which was developed by Saffire.'' ''Ten Pin Alley'' is a

ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first rol ...

simulation game released by

ASC Games ASC Games (abbreviated from American Softworks Corporation) was an American video game publisher founded in 1992. Formerly based in Darien, Connecticut, the company quickly became a major publisher for games on the Nintendo Entertainment System, ...

in 1996 and developed internally at Adrenalin Entertainment. The game was released on November 30, 1996 in North America, and eventually released in February 1998 in the United Kingdom. Just before its North American release, Sony selected the game's demo to be included on its PlayStation sampler disc. A sequel to the game entitled '' Ten Pin Alley 2'', by an unknown developer, was mooted for a release on the PlayStation 2, but for unknown reasons was shelved. The sequel, developed by Pronto Games and published by XS Games, was released on the

Game Boy Advance The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...

to dismal reviews. ''Ten Pin Alley'' should not be confused with an

audio game An audio game is an electronic game played on a device such as a personal computer. It is similar to a video game save that there is audible and tactile feedback but not visual. Audio games originally started out as 'blind accessible'-games an ...

with the same title made by PCS Games.

Gameplay

Players choose from a set of characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The game play modes are single player, multiplayer, tournament and practice. Each shot is controlled in a similar fashion to many of the

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

games of the era: with an accuracy based pendulum system. With this the player decides the power, accuracy and hook for each shot.

Critical response

Response to the game was favorable. Critics applauded the accurate and realistic physics, the mechanics for controlling the ball's release, and the humorous behavior of the bowlers. Some critics remarked that the multiplayer capabilities, in combination with its other positive aspects, make ''Ten Pin Alley'' an ideal

party video game Party games are games that are played at social gatherings to facilitate interaction and provide entertainment and recreation. Categories include (explicit) icebreaker, parlour (indoor), picnic (outdoor), and large group games.Frankel, Li ...

. '' Next Generation'', for example, called it "the perfect party game, with multiplayer capabilities, wacky characters, and solid game mechanics." '' GamePro'' summarized, "Striking sparks into the world of bowling, ''Ten Pin Alley'' delivers enough fun per frame to be recognized as the kingpin of its sport." Dean Hager of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' commented, "Despite its cheesy atmosphere and goof-ball characters, this sleeper-hit delivers an accurate and entertaining bowling game to the 32-bit platform." ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' deemed it "more fun than real bowling." ''GamePro'' assessed the Saturn version as inferior to the PlayStation version, elaborating that "Although the aturn versioncontains new camera angles, the alleys and bowlers don't look as cleanly animated as they do in the PlayStation version." However, they considered it a recommended title for Saturn owners due to its strong gameplay. ''Ten Pin Alley'' was inducted into the

International Bowling Hall of Fame The World Bowling Writers (WBW) International Bowling Hall of Fame was established in 1993 and is located in the International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame, on the International Bowling Campus in Arlington, Texas. History The International Bo ...

in 1997, with an exhibit including an

interactive kiosk An interactive kiosk is a computer terminal featuring specialized hardware and software that provides access to information and applications for communication, commerce, entertainment, or education. By 2010, the largest bill pay kiosk networ ...

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/ten-pin-alley, name=''Ten Pin Alley'' 1996 video games Bowling video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation Network games Sega Saturn games Video games developed in the United States Windows games Multiplayer and single-player video games ASC Games games