There are budget titles out there that give gamers at least a thrill or two before gamers realize that there’s nothing else about it worth playing over and over again. Then there are budget games that - while it would have been appealing to see a game based on a favorite hobby - just don’t make a real-life past-time an enjoyable video game experience. This, unfortunately, is the case with Strike Force Bowling on the GameCube.

Strike Force Bowling looks like a bowling game should and fans of the glossy lane will love the chance to bowl in unique locations. Yet looks aren’t everything when the game just doesn’t feel like a bowling game. This, naturally, is what keeps this game from being nicely challenging or fun despite its interesting choice of locales, bowling balls and two decent game modes. The feature, though, that separates Strike Force Bowling are the locales that range from a space station, Egyptian pyramids, a ghost town in the Old West, a pirate ship and even a tropical island. Each locale even brings its own personality to the game. For example, playing in the tropical island you’ll be knocking down island-made pins using a coconut bowling ball. Cute, huh?

The game is composed of five main modes plus a Practice mode that allows you to set up the pins the way you want. Tournament mode pits you against thirty-two bowlers in an elimination-styled tournament while Challenge mode increases the difficulty by constantly providing new and elaborate pin arrangements. Then there’s Skin mode, a game mode that has you competing in a strike competition. Golf has you playing an eighteen hole course-styled game while Open Play just allows you to play on your own or with a group of friends.

Your opponents are composed of a Japanese schoolgirl, a skeleton with eyes, an alien and three uninteresting male and female characters. Each bowl the same way, react the same way and neither character adds anything to the game. The result is a bowling game with no personality or anything that will set each match apart from the other. You start by selecting a ball (either regulation-styled balls or a location-themed ball will do since they all roll the same way) and moving the Aim Pointer down the lane at the pins you would like to strike down. When you’re happy with your aim a meter will appear (kind of like the pitching meter in MVP Baseball) with Power and Accuracy green zones you have to hit with the A button. Time it just right and you’ll roll your ball successfully and hit the pins with great accuracy. That is pretty much all you do in this game.

Using the same aim, spin and throw formula the game becomes way too repetitive. There’s no doubt in my mind that gamers will quickly want to turn the game off after a few pins. Sure your opponents will provide you with challenging matches but oftentimes you’ll feel the frustration of watching these pros make more strikes than gutter balls.

As for the game’s visuals, Strike Force Bowling promises high-polygon characters and specific character reactions. What we get instead are characters that look more comfortable on a PSOne and repetitive player reactions that don’t differ from one character to the next. The characters just don’t move naturally and often times you’ll see limbs twist in the most unnatural positions before releasing the ball. As for the reactions, each character responds the same way to gutter balls or missing that one last pin. Sure the locales add more personality to the mix and sure they look okay, but this isn’t enough to save the game from looking bad.

If that weren’t enough, the game’s sound isn’t any good either. You won’t hear your characters nor will they make a sound when they get a strike so all you’ll hear is your ball rolling down the surface of the alley before it strikes the pins loudly. As for the game’s music, it’s not good at all . . . unless you like a small variety of sleepy tunes.

Unfortunately, even at its budget price, Strike Force Bowling just doesn’t cut it when it comes to fun bowling action. In fact, it misses the mark when it comes to knocking the pins. While it tried to be different it just doesn’t have the goods to keep virtual bowlers wanting to play this one again and again. Sorry, Crave Entertainment, but this one just isn’t any good.

Gameplay: 4.0
Sure you have direct control over direction and a choice of bowling balls, but power and accuracy is a frustrating guessing game that becomes way too repetitive way too quickly. There aren’t many game types either, although Golf Mode at least offers something a bit more challenging.

Graphics: 4.5
Lacking natural movements, reactions or high polygons, the characters in Strike Force Bowling aren’t exactly horrible but they’re not easy on the eyes either. That’s too bad since the locations are actually decent enough.

Sound: 3.0
When the tinny music playing in the space station makes you yawn or the other tunes in the game remind you of a long elevator ride you know the soundtrack is in trouble. There’s no voice work either so all you’ll really hear is the bowling ball striking pins.

Difficulty: Medium
You can expect a somewhat decent challenge farther up the tournament ladder, but sometimes your computer-controlled opponent has the unfair advantage in terms of making spectacular strikes.

Concept: 4.0
How an alien learned how to bowl like a pro is beyond me, but you’ll be up against a number of zany characters. Other than that there’s nothing that makes Strike Force Bowling stand out. And while Skins and Golf are pretty interesting and occasionally fun modes, you won’t be coming back for more.

Multiplayer: 4.5
Playing the game with up to four friends remedies many of the opponent AI problems and that’s a really good thing. Yet it’s still repetitive and won’t provide enough bowling action to keep you and your friends glued to your GameCube.

Overall: 4.0
There’s no other way of putting this except ... Strike Force Bowling fails to bring fun to the virtual lanes and thus should be avoided by those looking for an enjoyable bowling game. There are some fun moments in this game but they are fleeting moments that are quickly overshadowed by the game’s repetitiveness.