Nester's Funky Bowling
Nester's Funky Bowling — frequently asked questions
- Is Nester's Funky Bowling on Steam?
- No. Nester's Funky Bowling is not distributed on Steam, so there is no Steam Charts or SteamDB player count for it. Its live popularity is tracked here via Twitch viewership instead.
- What platforms is Nester's Funky Bowling on?
- Nester's Funky Bowling is available on Virtual Boy.
- When did Nester's Funky Bowling release?
- Nester's Funky Bowling was first released on February 26, 1996.
About Nester's Funky Bowling
Nester, the one-time bad boy of comic fame, brings you the funkiest game of bowling you'll ever experience in 3-D. Finally fans can throw a strike without putting on ill-fitting shoes! Hester, the unknown twin sister, makes her debut appearance. Watch out as the action picks up and the tensions build for these hot-headed bowlers. Their egos clash with outlandish gestures and funky expressions.
Summary via IGDB.
Nester's Funky Bowling on Wikipedia
Nester's Funky Bowling is a bowling video game developed by Saffire and published by Nintendo for the Virtual Boy. It was only released in North America in February 1996, and was the second-to-last game released for the system before it was discontinued. Players control Nester, a character from the Nintendo Power comics, or his twin sister Hester, as they compete to see who is the superior bowler. It features standard bowling mechanics and rules, and has three modes of play - Bowling, Challenge, and Practice, all three supporting one or two players.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Developer
- Saffire
- Publisher
- Nintendo of America
- Game modes
- Single player, Multiplayer
- Series
- Nester
- Official site
- Visit
Details via IGDB.
Collector value & authenticity
Virtual Boy · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-08-22
Release record
| Territory | Date | Serial | Barcode | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 26 Feb 1996 | VUE-VNFE-USA | 045496770105 | — |
| Mexico Gamela México | — | VUE-VNFE-USA | 045496770105 | — |
| Brazil Playtronic Industrial Ltda. | — | VUE-VNFE-USA | — | — |
- Community score
- 70/100
- Region
- NA
- Released
- 1996
- Authenticity
- Med
A Nintendo-published game with no licensing obstacle that still isn't on Switch Online. Watch this one.
One of only three North American exclusives, released in 1996 into a console that was already dead, and the only game ever to headline Nester — the Nintendo Power mascot. It is a competent bowling game with more personality than it needed.
The interesting part is the omission. Every other unavailable Virtual Boy game has an obvious rights holder in the way; this one was published by Nintendo, which owns Nester, so there is nothing to clear. That makes it the most likely of the holdouts to eventually appear — and the one whose scarcity premium is least secure.
What the press said at the time
| Game Informer #37 | May 1996 | 6.25/10 |
| GamePro | May 1996 | 2.8/5 |
| VB Memorial Guidebook | 1997 | 64.5/100 |
It entered Nintendo Power's reader chart new at fourth in February 1996 — the magazine's own mascot placing in the magazine's own poll.
Worth knowing
- Nester was Nintendo Power’s mascot. The magazine’s own cartoon character got his own game, which makes Nintendo Power back issues a genuine collecting sideline for this title.
Before you buy
A late release, but not a small one — this shipped to North America, Mexico and Brazil, into a market that still had months left to run. That is why it stayed cheap while Japan's December 1995 releases did not. Medium risk. North America only, so there is no cheaper import route.
Nester's Funky Bowling screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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