It's frustrating to see that publishers are more interested in making a quick buck than making a decent supplement to Wii Sports Bowling. There's not much more that can be said about Ten Pin Alley 2: it's terrible. Keep playing Wii Sports Bowling until someone finally gets with the program and produces something worthwhile for bowling enthusiasts.
Presentation - 2.0
Graphics - 3.5
Sound - 3.0
Gameplay - 2.0
Lasting Appeal - 2.0
Overall -
GC writes: "The Wii has been available in western markets for over two years now, and in that time has all but single-handedly legitimized the video gaming industry with its alluring motion-based controls. The little white wonder saved Nintendo following two generations of console blunders, by using the unique control scheme to attract the likes of kids, parents, and grandparents alike.
Two of the smartest decisions that Nintendo made with their "revolutionary" console, was to price the console affordably, and to pack in the pseudo tech-demo disc Wii Sports. Ironically, even after 24 months of retail, many gamers still covet Wii Sports with its Baseball, Tennis, Golf and Bowling modes as the most enjoyable party title on the system."
WorthPlaying: "It's difficult to hold the title of King of Wii Shovelware considering the sheer volume of junk that dominates the landscape, but it would seem publisher XS Games is intent on attaining the crown. The company behind the utterly abysmal Rebel Raiders: Operation Nighthawk is at it again with yet another subpar port of an already worthless game. This time, bowling bears the brunt of the XS wrath, and we are graced with Ten Pin Alley 2, a game that proves how Wii Sports could have gone wrong if Nintendo simply didn't care.
The first sign of trouble in Ten Pin Alley 2 is that there isn't much to do. The single-player portion offers the mundane Free Lane mode, where you can simply grab a ball, pick an alley and go bowl, as well as a subpar tournament offering wherein you can challenge four or eight computer players. Unfortunately, there's absolutely no incentive to play either mode. While most games would encourage you by offering cash or unlockables at the end of an event, Ten Pin Alley 2 will have none of it, instead simply telling you that you won and kicking you back out to the main menu screen. Tell me, how long do you normally play a game where there is absolutely no incentive to keep going? I think we both know the answer to that question, and it's not long at all.
The only single-player mode that offers even a smidgen of real content is Trick Shots. Each lane you step into has a collection of 20 different challenges to tackle, adding up to a total of over 100 different tasks. Unfortunately, though, the events are frustrating, annoying, and not really all that much fun to begin with. This mode, which is by far the best thing offered in the game, can keep you entertained for roughly five minutes, and then it's all downhill from there."
