Gaming on the Throne: Review of Ten Pin Championship Bowling for iPhone
I’ve examined two other Skyworks games and I have to say, they really make it easy on you when it comes time to write the review. Their work is elegant and this is a testament to their staff and organized approach. OK, enough horn tooting already—let’s get off the can and get on with the review.
Synopsis
Straight from the Skyworks website:
“Ten Pin” combines incredible graphics and ball physics with awesome sound-design and camera work to capture the local-color and action of America’s Bowling Alleys. It features 2 uniquely styled alleys each with Trophy Rooms to track your stats. Accelerometer controls let you curve the ball as it speeds down the lane. Play with up to 4 players with a variety of ball colors and weights.
The Good
The accelerometer implementation in “Ten Pin” is outstanding. The sensitivity is just right for curving the ball’s path to the pins. This lets you quickly make up for any goofs in your initial hurl of the ball that, incidentally, you initiate by flicking your finger on the touch-pad. Now you REALLY CAN affect the ball trajectory AFTER you throw it (instead of standing there waving your arms like an idiot trying to telekineticly alter the outcome of pitching one down the gutter). Also the pin movements upon impact are realistic and feel right. Clearly, a nice study of motion went into their development.
The graphics are top-notch too and it’s this kind of attention to detail that sets the game above others. While playing, you will eventually notice little things like the reflection of the pins and signage on the wooden lanes, beveling on the scoreboards and flickering neon signs. It adds to the experience. The sound design is superb right down to the alley’s intercom announcing “Tina, your chicken wings are ready” with the slight, intentional microphone feedback you would expect.
The Bad
I did have a few performance problems while playing. It crashed once during the initial loading sequence and there were a few stutters here and there during the action. It really wasn’t enough to be distracting though. I tested “Ten Pin” on an iPhone 3G running OS 3.0 and honestly I have noticed problems with many apps since I upgraded the OS. I am guessing those very few and seemingly temporary hiccups I experienced were related to my phone and not the game.
The Bottom Line
Ten Pin Championship Bowling is premium gaming for less than a dollar. It’s worth all 99 pennies and then some. Go get it!