Silver Strike LIVE Hits the Streets
Game Update Showcases Do-It-Yourself Avatars and (Virtual) Bowling for (Real) Dollars
Before you head to your favorite watering hole to play Silver Strike LIVE, know this: it may be virtual bowling, but the cash prizes are real.
You’re not actually “bowling,” but your custom-made, custom-dressed avatar—displayed in glorious HD video—is. You’re standing in your neighborhood bar, finessing the trackball controller in one hand and a beer in the other, competing with players nationwide for cash and glory.
May the best (if not best-dressed) avatar win!
That’s the phenomenon of Silver Strike LIVE, the latest video-bowling craze from Incredible Technologies (IT), the Grand Poobah of video game developers.
The technology behind the system, ITNet, enables IT to conduct real-time, online, coast-to-coast tournaments. It’s what catapulted Golden Tee LIVE, IT’s signature product, to the top spot in out-of-home entertainment for the last 13 years.
First released in 2004, Silver Strike already attracts millions of players and earned millions of dollars…and those numbers will skyrocket. In tests, updating to LIVE boosted play on any given machine by a whopping 300-400%.
And that’s only part of the fun.
“We’ve learned that, the more creative opportunities we offer players, the more they’ll play,” says Silver Strike co-creator Ralph Melgosa.
Hence Silver Strike LIVE’s often-humorous avatar-building options. Choose your avatar—male/female, black/white, or right/left-handed. Dress him or her in one of hundreds of slick/sexy/silly outfits (such as a fashion-forward thong that peeks tastefully over your avatar’s waistband).
Then, choose from 50+ virtual bowling balls, ranging from realistic to fantastic, like the sleek number labeled “Cougar.” (Yes, women love Silver Strike.) Players can even “rent” a virtual ball for as little as 10 cents per game.
It’s an inexpensive night’s entertainment, and that’s part of its charm. There are three play modes: Casual Play at $1 a game (offline), Stats Play ($1 a game, but players can track their stats), and the new Prize Play mode ($2 a game; the extra dollar goes into the prize pot). Prize Play, the #1 choice among Golden Tee players, is expected to dominate.
There’s also a new “Spare Challenge” skill mode, where players attempt to make progressively-trickier spares.
To view the Silver Strike LIVE trailer and find a nearby game (LIVE updates are still rolling out), visit www.silverstrikebowling.com.
