Original Release: unreleased (Game Boy Color, leaked 2020)
An almost-complete bowling game, would have been the first to bear the AMF name had it not been canceled
AMF Bowling (GBC, Vicarious Visions, unreleased)
Where to Buy: eBay
How to Emulate: coming soon!
Review by: C. M0use
Though AMF was once one of the biggest brands in the sport, they didn’t get their name on many video games before they went bankrupt in the ’10s. They seem to have only had a small spate of releases for consoles and handhelds in the mid-00s from what I can find. This GBC title would have predated all of those if it had been released, but it turns out it was no great loss to the world.
It’s available thanks to the 2020 leak of unreleased Game Boy ROMs that Nintendo was hoarding. It looks like the game was mostly complete at the time it was shut down, though the “Tournament” mode of play does not appear to be fully implemented, just taking you into the “Practice” mode instead. There’s also a two-player mode, but I have no way to test if that’s working and can’t find any internet references to it.
The game was gonna be no great shakes if it was to be released in this state. It’s an extremely simplified take on the sport, basically reduced to positioning your character left-right then stopping two gauges that swing wildly. The game basically boils down to stopping the direction gauge dead center and getting a strike, or anywhere off dead center and having to pick up some pins. You can choose the weight of your ball, but I can’t say as it makes a difference, nor does the power gauge unless it’s very low. It’s only a challenge in that the gauge swings so fast it’s hard to stop accurately.
The game doesn’t bother to try to have any “feel” of bowling physics at all, or even ambiance of an alley. The apparent plan was to sell it on whatever presentation flash they could muster from a collection of voice clips. You choose your character from one of eight freaks and geeks and bimbos, each having their own little digitized quips. There’s also some sort of announcer who frequently chimes in. If I have to say something nice about the game, the audio is pretty clear and high-quality for the GBC. Otherwise it doesn’t really stand up to bowling games from 10 years prior.
Videos