PlayStation LifeStyle » High Velocity Bowling

PS3 Doing Some Mad VooDoo This Weekend

Paulmichael Contreras — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:30:56 +0000

Are you going to be in New Orleans this Halloween weekend? Heading out to the VooDoo festival there? If so, then you may be interested in learning that, much like last year, PlayStation is also going to be there, and will be bringing goodies.

As can be seen on the official PlayStation website, the “VooDoo Experience” will include stations set up with Gran Turismo 5 and MotorStorm Apocalypse in 3D as well as various Move titles such as High Velocity Bowling and sweat-inducing The Fight: Lights Out. But seeing as how this is a music/arts festival, the booth will also host SingStar Dance and the excellent DJ Hero 2. This is the eleventh year that PlayStation has been present at this festival, and it is accompanying such musical talents as Ozzy Osbourne, Drake, Deadmau5, Muse… the list goes on. So grab some swag and enjoy the music!

High Velocity Bowling Trailer Highlights Move and 3D

Kishen Patel — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 20:22:53 +0000

High Velocity Bowling has been garnering more attention than most PlayStation Network titles at this point due to its addition of PlayStation Move support as well as stereoscopic 3D. To get the word out, the developers of the title at Team Ramrod have released an all-new trailer complete with a live-action demonstration of Move and 3D. Check out the new trailer below!

High Velocity Bowling, complete with PlayStation Move support and bundled with DLC, is available on Blu-ray for $39.99 while PlayStation Plus users can get the free Move patch for the PSN version of the title, available for $9.99.

PlayStation Release Horizon 09/20/10

Kishen Patel — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:41:02 +0000

The PlayStation Move onslaught continues with title after title releasing week after week. This week, two Move enables titles strike into retail outlets while, on the PSP, an RPG is outed that tells us just that. Other than that, check out the rest of the releases of this week below.

PS3 -

PSP -

Cladun: This is an RPG (09/21)

PS2 -

No new releases

With an all-new bowling title releasing this week and another re-releasing with PlayStation Move support to compete, which one will reign superior? Keep up with our reviews to make an informed decision.

High Velocity Bowling Getting Move and 3D Enabled Retail Release? [Update]

Anthony Severino — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:19:32 +0000

High Velocity Bowling released back in December of 2007 and utilized SIXAXIS motion support to provide a realistic bowling experience. The game was set to try for the spare, adding PlayStation Move support. However, a retail release may instead be aiming for the strike with both PlayStation Move and 3D support.

A listing has popped up on GameStop.com suggesting that High Velocity Bowling will be getting released at retail for $39.99. The boxart listed on the retailers website states that the game is “PlayStation Move compatible” and features that special “3D Game” logo at the bottom.

The most curious part of this would easily be the $39.99 price tag. The PSN downloadable version is only $9.99 – obviously a big discrepancy. However, when you add up all the DLC available, the game rings in just over the $40 mark, making the price seem a lot more reasonable.

No official announcement has been made as of this writing about a retail release or if the PSN version will receive a patch for 3D gaming and PlayStation Move support. We’ve fired off an email to Sony to get some clarification on this matter and we’ll be sure to update if they’re so kind enough to respond.

[UPDATE] Just as we published this, the PlayStation Blog released new details for the next PlayStation Plus offering which hits on the 21st of September. Included for free to Plus subscribers is a “FREE add-on” for High Velocity Bowling “Move compatability”. If this is “FREE” for PlayStation Plus subscribers, it leads us to believe that non-subscribers will have to pay for PlayStation Move support separately and it wont just arrive via a patch. This must be what Senior Social Media Specialist, Sid Shuman meant when he mentioned this: “Whether these updates are free or will require a fee will depend on the game and publisher.”

PSP Pinball-izing Popular PlayStation Brands

Paulmichael Contreras — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:25:19 +0000

Pinball fans who own a PlayStation Portable or PSPgo rejoice! Soon it appears you will have more than just the Gottlieb Collections to keep your flipper fingers happy on the go. A recent ESRB listing indicates various PlayStation brand-themed pinball games are headed our way.

According to the new listings, there will be four games in the Pinball Heroes line:

Pinball Heroes: High Velocity Bowling
This is a pinball game designed around the artwork and themes of the video game High Velocity Bowling. Players use flippers to hit the ball toward pins, bowling balls, or a jukebox target to earn points.

Pinball Heroes: Hot Shots Golf

This is a pinball game designed around the artwork and themes of the Hot Shots Golf video-game series. Players use flippers to hit the ball into a miniature putting green, around a water hazard, and onto fairway targets to score points.

Pinball Heroes: PAIN

This is a pinball game designed around the artwork and themes of the video game PAIN. Players control flippers that cause balls to slide over manhole covers, cross over street ramps, and bounce off construction-colored bumpers. The game contains over-the-top sound effects, which are triggered when the ball bounces off certain bumpers: a character screams, “Ouch,” “yeow,” “oww,” and “ugh”; there is commentary such as “Show me where it hurts,” “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,” and “What am I a trampoline?”

Pinball Heroes: Uncharted

This is a pinball game designed around the artwork and themes of the video game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Players use flippers to hit the ball around a crashed airplane, into silhouetted character targets, and off bumpers shaped like gold coins to score points.

Since there are four separate entries here, it is likely that each of these games will end up either as individual PSP Minis. No information about these games have surfaced other than the descriptions available on ESRB’s website, but as soon as more is revealed expect to read it here first! Which ones are you most excited for?

[Source/Via]

PlayStation Review Round Up – July 09

Adam Wolfe — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:57:44 +0000

July saw a steady share of excellent games as well as a few movie based bombs. Generally summer is a drought for good gaming, but 2009 seems to confound that logic. Here is a look at what we reviewed for the month of July.

July’s reviews spanned all genres from 2D fighters two wild west shooters. A lot of the games that were reviewed turned out to be quite entertaining. The big winners this month were [shal]BlazBlue[/shal], [shal]Red Faction: Guerrilla[/shal], [shal]Battlefield 1943[/shal], and [shal]Shatter[/shal].

As for the lemons, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits left us feeling a sense of déjà vu and [shal]Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen[/shal] was, not surprisingly, a bad game based on a movie.

First a quick recap of this years best games.

PlayStation LifeStyle 2009 Editors Choice Recap

Flower (PSN)
inFamous (PS3)
Killzone 2 (PS3)
Patapon 2 (PSP)
Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
Shatter (PSN)

PlayStation 3

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (PS3)
Red Faction: Guerrilla (PS3)
Fight Night Round 4 (PS3)
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood (PS3)
Guitar Hero: Metallica (PS3)
NCAA Football 10 (PS3)
Guitar Hero: Smash Hits (PS3)
The Bigs 2 (PS3)
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (PS3)

Next Page: PlayStation Network, PlayStation Portable, Hardware & Gear…

PSN Review – High Velocity Bowling

Adam Wolfe — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:25:31 +0000

[shal]High Velocity Bowling[/shal] is [shal]Sony’s[/shal] semi-rebuttal to Wii bowling. All of the motions are controlled by the Sixaxis. Now with previous games struggling to use the Sixaxis correctly, can HVB get it right or is it a complete waste of the feature?

As stated above, this game is controlled completely with the sixaxis motion controls. Although the controls can be difficult in the beginning, once you get used to them it is a lot of fun. For starters, you hold the controller different than usual. The game asks that you hold it with your left or right hand so that the controller is vertical, and the analog sticks are pointing inward. This way you can use your thumb on the X button, and your pinky and pointer finger on the L2 and R2 buttons.

To start a game you pull up a billboard and choose from several different game modes. You can either play a tournament, a trick shot, or challenge a bowler. Each type of game unlocks different prizes, including better characters and new bowling balls. Each bowling ball you use has a grade indicating how well it spins. You also can choose the oil pattern for each lane, and although this may not seem like a big deal at first, it has a significant impact on the trajectory and speed of your ball.

When it is your turn you will have to choose your starting position; tilt the controller left or right and your bowler will move left and right. When ready, select X to choose the angle of your shot. Again, tilt your controller left or right to change the angle of your shot. After you hitting X again, your bowler will start to move forward, and you’ll need to swing your arm back then swing forward, identical to what you would do on a real bowling lane. If you want to add some spin to your ball, simply hold in R2 or L2. Because the triggers have analog sensitivity, the stronger you hold down these buttons the more spin your ball will have. All of the motions work pretty well, and it’s on of the better uses of the sixaxis in recent memory.

The sound for this game is pretty spot on. All of the sounds you’d expect to hear at a bowling alley are there, and even some of the comments made by the bowlers are humorous. But eventually they can get kind of old. One of the best features for this game is its support for custom soundtracks, and in fact it was one of the first titles that included this feature. And without it, it just wouldn’t be as enjoyable. There’s nothing like rocking out to Led Zeppelin, swinging bowling balls down the lane.

The visuals are alright, but where the game really shines is in the overall physics. For the most part, everything acts like it should on a bowling alley. The areas that are waxed act a lot different then the areas that were not. The pins bounce and fly in every which way, and even those stupid pins that stay standing when there is no possible way you could of missed it (at least, that’s what I tell myself). What this game lacks in visual flare, it makes up completely in the authenticity of its physical interactions.

Since HVB’s release, quite a lot of DLC has been released, including new bowling ball packs and brand new characters. It has also fixed one of the main issues which is it now has the online multi-player which was a must. When you go online you can choose from several different rooms, from the not so talented gutterballs to the top of the line 300 club. Another feature added was trophy support, which acts as a great motivator to unlock everything.

It would have been good to have a few more bowlers to start out with, but since it is not overly complicated to unlock new bowlers it wasn’t too big of a deal. In the end this is a wonderful game. It’s fun to play both by yourself and with a friend. The control scheme is pretty clever, and it definitely takes the PS3 further into the casual market. It’s a great game to play, and I recommend picking it up if bowling interests you.

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score

Fun to play either solo or with friends.

Visuals are decent, but the physics are spot on.

Unique Sixaxis control scheme has both accessibility and depth.

Top 5 PSN Games You May Have Missed

Anthony Severino — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:59:07 +0000

Following up our Top 5 PS3 Games You May Have Missed, is our list of PSN titles, that for some reason or another, many people have missed, but really shouldn’t have. After you’re done reading this list, make sure to check them out.

#5.) Blast Factor

To sum up Blast Factor… well… it’s a blast. The first dual-stick, top-down shooter to grace the PSN released to a small user base, and most likely was missed by many of you. Its use of the SIXAXIS was brilliant at the time, being the first PSN game to take advantage of it’s motion sensing goodness. The graphics are nothing to shout about, but the gameplay sure is, the game is fun, addictive, and was a great way to kill time between bouts of Resistance: Fall of Man, which was really all that was worth playing around the PS3 launch. Blast Factor recently got patched to include trophy support so those of you who haven’t picked up this game have more reason to do so than ever.

#4.) Calling All Cars

Another great game that suffered the pains of being released to a slow to start PS3 user-base. Directed by David Jaffe, of God of War and Twisted Metal fame, this game is as fun as it gets. The premise is very simple, you drive around trying to catch “robbers” and bring them to “jail”, using any means necessary (in Calling All Cars, the necessary means are missiles, magnets, and more). This game really shines playing at home with some friends, since you have the pleasure of laughing in their face with a Nelson Muntz-esque Haw-haaaaw! when you “steal” the robber from them just as they were about to score. If you are still on the fence about buying an annual subscription to Qore, Calling All Cars comes bundled to sweeten the deal.

#3.) Echochrome

Many PS3 owners will be instantly turned off by Echochrome… blindingly white screen, no explosions, or violence, just an artistic puzzler that is as elegant as it gets. The classical background music, helps relax your mind to focus on the task at hand. As you start to figure out how to play Echochrome correctly, twisting and turning the puzzle, to reach “echoes”, you start to appreciate it for what it is, and that is one of the finest puzzle games available on the PSN. Yet another title that received the trophy treatment recently, Echochrome is worth picking up even without the trophy support, but ever since the patch, its value has increased exponentially.

#2.) High Velocity Bowling

Move over Wii Sports bowling, this is the closest thing you’ll get to real bowling, aside from strapping on some stinky, overly used and stretched out bowling shoes, and walking up the hardwood lanes yourself. HVB has received a ton of free DLC, and has plenty of premium DLC that you can customize the experience with… it even has custom soundtrack support, so you can jam to your favorite tunes while you try to bowl a 300!

#1.) Everyday Shooter

Jonathan Mak’s first game on the PSN (also the only one, but we sure hope he releases more) is a dual-stick, top-down shooter at heart, but is really so much more of a stimulatory experience than most others in the genre. Beautifully designed abstract art styled stages, and geometrically shaped enemies impress, but more impressive is the guitar riffs as you shoot and destroy each enemy which seem perfectly intertwined within the game’s all-guitar soundtrack. Each level offers a comepletely different way to chain your attacks, which in turn increases your overall score. You use the points you have earned to purchase extras from the in-game menu which can change the whole look of the game. Because this game offers no trophy support, this game will most likely will be passed by the many PS3 owners who picked up their console after its release. However this game is good enough to reach our number one spot, so if you value an excellent game, then the fact it doesn’t support trophies shouldn’t steer you away from this experience.

Trophy Guide – High Velocity Bowling

Phoenix8387 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:30:57 +0000

High Velocity Bowling launched in early December of last year and this past May in Europe. The title makes excellent use of the SixAxis controls and is an entertaining party game. There was one thing that the game lacked when it launched, Online Play. However on October 16th High Velocity Bowling received a patch to include Online Play, but it also included support for our beloved Trophies.

Team RamRod took an interesting route, they completely forwent giving Trophies for anything that was included in the original game and decided to go with a completely online approach. All of the Trophies except for two can be earned just by continuing to play online and given enough patience. Those two Trophies that do require a bit of skill require a 180 and 250 pins with a single game.

150 Strikes (Gold): Accumulate 150 strikes in online play.
- The fewest games this can be completed in is 13, however if your that good you probably don’t need this guide. If you’re even halfway decent at this game this still shouldn’t take too long to rack up. Even if you only manage 3 Strikes a game that’s only 50 matches. The best solution for this is to find a line, speed and spin that you are comfortable with and gives you a strike a majority of the time. Keep using that character, ball and oil pattern and start racking up those strikes.

75 Strikes (Silver): Accumulate 75 strikes in online play.
- See 150 Strikes (Gold), just requires fewer strikes.

25 Wins (Silver): Win 25 or more games in online play.
- You’ll need to be either good, lucky or persistent. 25 wins isn’t exactly a hard thing to come across, even if you not the most excellent person at the game. If you keep with it you’ll eventually get that 25th. Don’t obsess about this as if you play consistently you’ll earn this within due time.

5000 Pins (Silver): Accumulate a total of 5000 pins knocked down in online play.
- Endurance is all it’s about. Good (Scoring average 200+) players will get this around their 25th game, average players (Scoring average ~150) will take around 35 games and the not so graceful (Scoring average ~100-) should take around 50+. Keep at it and you’ll pick it up before you know it.

Score 250 (Silver): Score 250 or better in an online game.
- I’ll be honest with you, most people won’t get this one. Even if you find that perfect throw that almost always gives you a strike, this will take some patience and luck. You will need to bowl constant strikes to even have a hope of getting this, which you’ll need around 8 in a match plus some spares to grab this beauty.

3 Games (Bronze): Complete 3 full games in online play.
- Complete 3 online matches. It doesn’t matter how good (or bad) you do, just that you finish.

1 Win (Bronze): Win a single game in online play.
- See 25 Wins (Silver), just requires fewer wins.

15 Spares (Bronze): Accumulate 15 spares in online play.
- Bowl 15 Spares. You’ll likely pick this up as you play online. You don’t have to explicitly try for it as it’ll quickly come naturally as you play for the other Trophies.

10 Strikes (Bronze): Accumulate 10 strikes in online play.
- See 150 Strikes (Gold), just requires fewer strikes.

500 Pins (Bronze): Accumulate a total of 500 pins knocked down in online play.
-See 5000 Pins (Silver), just requires fewer pins.

1600+ Rating (Bronze): Achieve an online skill rating of 1600 or better.
- When you start out you have a skill rating 1500, in the case you win your first online match that you play you will most likely also be awarded with this. However if you lose that match you’ll likely lose anywhere from 100-250 points, the better you bowl and lose the fewer points you lose. The same goes when you win, the better you bowl and win the more points you win. The opponents score also seems to affect how much you win/lose but not to the extent that yours does. Win 2 or 3 matches in a row and your almost assured to up to 1600+.

Score 180 (Bronze): Score 180 or better in an online game.
- See Score 250 (Silver), just requires a lower score.

HVB Gets an Upgrade

Azariah Ellington II — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:16:43 +0000

Written by Chris Rah Osiris

Time to go online and bowl baby bowl

Tomorrow HVB will be getting several new features. We all like new features, but we all LOVE free new features. A recent post on the Official Blog has revealed what all we can look forward to. I will say this first and foremost, there has been no news of whether or not screen capture will be in this feature update, but there will be:

Online play
Online Leaderboards
TROPHIES
Voice Chat

I purchased this game during the summer sale, so I am looking forward to getting this update and playing online. Plus, it’ll allow me to put the headset to work. We all want to use those new official headsets.