Pac-Man Bowling Hands-On

At the CTIA event in San Francisco, Namco gave us a look at its upcoming addition to the admittedly crowded mobile bowling market. However, this isn't just another bowling game: It's Pac-Man Bowling! That's right! The round, yellow devourer of pellets and ghosts now has his own bowling title. Featuring multiple characters with unique special abilities, Pac-Man Bowling won't be just another run-of-the-mill bowling game, and if our time spent with it is any indication, it should prove to be a pretty fun addition to your mobile phone.

At the beginning of a game of Pac-Man Bowling, you will begin by selecting one of the game's four characters: Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, Pac-Baby, or Inky. Each of these characters has a unique ability that gives him or her a boost when playing. For example, Pac-Baby will always have a pair of bumpers on the lane that prevent gutter balls. Each character can also gain special abilities to use while rolling by hitting specific pieces of fruit that appear on the lane. If you get the fruit (and don't get a strike, because doing so nullifies the fruit's ability for that frame), you'll be able to do one of a number of things. You'll be able to use a Rally-X car to drive into the remaining pins, or, if you're Inky, you can access a spread attack of ghosts that will collide with more pins than a regular ball would.

The actual gameplay system seems intuitive and easy to play. When you're about to roll, you first begin by moving your player into the position on the lane you'd prefer by using the right and left arrow buttons. Once that's settled, you'll move to a power meter, then an aim meter, and, finally, a spin meter. Once all that's done, you'll roll the ball. The game goes through the usual 10-frame progression, and if you've got a friend nearby, you can take part in some two-player action.

All in all, Pac-Man Bowling seems to be coming together well. The special abilities and power-ups certainly add an air of variety to what is otherwise a straightforward but fun bowling game. We'll bring you more on Pac-Man Bowling as it becomes available.