Nester’s Funky Bowling

******************************************************************************* Nester's Funky Bowling for Virtual Boy FAQ by BHodges Version 1.2 Created 11/06/02 Updated 05/05/18 This document Copyright © 2002-2008, 2018 by Brian Hodges. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders. ******************************************************************************* Table of Contents I. Introduction II. Adjusting the Virtual Boy III. Automatic Pause IV. Background Story and Useless Trivia A. Introduction from instruction book B. Nester & Hester C. Some Useless Trivia V. Starting the Game VI. Controls VII. Mode Descriptions A. One or Two Players B. Bowl C. Practice D. Challenge VIII. Bowling Basics IX. General Strategies A. General Info B. My Recommendation X. My Best Scores XI. Debug Menu XII. Special Thanks XIII. Game Review XIV. Version History XV. Contact Information ******************************************************************************* I. Introduction This is a FAQ for the Virtual Boy game Nester's Funky Bowling. It contains a list of controls, some game strategies, and a mini-review. Nester's Funky Bowling was developed by Saffire, Inc. and published by Nintendo in February of 1996. The game stars Nester of Nintendo Power comics fame and introduces his twin sister, Hester, as they take their sibling rivalry to the bowling alley! ******************************************************************************* II. Adjusting the Virtual Boy After the Precaution Message the Adjustment Screen will be displayed. Taking the time to properly adjust the Virtual Boy will reduce eye strain and maximize the 3D effect. It is recommended you adjust the Virtual Boy before each play session. Adjustment procedure: 1.) Press your face firmly against the eyeshade. Please note that if you typically wear eyeglasses or contacts then you will need to wear them will playing the Virtual Boy. 2.) Rotate the IPD dial left/right until you can clearly see four VB boxes in the corners. 3.) Move the Focus slider to the center position then slide it left/right until the screen is in focus. 4.) Continue to tweak the IPD dial and the Focus slider until both the center image and the four VB boxes are in focus. 5.) Press start when you have finished. **IT IS VITAL THAT YOU PROPERLY ADJUST THE VIRTUAL BOY TO AVOID EYE STRAIN** ******************************************************************************* III. Automatic Pause Every Virtual Boy game has an Auto Pause feature. If Auto Pause is active, after 15 minutes of play the game will automatically pause at the end of a stage and display a splash screen reminding you to take a short break to rest your eyes. The Auto Pause menu will be displayed immediately after the Adjustment Screen when you first power on the Virtual Boy. Auto Pause always defaults to ON and can be toggled ON or OFF by pressing left/right on the left control pad. Press start or A when you are done. **IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU ALWAYS LEAVE THE AUTO PAUSE FEATURE ON** ******************************************************************************* IV. Background Story and Useless Trivia ............................................................................... A. Introduction from instruction book "A long time ago, a spunky little boy named Nester ruled the pages of Nintendo Power magazine's comic section. Conceited as ever, Nester is breaking into the new genre of video games with the first 3D bowling game. Shine your shoes and buff your ball--you're going bowling! Nester and his twin sister, Hester, treat you to a fantastic game of knock-the-pins-down. This 3D bowling experience is fast paced and red hot. Both bowlers are competitive and very involved in their games. You'll agree as you witness some of their Funky expressions. Are you up to the challenge?" ............................................................................... B. Nester & Hester Nester Nester is a conceited video game player and a notorious smart aleck. Years ago, he finagle his way to comic stardom in the pages of Nintendo Power magazine. After a glorious run of forty-something issues, Nester called it quits. He wanted to prove that he wasn't just another comic hero. He spent the last couple of years as a struggling actor before coming back to his bread and butter, VIDEO GAMES. Hester You thought Nester was bad? You should get a load of his over-confident twin sister, Hester. A whopping three minutes older than Nester, Hester is sure that she is superior to her little brother in every way. Deep down, Hester has always believed that she could have been a bigger star than Nester. Well, she finally has a chance to prove herself. Will you help Hester, or will you help Nester? ............................................................................... C. Some Useless Trivia - The name Nester is derived from "NES Master". - This game marks Hester's only appearance in any media. - This is Nester's first time as a playable character. His only other playable appearance is as the pilot "Lark" in Pilotwings 64. - Nester's Funky Bowling is one of only two Virtual Boy games that were released in the US in 1996 (the "2nd generation" of VB games). - The instruction book claims this is the first 3D bowling game, but Virtual Bowling (NOT a Japanese version of NFB) was released for the VB in 1995. ******************************************************************************* V. Starting the Game Press Start on the Title Screen to go to the Options Screen. On the Options Screen you can select the number of players, the type of game you want to play, and the music using the left control pad. Press Start to go to the Configure Screen. Here you will enter your name, select which character you want to play as, and which hand to use. Use the left control pad to enter your name. Press Select to move down to character selection. Use the left control pad to highlight the character you want to use. Then press Select again. Use up and down on the control pad to choose the weight and left and right to choose the hand. Press start when you are ready to play. ******************************************************************************* VI. Controls Left control pad Move your bowler A button Stop bowling meter Start Pause Select Bring up adjustment screen Press A once to stop the Spin Meter then press A again to stop the Power Meter and roll the ball. The Spin Meter determines how much the ball will curve to the left or right. The Power Meter determines how hard you throw the ball, the fuller the meter the more powerful the throw. ******************************************************************************* VII. Mode Descriptions ............................................................................... A. One or Two Players All three game modes can be played by one or two players. In two player mode players alternate turns using the same Virtual Boy. Be sure to re-adjust the Virtual Boy by pressing Select every time you switch off! ............................................................................... B. Bowl Regular bowling. You play a standard game of ten frames. ............................................................................... C. Practice You can set up the pins any way you like. You will have three rolls, then you can set them up again. ............................................................................... D. Challenge The pins are set up in increasingly difficult positions. You get one chance to knock down all the pins. You only get points for knocking down all the pins. The more difficult the shot, the more points it is worth. The pin placements are randomly generated, but the last shot will always be a 7-10 split. Here are point values for each shot: Shot 1: 10 points Shot 2: 10 points Shot 3: 20 points Shot 4: 20 points Shot 5: 20 points Shot 6: 30 points Shot 7: 30 points Shot 8: 50 points Shot 9: 50 points Shot 10: 60 points ******************************************************************************* VIII. Bowling Basics A game of bowling is made up of 10 frames. For each frame there will be 10 pins. You get two rolls each frame to knock down as many pins as possible. Knocking down all ten pins on your first throw is called a strike. Knocking down all ten pins in two throws is called a spare. Each pin is worth one point. If you roll a spare your score for that frame will be 10 plus the number of pins you knock down on your next roll. If you roll a strike, your score for that frame will be 10 plus the number of pins you knock down on your next two rolls. In the tenth frame you will get an extra throw and pins if you roll a strike or a spare. ******************************************************************************* IX. General Strategies ............................................................................... A. General Info As far as I can tell, there is no difference between Nester and Hester's bowling abilities. The weight of the ball effects the power and curve of the roll. A heavier ball will hit the pins harder, but will curve less. The hand you use is a matter of personal preference. A right-handed bowler's roll will curve easier to the left and a lefty's will curve easier to the right. Switching hands will change gameplay and adds variety. ............................................................................... B. My Recommendation Here is what works best for me: Choose a right-handed bowler and a 10 pound ball. Position Nester so that his left elbow is directly over the small dot to the right of the big one. Then press A when the spin meter is in between the third and second diamond from the left. Then try to stop the power meter as close to the top as possible. This will usually result in a strike for me. ******************************************************************************* X. My Best Scores BOWL: 246 CHALLENGE: 190 ******************************************************************************* XI. Debug Menu On the Automatic Pause menu screen hold Up on both control pads and press the R and L buttons to display the Debug Menu. The Debug Menu allows you to play all of the game's sound effects and music tracks, view the game animations, and view the credits. ******************************************************************************* XII. Special Thanks Special thanks go to vuefinder83 for finding the hidden Debug Menu! ******************************************************************************* XI. Game Review This is an average bowling game, it doesn't have any real good or bad points that make it stand out. If you don't like bowling you should probably avoid this game. If you are a bowling fan and can find a copy for under $20, you should give it a try. Pros + The game has a two player mode. + This is a good game to play if you want to play a short game. + The more you play it, the more you'll like it. Cons - Playing with two people on the same Virtual Boy can be awkward. - No tournament mode nor computer controlled opponents of any kind. - The game doesn't save your high scores. ******************************************************************************* XII. Version History 1.2 05/05/18 Added Debug and Special Thanks sections. Updated Introduction, Adjusting the Virtual Boy, and Automatic Pause, Contact Information, Useless Trivia section, and Header. Made a ton formatting and rewording changes. 1.1 09/18/08 Updated My Best Scores section. Added some more legal stuff to the header. Fixed some typos. Expanded the Table of Contents and the section labels. Made some formatting changes. Unless I ever manage to score a 300, this will most likely be my final update for this FAQ. 1.0 11/06/02 Created FAQ ******************************************************************************* XIII. Contact Information You can contact me at bhodges080@aol.com Please leave constructive comments. I especially appreciate emails letting me know if I have made a mistake, missed anything, or if you have any ideas for improving this FAQ. ******************************************************************************* End