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LGR - Hyperbowl PC Game Review
🕑 Added 2025-06-01 17:31:35 +0000 UTCAhh I dunno what it is about this game exactly, but it's one of those that I think about every so often ever since first playing it 20-something years ago. In my mind it's a staple of the early Windows XP days, but it turns out it was much more than that!
Though it was perhaps most well-known for its inclusion in the Windows XP Plus! Packs and Media Center Edition in the 2000s, HyperBowl was originally a (literally) massive arcade game attraction in 1999 created by Sony for use in their Metreon entertainment center in San Francisco. And while I've never been lucky enough to play one of the arcade editions, I absolutely played the crap out of the Arcade Edition! Which, confusingly enough, is what they called the home edition of Hyperbowl. So let's take a look at each of the different home versions, including the newer Unity Engine remakes.
Hope y'all enjoy the early edit of this one! It's a classic kind of LGR gaming retrospective, and while I don't expect it to do gangbusters with the algorithm, it was super fun to return to this game and learn a whole lot more about it. This era in PC gaming is increasingly becoming one of my absolute favorites to revisit.
$5+ supporters can expect the next LGR Wrap Up episode in the coming week, complete with some enjoyable house rebuild updates. And the next main LGR video is in the works, all about some weird modern analog-to-digital camera stuff. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Comments
Chris Rogers
I bought the Steam version, and when I played it, the graphics weren't as good as I remembered from the XP days. Now I know why.
Alex Weiss
A nice throwback LGR video. Love it.
BastetFurry
I bet the DRM is the culprit here, maybe someone with too much time could fire up Ghidra and take care of this problem once and for all. ;)
DrummerGeek
Great video, I feel like it wouldn't be that difficult to build a bowling ball trackball. Could be a fun project. Undrilled bowling balls aren't very expensive.
Dukefazon
So they basically controlled the game with a huge trackball. I wish you could include a trackball controlled scene along with the mouse and tablet scenes at 5:07. Have you played The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road on Nintendo DS? It also has a weird virtual trackball control system. I like these early 3D weird games on PC, I had one that was like a Tetris on a circular base called (and here I searched for the name for 2 days...) - I don't know the name, it was like a tetris game with the Tower of Babel. It was 3D and you could rotate around the tower, it was fun... Nevermind...
T. Rillener
Regarding the Unity versions being 90% complete but lacking that essential remaining 10%, I think that's a common challenge with software development. Taking something from nearly done to fully done (depending on one's definition of done) can paradoxically feel like -- and sometimes is -- as much as effort as the first burst of development. Fine-tuning, adjustments, balancing, and squashing bugs can be very time consuming.
LGR
Dang! Yeah I haven't seen a cracked/DRM-less version of this either, at least not the original Arcade Edition. Unity Engine remakes have no DRM thankfully. CD-Cops ain't playing around I guess.
Alyxx the Rat
Welp that is the second time I see CD-Cops DRM. A Norwegian game called Flåklypa Grand Prix infamously used it as well, even up to its later Windows 7 release of the game where they switched to DVD-Cops. And to this day there exists no DRM-free version of that game. They released a remake recently with newer graphics but overall it felt lacking compared to the original game and yeah, I just have negative associations with CD-Cops for that reason.
LGR
Hard to do with a regular mouse, but it's possible! Betting with a real bowling ball-sized trackball it'd be better.
LGR
Still never played but it's come up in comments a fair bit!
LGR
I should probably get around to playing that one finally!
LGR
Ahh I wish they were still there as well, and the arcade! I'd have absolutely made a trip to go film it if so. Also Sinners was fantastic.
Gareth P
REALLY loved the hyperbole joke :-D Cool game, no idea it existed! I kept wondering if you could recreate spin on the bowling ball but decided I was probably over thinking it!
Chris Rainger
THought this was my long awaiting Hyperblade review, but I guess Hyperbowl is cool too.
Tyler Compton
I saw Sinners at the Metreon a couple weeks ago! No idea it had any kind of retro gaming connection. I sure wish that Sony Store was still there.
rjcgy
Unrelated to the post, apologies, but I thought you might find this interesting. Paul Schindler from CC has a youtube (and website I think). No credit to me for finding this, I think I saw it on reddit. Paulschindler3795 on YT, I'm not sure I can post direct links here, so search that and you will find it. Some cool anecdotes from his time at CC, etc.
LGR
Appreciate the feedback! Yeah I’m not 100% happy with that bit myself, it was chopped up from a few different takes so I’ll likely re-record some of it for the sake of clarity.
Kris Asick
I got this confused with HyperBlade before I started watching the video since that game takes place in a giant ellipsoid arena which kinda made me think of a giant bowl.... Geeze it's been forever since I last played that one...
Niels Poldervaart
Never heard of this game before. It indeed looks like simple fun. Some feedback on this edit: I think section of the Unity re-implementations for PC can be truncated quite a bit. Perhaps you can just talk about the iOS version and mention that there's also a PC version but it has some additional limitations. Or at least try to merge the sections about the two different PC versions.
