Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour

"A hole in one for Nintendo!"

It\'s amazing how Nintendo can take (and excuse me golf fans for saying this) such a boring game in real life and make it so much fun.

Gameplay 9/10

For a simple game of Golf, Nintendo really did go all out. While the game itself looks very basic when you first start playing, the gameplay is very deep. The basic controls go something like this: To hit the ball you can either use an auto-swing or manual swing. With auto swing all you have to do is determine the power at which you hit the ball by pressing A then hitting it again to determine the power. The manual swing lets you determine the power and degree at which the ball turns to either side when you hit it. To use a manual swing you hit A then B to determine your power then hit B again right where the power bar starts to hit it straight, to the left of the beginning of the power bar to make it curve right or to the left of the power bar to make curve left. I know it all sounds complicated but there\'s a nice half hour long tutorial video included that does a better job of explaining this than I ever could. Other in game controls include L and R to determine the distance you can hit the ball, up and down on the control stick to select a club, Y gives you an overview of the entire course, X changes your view, D-pad lets you taunt when you aren\'t shooting, or cheer with a,b,y, or x. There are many game modes. The main one being tournament mode where you play 18 holes competing for first place. There\'s only one tournament to start with which is Lakitu cup but you can unlock many more including Sands Classic, Blooper Open, and many more. The other modes of play include ring challenge, hit the ball through all the rings then get under par to continue, coin challenge, collect coins to win, you can play a few holes against a computer, you can play doubles with a computer of friends, there\'s closest to the pin contest, I think that explains itself, and more. There are over 15 characters to play with including Mario, Luigi, Bowser, Peach, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Yoshi, Daisy, and one again, more. The courses start out like normal ones but as you unlock more they become more and more unique to the Mario series with hazards like Chomps and warp pipes.

Story 0/10

There is no story, they\'re just playing golf. But it doesn\'t matter. What kind of story did you expect from this type of game anyway?

Graphics 9/10

Very impressive, the courses are very detailed. There\'s a very nice opening intro and the characters are also extremely detailed. The lighting effects are very good including sunsets, rain, and trees casting shadows. For a game with a cartoony sort of look that isn\'t supposed to look very realistic, it doesn\'t get much better than this

Sound 8/10

Nothing too impressive but it\'s pretty good. All the characters have tons of sounds and phrases and the music to the courses is catchy and nice. But the narrator guy that constantly says \'\'par\'\' \'\'bogey\'\' \'\'birdie\'\' ect can get annoying. But all in all it\'s pretty good.

Overall 9/10

Those of you who are fans of the very few golf games are out there and fans of the mario series will not be disappointed. This is a great game with few flaws.

Rent or buy? BUY

This is one of those few games that I suggest you just buy. I really can\'t see how someone wouldn\'t like this game, it\'s a great mario game for the mario fans and a great golf/sports game. Like I said before this is a great game with few flaws, by yourself and with friends, it\'s a must have for all gamecube owners.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03