I got a Game on special early in the season, and it sat in a box for 3 months until I finally started to see enough oil to get it drilled up and start using it. I try not to throw it too much to stave off TEC death. It's a Chia Ball that soaks up oil pretty good, so I do not expect it to have much of a lifespan. Mine has probably 35 games on it, and it looks like a refugee from a Tora Bora cave already.
Mine is 15# 4 oz, with 3 oz top weight, 3" pin out. It wants to be a strong arcing ball, so that is exactly how we built it. My layout is a 4 1/2 x 3, with the pin right of the ring, the CG about 1" below the centerline and kicked out at about a 150 degree angle from the pin, a big weight hole 1" in front of the PAP to help it get started early. Though I was skeptical of the layout at first, I found that it provides a good combination of length, strong controlled arc, and keeps the ball in play on carrydown.
I think of Game as "deceptively strong." Strong, in the sense that it's probably a 20-board ball on fresh oil, with 5 - 6" of flare in the form of a hard arc. Deceptive, because the strong arcing reaction is smooth as silk. There's nothing jumpy or uncontrollable about it. I suppose this is what people mean when they talk about a "good match of core to coverstock". It successfully rides that knife's edge of strength and control that some other Columbia balls do not.
I'd classify it as a medium to medium-heavy oil ball and a great choice for shorter patterns. It starts to be useful about where the Ti Messenger Pearl ends. You aren't going to play it in an out of bounds area like you can with the very biggest oil balls, and it needs some oil in the heads. I did not like it much in long oil (40' buffed to 46') but it was all I had. Like everyone else has said, it burns up in the dry. In my layout, it bites right through carrydown, no problem.
It doesn't care whether it's played straight down the boards, or swung across the lanes.
The hit and carry are very, very good. It's smooth on the backend, violent in the pocket, with excellent continuation. I consistently get some of the most interesting hits with it - stuff like double love taps on the 7 and 10, beautiful swishes, two-wall messengers and so on. There may be harder-hitting balls, but not much, and none that are so cool to watch how they react off-pocket as the Game. It somehow seems to grow teeth on medium-wet synthetics.
While it's probably too much ball for a cranker, many different types could use a Game. I think the person that would really kill 'em with it is an accurate stroker who can play a lot of different lines, but needs some area on oil. It can be played from anywhere, won't waste that accuracy, and will give that bowler a lot of area in the pocket.
If only they could make it live as long as resin... Well, at least it's sweet while it's alive.
Overall rating (1 - 10): 8.
Versatility: 6. A medium/heavy oil ball that needs head oil. No good on dry, not your best choice on longer patterns. I think it's best on medium synthetics.
Control: 8. The words for it are smooth, arcing, controllable. A great compromise between power and control. Just flat-out nice.
Hit and carry: 9. Hits great.
